So Leander and I talked and finally
he said, 'Well, by George, I WILL go.' And--and--well, I guess
that's all; he went, you see."
The captain drew a long breath.
"He went," he repeated. "And you knew he'd gone?"
"No, I didn't know, but I kind of guessed."
"You guessed, and yet all the time I've been here you haven't said
a word about it till this minute."
"Well, I didn't think 'twas much use sayin' until I knew."
"Well, my gracious king, Jed Winslow, you beat all my goin' to sea!
But you've helped Uncle Sam to a good soldier and you've helped me
out of a nasty row. For my part I'm everlastin' obliged to you, I
am so."
Jed looked pleased but very much embarrassed.
"Sho, sho," he exclaimed, hastily, "'twan't anything. Oh, say,"
hastily changing the subject, "I've got some money 'round here
somewheres I thought maybe you'd take to the bank and deposit for
me next time you went, if 'twan't too much trouble."
"Trouble? Course 'tain't any trouble. Where is it?"
Winslow put down his work and began to hunt. From one drawer of
his work bench, amid nails, tools and huddles of papers, he
produced a small bundle of banknotes; from another drawer another
bundle. These, however, did not seem to satisfy him entirely. At
last, after a good deal of very deliberate search, he unearthed
more paper currency from the pocket of a dirty pair of overalls
hanging on a nail, and emptied a heap of silver and coppers from a
battered can on the shelf.
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