NED MIXER.
The long summer vacation had now commenced. Oscar wished to spend it
at Brookdale, but his parents did not seem much inclined to yield to
his wishes. They had not yet fully determined what to do with him;
whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over,
or to put him to work in some shop or store. Meanwhile, Oscar was
idling away his time about the streets, and devoting all his energies
to the pursuit of amusement. His favorite place of resort continued to
be the hotel where Alfred Walton lived. Here he found congenial
spirits in Alfred, and Andy the speller, and the several drivers and
hostlers, with whom he was on intimate terms. Here, too, he often met
with strangers who took his fancy.
At this time, a boy named Edward Mixer was boarding at the hotel. He
had lately come to Boston from another city, and Oscar and Alfred were
soon captivated by his free and easy manners, and his sociable
qualities. He was between fifteen and sixteen years old, and
represented that he was travelling about, to see the world. He said he
had plenty of money, and should have a great deal more, when he became
of age. He was fashionably dressed, and Oscar and Alfred felt proud of
his acquaintance, and were soon on terms of intimacy with him.
It was not long before Oscar discovered that Edward was a very bad boy.
His conversation was low and profane, and he seemed to take special
delight in relating sundry "scrapes," in which he himself figured in a
character that was something worse than mischievous, and bordered on
the criminal. He "talked large," too, amazingly large; and Oscar and
Alfred were at length forced to the reluctant conclusion that he was an
unmitigated liar. But these were small faults, in their view. They
considered Ned a capital fellow, and a right down good companion, in
spite of these little drawbacks, and they sought his company as much as
ever.
Ned spent a good deal of his time around the several railroad depôts.
He seemed to have quite a mania for such places. Oscar and Alfred
often accompanied him to these favorite old haunts of theirs. One
morning, as the three were loitering around a depôt, having nothing in
particular to amuse themselves with, an excursion on foot into a
neighboring town was proposed, and all readily agreed to the
suggestion. They immediately set out, accompanied by Oscar's dog,
Tiger. They walked along the railroad track, and crossed the river by
the railroad bridge, thus saving their tolls, besides many extra steps.
They passed several small sign-boards, on which was painted the
warning, "_No Person allowed to cross this Bridge_;" but this did not
check their progress, and as no one interfered with them, they were
soon safely over the river. They still followed the track for some
distance, until they had reached the open country, and then they turned
off into the green fields.
There were many fine orchards and gardens on every side, but ripe
fruits and berries were very scarce. Strawberries and cherries had
pretty much disappeared, and it was not yet time for plums, peaches,
and early apples and pears. Ned appeared to regret this very much.
"Just see there!" he exclaimed, as they approached a large garden,
remote from any house, whose trees were loaded with green fruit. "What
fine picking we should have, if it were only a few weeks later! I mean
to come out here again next month, you see if I don't. We must mark
this place; let me see; there's an old rough board fence--I shall
remember that, I guess. Didn't you ever rob an orchard, Alf? I've
robbed more than you could shake a stick at. I 'm a first-rate hand at
it, I can tell you--never got caught in my life; but I've come pretty
near it, though, a good many times. Hold on--I 'm going to get over
the fence, and see what they 've got. Those plums over there look as
if they were pretty near ripe. Come, Alf and Oscar, won't you get
over?"
"You two may," said Oscar, "but I 'll stay here with Tiger. He might
bark if we all got over, where he could n't see us."
Edward and Alfred were soon upon the other side of the fence. While
they were exploring the garden, Oscar's attention was attracted to a
dense thicket, from which two or three birds suddenly flew on his
approach. He thought there might be a nest there, and concluded to see
if he could find it. Carefully brushing aside the leaves and twigs, he
began to hunt for the suspected nest, while Tiger stood looking on.
Absorbed in this occupation, he lost sight of his comrades.
[Illustration: Hunting for Birds' Nests.]
After searching for several minutes, Oscar found a small nest, within
his reach, but it was empty. He turned to inform the other boys of his
success, but they were nowhere to be seen. He walked along by the
fence, but could see nothing of them. He was afraid to call to them,
lest the owner of the garden might hear, and take the alarm. He
listened, but could not hear them. He walked along still further, and
kept his eyes wide open, but they were not to be seen. He concluded
they were playing a trick upon him, and had hid themselves. If that
was the game he thought, he would not worry himself about it. He
accordingly turned about, and was going to sit down and wait for them
to make their appearance, when he happened to espy them in a distant
field, running at the top of their speed, with a man in full chase
after them. It was soon evident that the boys were gaining on their
pursuer; but they were approaching a brook, over which there was no
bridge, and the man probably supposed that would bring them to a stand.
It did not, however, for they ran right through the shallow water,
without stopping to think about it. The man did not think it prudent
to follow their example, and he accordingly gave up the chase, and went
back with dry feet.
After Edward and Alfred had got rid of their pursuer, they began to
look around for Oscar. The latter, putting his fingers into his mouth,
gave a loud and shrill whistle, which they immediately recognized, and
answered in a similar way. Oscar started towards them, and taking a
wide sweep through the fields, they all came out together upon the
highway. They did not think it safe to remain long in the
neighborhood, and so they hurried on towards Boston. It appeared, from
Edward's story, that he and Alfred knocked a few hard peaches from a
tree, while in the garden, but they proved unfit to eat. They also
found some ripe currants, and were leisurely helping themselves, when
they heard somebody ask them what they were about. They turned, and
saw a man approaching; whereupon, without stopping to answer his
question, they leaped over the fence, and took to their heels, the man
following closely upon them. The conclusion of the race Oscar had
witnessed.
As they were walking home, and talking about various matters, Edward
suddenly gave the conversation a new turn, by inquiring:
"Boys, do you want to go into a grand speculation with me?"
"Yes, what is it?" was the response of both the others.
"We should make something handsome out of it, but we should have to run
some risk," continued Edward. "I've got the scheme all laid out, so
that I know just how to go to work. But it's no use talking about it.
I don't believe either of you have got pluck enough to go into it."
"I 've got pluck--the real, genuine article; try me, and see if I have
n't," said Alfred.
"So have I," said Oscar; "I should like to have you show me a boy
that's got more pluck than I have, when I get stirred up."
"Pooh, you don't know what pluck is, neither of you," replied Edward.
"What would you do if a policeman should nab you?"
"I should run, just as _you_ did, when the man caught you stealing
fruit," said Oscar, with a laugh. "That's a specimen of _your_ pluck,
aint it?"
"But what is the speculation you were telling about?" inquired Alfred.
"I guess I shan't tell you about it now," replied Edward. "I 'm afraid
you would n't keep it to yourselves."
"Yes we will. _I_ will at any rate," said Alfred.
"So will I," added Oscar.
"If I let you into the secret, and you should blab it out, I would n't
mind killing both of you," said Edward, with forced gravity, which he
could not long maintain, it gradually relaxing into a smile. "I mean
what I say," he added, "you needn't laugh at it."
Both the others renewed their promise to keep the matter a secret; but
Edward, after talking about his scheme a quarter of an hour longer, and
exciting the curiosity of the others to the highest point, finally
informed them that he could not let them into the secret then, but that
he would tell them all about it in a few days, if he was sure that they
would keep it to themselves.
Oscar saw Edward almost every day, and often inquired about his
speculation, but got no definite answer. He and Alfred both felt very
curious to know what it was; but though expectation was on tiptoe, it
was not gratified. Edward assured them, however, that things were
nearly ready, and that in a few days he would let them into the
mysterious scheme.
Oscar's uncle, from Brookdale, was now in the city, and was stopping
for a few days at Mr. Preston's. He no sooner arrived, than Oscar
applied to his parents for permission to return with him to Maine; but
they did not give much encouragement to his proposal, although his
uncle said he should like to have him make his family another visit.
Oscar, however, daily renewed his request, for he believed that he
should yet accomplish his object by teasing.
The day before Oscar's uncle was to return to his home, a gentleman
called into Mr. Preston's store, and told him he wished to see him
alone. Having with drawn to a private room, the stranger introduced
himself as an officer of the police.
"You have a son fourteen or fifteen years old?" inquired the officer.
"Yes, I have," replied Mr. Preston.
"Are you aware that he is getting into bad company?" continued the
officer.
"No, sir," said Mr. Preston.
"Well," resumed the other, "I 've called to acquaint you of a few facts
that have come to my knowledge, and you can act in the matter as you
think best. There is a young fellow stopping at the ---- Hotel, who
came to this city a few weeks ago, and who calls himself Edward Mixer.
He is a little larger than your son, and is well dressed, and looks
like a respectable boy; but for a week or two past we have suspected
that he was a rogue. He hangs around the railroad depôts, and as
several persons have had their pockets picked, when getting out of the
cars, since he made his appearance, we began to watch him. We have got
no evidence against him yet; but yesterday I pointed him out to a New
York policeman, who happened to be here, and he says he knows him well.
It seems he is a regular pickpocket by profession, and has served a
term at Blackwell's Island. [1] He was liberated last month, and came
on here to follow the business where he isn't known. But we keep a
sharp eye on him, and as we have noticed that your son is quite
intimate with him, I thought it my duty to inform you of it. I don't
suppose your boy knows the real character of this fellow, or has
anything to do with his roguery; but it isn't safe for him to be in
such company, and I thought you ought to know what is going on."
Mr. Preston thanked the officer very cordially for the information, and
promised to see that Oscar was immediately put out of the way of danger
from this source. When he went home at noon, he had a long private
interview with his son, and informed him of the disclosures the officer
had made. Oscar was not a little astonished to learn that the genteel
and sociable Ned Mixer, whose company he prized so highly, was a thief
by trade, and was fresh from a prison. He assured his father that he
knew nothing of all this. This was true; but after all Oscar knew too
much of the character of Ned to believe him to be a good boy, or a safe
companion. He had heard him swear and lie. He had also heard him
sneer at virtue, and boast of deeds that no well-ordered conscience
would approve. And yet he courted his company, and considered him a
"capital fellow"! O, foolish boy!
But Oscar's plea of ignorance did not fully excuse him, even in the eye
of his father, who did not know how little force that plea really had.
"I don't suppose you knew his character," said Mr. Preston; "but are
there not good boys enough in the neighborhood for you to associate
with--boys that have always lived here and are well known--without your
cultivating the acquaintance of every straggler and vagabond that comes
along? I wish you would not make yourself so intimate with Tom, Dick,
and Harry, before you know anything about them. I 've cautioned you
against this a good many times, and now I hope that you 'll see there
is some cause for it. If this intimacy had gone on a few weeks longer,
it might have ruined you and disgraced your mother and me."
After consultation with his wife and brother, Mr. Preston concluded to
let Oscar go down to Brookdale; and remain until they could make some
permanent arrangements for him elsewhere. He did not think it safe for
him to remain longer exposed to the temptations of the city. He
charged Oscar not to speak again to Ned, and not to inform any one of
the facts he had learned about him, lest it might thwart the efforts of
the police to detect his rogueries. On second thought, he concluded to
take Oscar to the store with him that afternoon, to prevent the
possibility of an interview between him and Ned. Oscar thus remained
under the eye of his father through the day. In the evening he packed
his valise for the journey, and the next morning he started for
Brookdale with his uncle.
A day or two after Oscar's departure, Ned was arrested in the act of
picking a lady's pocket at a railroad depôt. Being unable to obtain
bail, he was committed for trial. When his case came up in court, he
was brought in guilty; and it appearing, from the testimony of the
officers, that, though young, he was quite old in crime, he was
sentenced to one year in the House of Correction.
Oscar never ascertained the nature of Ned's "grand speculation," and
probably it was well for him that he did not. Had he been let into the
secret, and had the scheme been carried into effect at the time it was
first talked of, I might have been obliged to add another and a still
sadder chapter to the history of "THE BOY WHO HAD HIS OWN WAY."
[1] The New York Penitentiary.