THE MISSING WITNESS.
Bob had hardly called the main portion of his men to the point which was
threatened by the money-lender's party, when the wagons reached the
entrance to the lane, and the occupants began to get out.
"You cannot enter here!" cried Bob, as the first man started toward the
lane, as if he would force his way past those who were guarding the
entrance.
"I am sent here by the owner of the property, and it is my intention not
only to go in, but to drive away those who are intruding here," replied
the man, in an offensive tone.
"Well," cried Bob, the anger which he had kept under control with
greatest difficulty during the day now gaining the ascendancy, "it may
first be necessary for you to get in before you drive any one out, and I
warn you that you attempt to enter at your peril. I am here by the
orders of the true owner of the property, and it will be a mighty hard
show for you to get in, since my instructions are to keep every one
out."
By this time Mr. Hillman had arrived at the scene of the threatened
trouble, and he said, loudly, so that all might hear him:
"Gentlemen, the owner of this property is Mr. Daniel Simpson, my client.
Acting under my advice, he refuses to allow any one to enter on his
farm, and for that purpose has a body of men here to defend his rights.
I warn you that you will be rendering yourselves liable to prosecution
if you attempt to enter here against his express orders to the
contrary."
For a moment those who had been sent by Massie retreated to the wagons,
as if unwilling to do anything which might bring them in conflict with
the majesty of the law, and it seemed very much as if they were going to
leave the place, when the lawyer who had first visited the well, and who
had accompanied them, called out:
"You know very well that this is Mr. Massie's property, since he has
foreclosed the mortgage he held upon it, and if, in obeying his orders,
you do anything which renders you liable to the law, it will be him, not
you, who will be obliged to answer for your actions. I insist upon your
going into the lane."
"It will be their heads which will get cracked, at all events, if they
attempt to come in here!" cried Bob, almost beside himself with rage;
"and if you think we haven't the right or the inclination to knock down
the first man who tries to come in, why don't you lead the way, to shew
that you are not frightened?"
Although Mr. Hillman would have prevented Bob from speaking, if he had
been able to do so, the speech had had its effect, for the men cried out
to the lawyer:
"Yes, you lead the way, and we will follow you!"
Leaping from his horse and seizing Pete's club, Bob cried out:
"Show your men that you have a right to come in here, and I will show
them what they may expect if they try to follow, by an example on your
own head."
The legal gentleman was not as eager to lead the way as he was to urge
the men on, and instead of going boldly up to Bob, he tried to induce
his men to go in. But none of them would make the attempt, because of
the formidable array before them, and seeing how useless his efforts
would be in this direction, the lawyer called one of the men to him,
talking to him in a low tone.
Bob, divining just what was being said, and fearful lest he should be
outwitted finally, went to each one of his men, and ordered them to
start for the road that led to the well the instant they should see the
intruders get into their wagons.
This order was given none too quickly, for almost before Bob had given
his directions to the last man, Massie's party clambered into their
wagons, and started down the road at a sharp gallop.
"Come on, every one of you!" shouted Bob, as he forced his horse to leap
the fence.
By, riding at full speed, he succeeded in getting ahead of those who
would take possession of that to which their employer had no rights.
Of course, it was not possible for Bob's force to get over the ground as
quickly as he did; but they ran as fast as possible, leaving only Mr.
Hillman, Mr. Simpson, George and Pete to guard the entrance to the lane.
Bob arrived at the place where Jim and his men were stationed a few
seconds before the would-be invaders did, and in as few words as
possible, told them what had occurred at the lane.
"Strike the first man who attempts to enter," he shouted, "and strike
him hard!"
By that time the lawyer and his party had alighted and were marching in
a solid body up to the road, evidently believing they could force their
way through before the others could arrive.
Instead of dismounting from his horse this time, Bob grasped a club that
was being raised by one of the men, and urged his horse at full speed
among those who were attempting to force an entrance.
They had come out there in Mr. Massie's employ, believing that there
might be some little difficulty about entering, which their very numbers
would dispel at once, but by no means anticipating such a vigorous
resistance. It did not suit them to measure strength with these who at
last _appeared_ to have right on their side, and they fled before Bob's
charge with the greatest precipitation.
Bob was careful not to follow them into the highway; for, though he had
no very extensive acquaintance with the law, he rightly conjectured that
if he did this, he might be exceeding the powers Mr. Hillman had said
were his; but he stood on the very line of his property, swinging his
club in a fashion that would make it uncomfortable for anyone who might
get within its reach.
"You should be ashamed of yourselves," he cried, anxious to hold them in
check by any means until the remainder of his army could arrive upon the
scene, "to attempt even to aid Massie in depriving an old man of his
hard-earned rights. Mr. Simpson paid the money-lender all the money he
had borrowed; but not knowing anything of the beautiful intricacies of
the law, which gives a semblance of legality to such a theft as this,
neglected to ask for a release of the property. After oil was discovered
here, Massie saw a chance to steal the property, and he has hired you to
do what he doesn't dare to do himself. If I so much as thought I was as
contemptible as you show yourselves to be by trying to do this dirty
work, I would go and drown myself in the most stagnant pool I could
find."
Bob's speech had quite as much effect upon the men as the sight of the
clubs had had, and they retreated toward their teams, protesting that
they did not know the facts of the case when they started out.
It was in vain that the lawyer who had accompanied them insisted that
they were only doing what his client had a legal right to ask them to
do; in vain that he urged them to enter on the property regardless of
those who tried to prevent them.
Bob had made them feel ashamed of the part they were playing, and
before Ralph, who had outstripped the others in the race, arrived, they
were in their wagons, insisting that they would have nothing more to do
with the matter.
The lawyer scolded and shouted himself hoarse, trying to oblige them to
do as he coaxed and commanded, but all to no purpose. They were
determined to return, and they plainly told him that unless he came with
them, they should drive away without him.
Under this pressure, which he could not control, the lawyer was obliged
to obey those whom he had vainly attempted to command, and the party
drove away, leaving Bob the well-earned title of conqueror in this first
battle of Mr. Massie's.
But after all danger, so far as this party was concerned, had
disappeared, Bob was by no means inclined to relax his vigilance. He
stationed his men in the positions he had originally intended they
should occupy, supplied each of them with a generous lunch, with the
addition of hot coffee, and even gave a portion to the solitary officer
at the well, when he had originally intended that he should go hungry.
After that was done, and after he had cautioned them to be watchful,
impressing on the minds of Ralph, Jim and Dick the necessity of
mistrusting every one whom they might see approaching the farm, Bob went
back to the house to consult with Mr. Hillman and George.
There some especially good news awaited him. It seemed as if this direct
attack on Massie's part had restored Mr. Simpson to something near his
presence of mind, and, aided by his wife, who had always found scolding
efficacious when he relapsed into absent-mindedness, had succeeded in
recalling the events on the afternoon when he paid the money-lender the
five hundred dollars which he had had so much difficulty to raise.
He now distinctly remembered that when he entered Massie's office a man
by the name of Jared Thompson, formerly an old neighbor of his, was
there, and that his first words were to the effect that he had brought
the money to pay off the mortgage.
The old man was equally positive that he had laid the amount on the
money-lender's desk in the presence of this same man, and that Massie
had then offered to buy the wood-lot. How much more might have been said
while Thompson was there he was not certain, but of that much he was
positive.
Mr. Hillman was overjoyed at the news that there had been a witness to
the repayment of the money, but when he asked where the man could be
found, he was disappointed in the reply.
Mr. Thompson had lived on the next farm to Mr. Simpson's, but when he
left it, he went to Bradford, and from there it had been said that he
had gone to Babcock. Where he was living at that time Mr. Simpson
neither knew nor did he know of any one else who might be acquainted
with Mr. Thompson's whereabouts.
"If we can find this man, and if he heard what Mr. Simpson thinks he
did, then the case will be clear enough, for we shall have a witness to
the payment of the money, which, I think, will be sufficient to explode
Massie's claim."
"We _must_ find him," was Bob's reply.
And just then he felt able to find any man, however hard he might try to
hide.
"Yes, but how?" asked Ralph, who had come in at the close of the
conversation.
"I don't know exactly," said Bob; "but there must be a way. George can
be spared better than any one else. Let him harness his horses and start
out. He can stay away until he finds him."
"I think the best way would be to make inquiries at Bradford, and from
there you might be able to track him," suggested Mr. Hillman. "Just
remember that with this man everything will be plain sailing, and that
without him Massie may get the best of us, and I am confident you will
bring him back with you."
"And above all things, George, don't give up the chase because you think
we may need you here. Just remember that we can get along as well
without you and spare neither time nor expense in the search," said Bob.
George was perfectly willing to start in pursuit of the missing witness,
and at once made his preparations for the journey.
Fortunately he had with him as much money as he would be likely to want,
and to harness his horses and to gather up such things as he might need
was but the work of a few moments.
"Don't come back without your man!" shouted Bob, as George drove away.
And the defenders of "The Harnett" and the Simpson farm were left alone
to await the coming of Mr. Gurney, and of George with the missing
witness.
All of them feared that Massie's next attempt to gain admittance would
be made under the cover of darkness, and to prevent this from being
successful Bob went to work.
First he sent one of the men on his horse to Sawyer to purchase a number
of lanterns, and while the messenger was gone he got from Mrs. Simpson
all the blankets and comfortables she had.
It was his purpose that half his men should sleep at their posts during
the night, while the others watched, in order that they might be able to
continue sentry duty for any length of time, and he also proposed that
each one on guard should carry a lantern, that both he and any one who
might meditate an attack, would know those in possession of the property
were still on the alert.
This done, the inmates and guardians of the farm were ready for the
coming of the night.