you'd agree to suthin."

"Where is the horse now?"

"In Peakslow's stable. He wants to turn him out to pastur', but he's
afraid you're hangin' round. He has set his boys to diggin' taters over
ag'in Betterson's lot, where they can watch for ye. What he re'ly wants
is, for you to come back and make him an offer, to settle the hash; for
he's a little skittish of your clappin' the law ontew him."

"I wonder he didn't think of that before."

"He did, but he says you'd showed yerself a kind of easy, accomodatin'
chap, and he'd no notion o' your gettin' so blamed riled all of a
suddint."

"That shows how much good it does to be easy with a man like him!" And
Jack, thanking old Wiggett for his information, disappeared in the
woods.

He found the boys waiting for him, and told them what he had learned.
"Now my cue is," said he, "to make Peakslow think I've gone home. So I
may as well leave you for the present. Please take care of my saddle and
bridle and gun till I call for them. Good by. If you _should_ happen to
come across the Peakslow boys--you understand!"

Rufe carelessly returned Jack's good-by. Then, leaving Wad and Link to
go by the way of the spring and take care of the pail and fork, he
walked down through the woods to the road, where he found Zeph and his
older brother Dud digging potatoes in Peakslow's corner patch.

"Hullo!" Dud called out, so civilly that Rufe knew that something was
wanted of him.

"Hullo yourself and see how you like it," Rufe retorted.

"Where's that fellow that owns the hoss?"

"How should I know?"

"He stopped to your house."

"That's so. But he's gone now."

"Where?"

"I don't know. He told us to keep his saddle and bridle and gun till he
called for 'em, and went off. You'll hear from him before many days."

Rufe's tone was defiant; and the young potato-diggers, having, as they
supposed, got the information they wanted, suffered their insolence to
crop out.

"We ain't afraid of him nor you either," said Zeph, leaning on his hoe.

"Yes, you are afraid of me, too, you young blackguard! I'll tie you into
a bow-knot and hang you on a tree, if I get hold of you."

"Le's see ye do it!"

Rufe answered haughtily: "You wouldn't stand there and sass me, if you
didn't have Dud to back you. Just come over the fence once, and leave
Dud on the other side; I'll pitch you into the middle of next week so
quick you'll be dizzy the rest of your natural life." And he walked on
up th