“But you never told me!”
“No, squire; I’d done so much mischief by telling that the coin was genuine, I thought I’d hold my tongue, after I found out what a mistake I’d made. But I don’t see that you are ruined. You’ve given yourself some trouble and expense, in order to get the treasure into your hands, that’s all. You’ve done one good thing, though, in getting this boy off, and we appreciate it.”
THE SQUIRE’S TRIUMPH.
“I’ll have him up agin!” said the squire, furiously.
“O no, neighbor! I hardly think you will. No ‘new circumstances’ have come to light in his case since you swore to your last statement; and for you to complain of him again would plainly be a case of malicious prosecution. He ain’t to blame for my blunder. I deceived him with regard to the coin; he hasn’t deceived anybody. Didn’t know but what it was good till this minute; did you, Jack?”
“Yes,” said Jack, with a grin. “Aunt Patsy told me last night it was some of Sam Williams’s bogus. But I thought it just as well not to say anything about it. I wanted to see how liberal he was!”
The deacon smiled, the spectators laughed, and Peternot, turning angrily on his heel, stalked back to the jeweller’s shop, where he had left his bag of “treasure.”
“Well, now we’ll go home,” said the deacon, touching up old Maje.