"Come to my house; I guess my wife can scare up some breakfast for you. She'll be glad to see the boy that got the better of Jack Mangum."
"How long has this Jack Mangum lived about here?" asked Walter, after accepting with thanks the offer of a breakfast.
"About five years. He's been in the county jail twice during that time, and there's a warrant out for him now. He's a confirmed thief. He'd rather steal any time than earn an honest living."
"Has he ever stolen anything from you?"
"I've missed some of my chickens from time to time, and, though I didn't catch him taking them, I've no doubt he was the thief. Once I lost a lamb, and I suppose it went in the same direction."
"So there is a warrant out for him now?"
"Yes, and I expect he'll be taken in a day or two. In that case he'll have the privilege of a few months' free board in the county jail."
"Where is the jail?"
"In T——."
"That's the town I'm going to."