The hostler, glad to be relieved of so disagreeable a duty, turned and went off, and Don, after closing all the doors, and locking all except one, hurried into old Jordan’s room. It was the work of but a few minutes to put on the negro’s clothes and black his face and hands; and this being done, he seized a shovel, and stealing out of the barn, climbed the fence and ran across the potato-patch. About thirty yards from the fence he stopped, and crouching down close to the ground, waited to see what was going to happen. Presently he heard cautious footsteps, and a few seconds later two heads appeared above the top rail of the fence. “There they are,” thought Don, his heart beating rapidly with excitement. “Now I’ll see if either of them has courage enough to come over the fence after they find out I am here.” As these thoughts passed through Don’s mind he arose to his feet, and driving his shovel into the ground began throwing out the dirt so rapidly, that in a very short space of time he had dug a hole as large as a moderate workman would have been able to dig in ten minutes. He worked till the perspiration started out all over him, but kept his eyes fastened on the two heads, which could be seen plainly above the fence. He knew that the owners of the heads heard the sound of the shovel, and that they were listening to it and talking about it. They stood there at the fence so long that Don began to think they were too badly frightened to come any nearer. “I am afraid I haven’t managed this thing quite right,” thought Don. “I ought to have let them come into the field first, and then showed myself to them while they were at work. Godfrey will never come within reach of me again while I have these clothes on.” Very likely Godfrey never would, if he had been left to himself; but Don had somebody else to contend with, and that was his cousin Clarence, upon whom he had thus far scarcely bestowed a thought. Clarence had more courage then Godfrey. He had almost too much, Don afterward thought, when he found himself tied up in the potato-hole. The two stood at the fence and talked and listened for a few minutes, and then to Don’s great surprise, and somewhat to his alarm, they jumped over into the field and came toward him, Clarence leading the way. Don had half a mind to throw down his shovel and take to his heels; but suppose he had done so, and the swift-footed Godfrey, emboldened by his flight, had followed and caught him! What then? It would have turned the joke upon himself, and besides Clarence would have found that his cousin was acquainted with his secret, and that was something Don did not want him to know.