"Never. Hold on; he axed me that time if I had ever mentioned the fact of our fust meetin', and I told him I had not. He seemed pleased at that, and he told me never to mention it. I allowed that I didn't see no reason why I should, and he laughed at that and seemed entirely satisfied."
"That is excellent, Bill. Now, we will get at those plans. I don't want to lose any time."
"Would you mind telling me why you axed me all about them two meetings?"
"Not at all. When I go out into the woods in the character of Bill Turner, I am likely at some time to run across Handsome himself. I want to be posted, so that he won't know but what I am you. I don't want him to catch me; see?"
"Yes. But do you suppose you kin fix yourself to look enough like me so's he won't know the difference when he sees you?"
"Certainly."
The old man shook his head.
"I don't believe it," he said, "but maybe you can. How about the voice? Your voice ain't no more like mine than a——"
"I can do that, too," replied Nick, exactly simulating the voice in which the old man was speaking; and he looked around him in wonder, and then at the detective.
"It does beat all!" he said at last. "I guess you're some too many for me, sir."