"I don' know whur they gone. They went to git Lessie 'way frum you. They 's com'n' back putty durn soon."
"I know where they've gone! It's to Snack Hollow!"
"Who tol' yo'?"
The look he bent upon me was a mixture of pity and contempt.
"Mrs. Toller. I've just come from there. She was uncivil at first, but I made up with the children, then she said Granny had told her she was going to Snack Hollow, where she had some folks. Where is this place, Satyr? I'm going, too, next train."
"No ust, pardner."
He scratched the dirty stub of a match on a plank, and lit up.
"Granny—'n' Gran'fer—'n' Lessie—ain't a-nigh Snack Holler!"
The fateful sentence came out in jerks, between puffs. I thought he was trying to scare me.
"You can't fool me, Jeff," I retorted, but my voice lacked assurance. "How far is this Snack Hollow, and how soon can I get there?"