Gil Steele released himself from his wife, who had recovered.

He knelt and with trembling fingers undid the neck of the bag, and displayed its contents of gold and silver.

That bag of money was the key to the whole situation.

Again Babel broke loose.
In time, out of the yells, curses, threats, and other sounds, this story was extracted: Gil Steele's closeness, not to say meanness, had made him more than unpopular.

The threshers who owned the machine worked a percentage of the grain which they carted away to the railroad.