THE TOWN ORDINANCE.
The news which Dick carried to Sawyer was sufficient to create a great
excitement in that naturally quiet little town. In addition to what
looked like an attempted murder, was the fact that George Harnett, whom
they had all respected before the conflagration, and admired after it,
was the intended victim.
There was no need for Dick to urge that officers be sent to try to
effect the capture of the scoundrels, for almost before he had finished
telling the story, a large party of citizens started in search of the
men, determined that they should answer for their crime.
Therefore, when Dick returned, it was with so large a following that the
physicians rushed out in the greatest haste to insist on their keeping
at a respectful distance from the house, lest the noise might affect
their patient.
Bob and his partners were anxious to join in the search, and urged Ralph
to accompany them, since he could do no good to George by remaining; but
he refused to leave his friend, even though he could not aid him, and
the party started without him, a look of determination on their faces
that boded no good to the professed oil prospectors in case they should
be caught.
During all of that night Ralph remained with George, listening to his
delirious ravings, as he supposed he was still battling for his life
with the men, and just at daybreak Bob returned alone. The search had
been even more successful than any of the party had dared to hope for
when they set out, for the men had been captured in the woods about four
miles from the place where the assault had been made and in the pocket
of one of them was the paper from which one corner had been left in
George's hand.
They had evidently believed that they would be securely hidden in the
woods, for they had built a camp, and were in it asleep when they were
found.
Bob had been one of the first to rush in upon them, and, seeing him, the
men had shown fight; but the sight of the crowd behind him prevented any
serious demonstrations, and after that their only fear had been that
some one would attempt to do them an injury, a fear for which, at one
time, it seemed as if there were very good grounds.
When the prisoners had been carried back to Sawyer, Bob had left the
party, in order to report their success to Ralph, as well as to learn
George's condition.
Until Harnett's friends could be informed of his situation, Ralph and
Bob were looked upon as the only ones having a right to dictate as to
what should be done for him, and Ralph was anxious to have the course
they should pursue decided. With this in view, he had a long discussion
with Bob as to what should be done, and the result of it was that he
started at once for Bradford, to telegraph to George's mother, and to
hire a nurse to take care of him.
Mrs. Harnett, George's mother, lived in Maine, and it would necessarily
be quite a long time before she could reach her son, even if she got the
telegram as soon as it was sent. Therefore, it was important that a
nurse should be procured, at least until she could arrive, and decide
what should be done with the patient.
After this was done, Ralph started to return, not wanting to be away any
longer from his friend than possible, and as he neared Sawyer, he met
the officer who had arrested George and Bob for violation of the town
ordinance.
"Where is Mr. Hubbard?" asked the officer, after Ralph had given him all
the particulars of George's condition.
"He is now at Mr. Simpson's, waiting there until I shall get back."
"Is he particularly needed there?"
"Oh, no. As for the matter of that, neither one of us will be actually
needed after this forenoon, for I have just been to Bradford to engage a
nurse for George until his mother shall get here. Why did you ask?"
"Well, you see before this assault was committed, it was decided to
call the case one of carrying glycerine through the town, to-day. Now
it has been decided, in view of the service Harnett rendered at the
conflagration, to drop the case against him, and only proceed against
Hubbard. But if his presence was necessary to Harnett, we could postpone
it easily enough."
"But George would feel very badly if the case against him was dropped,"
said Ralph, earnestly. "Before the arrest was made, his only hope was
that it would be made, so that he might prove he had nothing to do with
it. Isn't it possible to proceed against him, even if he isn't there?"
"And what if it is?" asked the officer, with a smile.
"If it is I would urge you to call the case against George at the same
time as that against Bob, for I know, beyond a doubt, that he will be
proven not guilty."
"I'll see what can be done; and if you and Hubbard can leave, come over
about two o'clock this afternoon."
"We will be there," replied Ralph.
And then he drove on, rejoiced at the thought that even while his friend
was sick, he could remove one cause of trouble from him.
When Bob was told of the interview Ralph had had, he was by no means so
well pleased that the case was to be opened so soon.
"Why didn't you tell the officer that I couldn't be spared from George's
side for a moment?" he asked. "That would have settled it, for just now
every one is sympathizing with him."
"In the first place, it wouldn't have been true," replied Ralph, "and
then again, if it has got to come, the sooner it's over the better, I
should think."
Bob made a wry face over the matter, for he had hoped that in the
excitement caused by the attack on George, both the cases would be
dropped, and since there could be no doubt about his conviction, that
would have been the most pleasant way out of it, so far as he was
concerned.
Ralph used all the arguments he could think of to persuade Bob to look
at the matter in a philosophical light, and it was not until he urged
the satisfaction it would give George, when he recovered, to know that
he was cleared of the charge, that Bob would even admit that he was
willing to go, although he knew he must do so.
As soon as the professional nurse arrived and began her duties, Bob and
Ralph harnessed the former's team, and started first for the
moonlighters' hut, where Jim had said he would be that day, for the
purpose of getting him to testify in George's behalf.
This young moonlighter was quite as averse to appearing at court as his
partner had been, for he feared the charge might be altered to include
him, but Ralph persuaded him that such would hardly be probable, at the
same time that he urged him to accompany them, for George's sake.
On arriving at Sawyer it was found that the authorities were willing to
call George's case in consideration of the fact that his innocence could
be easily proven, and the trial began.
Of course, with Bob, Jim and Ralph to testify in George's behalf, there
was no doubt as to his innocence in the matter, and quite as naturally,
the testimony which cleared one convicted the other, for Bob had told
the story exactly as the matter had happened.
George was found "not guilty," and public opinion being in favor just
then of any of the friends of the injured man, Bob was let off with a
reprimand and a fine of ten dollars.
Bob was in high glee over this easy settlement of the matter, as was
Ralph, and when the constable handed them the forty dollars which he had
taken as security for their appearance, the young moonlighter insisted
on presenting him with five dollars of his twenty, as a "token of his
appreciation."
During the ride back to the Simpson farm, and Jim accompanied them in
order to remain there over-night in case he should be needed, Bob
unfolded a scheme which he declared he had been maturing for some time,
although Ralph insisted that it had only occurred to him after his
fortunate escape from the clutches of the law.
"We shall have no business for two or three weeks at least," he said;
"and while George is so sick there is really nothing we can do for him.
Now I propose that you and I find the signs of oil that those fellows
claim to have found, and when George gets well the work will be all done
for him."
"But can we do it?" asked Ralph, thinking that he would be of but little
service, since his knowledge of the oil business was confined to what
he had seen of the moonlighters' operations.
"Of course we can. I have done a good deal of prospecting, and, except
that I couldn't find the place they describe by measurements, I can do
the work better than George, for he has had no experience whatever."
"I am willing to do it if I can," said Ralph, "for surely we can be
doing no harm in trying to prove whether the property is valuable or
not."
"No harm! Of course there wouldn't be any!" cried Bob, growing
enthusiastic over his scheme. "And if we do find things as plain as I
believe we shall, there will be no trouble in borrowing money enough to
sink the well at once, so that when George gets out we could surprise
him with a little oil property that would make his eyes stick out."
Ralph felt almost as if he was losing his breath at the "size" Bob's
scheme was assuming, and he said, faintly:
"Oh, we wouldn't do that!"
"Indeed, but we would, and I reckon Harnett wouldn't feel very badly
about it either."
"If you were sure of striking oil, I'm not sure but that father would
advance the necessary money to do it," he said, falling in at once with
Bob's scheme, he was so dazzled by it.
"That would be all the better," cried Bob, excitedly; "and I tell you
what it is, Gurney, if I don't show you a five-hundred-barrel well in
that same wood-lot, you shall have my head for a football."
Ralph was hardly in need of such a plaything, but Bob's scheme had so
excited him that when he did finally succeed in getting to sleep that
night, it was only to dream of wonderful wells spouting wonderfully pure
oil.