-I'll
just beat it away from here feeling like a bigger sneak than I ever
thought I was. I've--I've seen something here--I have. I thought some of
these trees were made of pretty good stuff, but you've got them beat,
Slady. I thought I was a wise guy to dig into this forsaken retreat and
slip the bandage over your eyes, but--but the laugh is on me, Slady,
don't--don't you see?" he smiled, his eyes glistening and his hand
trembling on Tom's knee. "You've put it all over me, you old
hickory-nut, and I've told you the whole business, and you've got me in
your power, see?"

Tom Slade looked straight ahead of him and said never a word.

"It's--it's a knockout, Slady, and you win. You can go down and tell old
Uncle Jeb the whole business," he fairly sobbed, "I won't stop you. I'm
sick and discouraged--I might as well take my medicine--I'm--I'm sick of
the whole thing--you win--Slady. I'll wait here--I--I won't fool you
again--not once again, by thunder, I won't! Go on down and tell him a
thief has been bunking up here with you--go on--I'll wait."

There was just a moment of silence, and in that moment, strangely
enough, a merry laugh arose in the camp below.

"You needn't tell me what to do," said Tom, "because I _know_ what to
do. There's nobody in this world can tell me what to do. Mr. Burton, he
wanted to write to those fellows and fix it. But I knew what to do. Do
you call me a quitter? You see these cabins, don't you? Do you think
_you_ can tell me what to do?"

"Go and send a wire to Broadvale and tell 'em that you've got me,"
Thornton said with a kind of bitter resignation; "I heard that scouts
are good at finding missing people--fugitives. You--you _have got_ me,
Tommy, but in a different way than you think. You got me that first
night. Go ahead. But--but listen here. I _can't_ let them take me to-day,
my head is spinning like a buzz-saw, Tommy--I can't, I can't, I _can't_!
It's the cut in my head. All this starts it aching again--it just----"

He lowered his head until his wounded forehead rested on Tom's lap.
"I'm--I'm just--beaten," he sobbed. "Let me stay here to-day,
to-night--don't say anything yet--let me stay just this one day more
with you and to-morrow I'll be better and you can go down and tell. I
won't run away--don't you believe me? I'll take what's coming to me.
Only wait--my head is all buzzing again now--just wait till to-morrow.
Let me stay here to-day, old man ..."

Tom Slade lifted the head