“Did you ever know him have so much money before?” demanded Gerald.
“Didn’t know but he might a had some money lef’ him,” said Peter shrewdly.
“Well, you know now. When this gentleman lay asleep in our cabin last night Jake stole in and took his wallet.”
“What’ll I do, gemmen? When Jake wakes up” (he had dropped on the floor, where he was breathing hard with his eyes closed) “he’ll ’cuse me of takin’ his money.”
“Tell him that the man he stole it from came here and got it,” said Gerald.
Gerald and his companion left the saloon, leaving Peter Johnson quite down in the mouth. His little game had been spoiled, for rightly supposing that Jake did not know how much money there was in the wallet, he had intended to abstract at least half the contents and appropriate it to his own use.
“Did he use much of your money, Mr. Wentworth?” asked Gerald.
“I will examine and find out,” answered his companion.
He sat down under the tree and took out the roll of bills.