"Whom do you mean, Joe?"
"I mean that man back there, Parkhill--Professor Parkhill. What's he
a-lookin' for hangin' 'round here? You can tell him it ain't no
use--I--" He stopped suddenly, and with a characteristic look of
cunning, turned away.
Patches rode beside him for some distance, but nothing that he could say
would persuade the wretched creature to explain.
"Yes, I know you're my friend, all right, Patches," he answered. "You
sure been mighty friendly ter me, an' I ain't fergettin' it. But I ain't
a-tellin' nothin' to nobody, an' it ain't a-goin' to do you no good to
go askin' him 'bout me, neither."
"I'm not going to ask Professor Parkhill anything, Joe," said Patches
shortly.
"You ain't?"
"Certainly not; if you don't want me to know. I'm not trying to find out
about anything that's none of my business."
Joe looked at him with a cunning leer. "Oh, you ain't, ain't you? Nick
'lows that you're sure--" Again he caught himself. "But I ain't
a-tellin' nothin' to nobody."
"Well, have _I_ ever asked you to tell me anything?" demanded Patches.
"No, you ain't--that's right--you sure been square with me, Patches,
an' I ain't fergettin' it.
Pages:
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279