spent twenty thousand dollars trying to find you.”
Bridge shook his head. “I'm sorry, Dick,” he said, “but I'm afraid it's
too late. The open road's gotten into my blood, and there's only one
thing that--well--” he shook his head and smiled ruefully--“but there
ain't a chance.” His eyes travelled to the slim figure sitting so
straight in the rear seat of Jonas Prim's car.
Suddenly the little head turned in his direction. “Hurry, Bridge,”
admonished The Oskaloosa Kid, “you're coming home with us.”
The man stepped toward the car, shaking his head. “Oh, no, Miss Prim,”
he said, “I can't do that. Here's your 'swag.'” And he smiled as he
passed over her jewels and money.
Mr. Prim's eyes widened; he looked suspiciously at Bridge. Abigail
laughed merrily. “I stole them myself, Dad,” she explained, “and then
Mr. Bridge took them from me in the jail to make the mob think he had
stolen them and not I--he didn't know then that I was a girl, did you?”
“It was in the jail that I first guessed; but I didn't quite realize
who you were until you said that the jewels were yours--then I knew. The
picture in the paper gave me the first inkling that you were a girl, for
you looked so much like the one of Miss Prim. Then I commenced to recall
little things, until I wondered that I hadn't known from the first that
you were a girl; but you made a bully boy!” and they both laughed. “And
now good-by, and may God bless you!” His voice trembled ever so little,
and he extended his hand. The girl drew back.
“I want you to come with us,” she said. “I want Father to know you and
to know how you have cared for me. Won't you come--for me?”
“I couldn't refuse, if you put it that way,” replied Bridge; and he
climbed into the car. As the machine started off a boy leaped to the
running-board.
“Hey!” he yelled, “where's my reward? I want my reward. I'm Willie
Case.”
“Oh!” exclaimed Bridge. “I gave your reward to your father--maybe he'll
split it with you. Go ask him.” And the car moved off.
“You see,” said Burton, with a wry smile, “how simple is the detective's
job. Willie is a natural-born detective. He got everything wrong from A
to Izzard, yet if it hadn't been for Willie we might not have cleared up
the mystery so soon.”
“It isn't all cleared up yet,” said Jonas Prim. “Who murdered Baggs?”
“Two yeggs known as Dopey Charlie and the General,” replied Burton.
“They are in the jail at Oakdale; but they don't know yet that I know
they are guilty. They think they are being held merely as suspects in
the case of your daughter's disappearance, whereas I have known since
morning that they were implicated in the killing of Baggs; for after I
got them in the car I went behind the bushes where we discovered them
and dug up everything that was missing from Baggs' house, as nearly as
is known--currency, gold and bonds.”
“Good!” exclaimed Mr. Prim.
On the trip back to Oakdale, Abigail Prim cuddled in the back seat
beside her father, told him all that she could think to tell of Bridge
and his goodness to her.
“But the man didn't know you were a girl,” suggested Mr. Prim.
“There were two other girls with us, both very pretty,” replied Abigail,
“and he was as courteous and kindly to them as a man could be to a
woman. I don't care anything about his clothes, Daddy; Bridge is a
gentleman born and raised--anyone could tell it after half an hour with
him.”
Bridge sat on the front seat with the driver and one of Burton's men,
while Burton, sitting in the back seat next to the girl, could not but
overhear her conversation.
“You are right,” he said. “Bridge, as you call him, is a gentleman.
He comes of one of the finest families of Virginia and one of the
wealthiest. You need have no hesitancy, Mr. Prim, in inviting him into
your home.”
For a while the three sat in silence; and then Jonas Prim turned to his
daughter. “Gail,” he said, “before we get home I wish you'd tell me why
you did this thing. I think you'd rather tell me before we see Mrs. P.”
“It was Sam Benham, Daddy,” whispered the girl. “I couldn't marry him.
I'd rather die, and so I ran away. I was going to be a tramp; but I had
no idea a tramp's existence was so adventurous. You won't make me marry
him, Daddy, will you? I wouldn't be happy, Daddy.”
“I should say not, Gail; you can be an old maid all your life if you
want to.”
“But I don't want to--I only want to choose my own husband,” replied
Abigail.
Mrs. Prim met them all in the living-room. At sight of Abigail in the
ill-fitting man's clothing she raised her hands in holy horror; but she
couldn't see Bridge at all, until Burton found an opportunity to draw
her to one side and whisper something in her ear, after which she was
graciousness personified to the dusky Bridge, insisting that he spend a
fortnight with them to recuperate.
Between them, Burton and Jonas Prim fitted Bridge out as he had not been
dressed in years, and with the feel of fresh linen and pressed clothing,
even if ill fitting, a sensation of comfort and ease pervaded him which
the man would not have thought possible from such a source an hour
before.
He smiled ruefully as Burton looked him over. “I venture to say,” he
drawled, “that there are other things in the world besides the open
road.”
Burton smiled.
It was midnight when the Prims and their guests arose from the table.
Hettie Penning was with them, and everyone present had been sworn to
secrecy about her share in the tragedy of the previous night. On the
morrow she would return to Payson and no one there the wiser; but first
she had Burton send to the jail for Giova, who was being held as a
witness, and Giova promised to come and work for the Pennings.
At last Bridge stole a few minutes alone with Abigail, or, to be more
strictly a truthful historian, Abigail outgeneraled the others of the
company and drew Bridge out upon the veranda.
“Tell me,” demanded the girl, “why you were so kind to me when you
thought me a worthless little scamp of a boy who had robbed some one's
home.”
“I couldn't have told you a few hours ago,” said Bridge. “I used to
wonder myself why I should feel toward a boy as I felt toward you,--it
was inexplicable,--and then when I knew that you were a girl, I
understood, for I knew that I loved you and had loved you from the
moment that we met there in the dark and the rain beside the Road to
Anywhere.”
“Isn't it wonderful?” murmured the girl, and she had other things in her
heart to murmur; but a man's lips smothered hers as Bridge gathered her
into his arms and strained her to him.
*****
Partial list of correctioins made in the previous reproofing:
PAGE PARA. LINE ORIGINAL CHANGED TO
10 6 emminent eminent
15 4 2 it's warmth its warmth
15 5 13 promisculously promiscuously
16 1 3 appelation appellation
19 3 it's scope its scope
21 6 by with seasons by seasons
25 1 8 Prim manage Prim menage
25 2 20 then, suspicious, then, suspicions,
28 12 even his even this
34 6 1 it's quality its quality
37 3 10 have any- have any
38 4 4 tin tear. tin ear.
39 2 6 Squibbs farm Squibbs' farm
40 2 2 his absence, his absence,”
47 5 1 sudden, clanking sudden clanking
47 8 3 its the thing it's the thing
48 5 2 was moment's was a moment's
59 9 4 bird aint bird ain't
60 8 3 dum misery dumb misery
71 2 dead Squibbs dead Squibb
74 1 2 tend during tent during
75 7 3 Squibbs house Squibbs' house
76 1 6 Squibbs home. Squibbs' home.
76 8 4 business, thats business, that's
78 1 1 Squibbs place Squibbs' place
78 2 1 Squibbs place!” Squibbs' place!”
80 6 4 Squibbs gateway Squibbs' gateway
84 6 1 Squibb's summer Squibbs' summer
85 6 1 thet aint thet ain't
85 7 5 on em on 'em
85 8 1 An' thet aint An' thet ain't
85 10 1 But thet aint But thet ain't
85 10 3 of em of 'em
85 10 3 of em of 'em
86 2 2 there aint there ain't
87 5 others' mask other's mask
88 6 1 Squibbs woods Squibbs' woods
91 2 “They aint “They ain't
91 3 I aint I ain't
91 2 3 Squibbs house Squibbs' house
91 6 aint got ain't got
92 6 it wa'nt safe it wa'n't safe
92 4 10 Squibbs house Squibbs' house
94 2 1 to nothin. to nothin'.
94 8 1 Squibbs place,” Squibbs' place,”
97 4 2 “We aint “We ain't
98 1 8 Squibbs place Squibbs' place
98 3 1 hiself de hisself de
98 5 4 he aint he ain't
98 7 1 Squibbs place Squibbs' place
98 8 2 you aint you ain't
107 4 3 wont tell won't tell
113 3 5 its measles it's measles
113 3 6 cough aint cough ain't
113 3 6 its 'it,' it's 'it,'
113 4 1 I aint I ain't
114 2 6 Squibb's place Squibbs' place
114 2 13 simply wont simply won't
116 6 3 few minutes few minutes'
116 7 5 Squibb's farm Squibbs' farm
121 4 she wont she won't
121 5 wont.” won't.”
128 7 4 can knab can nab
134 2 2 an upraor. an uproar.
136 8 5 we aint we ain't
139 2 8 had all drank had all drunk
141 3 9 Squibb's place. Squibbs' place.
146 1 its sort of it's sort of
146 2 3 nings entertainment ning's entertainment
146 4 5 aint no tellin' ain't no tellin'
146 7 1 “You wont “You won't
151 2 4 wont make won't make
152 1 2 Nettie Penning Hettie Penning
End of Project Gutenberg's The Oakdale Affair, by Edgar Rice Burroughs