"Murdered!" exclaimed the others, and Dave's blood seemed to run cold.
"A regular robber wouldn't stop at murder, if he was caught in the act," said the farmer.
"Maybe we ought to break in the door."
"Or git in through the window," suggested Mike Marcy.
While they were deliberating they heard the sounds of carriage wheels on the road. The turnout was coming along at smart speed and all ran towards the road to see who was driving. To their surprise they saw the Widow Fairchild alight, followed by a farmer named Burr and a hired man called Sandy.
"How do ye do, widder!" called out Farmer Brown. "Been away long?"
"Why, what does this mean?" stammered Mrs. Fairchild, who was a woman of forty and weighed at least two hundred pounds. She often went out to do nursing throughout the Oakdale district.
"We came here lookin' fer robbers," explained Mike Marcy. "We thought they was comin' to visit you."
"By gum!" came from the farmer named Burr. "Reckon you are right, Mrs. Fairchild."