"
The priest's eyes were boring into Dannie's sick face. "How did it
look?" he asked briefly.
"It looked," said Dannie, and his voice dropped to a whisper, "it
looked like he might carry a damned ugly secret, that it would be
better fra him if ye, at least, knew."
"And the nature of that secret?"
Dannie shook his head. "Couldna give a guess at it! Known him all
his life. My only friend. Always been togither. Square a mon as God
ever made. There's na fault in him, if he'd let drink alone. Got
more faith in him than any ane I ever knew. I wouldna trust mon on
God's footstool, if I had to lose faith in Jimmy. Come to think of
it, that `secret' business is all old woman's scare. The drink is
telling on him. If only he could be cured of that awful weakness,
all heaven would come down and settle in Rainbow Bottom."
They shook hands and parted without Dannie realizing that he had
told all he knew and learned nothing. Then he entered the post
office for the weekly mail. He called for Malone's papers also, and
with them came a slip from the express office notifying Jimmy that
there was a package for him. Dannie went to see if they would let
him have it, and as Jimmy lived in the country, and as he and
Dannie were known to be partners, he was allowed to sign the book,
and carry away a long, slender, wooden box, with a Boston tag. The
Thread Man had sent Jimmy a present, and from the appearance of the
box, Dannie made up his mind that it was a cane.
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