“But you did, though, didn’t you?”
“Look here,” Ben exclaimed. “If you’re going to tell this story, you just go right ahead and tell it. You’re always butting in!”
“All right!” grinned Jimmie with a wink at Mr. Havens. “I can go ahead and tell it. I know what you telegraphed to Washington for, and I know what you found out!”
“Go on and tell it, then!”
“You telegraphed to Washington in Mr. Havens’ name, and asked if there were any new developments in the Colleton case.”
“That’s right,” admitted Ben.
“The people at Washington had to get some one out of bed, and the person they got out of bed had to find out whether you were alive or dead, and whether they had a right to tell you what you wanted to know, and unwind a lot of red tape, and then you got the information you sought!”
“What’s the use of sparring for wind?” demanded Ben. “Why don’t you go on and tell about it?”
“You just wait until I turn over another leaf of my dream-book and I’ll tell you all about it. That is, I could tell you all about it if I wanted to, but I ain’t going to.”
Ben was shaking with laughter and the sober-faced Englishman was actually smiling.