"I don't know," answered Steve, hurriedly. "Not much, though—I was just countin' it when you come."
"It rather surprised you, didn't it?" asked Jade with a laugh.
"I should think so," acknowledged Steve. "You must have slipped down here mighty quiet."
"I did," admitted Jade. "I wanted to see what mischief you was up to. I didn't expect to catch you countin' money like some banker. What's this hole in the ground? Been buryin' it, you d—n miser?"
"It's safer than riskin' it in a bank, where you don't know who's going' to steal it."
"That's true," agreed Jade, stooping to pick up the scrap of paper which had been wrapped around the money, and had now dropped on the ground at Steve's side. It was the identical scrap that had given Sophronia a clue as to how this money had come into Steve's possession, and when Jade picked it up, she waited anxiously to see if he would also make a similar discovery.
At first the intruder glanced at it carelessly and seemed about to crumple it up in his hand, then suddenly the whole expression of his face changed as his eyes fell on the printed matter. He read it hastily, and quickly turned on Steve in accusing anger.
"You scoundrel!" he cried, shaking the scrap of paper in his companion's face. "You got this money by sellin' out. You've betrayed us!"
"I haven't," Steve stoutly denied, although his face turned a sallow white as he spoke. "Who says I told on the band?"
"The proof's right here," affirmed Jade, again shaking the scrap of paper violently in Steve's face. "Here's the reward offered for information concernin' the riders. You're the traitor, and you alone!"