A WELCOME GUEST
"Hiram come back!"
That was about all Fred could say. After all these dreary months, with
hope so long deferred, it was hard to understand that the splendid news
could be true. Oh! what joy it would bring in his home, when he arrived
to tell the story! In imagination even at that first moment, Fred could
see the tired face of his mother light up with thankfulness; and his
father taking her in his arms, to shelter her head on his broad
shoulder.
For the return of Hiram meant that the truth must be told about that
false claim the powerful syndicate had put in for the property left to
Mr. Fenton by his brother Fred, up in Alaska; and which had seemed so
necessary to the working of the mines really owned by the big company
that they had been willing to do almost anything to get possession of
the same.
"Yes, that's him in yonder; but nobody'd ever know it, he's got himself
up so smart," the farmer said, proudly, as he closed and bolted the
doors again, ere leading the way into the other room.
Fred saw the supposed old man stare hard at him as he followed Mr.
Masterson into the room; but of course Sarah immediately recognized him.
"Why, I declare if it isn't Fred Fenton himself; and he's been
practicing for the road race to-morrow!" she exclaimed. "You remember,
Uncle, I was telling you he meant to take part in it. Do you know who
this is, Fred? Has father told you?"
"Yes, and I'm mighty glad to see him here," said Fred, as he accepted
the brown and calloused hand which the man, who had been kidnapped by
orders of the combine, thrust out toward him, to wince under the hearty
pressure on his fingers.
"I tell you, Fred," remarked Hiram, with a broad smile, "I'm just as
glad to be here again, after all I've gone through with, as you can be
to see me. They certainly did keep me hustling, from one captain to
another. I've been in the harbors of half the countries of the world, I
reckon, since they took me away."
"And you see," spoke up Sarah, eager to have a hand in the telling; "The
captains of the different boats that were in the pay of this big
company had the word passed along to them. They gave it out that he was
weak in his head. So whenever Uncle tried to tell his story, the sailors
used to pretend to be interested, but wink at each other, as if to say:
'there he goes ranting about being carried off, just like the captain
said he would.' So he never could get to mail a letter till in Hong
Kong, when he managed to escape. Even then they chased him; and he says
he only got away in the end by jumping into the bay, and pretending to
stay under the water."
"But couldn't you manage to escape when the ship put in at some port?"
Fred asked, being very curious.
"They always looked out for that," replied Hiram, with a sad shake of
his head. "Sometimes I was accused of starting a mutiny, and put in
irons, as well as shut up in the lazerette. More'n a few times they gave
me a dose that took away my senses, and I didn't know even my name until
we'd made the open sea again. It was all managed in the smartest way you
ever heard about; and I'm shaking hands with myself right now to know
that in the end I managed to upset their plans."
Fred suddenly remembered something that Buck had let fall when speaking
about the conditions existing at his home.
"I guess someone must have been sending word to Mr. Lemington about
your getting away," he remarked.
"What makes you say that?" asked Hiram, looking uneasy.
Fred, in as few words as possible related what had happened up in the
deserted limestone quarry, when Buck and his little brother Billy found
him caught in a trap.
"He said his father was already in a bad humor," Fred went on, "and that
he must have had news that upset him; because there was an open letter
that had a foreign stamp on it, on the library table. Perhaps that
letter was from Hong Kong or somewhere else, and told the delayed story
of your escape."
"Now that sounds reasonable, Hiram," remarked the farmer; "and if Sparks
Lemington knows you're on your way home, to upset all his nice
calculations, p'raps he might even have this house watched so as to get
you again before you did any damage, by swearing to your story before
Judge Colon and witnesses."
"And I believe Buck is leading his little brother right here now," Fred
went on to remark. "He wants to give his father a scare by having Billy
gone, and expects in that way he may escape punishment for his tricks.
You know they think a heap of little Billy over there."
"And only for you he might have been drowned," said Sarah. "Seems to me
you do nothing else but go around, helping get unlucky people out of
trouble. I was telling Uncle what you did for me."
"And he'll never have cause to regret it, mark my words," said Hiram,
resolutely. "I've come back to let light in on them rascally land
pirates' doings. Soon's they learn that I've sworn to my story before
the judge, you'll see how quick they'll open up communications with your
dad, and be offerin' him a tremendous sum to sell out; because they just
need that property the worst you ever saw."
"But if Buck comes here he might smell a rat, and let his father know,"
remarked Arnold Masterson, nervously. "It's bad enough to be worrying
about tramps, without expecting to have your house raided by spies in
the pay of a combine of shrewd business men. I've got a good notion to
make out nobody's at home, if the boys get here. Then they'd just have
to move on, and find another place to stay."
"I rather think they'd camp out in your barn then, Mr. Masterson,"
remarked Fred.
"What makes you think that?" asked the farmer, looking keenly at the
boy.
"Well," Fred continued, "in the first place, little Billy will be so
tired out after his long tramp, he never could get any further. Then
Buck wants to hide for a while, and he'll make up his mind that if you
are gone away, you'll be back to-morrow morning. Why, he's that bold, he
might try to break in, if he thinks the house is empty."
"I tell you what we'd better do," said Hiram, who had evidently been
doing considerable deep thinking meanwhile.
"As what?" questioned his brother.
"Let the boys come on in when they get here; they won't find anybody
besides you and Sarah home," the returned wanderer declared, smiling
broadly.
"Where will you be, Uncle Hiram; asleep in the hay out in the barn?"
asked the girl.
"Me? Not much," returned the other. "Because I'm of a mind to go home
with Fred here, and have the whole thing over with this same night."
"Oh! I wish you would; but it's a pretty long walk for you, to
Riverport," declared the boy, with considerable enthusiasm.
"Oh! as to that, I reckon brother Arnold here knows of a farmer not a
great ways off, he could send a note to by you and me," Hiram went on to
say; "I've got plenty of hard cash in my jeans, and we'll hire the rig
to take us to Riverport. Perhaps we might let him think, you see, that
Fred got hurt running, and ought to be taken back home in a buggy. How
about it, Arnold?"
"A pretty good scheme, I must say," replied the other. "Did you have
enough supper, Hiram; and are you ready to take the bull by the horns
right now?"
"Strike while the iron is hot; that's always been my motto," replied the
returned miner, as he reached for his slouch hat; and took up the
overcoat he had worn, which had a high collar that could be used to
muffle his face if necessary.
"And as the night air is sharp and frosty, I'll lend Fred some clothes
to keep him warm," said the farmer.
In ten minutes all this was done, and Fred led the way along the road in
the direction he supposed Buck and his little brother would come. He was
listening all the while, even while conversing with Hiram in low tones.
Presently, when they had gone about half a mile, he heard the growling
voice of Buck Lemington not far away.
"Keep a-goin' Billy; we're not far away from there now; and I guess they
won't refuse to let us in, and give us some grub. Here, take hold of my
hand, and I'll help you along all I can. It was mighty nice for you to
come with me, Billy, and I won't forget it; because I never saw the
governor so mad before, never!"
So while Fred and Hiram hid in the bushes, the two figures passed by.
Fred realized that if there was one spark of good left in the bully of
Riverport, it consisted in his affection for that smaller brother.
Soon afterward they came to the farm where the horse and buggy were to
be secured. There was no trouble whatever.
"This is something like," remarked Hiram, gleefully, as they sped over
the road in the direction of the town, the lights of which could be seen
glimmering in the distance, whenever the travelers happened to be
crossing a rise.
No doubt Fred was the happiest fellow in all Riverport when he finally
drove up in front of his humble home, and, with Hiram, jumped out.
As he looked in through the window he could see his father and mother,
and his three small sisters, Josie, Rebecca and Ruth, all seated at the
supper table, with one chair vacant.
Fred opened the door and walked in. All of them looked up, to smile at
seeing how strange the boy appeared in the odd garments loaned by the
farmer.
"Father, and mother," said Fred, trying to control his shaky voice;
"I've brought you company." Then he closed the door, walked over, and
pulled down the shades, and turning again went on to say: "Here's
somebody who's come from the other side of the world to see you all.
Yes, mother, it's Hiram, and he's bound that this very night will see
his sworn testimony taken by Judge Colon in the presence of reliable
witnesses, so that the great Alaska claim will be settled for good.
Hurrah!"