BESIEGED.
The broncho boys galloped into the town of Rodeo early in the afternoon,
having put their horses to full speed, only stopping now and then to
give them a blow.
Ted had done his best to restore the major to whatever cheerfulness was
possible under the circumstances, and the sturdy Englishman had regained
his courage and forcefulness.
As they were riding up the main street, Ted in the lead, flanked by
Stella and Major Caruthers, they saw one of the deputy marshals who had
so unceremoniously entered the ranch house at Bubbly Well to arrest
Farnsworth look hard at them, then set off on a run down a side street.
"That fellow has gone to give warning of our approach," said Ted.
"Well, let him. What difference does it make to us?" asked the major.
"It may mean something to us before we get through here," said Ted.
"I imagine they will be suspicious of us," said Stella. "At least, they
know that we are not their friends, since we went to such trouble to
defend their favorite victim."
"True," said the major. "But we are strong enough to meet them, and we
feel that we have the right on our side."
"What shall we do first?" said Ted, deferring to the major's wishes in
the matter.
"Who has charge of the body of my sister, do you suppose?" he asked.
"Probably the coroner."
"Very well, let's look him up at once. That, of course, will be my first
care."
It did not take them long to find the coroner, who told them that the
deputy marshals had taken possession of the house, the property, and the
remains of the dead woman, to be held for the appearance of some friend
of hers, who had notified them to do so.
"Who is this friend?" asked the major stiffly.
"I'm sure I don't know. You'll have to see the deputy marshals. The
inquest has been held, and I have nothing more to do with the affair."
"Now for the deputy marshals," said the major, who had recovered
possession of himself, and was now all decision.
They went immediately to the chief deputy, who was also deputy coroner,
and whose name, they learned, was Jack Burk.
But they could not find him, neither were any of his men to be found,
although Ted was convinced that he was in town.
"There is only one thing to do," said Ted.
"What is that?" asked the major.
"Go to the house, and take possession of it yourself."
"But suppose we find it in the hands of the authorities?"
"That makes no difference to me. The remains of your sister belong to
you, and you have the first right to her and her possessions."
"But her husband? I do not know where he is, or whether he is dead or
alive."
"As long as he is not here, it is up to you, major, to assume whatever
authority is necessary."
"Perhaps you are right. But we cannot gain our point without some show
of force."
"I know it, and have come prepared for it. The broncho boys will back
you to the limit. Do whatever you think best, major, and you will find
the boys and myself right behind you."
"Then we will go to the house," said the major firmly.
In a few minutes Ted and the major dismounted before a handsome house on
the outskirts of the town. It was surrounded by a high stone wall, and
the gate, which was of iron, was locked.
Ted shook the gate vigorously, and called out for admittance.
Presently the door of the house was opened a crack, and a voice demanded
to know what was wanted.
"Come and unlock the gate," demanded Ted.
After a moment's hesitation the door slammed, and there was silence.
"Evidently whoever is in charge of the house does not intend to open to
us," said Ted, "and I suppose this will have to be the first act of
aggression on our part. Shall I smash our way in?"
"By all means," responded the major. "I don't propose to stay out here
and cool my heels in front of my sister's house at the behest of a
stranger."
"That's enough for me."
Ted picked up a big stone from the road, and with a vigorous blow or two
shattered the massive iron lock, and the gate swung open.
Ted and the major entered the garden in front of the house and walked up
the path.
As they were about to ascend the steps to the veranda they were stopped
by a voice.
"Halt! What do you want?"
"We want entrance to the house," said the major.
"You can't get in without an order from Deputy Marshal Burk," said the
voice behind the door.
"The deuce I can't!" growled the major, whose fighting blood was coming
up at this opposition. "Do you know who I am?"
"No, and it don't make no difference who you are. Them's my orders from
the chief."
"I am the brother of Miss Mowbray."
A silence followed this.
"Can't help it," said the voice again. "I can't let you in."
"Open that door instantly, or we'll break it in."
"If you try that you'll be sorry. I warn you, I am armed, and have
orders to shoot."
"Shoot, and be jiggered!" shouted the major, who was thoroughly angry by
this time, for he was not used to having his orders disobeyed.
"I will if you attempt to break into this house. If you get an order
I'll let you in. Without an order you get in only after I am down and
out."
"Stay here, major. I'll be back in a few minutes."
Ted Strong was angry also at the delay, and at once suspected that Burk,
the deputy marshal, had some sinister reason for putting the house in
charge of one of his men, but he could not imagine what it was unless
his purpose was not honest.
Ted's experience had taught him that all men in authority as deputy
United States marshals were not honest, and that they often used their
office to graft.
He had no faith in Burk, whose looks and actions he had distrusted at
their first meeting. If Burk knew that the broncho boys were in town it
would be sufficient excuse for him to annoy and impede their movements
all he could.
No doubt Burk knew that they would come to Rodeo in the interests of
Farnsworth, but he did not believe that the deputy marshal knew anything
of the newly discovered relationship between Major Caruthers, the dead
woman, and the so-called Farnsworth.
What, then, was his reason for holding the house and the remains of the
murdered woman against all comers?
There were two inferences: Loot of the woman's house, unprotected by
friends and relatives, and the awaiting of the woman's husband.
Ted had thought out these two possibilities thoroughly. He had no doubt
that there were many valuables in the house, for the woman was reputed
rich, secretive, and probably kept her personal property about her. From
what the major had said the husband, Mowbray, evidently had been cast
off by Helen Mowbray on account of his rascalities, and, being a bird of
prey, would swoop down upon her property as soon as he learned of her
death.
Could it be that Burk was holding the house awaiting Mowbray's arrival?
With these thoughts running through his mind Ted had gone around to the
back of the house to find, if possible, something with which to smash in
the door.
In a shed he found a sledge, and returned to where the major was still
arguing with the guard inside.
"Open or we'll break in the door," called Ted, in a stern voice.
"Take the advice of a fool, and leave the door alone," answered the
guard.
"Then, for the last time, will you open?"
"No."
Ted swung the sledge and brought it down with all his strength on the
lock of the door.
There followed a crash, and the door flew open suddenly.
Then came another crash; this time from a revolver, and a ball whistled
past Ted, penetrating the brim of his hat and burying itself in the door
casing.
But it was not repeated, for before the guard could wink twice a
tan-colored figure shot through the opening, and he fell to the floor
with a smash that shook the house, and looked up to find a stalwart
youth astride of him, slowly shutting off his wind with strong and
inexorable fingers.
Then he was relieved of his revolver, and before he could indicate that
he was willing to surrender he found himself trussed like a fowl, with
his arms behind his back, and the hall full of young fellows.
"Why didn't you let me know that you had brought a regiment with you?"
he said sullenly. "Maybe I'd have let you in."
"You had your chance to open, and was a fool not to take it," said Ted.
"I believe you."
The major had left the party and walked into a room on the left, and in
a moment they heard sobs issuing from it. He had found the remains of
his sister, and, at a signal from Ted, the boys hustled the deputy
marshal into the back part of the house and retired, leaving the major
alone with his dead sister.
In a few minutes Ted heard his name called, and went into the room where
the major was standing beside a bed, on which was a form covered with a
sheet.
"We must get ready to remove her to my house," said the major, in a
hushed voice.
"Leave it to me," said Ted. "I will take charge of everything."
"And I want you to help me search the house, for I intend to remove all
the valuables she left to Bubbly Well until such time as the courts can
handle her property. I don't propose that it shall fall into alien
hands."
In the room at the foot of the bed was a small steel safe, which Ted
found was fastened with a combination lock. He knelt before it with his
ear to the lock, turning the handle of the combination, listening to the
click of the tumblers, while the major searched the drawers of the
handsome dressing case and other articles of furniture in the room.
Everywhere were evidences that Helen Mowbray had been very wealthy.
On top of the dressing case were sets of gold and silver toilet
articles, and ornaments, boxes, and bottles handsomely chased in silver
and gold, and set with jewels.
In one of the drawers the major found a bunch of keys, probably to open
other drawers in the console and other articles of furniture.
"I have it, major," said Ted quietly, as he flung open the door of the
safe.
"See what is in it, Ted," said the major.
In the bottom of the safe lay a pile of gold ingots representing a value
of many thousands of dollars. A drawer was filled with bank notes of
large denomination. Other drawers were crowded full of the stocks of
mines and other enterprises.
"Whew!" said Ted, as he revealed the dead woman's possessions. "Did you
know she was so rich?"
"I had no idea of it," answered the major. "Helen was always a capable
woman, and when she left England my father gave her her patrimony
outright, that he might never be compelled to see or communicate with
her husband again, and this looks as if she had increased it many
times."
"This would have made fine plunder for the thieving fellows who had
taken possession of the place if fate, in the hands of your younger
brother, had not turned up to put you in command."
"What else do you find?"
"Here is a package addressed 'To be sent to The Towers, Huntingdon,
England, to Robert Caruthers, Esquire, or Major John Stairs Caruthers,
upon my death, unopened.'"
"Give it to me," said the major huskily, thrusting the package into his
pocket.
"And here's a bank book," said Ted. "It bears the name of the Bank of
London."
He handed it to the major, who put it also into his pocket.
"Anything else?" he asked.
"That is all."
"Then take this bunch of keys and examine the contents of the drawers."
The first drawer of the console which Ted unlocked and opened was full
of jewels, rich and beautiful, a fortune in themselves.
"Poor girl," said the major, in a low voice. "Why did she risk murder by
keeping such a fortune about her?"
"Probably she didn't want some particular person to know that she was so
rich," suggested Ted.
Drawer after drawer revealed other valuables, such as priceless laces
and articles of gold and silver.
"We must get all this away as soon as possible, and guard it carefully,"
said the major.
"Yes, it is a great temptation, I sup----"
As Ted was speaking he chanced to look up.
Framed in the window was a face.
But as Ted met the blazing eyes in the face it vanished, and he ran into
the hall and out onto the veranda, but could see no one in the garden.
At that moment, however, he was brought back into the house with a jump
by the sudden slamming of the back door of the house and a cry of
warning from Bud, followed by shouts from the other boys. Then a shot
outside, and a crash of glass.
The house was being besieged.
He heard a rush in the garden, and turned to see several men race around
the corner of the house toward the front door.
They had almost reached it when he slammed it in their faces, putting
his shoulder to it, and calling for help.
In the lead of the besiegers he recognized the face he had seen at the
window.
As he was still holding the door against those who were striving to push
it in from without there was a shot through one of the panels, and
Strong sank to the floor insensible.