He turned to young Morrison and continued:
"Yesterday morning, when I got up at the camp, I looked in the tree and found there was a lot of gum. So I shot at it, just to draw your attention to it. How much gum was concealed there?"
"About fifty pounds," replied Morrison.
"If you knew my son was doing as you claim he did, why did you not tell this other boy?" demanded Mr. Furbush.
"Because," answered the stranger, "I didn't go back to the camp again after I see this boy a-hiding it away in the tree, and the next time I see 'em was when I pulled 'em out of the lake."
"Is that all?" asked Mr. Furbush. "If it is, I'd like to ascertain the object of all these accusations and questions. What proof have we that my son did this or that you didn't do it? The boy has his property back, and why not let the matter drop? It looks to me like a trifling matter, anyway."
The face of Isaac brightened a little at this, but when his eye met that of the stranger, he trembled again.
"I'll tell you what the object of this is," he said. "This boy of yours made me out a thief; now I want to show it's him and not me. As for proof, I'll leave it to him, and forty-five dollars worth of gum ain't no trifling matter."
Then he turned sharply to Isaac.
"Didn't you take that gum yourself?" he asked. "Remember, this is going to court unless I'm cleared of it."