“Her own brother?”
“In course.”
“How can that be? My mother’s name wasn’t Mortimer before she was married, was it?”
“Eh?” exclaimed Sanders, somewhat disconcerted by this question. “Oh, no; in course not. Her name was Cordova, an’ Dick’s her cousin.”
“Then how does it come that his name is Mortimer?”
“Eh? I’m blessed if I know. I guess it jest happened so. An’ your brother’s alive an’ all right, too. Now he’s a boy, he is. You’re mighty right. His name’s Fred. Won’t he make things lively for you though when you get out thar? You hain’t goin’ to sleep, be you?”
“Yes, I am,” replied Julian, rearranging his blanket and resting his head on his hard pillow, “I have scarcely closed my eyes during the past forty-eight hours, and I begin to feel the need of rest. We have a long journey to make to-morrow, you know. Goodnight.”
Sanders looked sharply at the boy, and settled back on his blanket, muttering as he did so:
“Did I tell him anything out of the way, I wonder? I am afraid I got that brother an’ cousin business mixed up a trifle too much. I said jest what Reginald told me to say as nigh as I could. If I can only manage to keep him with me till we reach St. Joe, I am all right. It will make a rich man of me.”
“It is no use to waste time in listening to this fellow and building hopes on what he says,” thought Julian, throwing his arm over his head, and watching his companion through his half-closed eyes. “He repeated his story as if he had learned it by heart, and some portions of it didn’t hold together. I wish he would take off that handkerchief and give me a fair view of his face. Who is he, and why did he come here? My father never sent him, for, if he is alive and well, and knows where I am, he would have come himself if he wanted to have me near him. He is no friend of Dick Mortimer, for he is working against him. Is he up to some trick of his own, or is he employed by somebody? I’ll not go to sleep, for I am afraid of him. I can’t well avoid traveling in his company as far as St. Joseph, but when I get there I will have no more to do with him.”