“Jakey allowed that he come hum to show me where them six thousand was hid; but it’s my idee that he come a purpose to get his jacket dusted, ’cause the money ain’t here,” replied Matt. “Jakey oughter know better than to try to fool his pap that a-way.”
“I ain’t tryin’ to fool you,” protested Jake. “I put the grip-sacks into that hole, an’ I don’t see where they be now.”
“If he is tryin’ to make a fule of his pap, he deserves a lickin’,” continued Matt, paying no sort of attention to Jake. “An’ if he hid the money here, an’ somebody come along an’ found it, he had oughter have a lickin’ for that, too, to pay him for not givin’ it up to me the minute he got it.”
As the squatter said this he threw down the stick with which he had been turning over the leaves, climbed out of the hole and began looking for a switch. Jake saw that things were getting serious, and so did Sam. It is doubtful if the latter would have revealed the hiding-place of the money to save his brother from punishment, but still he did not want to see him whipped.
“Look a here, pap,” said Jake, desperately. “I told you honest when I said I put the grip-sacks at the root of that there tree. You can pound me if you want to, but it’ll be wuss for you if you do.”
There was something in the tone of his voice that made Matt pause and look at him. “What do you reckon you’re goin’ to do?” said he.
“In the first place, I shan’t steal no grub to feed a pap who pounds me for jest nothin’,” replied the boy.
“I ain’t a-goin’ to pound you for nothin’. I’m goin’ to pay you for not givin’ me the money.”
“An’ in the next place I shan’t stay with you no longer,” continued Jake. “I’ll go down to one of them hotels an’ tell every thing I know.”
“Whoop!” yelled Matt, jumping up and knocking his heels together. “Then you’ll be took up for a thief.”