NED A PRISONER
Ned followed Cassidy through the streets, the lodging-house keeper
leading the way, and seemingly in no fear that the boy would give him
the slip. As a matter of fact, Ned did not intend to try to escape. He
was, in a sense, a voluntary prisoner now, as he knew, if he tried to
run away again, Cassidy would probably take after him and raise such a
disturbance that the police would interfere. And Ned had his own reasons
for not wanting anything to do with the bluecoats.
Afterwards he thought how senseless, in a measure, his fears were, but
at the time they loomed up large before him, and caused him to do things
of which, otherwise, he would not have dreamed.
"Hurry up!" exclaimed Cassidy when he and Ned had been walking about
half an hour. "I haven't got all day."
"What do you intend to do?" asked Ned.
"I intend to make you work out the value of the money you stole from me.
One of my porters has left and I have to have another. Instead of hiring
one I'll make you do the work until you square things."
"I never took your money!" declared Ned.
"You've said that several times," Cassidy exclaimed. "I don't want to
hear it again. I saw you, but I'm willing to give you a chance to reform.
No use calling in the police unless I have to, but I will, if you don't
do as I tell you."
The man spoke earnestly, and not unkindly, and Ned began to believe that
Cassidy really believed he stole the money, a thing the boy had not
admitted at first.
"Some day you'll find you're wrong," Ned said.
"I guess not! Jim Cassidy doesn't make mistakes," was the answer. "If I
do I'll pay you back with interest."
They reached the lodging house where Ned had stopped before, and whence
he had escaped in the night.
"Go ahead up," commanded Cassidy. "Get a broom and a pail of water and
scrub out the rooms. I'll allow you at the rate of a dollar and a half a
day. I had fifteen dollars under my pillow that you took. I got four and
a half of it back, counting the fifty cents from the fruit man, and that
leaves ten dollars and a half you owe me. You work seven days and I'll
call it square, and give you your bed free at night. That's more than
you deserve, but you're young and I'll give you a chance."
Ned thought it was a pretty poor chance, considering his innocence of
the theft, but he decided it was best not to answer. He got a pail and
broom, and, taking off his coat set to work cleaning the dirty floor.
Cassidy watched him a while in silence and remarked:
"I'll be on the lookout, so don't try to sneak away."
"I'll work my seven days," Ned replied, trying to hide the tears that
would persist in coming into his eyes. As he labored away the stock
certificate, in his inside pocket, rustled. All his trouble dated from
the acquisition of that, he reflected bitterly, and it was a dearly
bought bit of experience.
All that afternoon Ned worked away, his heart like lead. He longed for a
sight of the faces of his chums, and he wanted to hear from his father.
It seemed a very long time since he had left Darewell so happy and
filled with expectations of the pleasures he and his friends would enjoy
in New York.
"I wonder if the boys came?" Ned thought. "I wonder what my father must
think? Oh, I've a good notion to write to him and ask him what to do! I
can't stand it any longer!"
Ned was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He had stood about all he
could, and with the poor food and the bad sleeping places, which were
all he could afford, his health was in danger.
"Come now, no loafing!" exclaimed Cassidy's coarse voice, as Ned paused
a moment in his scrubbing. "When I pay a dollar and a half a day I
expect good, quick work. We don't want any idlers around here."
Wearily Ned began to move the wet broom over the dirty boards. There
were a number of unkempt men engaged in the same occupation.
"If my chums should see me now," thought Ned.
He expected to be allowed to go to bed early as he was tired, but when
Cassidy had sent him to a near-by, cheap restaurant, in company with one
of the other porters, for supper, Ned found, on his return, that he was
expected to clean out the office.
"Ten o'clock's time enough to go to bed," Cassidy told him. "The work
got behind when my other man left and it's got to be made up. I don't
want the Board of Health here, condemning the place."
Even with all the cleaning that was done, it looked as if the Board
should take some action, Ned thought.
Meanwhile William and Bart had, that same evening, visited several
lodging houses. They met with no success, though the proprietors
described boys who bore a resemblance to Ned, but who had only stopped
one night and had then disappeared.
"We'll find him," said William, more cheerfully than he felt.
The two boys were walking down a side street, approaching a lodging-house
they intended to visit. It was one they had not yet inspected. It was
about eight o'clock and was blowing up cold. There was a feeling of snow
in the air, and the boys buttoned their coats closely around them.
"Hope Ned doesn't have to stay out in the storm like I did," said
William.
"So do I," chimed in Bart. "I hate to think about it."
"We'll try this place," William went on, as they reached the entrance to
the lodging house. In the hallway a gas jet burned, and, as the lads
started up the stairs, they met a red moustached man coming down. At the
sight of him William cried out:
"There he is!"
"Who?" asked Bart.
"The man who took Ned away!"
The next instant the two boys were besieging Cassidy with questions. The
lodging-house proprietor looked bewildered a moment, and then, gathering
the import of what they wanted, he exclaimed:
"Oh, you're chums of his, eh? Belong to the same gang I s'pose? Well,
you can't come any tricks on me! If that lad is your chum he stays here
until he's worked out what he owes me!"
"What does he owe you?" demanded Bart. "Ned Wilding doesn't need to owe
anyone anything."
"He owes me the money he stole!" Cassidy cried, "and I'm going to get
it! Now, you fellows skip out of here or I'll call the police!"
"Can't we see Ned?" demanded William.
"No, you can't! He's got to stay here a week. Think I'm going to let you
in and have you help him git away the way he did after he took my
money?"
"He never took your money!" cried Bart.
"Clear out!" exclaimed Cassidy.
"Bart, you go get a policeman!" called William suddenly. "We'll see about
this thing. Telephone for Mr. Wilding and the boys!"
"What will you do?" asked Bart.
"I'll stay on guard!" William replied, looking Cassidy straight in the
face. "He's not going to get Ned away from me again!"