“I’m glad to hear it,” was the reply. “Yer rich already, Dannie, and won’t need none of the bar’l when we find it. But if he give ye five dollars an’ owes ye ten more, ye must a made—” here Godfrey stopped and counted his fingers—“ye must a made fifteen outen him choppin’ wood. Didn’t ye promise ye wouldn’t never try to fool me no more?”
“Wal, come nigher to the fence,” said Dan, growing desperate and sinking his voice almost to a whisper, so that those in the cabin might not hear his words, “an’ I’ll tell ye this time, honor bright. Ye know the ten dollars Dave was goin’ to get fur breakin’ that pinter pup, don’t ye? Wal, I jest slipped up thar an’ axed Mr. Bert would he lend Dave five of it now to get mam a new dress with, an’ he said yes, he would. That’s whar the money came from, pop, sure’s you live.”
Godfrey was satisfied of it; and while he secretly admired the boy’s shrewdness, he reproached himself for not being smart enough to take advantage of the opening, and thus securing the ten dollars for his own use. Without a word more he pulled out Dan’s money and gave it to him, then walked back to the bench, picked up his pipe, and went off into a brown study. He never came out of it until he was called to breakfast, and even then he hardly aroused himself sufficiently to know what was going on around him. Having satisfied his appetite, he took down his rifle and left the cabin. As soon as he was out of sight, Dan arose, put on his hunting equipments and also disappeared, leaving David and his mother to themselves.
Godfrey made his way toward General Gordon’s house, and on the way stopped at the barn, where the hostler was at work hitching the grays to the family carriage. By a little skilful questioning he learned that the general and his boys were going down to the landing to meet some visitors, who were coming from Cincinnati on the Emma Deane; and this piece of information caused a slight change in the programme he had laid out before leaving home. He had come over there on purpose to see Don Gordon, and secure the balance of the money he had promised David for breaking the pointer. But he wanted to see him privately, and believing that his object could be better attained by waiting a while, he decided to postpone the interview until the Gordons reached the landing. The sooner he obtained possession of the money the better, Godfrey told himself, as he looked out of one of the stable windows. There was Dan coming up the road, and his father knew instinctively what it was that brought him in that direction so early in the morning. Dan, however, did not go near the barn, for he had seen his father stop there. He kept on toward the landing, and when he was out of sight, Godfrey shouldered his rifle and followed him.
We have already seen how Godfrey operated when he thought the proper time had arrived. Watching his opportunity he secured an interview with Don Gordon before Dan did, and had no trouble at all in inducing him to hand over five dollars of David’s money to him. Godfrey was in ecstacies. He shut his fingers tight about the bill and hurried away as if he feared that Don might repent and want the money back after he had time to think about what he had done. Before he had made half a dozen steps he was confronted by his son Dan, whose face wore an expression that Godfrey did not like to see there. He knew as well what was passing in the boy’s mind as he did five minutes afterward when Dan told him of a determination he had formed.
“Why, hallo, Dannie!” exclaimed Godfrey, as if the meeting was most unexpected. “What brung ye down here so ’arly? I’ve got that other five dollars fur ye.”
“O, ye have, have ye?” said Dan.
“Yes. Ye see, I thought mebbe ye wouldn’t like to ax fur this one, seein’ as how ye axed fur the fust, so I done tuk the trouble to do it myself. Now, Dannie, I’ll borrer half of it from ye, an’ pay ye back when we find that bar’l—to-night mebbe!”
Dan drew a long breath of relief. This was a piece of generosity he had not looked for, and he hastened to assure his father that he was entirely satisfied with the proposition, adding:
“Do ye know what I’d a done if ye’d cheated me outen them five dollars? Wal, I’d a went straight to the gen’ral an’ told him about that thar bar’l—yes, I would!”