Have you?"
Jed shook his head. "I don't think I have," he replied.
"You don't think? Don't you know? What is the matter with you?
Is it impossible for you to answer yes or no to a question?"
"Um--why, yes, I cal'late 'tis--to some questions."
"Well, by George! You're fresh enough."
"Now--now, if you please, I wasn't intendin' to be fresh. I just--"
"Well, you are. Who is this fellow? How does he happen to be
here? Does any one know?"
Jed's first interrogator, the big workman, being the only one
present beside the speaker and the object of the question, took it
upon himself to answer.
"I don't know who he is," he said. "And he won't tell why he's
here. Looks mighty suspicious to me. Shouldn't wonder if he was a
German spy. They're all around everywheres, so the papers say."
This speech had a curious effect. The stoop in the Winslow
shoulders disappeared. Jed's tall form straightened. When he
spoke it was in a tone even more quiet and deliberate than usual,
but there could be no shadow of a doubt that he meant what he said.
"Excuse me, Mister," he drawled, "but there's one or two names that
just now I can't allow anybody to call me. 'German' is one and
'spy' is another. And you put 'em both together. I guess likely
you was only foolin', wasn't you?"
The workman looked surprised.
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