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The duke he grumbled; said the bag of gold was enough, and he didn't want

to go no deeper -- didn't want to rob a lot of orphans of everything they had.

"Why, how you talk!" says the king. "We shan't rob 'em of nothing at

all but jest this money. The people that buys the property is the suff'rers;

because as soon's it's found out 'at we didn't own it -- which won't be long after

we've slid -- the sale won't be valid, and it'll all go back to the estate. These-yer

orphans 'll git their house back agin, and that's enough for them; they're young

and spry, and k'n easy earn a livin'. They ain't agoing to suffer. Why, jest

think -- there's thous'n's and thous'n's that ain't nigh so well off. Bless you, they

ain't got noth'n to complain of." ssssssssss

Well, the king he talked him blind; so at last he give in, and said all right,

but said he believed it was blame foolishness to stay, and that doctor hanging

over them. But the king says: ssssssssss

"Cuss the doctor! What do we k'yer for him? Hain't we got all the fools

in town on our side? and ain't that a big enough majority in any town?"

So they got ready to go down stairs again. The duke says:

"I don't think we put that money in a good place."

That cheered me up. I'd begun to think I wafn't going to get a hint of no

kind to help me. The king says: ssssssssss

"Why?" ssssssssss

"Because Mary Jane 'll be in mourning from this out; and first you know

the nigger that does up the rooms will get an order to box these duds up and

put 'em away; and do you reckon a nigger can run across money and not borrow

some of it?" ssssssssss

"Your head's level, agin, duke," says the king; and he come a fumbling under

the curtain two or three foot from where I was. I stuck tight to the wall, and

kept mighty still, though quivery; and I wondered what them fellows would say

to me if they catched me; and I tried to think what I'd better do if they did

catch me. But the king he got the bag before I could think more than about

a half a thought, and he never suspicioned I was around. They took and

shoved the bag through a rip in the straw tick that was under the feather bed,

and crammed it in a foot or two amongst the straw and said it was all right, now,

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