MORE TROUBLE FOR THE "UNCLE TOMMERS."
The disappearance of Motor Matt and the Red Flier made Carl Pretzel
not only bewildered but furiously angry. He was angry at Brisco and
bewildered to account for the way he had pulled off his night raid.
"Oof dot feller inchures a hair oof Modor Matt's headt," wheezed Carl,
shaking his fist in the air, "I vill camp by his drail, py chimineddy!
I vill go on some var-paths! I vill make him be sorry for vat he dit,
yah, so helup me!"
Leaving Carl to rant and vow vengeance, Legree rushed over to the
railroad-station and sent a message. The message, owing to financial
embarrassment on the part of Legree, had to go collect.
"LEM NUGENT, Ash Fork.
"Come at once to Fairview. Important developments regarding your
automobile. MOTOR MATT."
Legree signed the message with Matt's name because he knew the
cattleman wouldn't know anything about a man named Legree; and he also
felt sure that Motor Matt's name would secure the cattleman's instant
attention.
On his way back to the hotel he inquired for the sheriff. Fairview was
too small to have a sheriff, but the town had a deputy sheriff. The
deputy, however, was just then attending his father's golden-wedding,
in Flagstaff, the marshal had gone with him, and the town was without
an officer.
As if this was not sufficiently discouraging, when Legree got back to
the hotel he found a very disquieting state of affairs.
The Uncle Tommers had been chased out of the hostelry by O'Grady and
Ping Pong, his Chinese cook. They were gathered in a forlorn group in
front, and Carl Pretzel was with them.
"Mistah O'Grady, sah," Uncle Tom was saying with all the dignity he
could work up, "Ah's de official mascot ob Motah Matt. While Ah's been
stayin' in yo' 'stablishment, Ah's been mascottin' fo' him. He will
come back, yo' ma'k what Ah say. Gib us ouah breakfus en yo' sho gits
yo' money!"
"Begorry, yez have got into me f'r all yez are goin' to," yelled the
proprietor. "It's a passel av thramps yez are, iv'ry wan av yez! Av th'
marshal was in town, Oi'd have yez all in th' cooler. Get out, befure
Oi sic th' dog on yez! Scatther!"
"What's the matter here?" demanded Legree, pushing to the front.
"Py chincher," flared Carl, "dot Irish feller t'inks ve vas vorkin'
some shkin games on him. He vas grazier as a pedpug, und he von't gif
us some preakfast."
"En we's all hongry es sin," piped Uncle Tom plaintively. "Ah been
mascottin' fo' Motah Matt twell Ah's dat fagged Ah dunno whut Ah's
about, no, sah."
"I tried to get him to take my ring, Legree," put in Eliza, "but he
won't. He says we're only a lot of dead beats, and never intend to pay
him."
"Ah tole him," spoke up Topsy, "dat Ah'd wuk in his kitchum fo' de
price ob a breakfus, an' he wouldn' hab it. Ah's honest, dat's whut Ah
is. Ah nebber stole a cent fum anybody en mah life."
"See here, O'Grady," remarked Legree, "Motor Matt has money and he has
offered to pay our expenses while we're stopping with you. I'll have
money myself in a few days, and then I'll pay you. You're not taking
any chances on this crowd."
"Faith, an' yez are roight about thot," scowled O'Grady. "Oi'm takin'
no more chances wid yez. Motor Matt! Why, he run aff lasht noight!
Sure, he did! He shneaked away so he wouldn't have t' pay me f'r yer
kape. Oi'm keen enough t' see thot!"
"Py shinks," whooped Carl, dancing around and waving his fists, "don'd
you say dod some more. I can lick der feller vat says somet'ings
aboudt Modor Matt like dot. Ven he say he pay, he mean vot he say, und
he do it, too. Yah, you bed you! Modor Matt vas my bard, und he don'd
vas leafing a bard in der lurch like vat you say."
"Av Motor Matt is yer pard," said O'Grady, "bedad but it's sthrange yez
haven't money. Git out, Oi say! Oi'm done wid yez."
"I tell you," went on Legree, "I'll have money myself in a few days."
"Yez can't make me belave any cock-an'-bull shtory like thot. Niver
again will Oi take in anny wan widout baggage. Shoo! Clear out befure
Oi git violent."
In O'Grady's present temper there was no reasoning with him, so Legree
marshaled his comrades and led them off to a neighboring wood-pile,
where they all sat down disconsolately.
"Ah's been accustomed tuh bettah treatment," mourned Uncle Tom. "Ah's
got de bigges' notion dat evah was tuh put a hoodoo on dat hotel. Ah
could do hit, but Ah restrains mahse'f till Ah gits odahs fum Motah
Matt."
"Go 'long wif sich talk!" cried Topsy, out of patience. "'Peahs lak yo'
done put dat hoodoo on de rest ob us. Nuffin' ain't gone right sence we
left dat 'ar Brockville place."
"There'll be some one here from Ash Fork before long, who, maybe, will
help us," said Legree. "Just be as patient as you can, friends, and
we'll hope for the best."
"All de patience in de worl', Mistah Legree," answered Uncle Tom,
"'doan' fill a pusson's stummick. Mah goodness, Ah didun' know Ah was
so pesterin' hongry."
"I tell you somet'ing," said Carl, "oof I knowed vich vay Modor Matt
vas, I vould go und findt him. I vas madt as some vet hens ofer dis
pitzness. Here ve vas, hung oop on a vood-pile mit nodding to eat, und
not knowing vere Modor Matt vent mit himseluf. Chonny Hartluck iss
hanging aroundt mit us."
Leaving his disconsolate friends, Legree went back to the
railroad-station. There he waited for four hours for the local train
from Ash Fork. He was rewarded, however, by seeing a big man get off
the train, stop on the platform, and look around expectantly.
Legree walked up to the arriving passenger.
"Mr. Nugent?" he asked.
"You've hit it," replied the cattleman, staring the stranded actor up
and down with an unfavoring eye.
"Ah! Well, sir, my name's Legree. I suppose you're looking for Motor
Matt?"
"Another bull's-eye for you. I came here on a telegram from Motor
Matt saying that there had been important developments concerning my
automobile that was stolen from me near Ash Fork. Where's Motor Matt?"
"He is unavoidably absent just now," answered Legree, "but I am
confidently expecting him to appear at any moment. To be frank with
you, sir, I sent that telegram and signed Motor Matt's name to it."
The cattleman became indignant.
"You're pretty fresh, seems to me!" said he. "What business had you
doing a thing like that?"
"Because I wanted you here. Your car was in town yesterday. One of the
thieves brought it in for a supply of gasoline and oil. Motor Matt and
I tried to capture the thief, but he got away from us and took the car
with him."
"Who are you, if you haven't any objection to answerin' a straight
question?" demanded the cattleman.
"Step into the waiting-room with me for a few moments," replied Legree,
"and I'll explain."
They went into the waiting-room and were gone possibly five minutes.
When they came out on the platform once more, Nugent seemed to have
developed a vast amount of confidence in Legree.
"Why didn't you tell Motor Matt what you've told me?" asked the
cattleman.
"I wasn't telling anybody that, Mr. Nugent," answered Legree, "and
I wouldn't be telling you now if I hadn't wanted to fix things with
O'Grady so that I and my friends can continue to remain at his hotel."
"I know O'Grady," said Nugent. "Come along with me and I'll fix things
up for you."
They went to the hotel at once. O'Grady, tilted back against the wall
in front, was smoking a pipe and keeping a sharp eye on the wood-pile.
Uncle Tom, with a red bandanna over his face, was leaning back against
the wood and was apparently asleep. All the rest were hovering
listlessly about, waiting patiently for something to happen.
The sight of Lem Nugent, who was known throughout all that part of the
country, wrought a great change in O'Grady. The cattleman and the actor
were approaching together, and seemed to be on cordial terms.
"O'Grady," said Nugent, after he had exchanged greetings with the
proprietor, "this gentleman is a friend of mine, and his friends are
my friends, understand? Take them all in and give them the best you've
got. And don't bleed me, you shyster. I'll stand the damage, but I
won't be robbed."
"Whativer yez say goes wid me, Lem," said O'Grady. "Come on, all av
yez," he cried, standing up and motioning toward the wood-pile. "Oi'll
have th' Chink put a male on th' table f'r yez to wanst."
Uncle Tom may have been asleep, but he heard those welcome words and
was up like a shot.
"Ah was mascottin fo' dat very t'ing," he admitted, as he ran toward
the hotel. "Layin' back dar wid mah bandannah ober mah face, Ah was
wukin' lak er hiahed man, yassuh. Now, den, yo' Topsy, yo' see what Ah
kin do when Ah lays mahse'f out!"
Just as they were starting into the hotel, a shout from Carl brought
them all to a halt and an about-face.
"Hoop-a-la!" yelled Carl, dancing around and throwing his cap in the
air. "Look vonce ad vat's coming! Vat dit I say? Here vas a drain oof
cars, mit Modor Matt pringing dem in. Ach, himmel, I peen so habby as I
can't dell! Modor Matt iss coming!"
Under the startled eyes of those in front of the hotel two cars could
be seen coming along the road. The Red Flier, with Matt and three
passengers, was in the lead, and towing behind was the runabout.
"My car, by thunder!" shouted Nugent, starting for the road.
"And Spangler is with Motor Matt," cried the amazed Legree, "and
Brisco, and the kid! How in blazes do you think that happened?"
A disgusted look crossed Uncle Tom's face.
"How yo' t'ink dat happened!" he muttered sarcastically; "en me
a-mascottin' fo' Motah Matt all de time!"