"Had some trouble up thar, didn't ye? My wife's brother was a-tellin' me about it. A darkey stole some money an' watches, an' that like."
"They think he stole them," said Tom.
"We can hardly believe it."
"Why don't Captain Putnam hunt around them air pawnshops fer the watches?" went on Seth Dickerson, after a pause.
"The thief would most likely pawn 'em, to my way of thinkin'."
"He hasn't much of a chance to do that. But I presume the police will keep their eyes open."
"I was over to Auburn yesterday—had to go to see about a mortgage on our farm—and I stopped into one of them pawnbrokin' shops to buy a shot-gun, if I could git one cheap. While I was in there a big boy came in and pawned a gold watch an' two shirt studs."
"Is that so," returned Tom, with much interest. "What kind of a looking boy was it?"
"A tall, slim feller, with reddish hair. He had sech shifty eyes I couldn't help but think that maybe he had stolen them things jest to raise some spending money."
"Did he give his name?"