them, filling his pipe once more while he muttered:

"Subsequent happenin's clean drove them shoes outer Danny's mind. An'
I don't wonder!"

Having gotten his pipe comfortably lighted, Josh could not resist the
temptation to open the slide of his lantern ever so little; in order
that he might have another look at the money.

"Wonder how ye came to have it?" he muttered, looking at the boys, who,
being gagged as well as bound, could not have answered anyway. "I guess
likely Farnum must ha' been fool enough to let ye do some collectin' for
him," grinned Josh. "In that case, younkers, Danny an' me are makin'
it pretty hard for ye all 'round, ain't we?"

That thought appeared to bring Owen around into a state of good humor.
He looked at the chuckling, and two or three times broke out into a
hearty guffaw.

Jack Benson's mental torment grew as the time passed. Hal Hastings was
in no more enviable frame of mind.

"And we brought this upon us by being sympathetic. We wanted to help
that infernal little boy out, and carry relief to his injured mother!"
thought Jack, squirming. "Confound it, I feel, just now, as though I
would never caught trying to do another kind act! All this fearful luck
just because we had to have more sympathy than brains! What fools we
are!"

Later came this terrifying thought: