rongly dealt with. He said Mr. Ford had
sold out his interests to strangers who were going to do harm to Jallow
and his friends.

"Not knowing any different, I believed him. He said the courts would not
give him justice and he was going to take it himself, and I had small
blame for him for doing that. I'd do the same. But mind you," Paddy
insisted, "I did not know I was doing my friend James Ford any harm.

"Jallow said he would pay me just to disappear for a time, and,
foolishly, I consented. I went out of the country, and for a while
Jallow sent me, and a friend of mine, money. My friend knew the proper
boundaries, too.

"Then the money stopped, and I came on to find out why. Jallow only
laughed at me, and said he had no further use for me, as he'd got all he
wanted. I didn't know what to do. I stayed around here, keeping in
hiding, for I feared maybe I could be arrested for what I did. That was
why I didn't give you my name," and he smiled at the girls.

"So I came to this old cabin I used to own, to see what would turn up.
Sure and it was myself turned up--slipped up--and broke my leg. That was
what turned up.

"But before that I had seen all I wanted to--that was the changed
boundary lines. Then I knew Jallow's game. He wanted to throw that
valuable timber strip into his own land. I made some inquiries, and
found that Mr. Ford still owned the lumber camp, and hadn't sold out, as
Jallow told me. Then I knew I had been fooled, but still I didn't know
what to do, for I was afraid of arrest, and I never could stand jail,
when I knew I hadn't really meant any wrong.

"I saw Jallow again, but he only laughed at me, and give me a little
money to get out of the country. But I didn't go then, and I'm not going
now. I'm going to see justice done!"

"And I think I can assure you that you will not suffer for it," said
Allen Washburn, with a glance at Will and Grace. "Mr. Ford will be here
soon, and you can arrange everything with him."

"I hope he'll forgive me," remarked Paddy somewhat mournfully.

"I'm sure he will," declared Grace, warmly.

Paddy Malone went more into details of how he had been induced to
disappear so that the proper boundaries might be shifted to make it
appear that the valuable land was on Mr. Jallow's side, instead of
belonging to Mr. Ford. Then Dr. Burke insisted that his patient have
rest, so the boys and girls went outside to talk it over.

"Oh, I do wish papa would come!" sighed Grace.