“No, I don’t know it! I believe you’re mean enough for anything.”
“That’s the talk! You’ve a right to think so. But what if we should help you now to git the money back?”
“Can’t! you don’t know what we can do!”
“Then why don’t you go and git it?”
“’Cause we’ve no right to,—’tain’t ourn,—’t would be stealin’. But you’ve the fust claim on ’t,—you could take it, and we could help ye, and then Peternot might git it back if he could.”
“I guess nobody’d get it again, if it was once in your hands!”
“There ye do us wrong,” said Tug. “We ain’t over-pe’tic’lar ’bout helpin’ ourselves to melons and sich trash where we can find it, but money is another thing.”
“And didn’t I make Hod throw down a handful of the half-dollars he was pickin’ up for ye?” added Cub.
“Which you thought was bogus,” retorted Jack,—who was, however, beginning to be impressed by these friendly suggestions.