“‘What’s the matter?’
“‘An’ I s’pose yeh hev ben payin’ fer full board an’ keep to yer mother ever sence yeh wuz borned, eh?’ scoffed Hal.
“I was silent. I was looking at the matter from a new point of view.
“‘S’pose yer pa an’ ma was on’y too glad to git yeh out’en the way, eh?’ he continued.
“Again I had to gulp when I thought of my mother.
“‘I see the hull fool thing. Yeh jus’ went crazy readin’ trashy papers, an’ yeh run away widdout tellin’ a soul, ’cause yeh knew they wouldn’t let yeh come otherwise.’
“I marveled at how close he had come to the truth.
“‘Well, yer here, kid, an’ I s’pose Old Hal’s got to see yeh through wit it, so thet worritin’ mother of yourn’ll see yeh agin, some day.’ And he swung the whip over the horses’ heads with a crack that saved me from his ire.
“We came to a bad grade then, and Old Hal had to keep a wary eye on the trail, for the horses were not as sure-footed as the dogs and deer.
“It must have been four o’clock before we halted. The air was growing colder as we advanced, and I was glad enough to open my pack for a chunk of bread and a slice of bacon.