WHEN DUTY CALLED
"Oh! please don't strike him any more!"
That was what Fred heard in the shrill voice of Sadie Ludson, and every
word seemed to be filled with frantic fear. One look had told the
Marathon runner why the girl betrayed such terror. She was clinging
desperately to the uplifted arm of a hulking man, who clutched a stick in
his hand. This he had undoubtedly been bringing down with more or less
force upon the writhing figure he held with his other hand, and which
Fred immediately recognized as the unfortunate boy Sam Ludson.
Of course he did not need to be told that the man must be Corny Ludson,
the uncle and self-styled guardian of the two wretched children. From
his appearance it looked as though Corny might have been indulging a
little too freely in strong drink. This probably had the effect of
dulling his wits, and making him more of a brute than he might be when in
his proper senses.
At any rate he was engaged in whipping poor Sam to his heart's content,
possibly for some slight infraction of the law he chose to lay down for
the guidance of the pair over whom he had control.
The girl tried her best to keep the angry man from continuing his rain of
blows. He growled at her and shook her hand off, after which he
proceeded to use the rod of correction again.
Fred could hear the writhing boy groan, and cry out, in spite of all his
efforts to keep from giving tongue. The girl continued sobbing, and
vainly trying to prevent further punishment. Even as Fred came in sight
of the scene the infuriated man, as if bothered by the way she interfered
with his wretched work, gave her a fling that sent the girl headlong to
the ground.
When she struggled to her knees, she was holding a hand to her head, as
though she had hurt it by rough contact with the stones.
Fred Fenton's blood fairly boiled. He forgot all about the fact that he
was engaged in a great Marathon race, and that his school looked to him
to do everything that was honorable in order to win the victory.
The sight of that great brute abusing these two children whom a
misfortune had placed in his power was too much for him to stand. No
matter if a dozen races had to be forfeited, Fred could never run past,
and feel that he had done right.
None of the actors in the thrilling little drama had so far discovered
him, for he had come pattering softly along the road. He immediately
turned aside, and leaped straight for the spot, meaning to hurl himself
on the man, and endeavor to overcome him. The fact that Corny had been
drinking, and seemed a bit unsteady on his feet, was likely to aid Fred,
he believed. It would have been all the same had other conditions
prevailed, for the boy was fully aroused.
Although the girl had been crying so frantically, it had not been in
hopes of anyone hearing and coming to the rescue. She was simply trying
to influence the man to forego his use of that stick, with which he had
amused himself, making cruel welts upon the tender flesh of the
struggling and helpless boy.
Fred rushed upon Corny like a young whirlwind. The girl was the first to
notice his coming, and she could not help giving a cry of delight. This
it turned out was the worst thing that could have happened, for it must
have reached the ear of the man, warning him in time to turn and see
Fred.
The runner had gone too far now to hesitate, and so he continued his
forward progress. He sprang straight at Corny, and received a
half-hearted blow from the other, who was really too much surprised at
sight of the boy to get himself in full readiness.
They clinched, and struggled desperately. The man was of course much the
stronger of the two, but his condition took away considerable of this
advantage, so that after all the match was not so unequal.
Fred knew that his best chance was simply to push the other back by the
sheer weight of his attack, in the hope that Corny might catch his heel
in some upturned root, and measure his length on the ground.
The boy had been released, of course, for Corny needed both hands with
which to defend himself. Immediately the girl threw a protecting arm
around her gasping brother, and the pair crouched close by, watching with
startled eyes as the terrible struggle went on.
As it began to look as though their young champion might fail in his
attempt to subdue the ogre, the girl, who apparently had more spirit than
her brother, crept out and tried the best she could to offer Fred a stout
stick which she had picked up from the ground.
Desperately as he fought, Fred was himself beginning to believe that he
might not be able alone and unaided to subdue the other, who was really
next door to a giant in size. In his proper senses Corny Ludson would
undoubtedly have been equal to several boys like Fred, but he had put
himself in the power of a master inclined to weaken his resources.
Failing to run across a friendly projecting root that would do the
business for the clumsy feet of the struggling man, Fred began to believe
he would be compelled to accept the stick which Sadie was holding out,
and use it on the other's head.
As he fought, Corny was wild with rage, and uttering all sorts of ugly
threats as to what he would visit upon the head of this rash boy who had
attacked him. It was plainly evident that the man was in a dangerous
mood. This told Fred he would be justified in doing almost anything, in
order to save those children, not to speak of himself.
In the struggle he had not come off without several knocks himself, and
there was always a chance that the man might succeed in clutching him by
the throat. The consequences of such a happening appalled Fred, and,
resolved to end the battle once and for all, he watched his opportunity,
and the next time they whirled close to the crouching figure of little
Sadie, he snatched the stick out of her hand.
It took all of his nerve to be able to actually strike the man on the
head. Indeed, the act sent a cold chill all through him, for never
before in all his life could Fred remember of having struck anyone with a
club.
Though the blow was hardly more than a severe tap, it crumpled Corny up,
all the same. Fred felt him become immediately limp in his grasp, and as
he drew back the man fell to the ground in a dazed condition.
"Good shot!" exclaimed a well-known voice close by, and Colon came
limping up.
At sight of his chum Fred uttered an exclamation of dismay.
"Oh! I'm sorry I did it;" he declared; "if I'd only known you were so
near by, I'd have held out a little longer, and that's right, Colon."
"Well, that would only have made me do the little act then," said the
other with a grin, "and p'raps I'd have tapped him harder than you did.
I guess his head's all fuddled anyway, and that just finished the
mix-up."
He turned to look at the boy and girl, who were again clasped in each
other's arms.
"I reckon now these must be Sam and Sadie, aren't they, Fred?" Colon
went on to say, though besides being lame he was also rather short of
wind, truth to tell. "I know the man all right, to be that ugly Corny.
And what was he doing to make you jump him, Fred?"
"Beating the boy while the girl tried to hold his hand," the other
replied as he frowned down upon the prostrate bully. "When he flung her
to the ground, it was the last straw for me, and---well, you saw what
happened."
"He'd been drinking pretty heavily, hadn't he?" Colon continued, "but
able to put up a stiff fight for all that. Well, you got the better of
him, Fred, and this ought to wind up his treating these children as he
does. You know the police are looking out for him right now. I wouldn't
be a bit surprised if they could tell us all about the doings of Corny,
and whether he did those jobs of robbery."
He limped toward the boy and girl, and as before it was little Sadie who
spoke up without hesitation, to say:
"He is our uncle, and he treats us very bad. Yes, and he takes things
that belong to other people. We know because we've watched him counting
the money, and he always gets mad when he sees us looking on. He had
some papers in a tin box too; they are in his pocket right now. Oh! we
hope you can take us away from him, for he beats us cruelly."
"There, didn't I tell you so, Fred?" exclaimed Colon, triumphantly, "and
between us now, we've got to fix it so this old scoundrel doesn't get a
chance to beat Sam again, or rob another farmhouse. I'll manage to fix
him up, somehow or other, and stay here to watch him. You go on and win
this race for Riverport, Fred."
"But how about you, Colon?" Fred hastened to say, between his set teeth;
"I'm sure you've set your heart on coming in ahead of the string, just as
much as anyone."
Colon shook his head sadly.
"The game's all up with me, Fred!" he exclaimed, hurriedly; "I must have
run a measly thorn in my foot just about the time I heard you scrapping
with that man. Didn't you notice how I had to limp? Why, I couldn't
keep up the pace for three miles more. No, you've just got to leave me
to take care of this scamp. I saw some wood choppers coming through the
Woods back there, and can call them up after you go."
"But I hate to do it, Colon; it's a terrible disappointment to you," Fred
told him, knowing the other as he did.
"Forget all about me, and think only of winning that prize for Riverport
High!" the tall chum exclaimed, and then actually pushing Fred away from
him, he continued, "Now be off with you, Fred, and please, oh! please
beat that Mechanicsburg Wonder over the line!"
Fred saw that there was nothing else he could do. The boy and girl were
safe, and Colon had commenced making ready to tie the man's hands behind
his back with a stout red bandanna handkerchief he carried. Then, too,
Colon had seen several husky wood-choppers nearby, who could be depended
upon to lend a helping hand.
Just as Colon had said, there was indeed need of haste. All these
happenings had consumed more or less time, and possibly Ackers would have
registered at the toll-gate station before Fred, reached there. So
waving his hand to his chum in farewell, Fred shot away down the road,
running with the speed of the wind.
Colon looked after him with a smile on his face. If he felt a keen
regret that misfortune had tossed him out of the great race, he certainly
failed to show it.
"I surely believe Fred will come in first, if anybody can beat that
Wonder they boast so much about," he was telling himself, as he worked
with the make-shift bonds.
Then as he caught sight of moving figures back among the trees, Colon
shouted until the three woodchoppers came hurrying up. It did not take
him long to let them know that if they helped get the man, now coming
back to his senses, to Riverport, it would be the best day's work they
had done that year.
And on seeing how happy Sam and his sister looked at the prospect of
being forever relieved from the brutal guardian who had made life so
terrible for them, Colon must have realized that there may be
compensations, even for a fellow who has been cheated out of his chance
to win a Marathon race.