Gol durn, ef I don't hold out
fer thirty! Gee!" Words, thoughts even, failed him.
As the others planned they rather neglected Willie
and when they came to assisting Giova in lowering her
father into the grave and covering him over with earth
they quite forgot Willie entirely. It was The Oskaloosa
Kid who first thought of him. "Where's the boy?" he
cried suddenly. The others looked quickly about the
clearing, but no Willie was to be seen.
Bridge shook his head ruefully. "We'll have to get out
of this in a hurry now," he said. "That little defective will
have the whole neighborhood on us in an hour."
"Oh, what can we do?" cried the girl. "They mustn't
find us! I should rather die than be found here with--"
She stopped abruptly, flushed scarlet as the other three
looked at her in silence, and then: "I am sorry," she said.
"I didn't know what I was saying. I am so frightened.
You have all been good to me."
"I tell you what we do." It was Giova speaking in the
masterful voice of one who has perfect confidence in his
own powers. "I know fine way out. This wood circle
back south through swamp mile, mile an' a half. The
road past Squeebs an' Case's go right through it.
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