"So you have heard about it already, eh?"
"Sure; couldn't keep a thing like that a secret fer two hours in this place. Sandy Morgan, on his way to the wharf, stopped to tell me about it. Ho, ho, it was great."
Jake continued his milking, and when he was through, he came to where
Douglas was sitting.
"I've been thinkin'," he began, "an' feel a bit uneasy about ye."
"In what way?" Douglas questioned, looking up from his milking.
"I'm uneasy about what Si will do. He'll hear only one side of the story from Ben an' the gals, an' they'll paint it as black as they kin, mark my word."
"I'm not afraid of the whole gang," Douglas replied. "What can they do to me?"
"I don't know," and Jake scratched his head in perplexity. "But I advise ye to be keerful. Si's an ugly brute when he gits his dander up, an' it's ginerally up most of the time."
Douglas was not left long in doubt as to what action Simon Stubbles would take. He was working with Jake that morning in the field back of the barn when a man approached. He carried a letter which he at once handed to Douglas.
"The boss wants an answer," he informed him. "He's in a big hurry about it, too."