THE NIGHT AMONG THE RUINS--THE CAMP-FIRE OF THE TRAMPS.
IT seemed to Archie that he had just fallen asleep when old Hiram Tinch
was shaking him awake. “Git up out o’ here now, ye lazy beggar, and
git to the field and finish that there ploughin’,” he growled, and the
frightened lad awakened from a horrible nightmare, only to find a worse
experience awaiting him in the light of day. He hastily drew on his
trousers, and didn’t wait to don either shoes or stockings, for if he
was to spend the day ploughing in a field, he knew he would be more
comfortable in his bare feet. When he reached the kitchen, he found
that Farmer Tinch had already eaten his breakfast, though it was not
daylight. Archie was glad that he was out of the way, and good Mrs.
Tinch was glad of it, too, for she was able to give the boy a good
breakfast, and some good advice with it. “Don’t you pay no attention to
what my man says, laddie. He’s a powerful man to swear and carry on, but
I don’t think he’ll have the meanness to strike you. Ef he does, ye must
come to me, and I’ll see thet he doesn’t do it no more.”
Archie was grateful for this spirit of friendliness, but in his heart
he thought that cruel words were often more painful than lashes, and he
heartily wished that his week was over.
All this day he spent on the farm, without once going into the road.
Farmer Tinch had warned him that if he saw him making for the road at
any time, he could go and never come back, and he would forfeit what
money he had already earned. So Archie ploughed the field from daylight
till dark, with a half hour at noon for a hurried dinner. He was glad
when darkness came, and after another supper of mush and milk he was
thankful to have a corn-husk bed to sleep on, and was soon in a stupor
which was so sound as to be almost like death.
Again the next morning he was awakened at daylight, and he was made
to work even harder than on the second day. He had by this time become
somewhat used to the labour, however, and stood it better. He was more
successful in his work, too, and Farmer Tinch had less opportunity for
cursing him. But at night he seemed more tired, even, than before, and
he longed for his home again. He thought of the cosy bed he would now
be enjoying if he had only taken his mother’s advice, and he felt almost
like getting up in the night and stealing away on the road to the north.
But, always a sensible lad, Archie realised that this discouragement
could not last, and he lost himself in sleep, looking forward three
days, when his week should be up, and he would be on his way to the
city, with four dollars more to add to his slender store.
The three days passed slowly, but at length the Saturday night came, and
he prepared to be off. But good Mrs. Tinch entreated him to remain with
them over Sunday, and, as Archie wasn’t sure that it would be quite
right for him to travel on Sunday, he decided to do so. So the next day
he brushed his only suit of clothes, and drove with his late employer to
church, where Farmer Tinch sat in a front seat and passed the bread
and wine at communion. Archie’s heart rose to his throat as he saw
this paragon so devout in church. He felt like rising in his seat and
denouncing him before all the people as a tyrant and a hard-hearted
wretch. But he kept quiet, though he found it impossible to partake of
the communion under such circumstances.
The Tinches had brought their dinner with them, and at noon they all sat
on one of the grassy mounds in the churchyard, to take some refreshment
before the afternoon service began. When they had finished, Archie
wandered off, and came to a crowd of boys who were romping behind the
church. When they saw him approach, they all stopped their noise,
and looked at him wonderingly. Evidently they were not used to seeing
strange boys. The silence was soon broken, however, by one of the boys
calling out, “Why, fellers, thet’s the chap what’s been workin’ fer
Hiram Tinch.” This announcement was enough to make Archie an even
greater object of interest than before, for the boys seemed to think
that any person who could work for Farmer Tinch, and come out of the
ordeal none the worse for wear, must be something wonderful. Archie was
soon on good terms with them all, however, and told them of his plan of
going to New York. The boys were all attention, and soon he was the hero
of the occasion. When the bell rung for the afternoon service he was
still telling them of the things he was going to do, and none of them
wanted to go into the church. Archie persuaded them to enter, however,
but he was not surprised to meet them all along the road when he left
Tinch’s early Monday morning.
It was almost time to go to bed when they reached the farmhouse that
night, so Archie went at once to his attic, being anxious to start fresh
on his journey the next day. He was now determined to push on as rapidly
as possible, hoping to reach the city within three or four days. He was
somewhat afraid that he wouldn’t be able to do this, but he was going to
try, anyhow.
At daylight Monday morning he was on the way, and when the various boys
he met the day before said good-bye to him and wished him good luck,
he felt that his stay at Tinch’s had not been without benefits of some
sort. He had made some boy friends, and he was four dollars richer,
Archie was sensible enough, too, to realise that his experience would be
a valuable one to him in the future. He knew now what hard work was, at
any rate.
The morning walk was delightful. The September weather was perfect, and
all along the road were fruit-trees laden with every sort of good
thing to eat a boy could wish for. And as the trees were on the public
thoroughfare, Archie did net hesitate to help himself freely as he went
along, so that he didn’t require any meal at noon.
As night drew near, however, he began to wonder what he would do for a
bed, and the question became more important with every hour. He had come
to no towns since morning, and knew that he couldn’t expect to reach
one of any size until the next day, anyhow. There were farmhouses, of
course, but after his experience of the past week the lad felt that he
would rather remain outdoors all night than risk being thrown in with
another Hiram Tinch. He didn’t know enough of farmers to know that few
of them resemble Mr. Tinch in nature, and he did what he thought was
best in keeping away from farmhouses after this.
It was five o’clock in the evening, and Archie was beginning to feel
very tired and hungry, when he came to the ruins of an old colonial
mansion, which lay far back from the road, surrounded by trees, and
almost hid with shrubbery. “How interesting,” he thought to himself. “It
looks just like the pictures of old ruins we see in geographies. I think
I must go up and see what they look like at close range.” And, fired
with a spirit of adventure, and making believe that he was an explorer
in an ancient country, the boy made his way through the trees and
shrubbery. The ruins looked more and more interesting as he advanced.
This had evidently been a magnificent estate at one time. There were
massive pillars which had once supported a stately portico at the front
of the house, and above all there rose a massive chimney, which
seemed to be exceedingly well preserved. As Archie came nearer, he was
surprised to notice a thin column of smoke rising from the top of the
chimney, and for a moment he stood still with fright. What could this
mean? Who could be building a fire in the midst of these ruins. It was
almost like what one reads about in books, he thought.
For some time he could not decide what to do, whether he had better keep
on, or whether the wisest policy would be to get back to the road as
quickly as possible. Finally, his curiosity and thirst for adventure
persuaded him to go on, and he continued to push his way through the
shrubbery until he stood before the ruins. He then climbed a flight of
steps, and stood in what had once been the main entrance to this
massive palace. Before him he saw a scene which was almost weird in its
unusualness. A fire of pine-knots was blazing in the ruins of the great
fireplace, and seated in a semicircle around the fire were several men
of picturesque appearance, whose faces looked up angrily when they were
disturbed.