THE MYSTERY DEEPENS
Fortunately, Hugh was a lad equal to any occasion. Of course, he had
never had an experience like this before; but somehow he seemed to
understand that the first, indeed, only thing to be done, was to get
the woman and child in the sleigh some way or other, and then make
for home at breakneck speed.
So out he jumped, and, after considerable difficulty, managed to lift
the now unconscious woman into the sleigh. He had never realized
until then how like lead an inert person might seem, although not
heavy in reality, when possessed of life and animation.
He tore the coverings off the sack of potatoes, and tucked them
eagerly about his charges; for he had also placed the little fellow,
now sobbing bitterly, under the possible impression that "mommy" was
dead, in the sleigh. As for the potatoes they could "go hang," as he
told himself under his breath; though, perhaps, they might not freeze
in the brief time he meant to be on the road now.
In again Hugh jumped. Old Bill felt the whip come down this time in
deadly earnest, and actually jumped in his amazement. Hugh kept him
going at a mad pace. He was thrilled with the importance of getting
home as speedily as possible. The woman had looked so deathly white
that the boy was alarmed. And how he pitied the little chap who
cuddled against his side, still surging over now and then with his
grief, while Hugh drove along.
They struck town, and people turned to stare upon seeing Hugh
whipping his horse so unmercifully. They could not understand it,
and rubbed their eyes. Surely that was Hugh Morgan in the sleigh,
but why should _he_ be pounding his horse, and half standing erect?
If it had been a fire chief going to a blaze he could hardly have
excited more comment.
A boy who was walking briskly along the street with a package under
his arm came to a full stop, and stared as though he thought he had
taken leave of his seven senses. It was Thad Stevens, and no wonder
he was amazed, having recognised his chum in the frantic driver.
Thad gave vent to a whistle to relieve his pent-up feelings. Then he
started on a gallop after Hugh. He could not rest easy until he had
learned just what might have happened to cause his usually collected
chum to act in this strange fashion.
When he arrived at the Morgan home it was to find Hugh had landed the
child on the little porch in front of the door. This latter was
open, and his mother, together with the hired girl, stood there,
trying to comprehend what Hugh was saying.
Thad came panting up, and was immediately seized upon by Hugh.
"Great luck! Just in time to give me a helping hand, Thad!" cried
the other.
"What with--the Murphies?" asked the astonished Thad; for he had
known Hugh expected to go out to the farm after a sack of potatoes.
"Not this time," snapped the other; "it's a poor woman who fainted
from cold and exhaustion while she was trying to ask me the way
somewhere. That child is hers. Come, give me a hand, Thad, and
we'll carry her into the house. Mother says she must be put to bed
right away, and won't hear of my taking her over to the hospital."
That aroused Thad, and between them the two stout lads had little
difficulty in carrying the still unconscious young woman into the
warm house. Up the stairs Mrs. Morgan and the girl led them, and
into the neat spare-room, reserved for favored company.
Once she had been laid on the bed, after the blankets and coverings
had been turned down, and the little boy was being soothed by Hugh's
mother, she told the boys they could now go downstairs again, and she
would report later as to what next should be done.
"First carry in the potatoes, Hugh, for they are too expensive this
season to let the frost get them," she went on to say, patting the
little fellow, whose tears had by now ceased to run down his chubby
cheeks; "then call up Doctor Cadmus, and tell him to come around
immediately. I'm sorry your father is away from home just now, but I
can depend on my son."
The boys went out again and lugged the heavy sack of potatoes around
to the cellar door, by means of which they were taken in where they
would be safe from the bitter air of the winter. Then Thad was sent
around to the neighbor's with the horse and sleigh, while Hugh meant
to get the good physician on the wire, and hasten his coming on an
urgent call.
"If Mr. Jones notices that old Bill is wheezing a bit, as if he'd had
a warm run of it, please explain how it happened, Thad. I wouldn't
like him, after all his kindness, to think I'd whip up his horse for
nothing, or just in a spirit of sport."
As it was an hour when Doctor Cadmus was through with his day's
calls, Hugh had the good luck to hear the physician's voice on the
wire.
"Mother wants you to come right over, Doctor!" Hugh told him.
"Who's sick?" demanded the other, being very fond of all the Morgan
family; "not your good mother, I hope, Hugh?"
"No, neither of us, Doctor," the boy continued. "I ran upon a young
woman and a small child when on the road after potatoes in Mr. Jones'
sleigh. She fainted dead away before she could tell me who she was,
or where she was going. I managed to get them both aboard, and
fetched them here. Mother has put her to bed; but she is afraid a
fever is coming on, and it worries her. You'll be here right away,
Doctor, won't you, please?"
"As fast as I can get there, my son!" came the prompt reply.
If there was a touch of pride in the voice one could not wonder at
it; for like a good many other people of Scranton Doctor Cadmus had
conceived a great liking for Hugh; and thought there had never been
another boy fashioned after his model, which, of course, was all
nonsense, as Hugh often protested indignantly when he heard any such
talk.
Only a short time elapsed before the doctor and Thad reached the
front door at the same minute.
"Wait for me in the library, Thad, if you don't mind being late for
your supper. Doctor, I'll show you the way upstairs," and with this
remark Hugh preceded the stout little physician up to the second
floor.
As for Thad, he never once dreamed of "breaking away" at that most
interesting stage. Suppers occurred three hundred and sixty-five
times a year, with an extra one thrown in for good measure when
leap-year came around; but exciting events like the one happening to
Hugh were of rare occurrence. Catch him thinking of eating when
there was a chance right at his door to have a hand in a thrilling
drama that beat the "movies" all hollow!
So Thad sat down.
Hugh soon joined him. He was immediately pounced upon by his curious
chum, and plied with all manner of questions. By degrees Thad
"pumped him dry," and there was nothing more to tell.
"We'll have to wait until she comes back to her senses," Hugh finally
remarked sagely, "before we'll be able to learn anything definite
about them, mother and the doctor both say."
"And she's actually out of her head, is she, right now?" Thad
demanded.
"Yes, and keeps on saying the same thing over and over, just as if it
might have been in her mind so much lately. She keeps on pleading
with someone she calls grandfather, and begging him not to put them
out of his heart and home, for little Joey's sake--it's always little
Joey she's worrying about and not herself. The doctor says she was
utterly exhausted by want of sustaining food, added to anxiety and
the exposure she had suffered."
"But where could she have come from, Hugh? She has never been in
Scranton, you said that, and I never saw her before either. You told
me the little boy can only say his name is Joey Walters; and honest
to goodness, Hugh, there isn't a single family of that name in or
around this town that I ever heard of."
"They've been trying to get some clues out of the little chap,"
continued Hugh, "but without much success. All he's said so far is
that they've come ever so far, and that he liked riding on the cars
first-rate, only mommy cried so much and wouldn't eat every time he
did. From the way he talked they suspect that the young woman may
have come from the West somewhere."
"She _is_ young then, Hugh?"
"Yes, not over twenty-five or so, the doctor says, but frail-looking.
He thinks there is nothing serious the matter with her, only that
she's been underfed for a long time, and has suffered. Perhaps she's
denied herself proper food so as to save up enough money to make this
trip."
Thad shook his head as if feeling sad over the happening; for the boy
had a tender heart.
"Well, I certainly hope she'll be better tomorrow, and able to tell
something about herself," he went on to say, as he prepared to leave.
"And, Hugh, it was fine of your mother to refuse to let her be taken
over to the Scranton Hospital, when the doctor proposed such a thing."
"My mother wouldn't hear of it," Hugh told him proudly. "Why,
already she's in love with that little chap, and he's enough of a
darling to make any woman with a heart want to mother him. Both of
us seem to think we may have seen him before somewhere; or else he
resembles someone we've known once on a time; but, so far, we can't
imagine who or where it was. But once she comes to her senses,
whether to-morrow, or some days afterwards, of course the truth will
be known."
"And Hugh," said the other, with one of his smiles, "if you feel that
you can't wait for her to tell, suppose you start out to-morrow
afternoon and try to strike a clue on your own account. That
wonderful faculty you possess for investigating things ought to put
you on the track."
"Perhaps I may, that is, if I have time to-morrow," chuckled Hugh;
"because, you know, we have our last practice at hockey before
meeting those Keyport experts."
"You said you felt sure she must have come out of that side road near
where you met them," continued the persistent Thad.
"Yes, but only because I hadn't seen them when going out to the
farm," his chum explained. "They may have come out of that road; and
then again it's barely possible they were trying to make a fire
somewhere among the trees to keep them from freezing."
"By going along that same road, and inquiring at every house you came
to," Thad continued, "like as not you'd get word of them, if so be
they stopped to ask directions, or a warm cup of coffee. People
around here never refuse anyone who comes to their doors. Well, see
you in the morning then, Hugh. Good-night!"