AT SQUIRE SLOCUM’S HOUSE.
It was evident that Mr. Enos Norton was terribly in earnest. Compared
with his present state, his former anger appeared as child’s play.
“I have told you the exact truth,” I replied. “Andy Carney came in here
last night and stole the things.”
“Andy Carney! The man you say stole the boat?”
“Yes, sir.”
Mr. Norton was silent for a moment.
“Reuben, I don’t believe your story,” he cried at length. “You’ve taken
that valise yourself, and put away the other things to make your story
appear plausible. Now, I want you to tell me exactly all you have
discovered, otherwise it will go hard with you.”
I remained silent. What more was there to say?
“Did you hear me?” stormed my guardian.
“I hear you,” I replied as calmly as I could, which is not saying much.
“Well, why don’t you answer then?”
“I have told the truth.”
I had hardly uttered the words before Mr. Norton sprang at me.
“You will find I am not to be trifled with!” he exclaimed.
“And you will find out that I am not to be treated like a dog,” I
returned. And I ran across the room and towards the door leading to the
store-room.
“No, you don’t! You sha’n’t escape me like this!” he shouted. And he
ran after me and placed himself directly in front of the door.
For an instant I was dismayed. Then I thought of the window close at
hand, and throwing it open, sprang out.
“Stop! stop!” he cried as he darted towards the opening.
Instead of heeding his command, I made the best possible use of my time
in putting a good distance between us. I had got at least three rods
away from the house when he appeared at the door and started after me.
“I tell you to stop, Reuben!” he called for at least the tenth time.
“I’m going to the village,” I yelled back.
“If you don’t come back it will be the worse for you!”
“I’ll chance it.”
A look down towards the boat-landing proved that my boat was not there,
and I hurried along the main road. I did not stop running until I was
fully a quarter of a mile from the mill, and then it was only to drop
into a quick walk.
As I hurried along I thought over my situation, and made up my mind
that the best thing I could do was to call on Squire Slocum and state
my case. The squire had been a warm friend of my father, and I felt
certain that he would give me some sound advice, and tell me how to
proceed.
I reached Bend Center long before seven o’clock. I was not certain
whether I would find Squire Slocum up, so I walked around to the back
of the house to ask the hired girl when I could best see him.
“The squire went over to Bayport an hour ago,” she said.
“To Bayport?” I repeated. “It’s pretty early in the morning.”
“There’s some trouble at the bank there,” replied the girl. “A
messenger came over and woke us all up. He wanted the squire right
away, and he had to go off without waiting to get his breakfast.”
My curiosity was aroused at once.
“What was the trouble at the bank?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
“And you don’t know when the squire will return?”
“No, sir.”
I walked away slowly, my head filled with all sorts of thoughts. Could
there be any connection between the visit of the two strangers and
the trouble over at Bayport? and where had Mr. Norton gone during the
previous evening? Had he spent the time at the tavern?
I soon had a chance to solve the last question. A tall, ragged fellow
came along, and I recognized him at once as Joe Kent, a ne’er-do-well
of the Bend.
“Hullo, Joe!” I sang out.
“Hullo, Rube,” he returned. “What brings you to the Bend so early in
the morning?”
“A little business, Joe. Tell me, were you over at Bender’s tavern last
evening?”
“What you want to know for?”
“I want to know who was there.”
“I was there from about eight o’clock till Bender closed up.”
“Was there a tall stranger there?”
“No; only Bender, Hallett, Forms, and myself.”
“No one else?”
“No.”
“You are sure?”
“Of course I am. Why, what’s up?”
“Nothing, Joe. I am much obliged;” and I hurried away before he could
say any more.
I walked down the main street hardly knowing what to do next. In front
of the post-office I met Ford, who had just come from his home to look
for a job of some kind.
“Well, Rube, how do you make out with your uncle?” he asked, as he
jumped down from the barrel upon which he had been sitting.
“Don’t call him my uncle, Dan,” I returned. “He may be a relative
according to law, but he isn’t in heart.”
“Why, has he been after you again?”
“Rather,” I returned bitterly. And taking Ford aside I told him of all
that had occurred.
“The mean rascal!” exclaimed the ex-mill-hand. “It would do me good to
punch his head.”
“I don’t know what to do,” I went on. “If I go back he may do me up.”
“He wouldn’t if I was around,” replied Ford with a decided shake of the
head.
“I am satisfied that he is a wicked man at heart,” I went on. “It is an
awful surprise to me too, because I always heard father speak well of
him.”
“You can’t tell how some men will act when they have a little power.
He, no doubt, thinks he can boss you just as he pleases.”
“Well, he’ll find out that he is mistaken.”
There was a moment of silence, and then Ford said,――
“Tell you what to do, Rube. You go back and I’ll go with you.”
“Thank you, Dan; but you will lose your time by that.”
“A day or two won’t matter. It isn’t likely I’ll strike anything at
once, things are so dull.”
“Maybe Mr. Norton won’t have you around.”
“Then I’ll sit on a rock on the other side of the road,” laughed Ford.
“He can’t stop me from doing that.”
“Suppose you go back with me and keep out of sight until I give you
some sort of a signal,” I suggested.
“That’s an idea. If I show myself at once he’ll keep in till I go away.”
We decided to act on this plan at once. There was no telling when
Squire Slocum would get back from Bayport, and, strange as it may seem,
I did not like the idea of leaving Mr. Norton in sole charge of the
mill.
He knew nothing of the business, which must be looked after; and
besides, I was afraid to trust him.
We started at once. When in sight of the mill, Ford stepped into the
bushes, saying he would draw up close on the water side, and if I
needed him to give a loud whistle.
This arranged, I walked boldly up to the mill door and entered. Mr.
Norton was nowhere to be seen; but an instant later he appeared with a
flushed face.
“Oh, so you’ve concluded to come back,” he said.
“I didn’t intend to stay away for good,” I replied, as lightly as
possible, though I watched him closely.
“Have you seen the squire?”
I paid no attention to this question, and presently he repeated it.
“I was at the squire’s house,” I responded.
“And what did he say?” asked Mr. Norton, though he did not appear to be
as much interested as I supposed would be likely.
I pretended not to hear, and passed into the living room. Here on
the table everything remained just as I had left it. Mr. Norton had
evidently no appetite for breakfast.
“Did you hear my question?” he demanded.
“I heard it.”
“Why don’t you answer then?”
“Because I don’t choose to do so.”
I expected this would bring out another storm of passion. But I was
mistaken. Mr. Norton merely shut his mouth hard, and walked up and down
the room.
“Reuben, you are smarter than I thought you were,” he said presently.
“I thought you were a mere backwoods boy, but I find I am mistaken.”
“Do you want your breakfast, sir?”
“No; I’m not hungry. You sit down and eat.”
I did so, and he walked around and eyed me curiously.
“Reuben, your father died rather poor,” he continued. “He was a hard
worker, but he didn’t know how to manage.”
“It was the hard times, and not the managing,” I put in, eager to
defend the parent I had just lost.
“When your father fell over the ravine, he and I were just getting
ready to make a pile of money,” went on Mr. Norton slowly. “If he had
lived two months longer he would have been a rich man.”
In my wonder at this statement I stopped eating at once.
“You must be joking,” I cried.
“No; it’s the sober truth. We had all our plans ready when your
father’s death upset everything. It was a splendid scheme, and only
needed a little nerve to carry it out.”
“And what kind of a scheme was it?” I asked eagerly, for this news was
totally new to me.
“It’s the same one mentioned in those letters in my valise,” replied
Mr. Norton.