t cold feet; 'case I
kinder s'pected yuh mout be all alookin' foh me. So I hangs 'round
till I reckons de fowls dey must be ready tuh eat. Den I slicks in,
an' tried tuh grab one. Dat's de whole story, boss, gib yuh mah word
it is. An' I hopes yuh belibes me."

"See here, George, when a man gives evidence in court he is expected to
prove it, if he can," Jack remarked, seriously. "Now, that's a rather
interesting story you tell; but how can we know that it's true? You
mentioned receiving a letter from your wife a bit ago; suppose you show
it to us. That would go a great ways toward making us believe; and
getting you a breakfast in the bargain."

"Good for you, Jack!" exclaimed the skipper of the _Wireless_.

"A bully idea!" commented Josh; while the other two nodded their heads,
as if they fully backed these sentiments.

Jawge Washington Thomas seemed in no wise dismayed by this proposition.
They saw a wide grin expand across his sable face as he immediately
thrust a hand into the pocket of the ragged jacket he wore over his
faded cotton shirt.

"Dat seems tuh be de right thing, sah," he remarked, as he drew
something out. "I'se right glad now I done kep' dis little letter.
Beckons as how I read de same half a million times dis last twenty-foah
hours. Dar she be, sah. Hopes as how yuh kin make out de writin'. My
Susie she smart gal, 'fore she marry dis good-foh nothin' nigga; she
eben done teach school. Reckon she too good foh me, boss; but if I
eber gits up in Baltimore, I'se gwine tuh do the right thing by Susie,
gib yuh my word I is, sah."

The boys crowded around, each eager to see what sort of a letter Susie
had sent to her man, in his time of trouble. This was what they made
out, although the missive had been handled so often by the fugitive
that it was well begrimed:

"George--The schooner _Terrapin_ will be at Scooter's Landing day after
tomorrow, Thursday. I sold out everything, and will be aboard with the
children, bound for Baltimore. We can live here in Pokomoke no longer.
Be on the lookout. Your wife Susie."

That was all, but it must have brought a lot of hope to the wretched
fugitive, who believed that he would be tarred and feathered, or else
lynched, if ever he was caught by those Maryland whites. And his claim
that Susie had an education Jack saw was well founded.

"How about it, boys; shall we take George to Franklin City, or give him
a good breakfast and let him wait for Su