too," Murfree added casually. "I formed a company and assigned you half of it. I thought your children might like to be rich when they grow up."

"Maybe they will, suh, maybe they will!" agreed Bud. "That's right nice of you!"

"You can draw twenty or fifty or a hundred dollars a day if you like," Murfree added, "and I've bought this shack and twelve hundred acres of land around it and it belongs to you now."

Bud looked alarmed.

"But lookee heah, suh!" he protested. "The sheriff's goin' to come around with a tax-bill—"

"I'm paying the taxes," said Murfree. "Out of your money. I'm handling your money for you. Of course I'll turn it all over to you any time you say." Then he said deliberately, "It's a certain amount of trouble, though, looking after your land taxes and income taxes and state taxes and investments and trust funds and so on."

"You take some of the money for y'trouble, suh," said Bud generously. "Take all y'like, suh, long as I got what I want."

"The pay I want," said Murfree grimly, "is some gadgets. A lift and a drive a lot stronger than the boat has. And some weapons. I want you to make them for me."

Bud grinned.

"Tryin' to make me work, suh? Then just let the money go hang, suh! I got ten dollars a day, and if that stops I got near three hundred I ain't used yet. I don't have to worry!"

With a shrug Murfree turned away. "That's what you think," he said drily. "All right! I'm turning your money over to you. All of it. You handle it! I'm through!"

He walked toward his car, and paused to add:

"You'll be arrested within a week," he said casually, "for not filing income-tax forms. There'll be warrants out for you for failing to report state property. You'll be up against it because you're an employer and you've got to keep your social-security records straight and the fees paid. Within two weeks you'll be working night and day paying fixes and clearing up red tape, and you'll go to jail if you don't. Good-by!"

Bud Gregory started up in alarm.

"Lookee heah, suh! You cain't go off like that!"

"I'm going," Murfree told him. "I'm practically 

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