At this I sighed and turned away my face in shame that I should forever show such weakness when others were brave and strong. Bringing some kind of liquor, he forced it down my throat, exclaiming: "Cheer up, my lad; you will be all right in a minute. It’s only a chill, and chills are nothing to the young." "No, but I’m no good." "Yes, you are a poor one, I know; but keep on trying, and maybe you will amount to something after a while. You will never have any sense, though, any one can see with half an eye," he added, working over my legs. "Why do you say that?" I asked, sitting up. "Because young birds like you don’t fly above the trees after dark—they keep under cover; and if you had any sense you wouldn’t wander about the country the way you do at night." "Yes," I answered; "but birds will do anything when the hawks are about." "Yes; but there are no hawks after you." "No; but Uncle Job." "Uncle Job! Why, what has happened to him?" "He’s in jail in Appletop." "Is that where you were going?" "Yes." "Why now, and on such a night?" "I didn’t know before." "Oh, you innocent! What can you do to help him?" "I don’t know." "That is what I thought. But come, you are tired and sore, and must go to bed. Sleep will make you as good as new." "No, I’m going on to-night; I’m not sleepy nor tired now." "You will do nothing of the kind, you vagrant! You would perish with the cold. Wait, and in the morning I’ll see that you are in Appletop by sunrise. But come, if you’re not sleepy, tell me about your Uncle Job’s trouble. It’s early, and I’m in no hurry to go to bed." This I at once proceeded to do, glad, indeed, to have the chance. When I was through, he stared at me, saying he could by no means understand it, if Uncle Job was innocent, as I thought. Thus we talked for a long time, and when I could no longer find excuse for speaking of Uncle Job’s troubles, Fox spoke of our former meeting, questioning me about my adventure in Murderer’s Hollow, and more particularly the conspiracy to kill Uncle Job, of which he now heard for the first time. "It was just like Burke," he spoke up when I was through. "A more desperate villain never lived, and he would think no more of murdering a man than he would of killing a crow."