"There were some cows there I remember; I suppose old Whitey was among them."
"Did your gun go off while you were in the pasture?"
"Ye—es, I believe it did. It went off accidentally."
"And hit old Whitey?"
"I don't know about that. It may not have hit anything."
"Then you don't know that you hit my cow?"
"I wasn't the only boy in the pasture this afternoon," said James, evasively.
"I know all about that. Tom Wyman was with you."
"Yes, and so was Mark Manning. He was out gunning most all the afternoon. Have you asked him whether he hit the cow?"
"Yes," answered the deacon; "he says he didn't."