don't seem right to me; and he's
older than you, and I'm afraid somethin' will happen. I have a funny
feelin' about that boy and about George Heigold, too."

"Oh, you're just ticklish," said Mitch, "and if you're afeard they can
win me away from you, don't think of it, for they can't, and no one
can."

All this time I'd forgot something. Here we was plannin' to go to
Hannibal in about a week, when it was clear out of the question, for it
was gettin' close to court time, and we was subpoened, Mitch and me, to
testify against Doc Lyon. It was clear crazy to think of goin' to
Hannibal and gettin' back in time. And I'd made up my mind to stick it
out--we couldn't run away for good. And if I had anything to say, I
wasn't goin' to let Mitch slump on that. Here was a chance to get rid of
a awful criminal, this Doc Lyon, and we could help, and it was our duty.
Pa had said so. So I spoke up and says to Mitch, "You've forgot
somethin', Mitch. We can't leave till this Doc Lyon matter is all
fixed."

"It's fixed," said Mitch.

"How?" says I.

"Doc Lyon fixed it his own self. He killed hisself in jail while you was
sick."

"What!" says I.

"Yep," says Mitch. "He's dead and buried, and we're out of the law, and
I say let's keep out. Let's never be a witness to anything again. We
ain't got time till we get this treasure. Do you promise?"

I said "yes."

Then Mitch took my hand and said, "A week from Saturday be down at the
corner where Linkern got the line wrong, and I'll have everything ready,
and we'll go."

So I promised, and Mitch said good-by and left.

CHAPTER XIII

I could hardly wait for Saturday to come, for there wasn't anything to
do. And everywheres in the house I saw somethin' that made me think of
Little Billie. There was his French harp, and the glass bank that Uncle
Harvey had given him; and onct I went into a closet and saw his hat
hangin' there yet, and I kept wonderin' if I had been a good brother to
him always. Of course there was the time I wouldn't let him go when Old
Bender's house was burned down, and that hurt me to think of it. But we
did carry him on our hands, Mitch and me, one time from the river. And
Mitch said he thought I'd been a good brother, and that Little Billie
thought so too. Ma said she just couldn't live with Little Billie
gone--Myrtle and me didn't answer, somehow. And one day I heard her
singin' at the piano--she and pa had joined the town troupe to sing
Pinafore. Sh