AN EVIL COMPACT
For the next moment Ham Spink and Carl Dudder stared at the tramp in
amazement not unmixed with terror.
"You--er--you saw us?" faltered Ham, at length.
"I did."
"You were mistaken," put in Carl. "You--"
"No, I wasn't mistaken, for I saw you with the dynamite, and I saw you
go into the boathouse and then come out. And then--"
"Hush, not so loud," interrupted Ham, looking over to where Barney
Hedge was skating up.
"Then don't say I don't know anything about it," insisted Kiddy Leech.
"I know all about it. You two boys did the job, and nobody else."
"Where were you?" asked Ham.
"Oh, I was just knocking around."
"You can't prove we did it," said Carl, a little of his courage
returning.
"Can't I though? Just you try me and see. I don't know your names, but
I can soon find them out. I know you belong in Fairview."
"Oh!"
Ham's face grew pale again, and if the truth were known he was
trembling in his shoes.
"Say, I--er--I don't want you to say anything about this to anybody,"
he added, hastily.
"Oh, I am not the kind to tell all I know," answered the tramp.
"Thank you."
"But it will cost you a trifle."
"Eh?"
"How much money have you got with you?" went on Kiddy Leech, calmly.
"Only some change--less than a dollar."
"How much have you got?"
"What is that to you?" demanded Carl.
"I want what you've got, that's all."
"I'll not give it to you."
"All right then, I'll walk to Fairview and tell what I know about that
explosion."
"We'll say you did it!" cried Carl, struck by a sudden inspiration.
"Won't do no good--I can prove you're guilty," answered Kiddy Leech.
He spoke with such positiveness that both boys believed him, and after
a few words more both agreed to give him all the money they carried if
he would keep silent about the matter.
"The boathouse wasn't worth anything," explained Ham. "We only knocked
it down to play a trick on some other boys we don't like."
"Some other boys?"
"Yes, some fellows who came up this way to go camping. They had their
traps stored in that boathouse."
"Did those boys come to a camp up here?" asked the tramp, with
interest.
"Yes."
"What were their names?"
"Snap Dodge, Shep Reed, a fellow called Whopper Dawson and a little
chap named Caslette."
"Humph! the very same crowd," muttered Kiddy Leech. "So you played the
trick on them, eh? I am glad of it."
"Say, what are you chaps gassing about anyway?" demanded Barney Hedge,
who was growing tired of waiting for his cronies.
"Say, Barney, excuse us for awhile, will you," called out Ham, skating
towards his friend. "We want to find out something from this tramp. He
knows something about the Dodge crowd I am sure."
"Oh! Well, I want to find out about them too," said Hedge and came
closer.
"Don't say anything about the boathouse," whispered Ham Spink to Kiddy
Leech, to which the tramp replied with a knowing wink of his bleery
eye.
"Have you been up to the Dodge camp?" questioned Carl Dudder.
"Yes, and those chaps treated me shamefully," answered Kiddy Leech. "I
never touched a thing they had, yet they accused me of trying to steal
some of their traps."
"Just like 'em," said Ham. "They are a mean set, every one of 'em.
What kind of a camp did they have, a regular log cabin?"
"No, a sort of shelter patched up among some trees," and at this
information Ham and Carl winked at each other.
"Thought we were to go up there some day and play a trick on them,"
came from Barney Hedge, who, during the summer, had done his full
share of trouble-making for all of our friends.
"How would you like to go to that camp and make trouble for that
crowd?" said Ham, to the tramp.
"Me?"
"Yes. We'd like to have their outing spoilt. We'd pay you for your
trouble."
"Say, Ham, can you trust this fellow?" whispered Barney, half in
alarm.
"I think so. He's only a tramp and he will do anything for a little
money. If he does the job we won't have to dirty our hands, and if he
gets into trouble we can deny that we had anything to do with it."
This view of the matter suited Barney Hedge and also Carl Dudder, and
all joined in getting Kiddy Leech to tell them what our friends were
doing and how they were situated. Then it was suggested again to the
tramp that he go back to the vicinity of the camp on Firefly Lake and
make matters uncomfortable for the campers.
"I'll do it, if you'll pay me what it is worth," said Kiddy Leech.
"But I can't go back to-day. It's too cold and I ain't dressed warm
enough. And I'll want some provisions."
"I can get you some better clothing," said Carl Dudder. "I think one
of my father's old suits will fit you. Maybe I can get you an
overcoat, too."
"I can get you some shoes, and a hat," said Barney Hedge.
"I'll furnish the provisions, and we'll pay you some money," put in
Ham Spink. "Come along to Fairview if you want to."
So it was agreed, and Kiddy Leech accompanied the young conspirators
back to the town. Here the tramp was given some more money, and he put
up at Bamling's Tavern, a low resort near the river. The boys brought
him the clothing and other things promised, and he had several talks
with them on what was to be done when he went back to the vicinity of
the camp on Firefly Lake. He promised to do all they wished; but on
the following day he was missing.
"What do you suppose had become of him?" said Ham to Carl, in
considerable alarm.
"I am sure I don't know, and Bamling says he doesn't know either," was
the answer.
Ham Spink made numerous inquiries and soon learned from some rivermen
that Kiddy Leech had yielded to his weakness for strong liquor and
gone off on a spree.
"We are out our money," he said to Carl Rudder, in disgust. "He'll
never do a thing for us, I am certain, and we dare not prosecute him."
"Maybe he'll do what we want when he gets sober," answered Carl. "He
will want more money, and then we can tell him that he can't have a
cent until he goes up to the camp and does what we want him to."
When at last they saw the tramp again he looked more battered and
disreputable than ever,--so much so, in fact, that the rather
fastidious youths were afraid of him. But he would not let them get
away from him, and insisted on keeping to the bargain that had been
made.
"I am sorry I took to the liquor--but it's a weakness I get once a
year or so," he said blandly. "But I'll keep as sober as a judge now,
you see if I don't--no more drink for Kiddy Leech until this job is
done. All I want is what you promised to me, and you can rely on me
doing the rest."
"We are not going to trust you," said Ham, putting on as bold a front
as he could, although he was trembling. "You go and do the work as
promised and we'll pay you afterwards."
This did not suit Kiddy Leech, and a lively discussion followed, and
the matter was compromised. The tramp was given something of another
outfit and a third of the money promised to him, and he agreed to
accept the rest of the money when he had done the "job" at Firefly
Lake.
"Mind you now," said Ham, "I want you to make it just as disagreeable
for that crowd as you possibly can. You can soak their firewood with
water, hide their guns and provisions, and fix it so the snow will
break in their roof--and things like that."
"Oh, don't you worry," declared Kiddy Leech. "I'll make it so
uncomfortable for them that you'll see them back home in no time, mark
my words."
"And see that they don't bring any game with them either," said Carl
Dudder.
"I'll fix that too," answered the tramp.