“I know it,” whined the frightened boy. “I wanted to keep him.”
“But after you found out he was stolen, why didn’t you give him up?” demanded his father.
“I was afraid the men would do something to me,” gasped Ned. “They looked so awful mad!”
“You only made a bad matter worse!” said George. “They will do something to you now, if they catch you, and they are bound to do it if they can!”
“Wh—what will they do?” stammered the culprit.
“They may put you in jail!”
“Gracious!” gasped Ned. He walked rapidly across the floor once or twice and then came back and caught hold of his chair again. His strength was all frightened out of him, and he could not long keep his feet without a support of some kind.
“But Mr. Gilbert thinks they are going to take the law into their own hands, as people very often do it in this country, and that is the reason I am so anxious to get you away from here,” continued George. “And that isn’t all. You and your friend have been shooting cattle this afternoon!”
“It isn’t so! It isn’t so!” cried Ned, with so much earnestness that he condemned himself on the spot. “Is it, Gus?”
“No!” replied Gus, in a feeble voice.