"What's this backen out o' what you said yesterday? What's all this trucklin' to the Fort now?""What? Well now, look yer," said Jim, rising suddenly, with reproachful indignation, "darned if I don't jest tell ye everythin'.I promised HIM I wouldn't. He allowed it would frighten ye.""FRIGHTEN ME!" repeated Maggie contemptuously, nevertheless with her cheek paling again. "Frighten me--with what?""Well, since yer so cantankerous, look yer.We've been robbed!" "Robbed?" echoed Maggie, facing him.
"Yes, robbed by that same deserter.Robbed of a suit of my clothes, and my whiskey-flask, and the darned skunk had 'em on.And if it hadn't bin for that Leftenant Calvert, and my givin' him permission to hunt him over the Marsh, we wouldn't have caught him.""Robbed?" repeated Maggie again, vaguely.
"Yes, robbed! Last night, afore we came home.He must hev got in yer while we was comin' from the boat.""Did, did that Leftenant say so?" stammered Maggie.
"Say it, of course he did! and so do I," continued Jim, impatiently."Why, there were my very clothes on his back, and he daren't deny it.And if you'd hearkened to me jest now, instead of flyin' off in tantrums, you'd see that THAT'S jest how we got him, and how me and the Leftenant joined hands in it.I didn't give him permission to hunt deserters, but THIEVES.I didn't help him to ketch the man that deserted from HIM, but the skunk that took MY clothes.For when the Leftenant found the man's old uniform in the bush, he nat'rally kalkilated he must hev got some other duds near by in some underhand way. Don't you see? eh?
Why, look, Mag.Darned if you ain't skeered after all!Who'd hev thought it? There now--sit down, dear.Why, you're white ez a gull."He had his arm round her as she sank back in the chair again with a forced smile.
"There now," he said with fraternal superiority, "don't mind it, Mag, any more.Why, it's all over now.You bet he won't trouble us agin, for the Leftenant sez that now he's found out to be a thief, they'll jest turn him over to the police, and he's sure o' getten six months' state prison fer stealin' and burglarin' in our house.But"--he stopped suddenly and looked at his sister's contracted face; "look yer, Mag, you're sick, that's what's the matter. Take suthin'"--"I'm better now," she said with an effort; "it's only a kind o' blind chill I must hev got on the Marsh last night. What's that?"She had risen, and grasping her brother's arm tightly had turned quickly to the window. The casement had suddenly rattled.
"It's only the wind gettin' up.It looked like a sou'wester when I came in.Lot o' scud flyin'.But YOU take some quinine, Mag.Don't YOU go now and get down sick like Maw."Perhaps it was this well-meant but infelicitous reference that brought a moisture to her dark eyes, and caused her lips to momentarily quiver.But it gave way to a quick determined setting of her whole face as she turned it once more to the fire, and said, slowly: