“Go on,” laughed the other, “I won’t interrupt again.”
“Well, they were Bill and Tige, and without suspecting my presence, they went into the cabin.
“After giving them time to get something to eat and settle down a bit, I went to the door and knocked. At the same time I called out: ‘Hello, Bill! Hang on to Tige, for I’m coming in’; and in I went.
“‘Who are you?’ said Bill, holding on to Tige with all his might.
“‘A New York reporter, come to interview you,’ said I.
“That tickled him so that he nearly let go of Tige with laughing. Then we had a nice long talk. I told him exactly what I wanted, and what I wanted it for.
“At first he said he hadn’t got the letter, and didn’t know any thing about it, but when I told him that if he’d give it to me no questions would ever be asked about the money, he finally pulled it out of his pocket and handed it over.
“Then I told him I wanted him to come to the trial and testify as to how the letter came into his possession, and how much money there was in it when Tige found it lying on the ground in front of the cabin where you dropped it. If he doesn’t he knows I will tell where his moonshine distillery is.”
“Billings, you are a born detective.”