"The night o' May tenth."
"To whom?"
"To Jim Shepard. Jest as he was jumpin' on the train, I took it out o' my pocket an' put it in his'n."
"Do you call that giving it away?"
"Yep! That's what I bought it fur. I don't need one here; leastwise, I didn't think so then; but he's goin' to a tarnel big place, an' I thought he ought to had one, so I bought it an' took it to the train with me that night an' put it in his pocket."
"Did you say anything to him about it?"
"I didn't hev no time. I was goin' to give it to him, but we hed to run for the train, an' I clean forgot it till, jest as he struck the bottom step, I thought on it. All I could do was to chuck it into his pocket, whar his coat swung back."
"Did you see it go in?"
"Nope: 'twas too dark."
"Was it loaded?"
"All but one bar'l. I fired that off up in the woods that day an' furgot to load it again."
"Call James Shepard."
Oldbeg started, and when his cousin came from a
