"I thought mebbe you wouldn't care if I should come out and lend you a hand.

I hain't got nothing much to do this morning." David made no reply.

He was waiting to hear what object his brother had in view in offering his assistance, and he knew it would all be made plain to him in a few minutes.
"You got a heap of traps to build, hain't you ?" continued Dan.

"When be you goin' to set 'em ?" "I am going to set some of them to-night," was David's reply.
"Fifty dozen is a heap of birds, ain't it ?" said Dan.
"How do you happen to know anything about it ?" demanded David, who was greatly astonished.
"I heerd you an' Don talkin' about it." "Where were you at the time ?" "O, I was around," answered Dan, who did not care to confess that he had intentionally played the part of eavesdropper.
David was silent, for he wanted to think about it.

Here was another piece of ill luck.