"You'll have to make your stories consistent if you want
them believed!"
"Never mind all that now," Bradley replied. "You get busy restoring
that child to Mrs. Brady! Say, boy, but he is a bright-one!"
"Learned French quickly, didn't he, and consented to being blacked up
like a negro minstrel, in order to pose as a prince?" asked Ned. "I
reckon, however, that the credit does not all belong to the lad. He
seems to have had a good instructor."
"If you'll release me," Bradley offered, after a pause, "I'll go and
get the boy."
"That's an easy promise to make," laughed Ned.
"But I'll go and get him and bring him to you, and you can return him
to his grandmother. Then you may put these bracelets on me again if
you like. But, boy, let me tell you this: You've got nothing on me! I
haven't done a thing in this state at least, to render myself liable
to punishment. I supplied, for good pay, certain information in New
York, and I brought the boy you call Mike III. on here from
Washington, where I know his father well."
"You must have known what you were doing it for?"
"I did know--for money!"
"But you must have known that the boy was to personate some one
else?"
"I didn't care about that.
Pages:
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187