A BOLD ATTEMPT
"It seems to be pretty hard to get rid of you," the man said, with a
grin as Jet stood in front of him.
"I can't say it's my fault."
"Perhaps not, and it shan't be ours in the future. Where have you
been?"
"Trying to earn money enough to pay my way back home."
"We'll provide you a job here. If you behave yourself things won't go
so very bad; but there'll be the very devil to pay if we find you
trying to give us the slip."
"I shan't stay any longer'n I can help," Jet replied, stoutly.
"We'll take good care that you can't help it for some time. Sam, take
him up stairs where the small press was; I reckon he'll be safe enough
there; and when Joe comes back turn the dogs loose."
"Then you an' he'll have to be mighty careful about goin' into the
yard, for they'll tackle either of you as quick as they would this boy."
"So much the better. We'll look out for ourselves. There must be work
done to-night, so get ready for it while you are up stairs."
The fellow waited an instant as if to learn whether there were any more
directions to be given, and then dragged Jet out through a door which
led to the apartments above.
There were no stairs connecting the first with the second story. A
stout ladder afforded the only means of ascent, and since Jet could not
make his way up this while his hands were tied, his jailor was forced
to remove the rope.
"Now get along; but look out how you try to play any tricks, for this
is a mighty unhealthy place for anything of the kind."
Jet had no idea of attempting to escape while the odds were so
decidedly against him, and he obeyed meekly.
The man conducted him to a small room at the rear of the building,
which looked as if it had lately been used as a workshop, and there
left him, after locking and barring the door from the outside.
The prisoner gazed around him curiously.
The apartment did not contain a single article of furniture. One small
window admitted the light, and this was so heavily barred with wooden
uprights that even with a sharp saw considerable time would have been
required for the prisoner to cut through.
In one corner was a heap of dirt and fragments of paper; the floor was
stained as if with ink, as were the walls of hewn boards.
From the window the stable was all with the exception of trees, to be
seen. A more desolate spot could not well be imagined, and to add to
its loneliness was the fact that it must be many miles from the nearest
habitation.
Jet had no time to speculate upon his own condition; the only thought
in his mind just then was why these men chose to live in such a
forsaken place.
In an adjoining room he could hear some person walking around briskly,
evidently moving heavy articles from one spot to another, and from
below came the hum of conversation.
Having nothing better to do, and still intent on trying to learn the
purpose for which this house was intended, Jet began kicking away the
pile of dirt.
A bit of bright green attracted his attention.
Picking it up he found to his great surprise and delight that it was a
new ten dollar bill. The fact, that it was unsigned escaped his notice.
"Well, this isn't so bad," he said, in a tone of satisfaction. "If I
ever do get away from this place I'll have money enough to pay my fare
to New York. I s'pose it belongs to them fellers; but I'm going to
keep it, all the same, to even up for what they've done."
Now the dirt pile had great attractions.
He examined it closely, and had the satisfaction of finding a second
bill exactly like the first.
"These people must have plenty of money if they can afford to leave it
around loose like this," he said, as he placed the newly found wealth
in his stocking directly beneath his foot.
Quite a large quantity of plain paper in small strips was all that
rewarded his further search among the dirt; but he did not think there
was any cause for complaint on his part.
"Twenty dollars will come pretty nigh settlin' for all them fellers
have done to me. Now let's try to study up a plan for gettin' out of
this place. There must be some way."
A second examination of the window gave no encouragement, for his
strength was not sufficient to force aside the bars.
The boards of the floor, while not nailed with any remarkable care,
defied all his attempts to remove them.
Then he looked at the ceiling, which was composed only of the rafters
with beams, poles, and boards laid across the top, but, so far as he
could judge, unfastened.
"I don't know as I should be any better off if I was up there; but it
won't do much harm to make a try in that direction after dark. A
fellow ought to be able to shin up the window bars."
The more he thought of this possibility for escape the more simple did
it seem, and he resolved on putting the plan into execution.
That the dogs were outside ready to try conclusions with any stranger
he understood very well; but it was useless to borrow trouble on this
score until learning whether there was a chance for him to descend to
their level.
"I don't s'pose it'll amount to anything more than gettin' into the
loft, an' then coming down again; but it's better than laying still,"
he said, and from that time until sunset he remained at the window
gazing out at the trees and the deep-mouthed guardians of the place.
When, as nearly as he could judge, two hours had passed from the time
of his arrival, the tall man drove up in a springless wagon which was
apparently filled with food and liquor.
The load was taken into the house, the horse stabled, and then the dogs
were let loose.
That they would be very disagreeable customers with whom to have any
dispute could be well understood as they ran to and fro growling and
snarling, and despite his resolve not to borrow trouble until he knew
there was a possibility it could come, Jet could not prevent himself
from speculating upon what would happen if he suddenly appeared before
them.
It was nearly sunset before the door of his room was opened, and then
the short man entered, bringing several slices of raw bacon, half a
loaf of bread, and a bottle of water.
"I don't count on havin' you starve to death," he said, as he placed
the articles on the floor; "but you won't get enough to injure your
health, I reckon."
"Why don't you let me go to New York? I haven't done anything to harm
you."
"That is because you haven't had much of a chance as yet, except to
talk with the inspector, my boy, and we don't intend to give you one.
There isn't--"
"Here, Bob! What's the use of chinnin' with that cub when the grub is
ready. Come down, or I won't answer that your share will be left."
This threat had the desired effect, for Bob went out of the room very
quickly, taking good care, however, to lock and bolt the door behind
him.
The night came; Jet could no longer distinguish objects from the
window, and the room was so dark that it was impossible to see his way
around.
Crouching close by the window Jet heard the heavy tramp as the men came
upstairs, and by the noises he knew they had entered the apartment
adjoining his prison.
The hum of conversation came through the rough partition quite
distinctly, and in a short time this was followed by a heavy thumping
sound at regular intervals.
It was as if the men were pounding with a wooden mallet, except that
the blows were fully thirty seconds apart.
Jet tried to guess what they were doing; but the effort was in vain.
"What's the use bothering about them," he said, finally, to himself.
"So long as they stay where they are, and don't trouble me, I haven't
much right to complain, though a fellow would find it mighty hard work
to sleep in such a racket."
It was time to make his explorations if he proposed doing so before
morning, and he arose to his feet.
By the aid of the window bars it was not a difficult matter for one as
agile as he to clamber to the rafters above, and once there the
remainder of the task was comparatively simple.
Hanging by one arm to the beams, with his disengaged hand he pulled
away the loose timbers and boards from above until a passage was made
for his body.
Then raising himself by both hands he was soon standing where he could
touch the roof of the building; but unable to see his surroundings
because of the intense darkness.
"I don't see that I am much better off up here," he muttered, grimly,
as he walked cautiously along without any very good idea of what he
expected to find.
Just then a twinkling star was seen, and he discovered that one of the
roof-boards was badly rotted.
Now, there was something tangible in the way of escape, and he eagerly
began to tear away the decayed wood, laying the pieces gently on the
flooring, until there was an aperture sufficiently large to admit of
his passing through.
An instant later he was seated astride the ridge-pole, looking down
into the yard where the ferocious dogs were running wildly to and fro
as if having already scented their prey.
Now indeed was Jet at a loss to know what to do.
Even if the animals had not been below he would have hesitated to leap
from the roof of the building lest he should strike upon the barricade
of cord-wood with which the house was surrounded.
He must go down regardless of the many dangers, or return to the room
where the men could murder him whenever they felt so disposed, and
after a few second's reflection he chose the former course.
"There is one chance of getting away from the dogs, an' no show
whatever that I'll ever leave here alive unless I go now," he said, to
himself.
Clutching at the rough boards literally with his finger-nails, he slid
slowly down toward the edge of the roof at a point farthest from the
stable.
He could see the wall of wood directly beneath him, and hear the low
growling of the dogs as they sniffed the air to discover the cause of
the sounds which had aroused their suspicions.
To remain very long deliberating would be to run the risk of the
animals giving an alarm, and Jet gathered himself for a spring.
Putting forth all his strength in order to clear the obstacle, he
leaped.
The ends of the cord-wood just grazed his clothing as he passed over
them, and Jet struck the soft ground, which gave forth no warning sound
to those who were in the building, on that side of the clearing where
the trees were nearest.
He was unhurt, although badly shaken up, and would have started at full
speed to gain the partial shelter of the forest, but for the fact that
just then a heavy body leaped over the barricade.
It was one of the dogs, and Jet knew he must now fight desperately if
he would live.
A stick of wood about as thick as his wrist was the first weapon which
came to his hand as he clutched at the top of the pile to draw himself
up, and with this he awaited in silence the onset.