Jim always crossed the street at a certain point, the post office being on the other side, so he trod in his own footsteps, which would have worn a path long before but for those of others, including horses and wagons. He walked slowly, scanning every inch of the ground and clay pavement in front of him, but when he drew near the well-remembered building he had not caught sight of the prize. He was within a few paces of the steps of the porch of the store, when he was suddenly startled by a gruff voice:
“Hello, there! Where you going?”
He turned his head as a man stepped from under the small elm behind him. Both being on the same level the slouch hat only partially hid the grim face and big mustache. Jim would have been more scared had he not caught sight an instant before of his knife lying at the foot of the steps of the porch. He sprang forward, caught it up and then faced the stranger, who had stepped into the street.
“I’m looking fur my knife that I dropped and I’ve found it too!” he replied gleefully, holding up the cool, shiny implement. “Gee! aint I lucky?”
“Well, you get out of here as quick as you can. Go back home and stay there till morning. Do ye hear me?”
“Yaws; I’m going.”
A strange discovery had come to Jim the instant before. As he stooped to seize his property, his eyes were at the same height as the bottom of the door leading into the store. It was only for a second or two, but in that brief space he saw a faint glimmer through the crevice, which he knew was caused by a light within. With a shrewdness that no one would have expected from him he said nothing of his discovery to the man who had accosted him.
“Mind what I told you!” added the stranger, “and don’t show your nose outside your house before morning. Understand?”
“Yaws; I don’t want to, ’cause I’ve got my knife. Hooray!”
“Shut up! Off with you!”