“He’s missing,” responded Tambourine. “Gone off with a coon.”
“Do you know anything about it?” Nick asked.
“A little, very little,” answered Jack. “This here ranch belongs to a fellow who struggles along under the name of Sam Cole; Dick told me that coming up in the cars.”
“Come down to the present; where is the banker?”
“How should I know?” said the little fellow; “one thing certain, our two friends that took themselves off in such a hurry don’t know either.”
“He certainly has not made his escape.”
“Well, I rather think not.”
“And Brodie was tied hand and foot. Did he say who did it?”
“Yes, didn’t I tell you that before?” inquired Jack; “this culled person got Skip drunk, and when he awoke, he found himself tied up like a parcel of dry goods; Mr. Cole was standing in the door, arm in arm with the ole bloke. I should have liked to be here, just to listen to Skip saying his prayers at that time. Look, there is some one at the window; ’tis a coon.”
Tambourine Jack pointed excitedly at the only window the cabin possessed.