If it worked, all right.

If it didn't work, Johnny would not be on the Rolling R pay roll any longer, but Tex would not have lost anything.

It would be convenient to have Johnny down at Sinkhole Camp, shirking his job while he fiddled around with his flying bug.

Tex believed he knew how he could keep the bug very active, and Johnny very much engrossed with it--down at Sinkhole Camp.

It was simple enough, and worth the slight effort Tex was making.
So there was Johnny Jewel with his saddle and bridle and suitcase and chaps, waiting out by the mail box for the stage.