As Vandewater and Charley walked back to the store, the latter said. ‘We must see the keeper of the rancho and find out from him if Jim Brown has been there.’
‘Why do you suspect this Brown of having been engaged in the robbery?’
‘It is strange,’ said Charley, ‘that the Irishman, before he had time to think, should have addressed Brown as one that had agreed to call him at a certain hour. We must make sure that Brown was at the rancho; and if he was, a Philadelphia lawyer would be puzzled to account for Jamie’s exclamation when starting out of a sound sleep, and expecting to find Brown at his side.’
‘True,’ said Vandewater.
‘Leave it to me,’ continued Charley. ‘I will find out what ranch Jim Brown visited yesterday. I will call there, and learn when he arrived, and when he left, if the fellow was there at all.’
On returning to the store, they found Jamie standing outside the door, and surrounded by Monteagle, Mr. Brown and several of the neighboring dealers.
‘So, sirrah,’ said Vandewater, ‘that Brown you spoke of, says that he hasn’t seen you for a fortnight, and he has just returned from visiting a friend out of the town.’
‘Och, the lying villain,’ exclaimed Jamie, in a tone of virtuous indignation. ‘Och, the lying, thaving, murthering scoundrel, and wasn’t it his own silf that tould me to go into the store and take a nap till mornin’, and—’
He was interrupted by the appearance of Jim Brown himself, who rushed into the crowd, and confronting Jamie, cried ‘How’s this? What have you been telling about me?’
‘About you, is it?’ cried Jamie, with all the assurance imaginable, ‘and is it you, you thafe o’ the w-o-r-r-r-l-d, that’s come to lie me down, and try to hang his friend widout judge or jury, and widout binifit of clargy, too. Och, you thunderin’ wilyun! didn’t you tell me to go in here, and slape a bit, just till the morning, when you was to call me up, sure?’