“What’s a frame-up?” asked DuBois innocently.
“When a man’s jobbed,” answered Jimmie, “they call it a frame-up!”
This explanation was no explanation at all to the Englishman, and so the boys explained that in their opinion, the hunters were, for reasons of their own, trying to send an innocent man to prison or cause him to be lynched. When at last DuBois understood he nodded his head vigorously.
“That’s the idea, don’t you know!” he said. “It’s a frame-up, and they want to job me! I’ll remember those terms, don’t you know!”
“Why?” asked Mr. Havens. “Why should they want to job you?”
“They think I know too much!”
“If you do,” cried Jimmie, “you haven’t told it to us!”
“Besides,” DuBois continued, “this Neil Howell caught sight of me bag one day, don’t you know.”
“Now, it’s all as clear as mud!” cried Jimmie. “I know all about it now! You ran away to escape being robbed of the bag!”
“Something like that, don’t you know!”