I was trying to crawl up
between two beams one day, when I slipped and fell. I rattled some
loose boards where I had lifted some up to have a place to hide. I
hurt myself, too, and I guess I groaned. The fall made me lame for a
while."
"That accounts for your limp," said Sandy. "How did you come to go to
the cabin?"
"Oh, I wanted some place to stay near your barn, and as no one used
the cabin, I took up my quarters there. Before that I often used to
sleep in a secret place in your old barn. But I didn't mean any harm.
Of course I didn't want it known who I was, for if it was learned
that I had been Mr. Apgar's keeper in the asylum everybody would have
guessed my object. So I ran whenever I saw anybody from Oak Farm. But
you finally caught me. I'm not sorry, for I was getting tired of the
game. And so you found the hidden box? Well, I wish it could have
been me."
"Did you steal that dog, too?' asked Sandy.
"No, I did not. I found him wandering about and took a notion to him.
I guess maybe he had been stolen, but I didn't do it. If I had known
who he belonged to I might have got a reward from them."
"The owner is known," Sandy said, "and she may reward you. I feel so
happy that I don't wish anybody bad luck. Now Squire, I suppose the
foreclosure is off; ain't it? I've got more than the four thousand
dollars.
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