lid, and
it 'll all go back to the estate. These yer orphans 'll git their
house back ag'in, and that's enough for _them;_ they're young and
spry, and k'n easy earn a livin'. _They_ ain't a-goin' to suffer. Why,
jest think--there's thous'n's and thous'n's that ain't nigh so well
off. Bless you, _they_ ain't got noth'n' to complain of."

Well, the king he talked him blind; so at last he give in, and said
all right, but said he believed it was blamed foolishness to stay, and
that doctor hanging over them. But the king says:

"Cuss the doctor! What do we k'yer for _him?_ Hain't we got all the
fools in town on our side? And ain't that a big enough majority in any
town?"

So they got ready to go down-stairs again. The duke says:

"I don't think we put that money in a good place."

That cheered me up. I'd begun to think I warn't going to get a hint of
no kind to help me. The king says:

"Why?"

"Because Mary Jane 'll be in mourning from this out; and first you
know the nigger that does up the rooms will get an order to box these
duds up and put 'em away; and do you reckon a nigger can run across
money and not borrow some of it?"

"Your head's level ag'in, duke," says the king; and he comes
a-fumbling under the curtain two or three foot from where I was. I
stuck tight to the wall and kept mighty still, though quivery; and I
wondered what them fellows would say to me if they catched me; and I
tried to think what I'd better do if they did catch me. But the king
he got the bag before I could think more than about a half a thought,
and he never suspicioned I was around. They took and shoved the bag
through a rip in the straw tick that was under the feather-bed, and
crammed it in a foot or two amongst the straw and said it was all
right now, because a nigger only makes up the feather-bed, and don't
turn over the straw tick only about twice a year, and so it warn't in
no danger of getting stole now.

But I knowed better. I had it out of there before they was half-way
down-stairs. I groped along up to my cubby, and hid it there till I
could get a chance to do better. I judged I better hide it outside of
the house somewheres, because if they missed it they would give the
house a good ransacking: I knowed that very well. Then I turned in,
with my clothes all on; but I couldn't 'a' gone to sleep if I'd 'a'
wanted to, I was in such a sweat to get through with the business. By
and by I heard the king and the duke come up; so I