“It is a notice for you and your crowd to leave the town within
twenty-four hours,” replied the man addressed, pointing to the paper he
had just helped affix to the stake.
“And it is signed by these gentlemen, who are two of the selectmen of
the town,” added ’Squire Hardy, triumphantly. “Now I guess you’ll get.
If you don’t the worst’ll be your own. We’ll show you that New York
can’t dump her slums here.”
Rob offered no reply, and without further words the three men rode
away, leaving a frightened group behind them.
“Oh, Rob!” cried Mrs. Bayne, “what shall we do? what shall we do?”
“Oh, why did we ever leave the city?” moaned Aunt Vinnie. “Why weren’t
we satisfied with what we had?”
“Aunt Vinnie,” said Joe, stoutly, “I wouldn’t go back to the city
for all it holds. They can’t kill us, and we’ll get our living here
somehow, won’t we, Rob?”
“To be sure we will, Joe. Have courage, mother. I wish I knew where
Chick and Ruddy are.”
“What shall we do?” moaned Aunt Vinnie. “This terrible country will be
the death of us.”
While Rob was more concerned over the outcome of this last movement on
the part of his enemy, he tried to appear cheerful, saying:
“They will not touch us for at least another day, and sometimes great
things happen in twenty-four hours. Just now I am more anxious about
Chick and Ruddy. I am afraid something has happened to ’em. I must go
to the village again.”
“Let Larry go with you,” said Joe.
“You need him here more than I do. Never fear for me, Joe. I had hoped
we might have got a better house to stop in before night, but the
deacon being sick has put all of us back. But as soon as he is well we
shall get ahead in shining shape.”
With these hopeful words Rob started toward Basinburg village to find
Chick and Ruddy if possible. Knowing that they had intended to come
home by the east road he followed that way, and so rapidly did he
walk--it being all down grade going that way--that in the course of
half an hour he was nearly down to the village.
He had been disappointed in not meeting the boys, as he had hoped, and
becoming more alarmed than ever over their strange non-appearance, he
kept on toward the village.
Presently the houses on the distant hillside could be seen, and he came
in sight of the little collection forming the nucleus of Basinburg,
Captain Jarvis’ store, where the post office was kept, forming the most
conspicuous building.
Quite a crowd had gathered about this place, and the men seemed to be
discussing in an excited manner some topic of conversation.
Fearless of any harm to himself, Rob boldly approached the group, with
his eyes and ears open for whatever might happen. At first no one
noticed him, so that he had got almost into the midst of the crowd
before the friend of ’Squire Hardy, called Trask, exclaimed:
“Hi, youngster! if ye ain’t a brazen chap I’ll hoe taters for the
deacon a week fer nothing, and that’s the pizenest thing I could think
of doing.”
Rob made no reply to this rude speech, but approached nearer the throng
to find that neither he nor his friends, as he had half expected at
first, furnished the topic under discussion.
“They ain’t far away, that’s certain, and somebody will run ercross
them kerslap like in a way that’ll make their hair stand on end.
Sich critters ain’t forgot their ’arly ways if they have been under
subjection for a little while.”
“That’s so, Dan,” said another. “Hello!” catching sight of our hero,
“if here ain’t a tiger o’ different sort. What has brought you to town
now?”
“He’s come to look over the place to see where to begin his thieving,”
spoke up some one in the background.
Unheeding this speech, Rob said:
“I am looking for the boys who were with me this morning. Perhaps you
can tell me if you have seen them.”
“Do you mean the red-headed youngster with the freckled face and the
pert little bantam with him?”
“I mean Ruddy and Chick. Ruddy has got red hair.”
“Well, I guess we can tell what has become of them, can’t we, Jones?”
speaking to a companion. “If we can’t, Jackson, the chairman of the
selectmen, can.”
Retraining his vexation at this bit of insolence, Rob said, in an even
tone:
“As you seem to know, I wish you would tell me, so as to save me
further trouble.”
“I reckon they are down to the county farm by this time, seeing Bagley
has got a good hoss, and he wouldn’t be likely to let any grass grow in
the road with sich company,” which speech was greeted by a cheer from
the spectators.
At a loss to act under the oppression of such an announcement, Rob was
silent. Then a commotion a short distance away caught the attention of
all. A newcomer was saying:
“A part of the children have got home, but the doctor’s girl and boy,
with two others, went over on Sander’s hill and have not been seen
since two o’clock. Some see them tigers up that way, so the doctor and
his family are scared to death over the children.”
“Come on, boys,” called out one of the spectators, “we must hunt ’em
up. Get your guns and come on.”
In a moment Rob learned that all this excitement was occasioned by
the escape of a couple of tigers from a menagerie the day before, the
animals having been seen in that vicinity within a few hours. The
danger to the missing children was apparent to every one. If they had
not already met the ferocious beasts they were likely to do so at any
moment.
But Rob felt that he had as much trouble on hand as he could meet at
present, and after satisfying himself that Chick and Ruddy had actually
been taken to the county farm, he started homeward with a heavy heart.
About half a mile out of the village, where the road entered the woods
at the foot of Break o’ Day hill, he was startled at first by the wild,
incoherent cries of a man, who seemed to be running toward him at a
furious gait.
He had only to wait a moment before the frightened person burst into
sight, hatless and coatless, his face as white as a sheet, where he
came down the road running for dear life.
“What is it?” asked Rob, as he came nearer.
“The--the--tig-er! he’s killed the children and eaten ’em up!”
“Where are they?”
“Down in the clearing back----”
That was all Rob could catch, for the terrified wretch had not stopped
in his wild flight, but was speeding on toward the village as if a
hundred wild tigers were at his heels.
Without stopping to think of what the consequence might be to him, Rob
bounded toward a clearing off on the right and which entered the woods
like a huge wedge driven in from the open country.
He had not gone half a dozen rods before a shrill scream in a childish
voice reached his ears.
He knew then he was going in the right direction.
A moment later he saw a sight which fairly froze the blood in his veins.
A short distance below him was a little group of children who had been
gathering May flowers, while, crouching near them, where it had crept
with the cunning and stealthiness peculiar to its race, was a huge
tiger!
The cry of the frightened boys and girls had suddenly aroused its rage,
and lashing the ground with its long tail, the infuriated brute was
ready to spring upon its prey.
It was a situation where a moment’s time means a life. Unarmed as he
was, Little Hickory could not stand idle while others were in such
deadly peril.
Regardless of what the result might bring him, he picked up a small
rock at his feet, and hurled it with all the force he could muster
straight toward the springing tiger!