from his lap and arose. "You can't stay here
to-night," he said; "you can't stay even to-day. You can't stay an hour.
Nobody can tell me what I ought to do. You can't stay here ten minutes.
If you tried to get away I'd trail you, I'd catch you. You stay where
you are till I get back."

CHAPTER XXVIII

RED THORNTON LEARNS SOMETHING ABOUT SCOUTS

And strange to say Red Thornton did stay just where he was. Perhaps,
seeing that Tom limped as he went down the hill, the fugitive
entertained a momentary thought of flight. If so, he abandoned it,
perhaps in fear, more likely in honor. Who shall say? His agitation had
caused his head to begin aching furiously again, and he was a pitiful
figure as he sat there upon the doorsill, in a kind of desperate
resignation, resting his forehead in his two hands, and occasionally
looking along the path down the hill at Tom as he limped in and out
among the trees, following the beaten trail. It had never occurred to
him before, how lame Tom was, as the result of his injuries and
excessive labors. And he marvelled at the simple confidence which would
leave him thus free to escape, if he cared to. Perhaps Tom could have
tracked and caught him, perhaps not. But at all events Tom had beaten
him with character and that was enough. He had him and Thornton knew and
confessed it. It _was_ curious how it worked out, when you come to think
of it.

Anyway, Thornton had given up all his fine plans and was ready to be
arrested. He would tell the authorities that it was not on account of
them that he gave himself up, but on account of Tom. Tom should have all
the credit, as he deserved. He could hardly realize now that he had
deliberately confessed to Tom. And having done so, he realized that Tom,
being a good citizen, believing in the law and all that sort of thing,
could not do otherwise than hand him over. What in the world else could
Tom Slade do? Say to him, "You stole money; go ahead and escape; I'm
with you?" Hardly.

There was a minute in Red Thornton's life when he came near making
matters worse with a terrible blunder. After about fifteen or twenty
minutes of waiting, he arose and stepped over to the gully and
considered making a dash through the woods and striking into the road.
Perhaps he would have done this; I cannot say. But happening just at
that moment to glance down the hill in the opposite direction, he was
astonished at seeing Tom plodding up the hill again quite alone. N