Surely he
would not run all that risk for one tree, when he had many others of far
greater value marked. Freckles felt that he had some hope to cling to
now, but he found himself praying that the Angel would hurry.
Once Jack came to Freckles and asked if he had any water. Freckles arose
and showed him where he kept his drinking-water. Jack drank in great
gulps, and as he passed back the bucket, he said: "When a man's got a
chance of catching a fine girl like that, he ought not be mixed up in
any dirty business. I wish to God I was out of this!"
Freckles answered heartily: "I wish I was, too!"
Jack stared at him a minute and then broke into a roar of rough
laughter.
"Blest if I blame you," he said. "But you had your chance! We offered
you a fair thing and you gave Wessner his answer. I ain't envying you
when he gives you his."
"You're six to one," answered Freckles. "It will be easy enough for you
to be killing the body of me, but, curse you all, you can't blacken me
soul!"
"Well, I'd give anything you could name if I had your honesty," said
Jack.
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