CHAPTER XII.
HIBBARD WEAKENS.
Clancy was mightily relieved to know that Fortune had not only kept himself from being injured, but had also covered himself with glory by saving the five thousand dollars.
“Good for you, Jimmie!” Clancy exclaimed. “How did you ever manage to get away with that bag of money?”
“Plumb easy!” returned Fortune, swaggering into the room. “I was waitin’ under the open winder, where you left me, Clancy, and I was all of a shake on account o’ hearin’ that revolver shot. While I was still in a quiver, them cimiroons drapped the money out and started to foller it. I jumped for the bag. While I was pickin’ it up, one of the junipers fell on me. We had a mix, but I tore loose and sloped for the iron fence. Say, I got over that fence with about six feet in the clear. Then I ran till I was clean winded. By then, I allowed it was safe to turn around and come back. I was in sight when some o’ you came in the front door—so I trailed along. Jedge,” and he turned to Pembroke, “allow me to fork over the missin’ dinero!” With that, he placed the bag in the judge’s hand.
“Explain this to me,” said the judge. “With so many of you concerned in what happened it is a little difficult to follow the sequence of events. Clancy, how did you and Fortune come to learn that my house was to be robbed?”
Clancy explained, and in that explanation he did his friend full credit. Fortune, however, put in a few words to the effect that Clancy’s brains in following up the clew, helped out more than any work of his own.
“I stumble onto a heap o’ things,” observed Jimmie, grinning, “but I ain’t got the sabe to figger ’em out. My red-headed pard is the feller who does that.”
During Clancy’s recital the fact had developed that Fortune was occupying Clancy’s bed at the rear of the garage when Hibbard and Tom Long came hunting for the note. This was a revelation which Hibbard listened to with wide eyes.