“Different tales?” ejaculated Henderson. “There’s only one tale it can tell, and that is, that all his property belongs to me. Who is that stranger whom you allowed to go inside the wagon? I want him out of there when I go in.”
“Bob!” shouted Mr. Chisholm; “have you got through in there?”
“Yes, sir,” sobbed Bob.
“Why, a person would think that the dead man was some relative of his!” said Henderson, in surprise. “To tell you the truth, I never saw the boy before.”
“Well, then, come out,” said Mr. Chisholm. “Be careful to look in all his pockets to see that you don’t miss anything.”
Elam and Bob came out in obedience to Mr. Chisholm’s instructions, and it was plain to everybody standing around that there was no sham about their feelings. Elam’s face looked as long as your arm, while Bob had evidently been crying, and I took notice of the fact that it had an effect upon the men standing around. Of course there were two sides to the question. Some were in favor of Bob, while others believed that Henderson had the right on his side; and still others were willing to wait until the matter had been thoroughly investigated before they inclined to either side. It was a big jury of four hundred men, and somehow I didn’t feel at all uneasy.
“Now, sir, you are at liberty to go in as soon as you please,” said Mr. Chisholm, waving his hand toward the wagon.
“Yes; and thanks to you these strangers have got everything they wanted,” returned Henderson angrily.
“Look a-here, pardner, I am in favor of doing whatever is right,” said our leader, throwing more emphasis into his words than I had seen him use before. “This pocket-book has two tales to tell. If they speak in your benefit you shall have it. Tony, catch up! Boys, I am going to eat supper with you to-night.”
Henderson went into the wagon, the men turned away to hunt their own wagons and get a bite to eat, and Tony began his preparations for supper. Mr. Chisholm sat down on a little mound of grass, rested his hands upon his knees, and looked thoughtfully at the ground; we boys stood around waiting impatiently for him to speak, and all watched for Henderson to come out of the wagon. He was gone a long time, and during his stay in there he threw everything about in the greatest confusion. He didn’t leave a single thing the way he found it, and he was in so great a hurry to find something of which he was in search that our fellows had to go to work and straighten up things. I knew he wasn’t making any friends by his unceremonious conduct. He at length appeared, and, if his looks indicated anything, he was madder than he was when he went in.