"I don't believe a word of your story, Nappy. I believe it's made up from end to end," answered Jack. "You simply had your orders to keep us from going into the hotel, and you carried those orders out to the best of your ability. My opinion is you were in league with those men who robbed my father of his papers."
"I was not. I don't know what you're talking about!" roared Nappy, but his face grew pale as he spoke. "I didn't even know your father had been robbed. Gabe Werner had been hurt. We thought his leg had been broken, although we found out afterwards it was only hurt. He wanted to see all of you—why, I don't know. We simply tried to do him a favor, and this is what we get for it."
"Nappy is telling things just as they were," declared Slugger.
"It's a fairy tale," declared Andy. "If it was true, why did you and Nappy hide when we came up?"
"Because we knew you would be mad when you got there and found that Gabe was missing," answered Slugger.
"Where is Werner now?"
"I don't know. I think he has gone home—anyway, he said something about going," was the glib reply.
"What are you fellows doing here?"
"We own an interest in this claim," answered Nappy loftily, and as he spoke he lit a fresh cigarette.
"Own an interest here?" demanded Jack in pardonable astonishment.