"And what old party are you?" demanded Tom, finding it easy to talk to
her, as she was by no means a girl. "And do you own this mountain,
anyway?"
"Oh, don't," begged Polly. "And Jasper, if you would go away, please,
and not ask any questions."
"All right," said Jasper, swallowing his disappointment not to know.
"Come on, Tom, Polly doesn't want us here."
"An' I won't have you here," screamed the old woman, harder than ever.
"So get away as soon as you can. Why, you are boys!"
"I know it." Tom bobbed his head at her. "We've always been, ma'am."
"An' boys are good for nothing, an' lazy, an' thieves--yes, I wouldn't
trust 'em." So she kept on as they hurried back over the rocky path.
"That's a tiger for you!" ejaculated Tom. Then he stopped and looked
back a little anxiously. "Aren't you afraid to leave Polly with her?"
"No," said Jasper; "it would trouble Polly to have us stay." Yet he
stopped and looked anxious too. "We will wait here."
And after a while, down came the two searchers--the old woman quite
beside herself now, and scolding every bit of the way,--"that she
didn't see what bright eyes were for when they couldn't find anything--an'
now that Pa'd gone sliding down that mountain, they might as well
give up, she an' Car'line"--when a sudden turn in the path brought the
boys into view waiting behind the rocks. Then all her fury burst upon
them.
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