"Why, the paper band with '$400' on it.That had come off when it fell out of my pocket, I presume likely.""Yes....Yes, I guess likely it did.Must have....Er--Sam, let me show you that gull vane.I got it so now that--""Hold on a minute.I'm mighty interested about your findin' this money.It's so--so sort of unexpected, as you might say.If that band came off it must have broke when the money tumbled down behind the boards.Let's see if it did."He rose and moved toward the pile of boards.Jed also rose.
"What are you goin' to look for?" he asked, anxiously.
"Why, the paper band with the '$400' on it.I'd like to see if it broke....Humph!" he added, peering down into the dark crevice between the boards and the wall of the shop."Can't see anything of it, can you?"Jed, peering solemnly down, shook his head."No," he said."Ican't see anything of it."
"But it may be there, for all that." He reached down."Humph!" he exclaimed."I can't touch bottom.Jed, you've got a longer arm than I have; let's see if you can."Jed, sprawled upon the heap of lumber, stretched his arm as far as it would go."Hum," he drawled, "I can't quite make it, Sam....
There's a place where she narrows way down here and I can't get my fingers through it.""Is that so? Then we'd better give up lookin' for the band, Ical'late.Didn't amount to anything, anyhow.Tell me more about what you did when you found the money.You must have been surprised.""Eh?...Land sakes, I was.I don't know's I ever was so surprised in my life.Thinks I, 'Here's Sam's money that's missin'
from the bank.' Yes, sir, and 'twas, too.""Well, I'm much obliged to you, Jed, I surely am.And when you found it-- Let's see, you found it this mornin', of course?""Eh? Why--why, how--what makes you think I found it this mornin'?""Oh, because you must have.'Cause if you'd found it yesterday or the day before you'd have told me right off.""Yes--oh, yes, that's so.Yes, I found it this mornin'.""Hadn't you thought to hunt for it afore?""Eh?...Land sakes, yes...yes, I'd hunted lots of times, but I hadn't found it.""Hadn't thought to look in that place, eh?""That's it....Say, Sam, what--"
"It's lucky you hadn't moved those boards.If you'd shifted them any since I threw my coat on 'em you might not have found it for a month, not till you used up the whole pile.Lucky you looked afore you shifted the lumber.""Yes...yes, that's so.That's a fact.But, Sam, hadn't you better take that money back to the bank? The folks up there don't know it's been found yet.They'll be some surprised, too.""So they will.All hands'll be surprised.And when I tell 'em how you happened to see that money lyin' in a pile on the floor behind those boards and couldn't scarcely believe your eyes, and couldn't believe 'em until you'd reached down and picked up the money, and counted it-- That's about what you did, I presume likely, eh?""Yes....Yes, that's just it."
"They'll be surprised then, and no wonder.But they'd be more surprised if I should bring 'em here and show 'em the place where you found it.'Twould surprise 'most anybody to know that there was a man livin' who could see down a black crack four foot deep and two inches wide and around a corner in that crack and see money lyin' on the floor, and know 'twas money, and then stretch his arm out a couple of foot more and thin his wrist down until it was less than an inch through and pick up that money.That WOULD surprise em.Don't you think 'twould, Jed?"The color left Jed's face.His mouth fell open and he stared blankly at his friend.The latter chuckled.
"Don't you think 'twould surprise 'em, Jed?" he repeated."Seems likely as if 'twould.It surprised me all right enough."The color came surging back.Jed's cheeks flamed.He tried to speak, but what he said was not coherent nor particularly intelligible.
"Now--now--now, Sam," he stammered."I--I-- You don't understand.
You ain't got it right.I--I--"
The captain interrupted."Don't try so hard, Jed," he continued.
"Take time to get your steam up.You'll bust a b'iler if you puff that way.Let's see what it is I don't understand.You found this money behind those boards?""Eh? Yes...yes...but--"
"Wait.And you found it this mornin'?"
"Yes...yes...but, Sam--"
"Hold on.You saw it layin' on the floor at the bottom of that crack?""Well--well, I don't know as I saw it exactly, but--but-- No, Ididn't see it.I--I felt it."
"Oh, you felt it! Thought you said you saw it.Well, you reached down and felt it, then.How did you get your arm stretched out five foot long and three-quarters of an inch thick? Put it under the steam roller, did you?"Jed swallowed twice before replying."I--I--" he began."Well--well, come to think of it, Sam, I--I guess I didn't feel it with my fingers.I--I took a stick.Yes, that was it.I poked in behind there with a stick.""Oh, you felt it with a stick.And knew 'twas money? Tut, tut!
You must have a good sense of touch, Jed, to know bills when you scratch across 'em with the far end of a five foot stick.Pick 'em up with a stick, too, did you?"Mr.Winslow was speechless.Captain Sam shook his head.
"And that ain't the most astonishin' part either," he observed.
"While those bills were in the dark at the bottom of that crack they must have sprouted.They went in there nothin' but tens and twenties.These you just gave me are fives and twos and all sorts.
You'd better poke astern of those boards again, Jed.The roots must be down there yet; all you've scratched up are the sprouts."His only answer was a hopeless groan.Captain Sam rose and, walking over to where his friend sat with his face buried between his hands, laid his own hand on the latter's shoulder.
"There, there, Jed," he said, gently."I beg your pardon.I'm sorry I stirred you up this way.'Twas mean of me, I know, but when you commenced givin' me all this rigmarole I couldn't help it.
You never was meant for a liar, old man; you make a mighty poor fist at it.What is it all about? What was you tryin' to do it for?"Another groan.The captain tried again.
