"He did, but he says you'd showed yerself a kind of easy, accomodatin' chap, and he'd no notion o' your gettin' so blamed riled all of a suddint."
"That shows how much good it does to be easy with a man like him!" And Jack, thanking old Wiggett for his information, disappeared in the woods.
He found the boys waiting for him, and told them what he had learned. "Now my cue is," said he, "to make Peakslow think I've gone home. So I may as well leave you for the present. Please take care of my saddle and bridle and gun till I call for them. Good by. If you should happen to come across the Peakslow boys—you understand!"
Rufe carelessly returned Jack's good-by. Then, leaving Wad and Link to go by the way of the spring and take care of the pail and fork, he walked down through the woods to the road, where he found Zeph and his older brother Dud digging potatoes in Peakslow's corner patch.
"Hullo!" Dud called out, so civilly that Rufe knew that something was wanted of him.
"Hullo yourself and see how you like it," Rufe retorted.
"Where's that fellow that owns the hoss?"
"How should I know?"
"He stopped to your house."
"That's so. But he's gone now."