"The left hand road leads to town, I believe?" said Westerfelt, riding
away.
"Yes, but take the right at the next fork."
About half a mile farther on he saw two horsemen, approaching. When
quite near they stopped.
"Howdy' do?" said one, eying Westerfelt suspiciously.
"How are you?" answered Westerfelt.
"We are revenue men; we're after a couple o' men and a wagon loaded
with whiskey. Seen anything of them?"
Westerfelt was silent. The revenue officer who had spoken rested his
elbow on his thigh and leaned towards him.
"Looky' here," he said, deliberately; "we don't know one another, but
there may be no harm in tellin' you if you try to throw us off the
track you lay yoreself liable to complicity. We've had about as much
o' that sort o' treatment round heer as we are going to put up with."
"I'm not on the witness-stand," said Westerfelt, pleasantly; "I'm only
looking for a stray horse."
"Let's go on," said the other Officer to his companion. "We are on the
right road; he's seed 'em ur he'd a-denied it. Let's not lose time."
"I'm with you," was the reply; then to Westerfelt: "You are right, you
hain't on the witness-stand, but ef we wanted to we could mighty easy
arrest you on suspicion and march you back to jail to be questioned by
the inspectors."
Westerfelt smiled, "You'd have to feed me at the expense of the
government, and I'm as hungry as a bear; I've been out all day, and
haven't had a bite since breakfast."
The revenue men laughed. "We know who you are," said the one that had
spoken first, "an' we know our business, too; so long!"
Two hours later, as Westerfelt was about to go to bed in his room over
the stable, he heard a voice calling down-stairs. He went to the
window and looked out. Below he saw four men, two saddle horses, and a
horse and wagon. He heard Washburn open the office door and ask:
"What do you folks want?"
"Want to put up our beasts an' this hoss an' wagon," was the reply.
"We've got some gentlemen heer we're gwine to jail till mornin'."
"All right. I'll slide open the doors as soon as I git my shoes on. I
wus in bed."
"We'll have to leave these barrels o' rotgut with you."
"All right. Plenty o' room." Westerfelt came down-stairs just as
Washburn opened the big doors.
"Hello!" said the revenue officer who had addressed him on the
mountain; "you see we made quick time; we found 'em right whar you left
'em."
"I see."
Washburn, who was under the skirt of a saddle unbuckling a girth,
glanced at Westerfelt in surprise as he lifted the saddle from the
horse and carried it into the stable. The two moonshiners exchanged
quick glances and sullenly muttered something to each other.
Westerfelt, intent on getting the business over that he might go to
bed, failed to observe these proceedings. When the officers had taken
their prisoners on towards the jail, Washburn, who, with a lantern, was
putting the horses into stalls, turned to Westerfelt.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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