A SLIGHT MISTAKE
An automobile chugging along at the rate of thirty miles an hour whirled
around a bend in the road from the eastward and approached the youths,
who halted and looked wonderingly at it. The youthful chauffeur bent
over the steering wheel, and beside him sat a bearded, grim-looking man
in middle life, with a big brass badge on his breast. The two were the
only occupants of the car, the broad rear seat being unoccupied.
The moment the constable, as he was, caught sight of the lads, he raised
his hand to signify he had business with them. At the same time the
chauffeur slowed up in front of Alvin and Chester. The officer leaped
out before the car had hardly stopped and strode toward them.
"I want you!" was his crisp remark.
"What do you want of us?" asked the astonished Alvin.
"I'll blame soon show you. No shenanigan! Hand over your pistols."
"We haven't any; you are the only one hereabouts that's armed," said the
Captain, observing that the man had drawn a revolver.
"In here with you! I've no time to fool!"
The lads resented his peremptory manner. Chester asked:
"Why should we get into your auto? We prefer to choose our own company;
we don't like your looks."
"I know mighty well you don't, nor do I like _your_ looks, but that
makes no difference. In with you, I say, or I'll blow your heads off!"
The alarming words and action of the officer left no doubt of his
earnestness. Alvin replied:
"We have a right to know why you arrest us; we have done nothing
unlawful."
"I don't mind reminding you that the Rockledge post office was robbed
last night. Banet Raymond the postmaster said it was done by three
scoundrels--all wearing masks and dressed in yachting clothes. They
came this way; where's the other fellow?"
"We had a companion with us when we came up the Sheepscot, but he's gone
in search of our boat that some one stole from us a little while ago."
"You're the skeezicks I'm after; we'll soon have the third burglar."
"What do you mean to do with us?" asked Alvin. "Where is your warrant?"
"I don't need any."
Neither he nor Chester was alarmed. The arrest could have but one issue,
since sooner or later their identity would be proved; but the situation
was exasperating, for it promised to interfere with their capture of the
stolen boat or at least cause serious delay in making the search. It was
dangerous to trifle with an officer who was in no mood to accept any
excuse from the couple whom he believed to be criminals. He added:
"Robbing a post office is a crime against Uncle Sam, and he's a pretty
hard proposition to buck against. If you have a story to tell me, I'll
give you three minutes to do it in."
The two stepped beside the auto, the glum chauffeur silently watching
them.
"It's all well enough for you to be so bumptious in the performance of
what you may think is your duty," said Alvin, looking into the iron
countenance, "but I suppose you have made a mistake once or twice in
your lifetime."
"What's that got to do with this business? Who are you?"
"My name is Alvin Landon and my friend here is Chester Haynes. Our
parents each have a summer home on Southport, opposite Squirrel Island.
My father made me a present of a motor boat a short time ago; we have
been cruising about the bay and islands for several weeks; this morning
we left home with a companion, an Irish lad named Mike Murphy; we
stopped at the blockhouse up the river and went ashore to eat our lunch;
while we were doing so, some one ran off with the boat; Mike has gone on
a run down stream to see if he can overtake it; we walked to this place
and sent a telegram to Point Quarry, inquiring about the craft and
learned it had passed there a few minutes before, headed down stream.
There you have our story straight and true: what have you to say about
it?"
"I don't believe a word of it. Anyhow, you'll have the chance to tell it
in court, where you're certain to get justice done you."
The officer handed his weapon to the chauffeur.
"Keep your eye on 'em, Tim, and at the first move, shoot!"
"Yes, sir," responded the chauffeur, showing by his looks that he would
have been quite glad of an excuse for displaying his markmanship upon
one or both of the prisoners.
His hands thus freed, the officer ran them deftly over the clothing of
each lad from his shoulders to his knees, to assure himself they carried
no weapons. The search was satisfactory.
"Throwed your guns away, I 'spose. Now for the bracelets."
He whipped out a pair of handcuffs, at sight of which Alvin recoiled
with a flush of shame.
"Don't do that, please; we'll give our parole. With your pistol you are
not afraid of two unarmed boys."
The appeal touched the pride of the officer, who dropped the handcuffs
into the side pocket of his coat.
"Of course I'm not afeared of you, but you might try to give me the
slip, if a chance should happen to come your way."
"We will not, for we have nothing to fear."
"All right. You," addressing Alvin, "will sit in front while I take your
friend with me on the back seat."
Brief as was the conversation between the constable and his prisoners,
it attracted the attention of several men, women and young persons, who
gathered round the automobile, and catching the meaning of the incident
from the remarks of those concerned, naturally indulged in remarks.
"Seems to me that this part of Maine has become a favorite tramping
ground for yeggmen and post office robbers," said a man in white
flannels, with a tennis racquet in one hand and two tennis balls in the
other. "These gentlemen have begun young."
"Who would think it of them?" asked the sweet girl at his side.
"Can't judge a fellow by his looks."
"Which is fortunate for you, Algernon."
He lifted his hat in mock obeisance.
An older man, probably a member of the same party of players, spoke
oracularly:
"You needn't say that, Gwendolen; you _can_ judge a person by his looks.
Now just to look at the face of that chap on the front seat. He is
rather handsome, but it is easy to see that the stamp of crime is there,
as plain as the sun at noonday. Like enough he is a tough from the
Bowery of New York."
"And the one on the rear seat beside the officer isn't any better," said
a middle-aged woman, peering through her eyeglasses. "Just think of two
as young as they robbing a post office for a few paltry dollars, and
almost beating the life out of the old postmaster! Ugh! it would serve
them right if they were lynched."
Every word of this and many more were heard by Alvin and Chester during
their brief debate with the officer. It "added to the gayety of nations"
and caused Alvin to turn his head and say to his friend:
"Give a dog a bad name, Chester--you know the rest. We don't seem to
have made a very good impression in Charmount. I never knew I looked so
much like a double-dyed villain."
"I have noticed it many times and it has caused me much pain."
"It might distress me, if we both were not in the same boat."
"We have often been in the same boat, but I don't know that we ever
shall be again. Ah, you have one friend in Charmount."
"Who is he?" asked Alvin, with quick interest.
"It's a _she_; cast your eye toward the telegraph office."
As Alvin did so, he saw the sweet-looking telegraphist in the door and
watching proceedings. He could not resist the temptation to touch his
fingers to his lips and waft them toward her. Nothing daunted, she
replied similarly, whereat most of the spectators were shocked.
"I should hold her in tender regard," said Alvin, "if she didn't ask
such a big price for a look at Mike's telegram."
"How much does she want?"
"Fifty thousand dollars."
"Why didn't you give it her?"
"I didn't happen to have the change with me; can you help me out?"
"I should like to help us both out, but the officer might object."
The chauffeur was backing and turning, and now headed the machine over
the road by which he had brought his employer to this spot.
"Where to now?" asked Alvin of their gaoler.
"Augusta--as straight and fast as we can travel."
But Alvin Landon and Chester Haynes down to the present time have never
seen the capital of the State of Maine.