Dan did not go directly home. He was in no hurry to meet his brother,
for he was afraid the latter might have something to say to him about
the pointer. He roamed through the woods, and having shot a few
squirrels, built a fire and roasted and ate them. He stayed in his
camp until the sun went down and it began to grow dark, and then
shouldered his rifle and reluctantly turned his face toward the
cabin. He did not find his brother there, but he came in shortly
afterward, and then Dan found that he had been borrowing trouble, for
David never said a word to him about the pointer. He told his mother
of the loss, and of course she sympathized with him, and offered
every explanation except the right one. The thief opened his eyes and
looked surprised while they were talking, but neither of them paid
any attention to him; and Dan, muttering angrily to himself that he
was nothing more than a crooked stick about that house any way,
undressed and went to bed.
Dan passed the next day in his usual idle and shiftless manner. He
saw David go up to General Gordon's, and would have been glad to know
what sort of work he was doing up there, and how much he was to
receive for it. He did not find out that day, but he did the next,
and the discovery made him feel like a new boy.
Pages:
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189