"If you are innocent, you have nothing to fear, and you will do what you can to aid me in running down the guilty parties."
At this, the face of the old man became a study. He started to talk, stammered and became silent.
"Tell me!" he burst out suddenly. "Are you an officer?"
"I am—working under the United States Government."
"Oh!" The old man turned pale. "Then let me say, as I said afore, I ain't done nuthin' wrong, an' I don't want to go to prison. If them fellers at the ranch are criminals, I don't want ter work fer 'em no more, an' I'll help you to bring 'em to justice."
CHAPTER XXIV
TOM CARRIES A LETTER
After that it was a comparatively easy matter to get the old man to talk, and he told James Monday and the boys practically all he knew about Sack Todd and his followers.
He said it was commonly supposed that Sack Todd had some invention that he was jealously guarding. Some folks thought the man was a bit crazy on the subject of his discoveries, and so did not question him much concerning them. The machinery and other material which arrived from time to time were all supposed to be parts of the wonderful machine Sack Todd was having made at various places.
While he was talking, the old man looked at Tom many times in curiosity.