“‘Almost’ don’t go—not in swearin’ folks are guilty.”
“I know that. But we’ve had a lot of evidence——”
“What kind o’ evidence?”
Sam frowned. “Why—why, it has been circumstantial evidence, but there has been a lot of it. And Orkney has had a chronic grouch all along. And he has had it in for all my crowd. And, finally, he ran away. That’s the same as confessing, isn’t it?”
“Confessin’ what?”
“Oh, everything,” said Sam vaguely.
Lon took a moment for thought.
“Sam, I can’t help thinkin’ there’s a mistake somewhere. Now, you mean to be square and fair, and so do your chums, but you haven’t liked this Orkney. I dunno’s there’s any reason why you should like him, but that ain’t the question. I plumb despise a rattlesnake, but I’ve got no call to insist he’s stealin’ my fire-wood. Follow the argyment, do you?”
“Yes; but——”
“Hold on! Wa’n’t there nothin’ nowhere along the line to make you doubt if you were right?”