“That's all right. We know how it is ourselves. Your father has enough to worry him just about now, anyhow. Didn't he have but the one suit of clothes?” “Well, there was his old everyday suit, but that got tore so bad Ma said she couldn't mend it, and there wasn't only his Sunday suit and his work clothes left.” “You don't mean that he had to fight with those fellows?” “Oh, no,--that was a long time ago. Say, this cigar is the real thing.” “It ought to be good. It's a fifteen-cent-straight.” “_You_ don't say so!” “I 'll tell you one thing, Alex.” “My name's Axel.” “I 'll tell you one thing. Your father has made a bad mistake in allowing himself to get mixed up with these people. He is with the wrong crowd. I'm the only one that could help him out.” The boy began to be frightened. “Oh, he ain't mixed up in it!” “He isn't?” “No. He never seen 'em before.” “What does he want to act this way for, then?” “Well, you see--” “Now look here, my boy. The sooner we understand each other, the better. Your father has got himself into a dangerous situation. He can't deceive me. I know all about it. Does he think he could keep me in here any longer than I want to stay by locking the door? I'm half minded to arrest him for this. He can't do that sort o' thing to me!” Axel was downright frightened now. He held his cigar so long that it went out. Wilson struck a match, and lighted it for him. “I suppose you would like me to believe that he was forced to give up his clothes?” “Oh, he was! The fellow with the black hair--” “McGlory?” “Seems to me they called him Joe.” “That's the same man. Go on.” “Why, he pulled a gun, and marched Pa out here to the barn. Ma ran upstairs crying. And the lady, she was crying, too. And the dark fellow, he made the lady climb up where you was, on the hay--” “Yes, I know,” Beveridge interrupted, indicating the dress. “And then he held the gun while Pa took off his Sunday suit that he'd put on because he thought they was going to be visitors, and he threw it up to the lady, and she put it on. One of the suspenders was busted, and she didn't know how it worked, and she cried, and then Pa had to holler up how he'd fixed it with a string and you twisted the string around twice and then tied it. And then the dark fellow, he made me run in and get Pa his overhauls.” “So they changed clothes right here, eh?” “Yes, and the lady cried, and when she'd got all dressed in Pa's clothes, why, she just said she wouldn't come down. And Joe, he said she would, or he'd know the reason why. Then the others laughed some--” “_The others!_” “Yes, and they--” “Hold on! How many were there in this party?” “Why, three or four, counting in the lady.” “Three or four! Don't you know?” “Well, you see, I didn't think about counting 'em then. What was I saying?” “You said the others laughed.” “Oh, yes. Not very much, you know,--just a little. Then the boss, he said--” “What sort of a looking man was this boss?” “I dunno.”