IN WHICH HARRY FINDS HIMSELF IN A TIGHT PLACE AND EXECUTES A COUNTER
MOVEMENT
"Jacob, here is the boy," said Squire Walker, as he stopped his horse
in front of an old, decayed house.
Jacob Wire was at work in his garden, by the side of the house; and
when the squire spoke, he straightened his back, regarding Harry with
a look of mingled curiosity and distrust. He evidently did not like
his appearance. He looked as though he would eat too much; and to a
man as mean as Jacob, this was the sum total of all enormities.
Besides, the little pauper had earned a bad reputation within the
preceding twenty-four hours, and his new master glanced uneasily at
his barn, and then at the boy, as though he deemed it unsafe to have
such a desperate character about his premises.
"He is a hard boy, Jacob, and will need a little taming. They fed him
too high at the poorhouse," continued the squire.
"That spoils boys," replied Jacob, solemnly.
"So it does."
"So, this is the boy that burnt your barn?"
"Well, I don't know. I rather think it was the Smart boy. Perhaps he
knew about it, though;" and the squire proceeded to give his
brother-in-law the particulars of the informal examination; for Jacob
Wire, who could hardly afford to lie still on Sundays, much less other
days, had not been up to the village to hear the news.
"You must be pretty sharp with him," said the overseer, in conclusion.
"Keep your eye on him all the time, for we may want him again, as soon
as they can catch the other boy."
Jacob promised to do the best he could with Harry, who, during the
interview, had maintained a sullen silence; and the squire departed,
assured that he had done his whole duty to the public and to the
little pauper.
"Well, boy, it is about sundown now, and I guess we will go in and get
some supper before we do any more. But let me tell you beforehand, you
must walk pretty straight here, or you will fare hard."
Harry vouchsafed no reply to this speech, and followed Jacob into the
house. His first meal at his new place confirmed all he had heard
about the penuriousness of his master. There was very little to eat on
the table, but Mrs. Wire gave him the poorest there was--a hard crust
of brown bread, a cold potato, and a dish of warm water with a very
little molasses and milk in it, which he was expected to imagine was
tea.
Harry felt no disposition to eat. He was too sad and depressed, and
probably if the very best had been set before him he would have been
equally indifferent.
He ate very little, and Jacob felt more kindly towards him than before
this proof of the smallness of his appetite. He had been compelled to
get rid of his last boy, because he was a little ogre, and it seemed
as though he would eat him out of house and home.
After supper Harry assisted Jacob about the barn, and it was nearly
eight o'clock before they finished.
"Now, boy, it is about bed time, and I will show you your rooms, if
you like," said Jacob. "Before you go, let me tell you it won't do any
good to try to run away from here, for I am going to borrow Leman's
bull-dog."
Harry made no reply to this remark, and followed his master to the low
attic of the house, where he was pointed to a rickety bedstead, which
he was to occupy.
"There, jump into bed afore I carry the candle off," continued Jacob.
"I don't care about any light. You needn't wait," replied Harry, as he
slipped off his shoes and stockings.
"That is right; boys always ought to be learnt to go to bed in the
dark," added Jacob, as he departed.
But Harry was determined not to go to bed in the dark; so, as soon as
he heard Jacob's step on the floor below, he crept to the stairway,
and silently descended. He had made up his mind not to wait for the
bull-dog. Pausing in the entry, he heard Jacob tell his wife that he
was going over to Leman's to borrow his dog; he was afraid the boy
would get up in the night and set his barn on fire, or run away. Jacob
then left the house, satisfied, no doubt, that the bull-dog would be
an efficient sentinel while the family were asleep.
After allowing time enough to elapse for Jacob to reach Leman's house,
he softly opened the front door and went out. It was fortunate for him
that Mrs. Wire was as "deaf as a post," or his suddenly matured plan
to "try again" might have been a failure. As it was, his departure was
not observed. It was quite dark, and after he had got a short distance
from the house, he felt a reasonable degree of security.
His first purpose was to get as far away from Redfield as possible
before daylight should come to betray him; and, taking the road, he
walked as fast as his legs would carry him towards Boston. Jacob's
house was on the turnpike, which was the direct road to the city, and
the distance which the squire had carried him in his wagon was so much
clear gain.
He did not feel very sentimental now. The sky was overshadowed with
clouds, so that he could not see any stars, and the future did not
look half so bright as his fancy had pictured it on the preceding
night. But he was free again; and free under more favorable
circumstances than before. This time he was himself commander of the
expedition, and was to suffer for no one's bad generalship but his
own. Besides, the experience he had obtained was almost a guarantee of
success. It had taught him the necessity of care and prudence.
The moral lesson he had learned was of infinitely more value than even
the lesson of policy. For the first time in his life he was conscious
of a deep and earnest desire to be a good boy, and to become a true
man. As he walked along, he thought more of being a good man than of
being a rich man. It was very natural for him to do so, under the
circumstances, for he had come very near being punished as an
incendiary. The consequences of doing wrong were just then strongly
impressed upon his mind, and he almost shuddered to think he had
consented to remain with Ben Smart after he knew that he burned the
barn. Ah, it was an exceedingly fortunate thing for him that he had
got rid of Ben as he did.
For two hours he walked as fast as he could, pausing now and then to
listen for the sound of any approaching vehicle. Possibly Jacob might
have gone to his room, or attic, to see if he was safe, and his escape
had been discovered. He could not be too wary, and every sound that
reached his waiting ear caused his heart to jump with anxiety.
He heard a clock strike eleven. It was not the Redfield clock, and it
was evident that he was approaching Rockville, a factory village eight
miles from his native place. But his legs were failing him. He was
exhausted by the labors and the excitement of the day and night, and
his strength would hardly hold out till he should get beyond the
village.
Seating himself on a rock by the side of the road, he decided to hold
a council of war, to determine what should be done. If he went
forward, his strength might fail him at the time when a vigorous
effort should be required of him. Somebody's dog might bark, and bring
the "Philistines upon him." He might meet some late walker, who would
detain him. It was hardly safe for him to go through the village by
night or day, after the search which had been made for Ben Smart.
People would be on the lookout, and it would be no hard matter to
mistake him for the other fugitive.
On the other hand, he did not like to pause so near Redfield. He had
scarcely entered upon the consideration of this side of the question
before his quick ear detected the sound of rattling wheels in the
direction from which he had come. His heart beat violently. It was
Squire Walker and Jacob Wire, he was sure, in pursuit of him; but his
courage did not fail him.
Leaping over the stone wall by the side of the road, he secured the
only retreat which the vicinity afforded, and waited, with his heart
in his throat, for the coming of his pursuers, as he had assured
himself they were. The present seemed to be his only chance of escape,
and if he failed now, he might not soon have another opportunity to
"try again."
The vehicle was approaching at a furious pace, and as the noise grew
more distinct, his heart leaped the more violently. He thought he
recognized the sound of Squire Walker's wagon. There was not much time
for his fancy to conjure up strange things, for the carriage soon
reached the place where he was concealed.
"Ur-r--woo!" said a big bull-dog, placing his ugly nose against the
wall, behind which Harry was lying.
"Whoa!" added a voice, which the trembling fugitive recognized as that
of George Leman.
"The dog has scented him," said another--that of Jacob Wire.
Harry's heart sank within him, and he felt as faint as though every
drop of blood had been drawn from his veins.
"I knew the dog would fetch him," said George Leman, as he leaped from
the wagon, followed by Jacob Wire. "At him, Tiger!"
In obedience to this command, Tiger drew back a few steps, and then
leaped upon the top of the wall. The prospect of being torn to pieces
by the bull-dog was not pleasant to Harry, and with a powerful effort
he summoned his sinking energies for the struggle before him. Grasping
two large stones, he stood erect as the dog leaped on the wall.
Inspired by the imminence of his peril, he hurled one of the stones at
Tiger the instant he showed his ugly visage above the fence. The
missile took effect upon the animal, and he was evidently much
astonished at this unusual mode of warfare. Tiger was vanquished, and
fell back from the wall, howling with rage and pain.
"Thunder! He has killed my dog!" exclaimed Leman, as he jumped over
the wall.
Harry did not wait any longer, but took to his heels, followed by both
pursuers, though not by the dog, which was _hors de combat_. Our hero
was in a "tight place," but with a heroism worthy the days of
chivalry, he resolved not to be captured.
He had not run far, however, before he realized that George Leman was
more than a match for him, especially in his present worn-out
condition. He was almost upon him, when Harry executed a counter
movement, which was intended to "outflank" his adversary. Dodging
round a large rock in the field, he redoubled his efforts, running now
towards the road where the horse was standing. Leman was a little
confused by this sudden action, and for an instant lost ground.
Harry reached the road and leaped the wall at a single bound; it was a
miracle that, in the darkness, he had not dashed his brains out upon
the rocks, in the reckless leap. The horse was startled by the noise,
and his snort suggested a brilliant idea to Harry.
"Go 'long!" he shouted; and the horse started towards Rockville at a
round pace.
Harry jumped into the wagon over the hind board, and grasping the
reins, put the high-mettled animal to the top of his speed.
"Go 'long!" hallooed Harry, mad with excitement.
The horse manifested no feeling of partiality toward either of the
parties, and seemed as willing to do his best for Harry as for his
master.
"Stop! Stop!" shouted George Leman, astounded at the new phase which
the chase had assumed. "Stop! and I will let you go."
That was quite reasonable. It was natural that he should prefer to let
the fugitive escape, to the alternative of losing his horse. George
Leman was noted for three things in Redfield--his boat, his ugly dog,
and his fast horse; and Harry, after stealing the boat and killing the
dog, was in a fair way to deprive him of his horse, upon which he set
a high value. The boy seemed like his evil genius, and no doubt he was
angry with himself for letting so mean a man as Jacob Wire persuade
him to hunt down such small game.
Harry did not deem it prudent to stop, and in a few moments had left
his pursuers out of sight. Then he began to breathe freer. He had
played a desperate game, and won the victory; yet he did not feel like
indulging in a triumph. The battle had been a bitter necessity, and he
even regretted the fate of poor Tiger, whose ribs he had stove in with
a rock.
He passed through Rockville. All was still, save the roaring of the
waters at the dam, and no one challenged him.
"I am safe, at any rate," said he to himself, when he had passed the
village. "What will be the next scrape, I wonder? Confound it! They
will have me up for stealing a horse next. But I didn't steal him.
George Leman is a good fellow, and only for the fun of the thing, he
wouldn't have come out on such a chase. I wouldn't steal anybody's
horse. Whoa!"
Harry hauled up by the roadside, and fastened the horse to the fence.
"There, George, you can have your horse again; but I will just put the
blanket over him, for he is all of a reeking sweat. It will just show
George, when he comes up, that I don't mean him any harm. I hope his
dog wasn't killed."
Taking the blanket which lay in the bottom of the wagon (for George
Leman was very careful of his horse, and though it was October, always
covered him when he let him stand out at night), he spread it over
him.
"Now, for Number One again," muttered Harry. "I must take to the
woods, though I doubt if George will follow me any farther."
So saying, he got over the fence, and made his way across the fields
to the woods, which were but a short distance from the road.