Page:Castlemon--Joe Wayring at Home.djvu/256

 by the offer of a large reward by the Mount Airy authorities, had scoured the woods in every direction in search of the thief, but their efforts had met with no success. They found the site of Matt's shanty, as we have said, but the shanty itself had disappeared. So had Matt and his family, and the officers could not get upon their trail. Perhaps if we go back to the day on which Matt stole Joe Wayring's canoe and follow his fortunes for a short time, we shall see what the reason was.

When the squatter picked up Joe's double paddle and shoved away from the shore, after taking possession of all the fishing rods and bundles that he could lay his hand on, he told himself that he had done something toward paying off the Mount Airy people for the shameful manner in which they had treated him and his family.

"They wouldn't let us stay up there to the village an' earn an honest livin', like we wanted to do," said Matt, with a chuckle, "an' now I'll show 'em how much they made by it. Them things must be wuth a power of money," he went on, looking down at the elegant rods