THE PROOF OF THE NEGATIVE
"Come in, Mr. Sheriff. Don't be bashful," said Thaddeus Lasher, with a
grimace of pain.
"Thank you, Lasher. Glad to see you so cheerful." And Mr. Dodd walked
in.
"Oh, I've become reconciled to my fate, that's all. This boy has
relieved my fear that I had a broken leg; and just now, of all times,
that would have been a sure-enough calamity. He's eased the pain some,
too, which is another blessing," returned the escaped convict.
The sheriff looked keenly at him.
"I admire your grit, anyway, and I'm sorry that duty compels me to
disturb your dream of freedom," he observed.
"That's all right, Mr. Sheriff. I'm not asking favors of any
man--_now_!" replied the other.
Frank was amazed. He thought that if ever a poor fellow had cause for
mourning his hard luck, Thaddeus Lasher was the one. He had escaped from
prison, and eluded the authorities for nearly three months, only to
have this miserable fall, that in a measure was responsible for his
being retaken.
And yet he even smiled, back of the lines of physical pain on his face.
Another man stood in the entrance to the grotto, one of Mr. Dodd's
deputies; in fact, the same fellow who had spent the night in camp with
the boys.
"What can we do about it, Bill?" questioned the sheriff.
At this the man came forward and bent over the recumbent form.
"Sure he ain't shamming, are you, Mr. Dodd?" he asked dubiously.
"How about it, Will?" And the sheriff turned with a smile to the amateur
surgeon.
"No sham there, sir. He really thought he had broken the bones, but it
proves to be a sprain that will keep him from walking alone for weeks. I
was just making a suggestion when you came."
"And what might that be, my boy?" queried the sheriff kindly.
"If he could be carried to our big canoe, we would engage to paddle him
across the lake to our camp. There I would be able to take charge of him
until such time as you thought best to--er--leave us," stammered Will.
At that the sheriff grinned and the wounded man laughed outright.
"Don't hesitate to say it, my boy," said the latter, "because I know, of
course, that the officer is here for one purpose, and that is to take me
back to the prison I escaped from with a particular purpose in view.
Isn't that so, sheriff?"
"Sorry to say it is," replied Mr. Dodd, shaking his head.
"But he's mistaken when he thinks that they are going to add to my four
years because of this break of mine. I tell you that rather will I have
this State on its knees, apologizing to me as best it can for having
kept me shut up all this time without cause!" exclaimed the man, raising
himself on his elbow, and speaking with a passion that thrilled the
boys.
Again Mr. Dodd surveyed his prisoner with renewed interest.
"That sounds like you had found something, Thaddeus," he remarked, a bit
eagerly, for the strange case had interested him much more than it did
the stubborn head warden of the penitentiary.
"Well, I have!" replied the convict, with a ring of triumph in his
voice.
"The booty?" demanded the officer.
"Yes; but, best of all, the glass negative that Fletcher somehow
refused to destroy, even though it would incriminate him, if ever seen!"
"Hurrah!" exclaimed Will, in great excitement, for this point of the
matter appealed to him as nothing else could.
The sheriff showed his good heart by bending down and grasping the hand
of the prostrate convict.
"I congratulate you, Thaddeus. I liked your nerve in breaking away to
prove the claim you made. So the old thief didn't fool you, after all?
Well, it goes to his credit as one decent thing he did in his life,
perhaps the only one, at that. Now, I think the lad's suggestion a good
one. We must get you out of here, and the sooner the better. Bill, bear
a hand with me," he said, with a business-like air.
"Hold on, just a minute, Mr. Sheriff! Of course, you understand that
I've got all that plunder secreted away. When I can get back here again
I'll lead the officers to where it lies, and I don't believe he ever
touched a single thing of the lot, for he was caught soon afterward on
another old charge and sent up, to end his days behind the bars. But I
must hold on to that plate, for if all goes well, it means liberty and
life to me, thank God!"
He spoke a few words to Andy, who hurried off to a corner of the
cavern. Bending down, he took a package from a crevice, handling it very
carefully. It was wrapped in an old newspaper, and outside of that a
flannel shirt had been tied. That photographic, fragile bit of glass was
worth more to poor Thaddeus Lasher than all the wealth of the Indies.
"Now do with me what you please, Mr. Sheriff," said the man grimly.
They handled him as carefully as possible, though in spite of their
solicitude he groaned several times as he was being carried down the
slope to where the three canoes were drawn up on the pebbly strand.
Making as good a cushion as possible in the bottom of the large canoe,
the boys assisted in laying the wounded man there. He heaved a sigh of
relief when this was finally accomplished.
"It's mighty Christian-like of you young chaps to help a wretched
fugitive from justice in this way; but make up your minds, boys, you're
only assisting an unfortunate fellow to right himself in the eyes of the
world," he said, with a grateful look toward Frank and his chums.
"How about that ghost racket, sir?" asked Bluff, unable to restrain his
curiosity longer.
"That answered its purpose for some time while I was hunting; but it
seems as though it must have outlived its usefulness. In fact, I
wouldn't be surprised if it was the main cause of this invasion of my
private territory," said Lasher humorously, evidently glad of a chance
to have his mind diverted from his suffering.
"Well, it was really the cause of our coming up here. Only for the ghost
of Oak Ridge we might have selected another place for camping. Some time
I'd like to know how you did it, though Frank said that shiny appearance
could be caused by using phosphorus," persisted Bluff.
"Which was just what I did," acknowledged the other, as the canoe was
shoved off, with Frank in the stern and Jerry seated in the bow, paddles
in hand, ready to make the passage of Lake Surprise.
Mr. Dodd was stowed away in the canoe with Will, while Bluff ferried
Bill across with the greatest ease. So in good time they landed on the
other shore. Here, Adolphus and Jed awaited them, with wonder on their
faces. When the colored man heard that the boys were bringing the
dreadful "ghost" to camp his knees shook with fear; and all the time
Thaddeus Lasher remained in that place the negro refused to go near him,
such was his superstition.
They soon made the wounded man fairly comfortable.
"To-morrow," said the sheriff, later on, "if so be you can let us have
your team, we will take Thaddeus to town, and send the wagon back by one
of my men."
"It's a bargain, Mr. Dodd. That will give us one more night, then, of
your society, which pleases my chums and myself. Watch Will! I can
suspect what he's hanging around the wounded man for," remarked Frank.
"That negative draws him," suggested the other, laughing.
"That's what it is. Just at present he's photography mad, as you might
say. He tries to snap us off in the most astonishing situations. I
believe that if I happened to be hanging by my toes, from a limb fifty
feet from the ground, and in danger of having my brains dashed out, Will
would shriek out to me to 'Please, _please_, can't you just wait a few
seconds til I get you focussed!'"
The sheriff laughed heartily.
"There! He's speaking to Thaddeus now. The man looks interested and
anxious. He hardly knows whether to allow his precious plate to pass out
of his hands, even for a few minutes," he remarked presently.
"But he has decided to take the risk. There! He hands the package to my
chum. Note that look of rapture on Will's face, please! Nothing could
delight Will more than a chance to undertake that little printing job.
Now he has gone into the tent, and I suppose that before long we'll know
what's what," said Frank.
"It'll be an anxious ten minutes to poor Thaddeus," remarked the
sheriff.
Presently Will came out with a printing frame, which he stuck where the
bright sun could fall full upon it.
"He's going to just try a solo print at first," remarked Frank. "It will
do to prove the thing, one way or the other. Later on he can print all
the permanent copies the man wants."
Twice did Andy approach Will with a message from his father, but the
young photographer only shook his head. Finally he snatched up the
frame, took a look, by unfastening one end, and then eagerly removed the
paper.
The wounded man, who was lying near the fire, drew himself up on his
elbow, and the look on his face was full of eagerness.
"What luck?" asked Frank, hurrying over.
"The best ever! The print is as clear as a bell, and I'll get a fine
picture when I go at it properly. See there!"
Will held out the paper, upon which the sun had printed a positive
reproduction of the interior of a room, with a man crouching before a
safe. His head was turned as though he had been looking straight at the
concealed camera, so that his face stood out clear and distinct!
It was a smooth-shaven, repulsive face, but utterly unlike that of
Thaddeus Lasher!