Not a sight of Jimmy
anywhere! Dannie started on.
"We are after you, Jimmy Malone!"
A thin, little, wiry thread of a cry, that seemed to come twisting
as if wrung from the chill air about him, whispered in his ear, and
Dannie jumped, dropped his load, and ran for the river. He couldn't
see a sign of Jimmy. He hurried over the shaky little bridge they
had built. The catfish lay gasping on the grass, the case and
jointed rod lay on a log, but Jimmy was gone.
Dannie gave the catfish a shove that sent it well into the river,
and ran for the shoals at the lower curve of Horseshoe Bend. The
tracks of Jimmy's crossing were plain, and after him hurried
Dannie. He ran up the hill, and as he reached the top he saw Jimmy
climb on a wagon out on the road. Dannie called, but the farmer
touched up his horses and trotted away without hearing him. "The
fool! To ride!" thought Dannie. "Noo he will chill to the bone!".
Dannie cut across the fields to the lane and gathered up his load.
With the knowledge that Jimmy had started for town came the thought
of Mary. What was he going to say to her? He would have to make a
clean breast of it, and he did not like the showing. In fact, he
simply could not make a clean breast of it. Tell her? He could not
tell her. He would lie to her once more, this one time for himself.
He would tell her he fell in the river to account for his wet
clothing and bruised face, and wait until Jimmy came home and see
what he told her.
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