“That is,” said the deacon, remembering his wife’s injunction, to use a little worldly wisdom on the occasion,—“yes, I may say, in my hands, for I know where it is; I’ve secure possession on ’t; and I’ve resolved—But jump in! jump in! for we must overhaul Sellick before he delivers the boy up at the jail.”
“Wal, wal! This sounds like!—Wife! wife!” called Peternot, “hand out my gre’t-cut! May be cool ridin’.—In your hands? The best news yit! It’s comin’ out right, arter all! But, as you say, we must ketch Sellick ’fore he gits to the jail; the case ’ll haf to go before the gran’ jury, if we don’t.—Wife! wife! can’t ye step quick for once?”
Mrs. Peternot did “step quick for once”; out came the overcoat, and into it went the stiff-jointed old man. Then away rattled the buggy with the two neighbors seated side by side.
“Ketch ’em ’fore they git to the jail, and I can manage Judge Garty,” said Peternot. “But I must have some guarantee that the coin will be actooally restored to me, if I git the boy off.”
“If you require any other guarantee than my word of honor,” began the deacon—“Get up, Maje, go long.”
“That ought to be enough; sartin, sartin! pervided you’re sure you can put me into clear possession of the money, without any peradventur’ about it. Where is it? at your house?”
“It was brought to my house half an hour ago by two of the Huswick boys. And that reminds me,” said the deacon, “one of the conditions is, that you shall withdraw your complaint against Hank and Cub. I forgot to mention that.”
“If they’ve re’ly gi’n up the booty—but I can’t quite see into ’t!” said Peternot. “It don’t seem like the Huswick tribe to part with plunder once fairly in their hands, for fear of a writ out arter ’em. Must be they don’t know the vally of the coin.”
“Very likely!” said the deacon, dryly. “At any rate, they have sent it to me, and commissioned me to make their peace with you.” And he whipped up old Maje again.
“That seems fair. Though I own I’ve had my mind set on punishin’ on ’em, the rogues! They swindled me out of five dollars, when they carried the coin home for me; but I s’pose I can afford to forgive ’em that. So I say, if I don’t find they’ve kep’ back a part of the treasure, I’ll agree to drop the complaint.”