When Godfrey and David had finished their breakfast they sat down in front of the fire to whet their axes, after which the former, with the remark that they had a hundred cords of wood to cut for General Gordon, bade his wife and Dan good-bye, and the two left the cabin. Dan felt much more at his ease after they were gone. The nice, warm breakfast he had eaten, and the thorough thawing-out he had undergone, brought his spirits back to him again, and he began to make some inquiries in regard to several little matters that had aroused his curiosity.
“Say, mam,” said he, “what brung pap hum?”
“The general was the cause of his coming home,” replied Mrs. Evans. “He found your father in the woods, and talked to him in such a way that he promised to come back and turn over a new leaf; and I am glad to say that he has done it.”
There was one thing Mrs. Evans did not tell Dan, (probably she was not acquainted with the fact herself), and that was, that if Godfrey had not taken his old commander’s advice, and returned to his home and gone to work in earnest to support his family, he would have been in jail before another day had passed over his head. Godfrey himself did not know this, for the general had made no threats. He had gained his point by argument.
“How come Dave carryin’ the mail?” asked Dan.
“The general has the contract, and he hires David to do the work,” was the answer.
“He must be makin’ a pile of money, I reckon, aint he?”
“Thirty dollars a month.”
Dan opened his eyes in great surprise. “How much’ll that be in a year?” he asked.
“Three hundred and sixty dollars.”