they
were off, the gray taking them along with leaps and bounds, but the
road was smooth, and the dust laid by frequent showers was like velvet
under the horse's feet. Stiles drew himself up, clinging to the side
of the buggy and to his hat.

"How long will he keep this up?" he asked.

"Oh, he stop putty quvick. He lak it leetle run. T'ree, four mile he
run--das all." And the Swede was right. After a while the horse
settled down to a long, swinging trot. "Look at heem now. I make heem
go all tam lak dis. Ven I get my money I haf stable of my own und den
I buy heem. I know heem. I all tam tol' Meester Decker dot horse no
goot--I buy heem sheep. You go'n gif me dot money, eh?"

"I see. You're sharp, but you're asking too much. If it were not for
me, you wouldn't get a cent, or me either. See? I've spent a thousand
hunting that man up, and you haven't spent a cent. All you've done is
to stick here at the hotel and watch. I've been all over the country.
Even went to Europe and down in Mexico--everywhere. You haven't really
earned a cent of it."

"Vat for you goin' all offer de vorld? Vat you got by dot? Spen'
money--dot vot you got. Me, I stay here. I fin' heem; you not got heem
all offer de vorld. I tol' you, of a man he keel somebody, he run vay,
bot he goin' coom back where he done it. He not know it vot for he do
it, bot he do it all right."

"Look here, Nelson; it's outrageous! You can't lay claim to that
money. I told you if he was found and you were willing to give in your
evidence just as you gave it to me that day, I'd give you your fair
share of the reward, as you asked for it, but I never gave you any
reason to think you were to take half. I've spent all the money
working up this matter, and if I were to go back now and do nothing,
as I'm half a mind to do, you'd never get a cent of it. There's no
proof that he's the man."

"You no need spen' dot money."

"Can't I get reason into your head? When I set out to get hold of a
criminal, do you think I sit down in one place and wait? You didn't
find him; he came here, and it's only by an accident you have him, and
he may clear out yet, and neither of us be the better off because of
your pig-headedness. Here, drive into that grove and tie your horse a
minute and we'll come to an understanding. I can't write you out a
paper while we're moving along like this."

Then Nels turned into the grove and took the horse from the shafts and
tied him some distance away,