A QUEER PICNIC
And that was to be picnic day!
A queer holiday, indeed, with two girls taken from the
classroom--arrested!
Yes, that was what it amounted to, in spite of the jolly way Tavia and
Alice trooped off, making "faces" and doing fancy "steps" back of the
squire.
Miss Ellis sat at her desk dazed, and stunned. She could not realize it
all--a squire coming into her room--threatening her with dismissal, and
taking two girls off to the common police court for a "hearing."
She was not a woman given to showing her feelings, but this seemed more
than she could bear; tears came into her eyes, fell upon her books and
then she bowed her head--she had to cry! Dorothy was at her side
instantly.
"Dear Miss Ellis," she murmured, "don't take it so seriously. It will
be all right. I'm sure those two girls are well able to take care of
themselves, and I suspect Alice went more for mischief than for
anything. Perhaps I had better run down to father's office, and tell
him about it; he will know exactly what to do."
The girls all looked on with sad faces. They had never before seen Miss
Ellis cry in school. But she raised her head now, and seemed better
able to control her feelings.
"I think, Dorothy," she said, "it may be better to wait awhile.
Something may happen to--save the girls from really going to his
office. We will try to study, and perhaps we may have our picnic yet."
But it was a difficult matter to apply minds to books that morning; too
much had happened to be turned readily aside for mere school work. Such
whispering had never been permitted before, although the girls did try
to be kind to Miss Ellis, she looked so sad and worried.
Meanwhile the two girls, Tavia and Alice, had been having their own
experiences.
Upon reaching the street they stepped up along side the squire, so that
persons in passing thought they were merely walking along to keep the
aged man company.
But Ralph Willoby was not so easily misled.
He was just leaving the Bugle office as they came along, and he
instantly detected a "story."
"Come on," said Alice, "you can be our counsel. We are under arrest."
"No need," objected the squire, "I am well able to attend to this case."
"But your office is public," answered Ralph, "and I guess I'll go along
and see what happens."
"But I say I don't want any interference," and the squire raised his
voice. "You newspaper scamps always get things wrong anyway."
"Probably because you do not give us a chance to get them right,"
retorted Ralph. "This time we will try to stick to facts."
"Well, when I'm ready to give them out you can have them, but not
before," insisted the angry squire.
"But I'm going along, just the same," declared Ralph, as Tavia stepped
back to walk with him, so that the squire was obliged to go on with
Alice, who really seemed to be enjoying the experience.
The office of the justice of the peace was a dingy, dirty little place.
It had served Dalton for the small needs of a public office for some
years, Squire Sanders, of course, collecting a good income for its
yearly rental.
An old bench was stretched in front of the desk.
The girls sank down on this, making queer "faces" and comical gestures.
"My first offense!" sighed Alice, with mock sadness.
"Same here!" said Tavia in similar tone.
"Since you wish it," said Ralph to Alice, "I can act as counsel. You
know I really am studying law, and there is nothing like taking cases
for experience."
"Now, no skylarking here," called out the squire, "I want to hear all
about that case, let me see--the case of--I've got it somewhere," and
he turned the soiled pages of the "records" over rather roughly,
considering they were supposed to belong to the town of Dalton.
Tavia was biting her lips. She felt every moment the laugh would get
the better of her and get out on its own accord, but she tried bravely
to suppress it.
Ralph was whispering to Alice. Evidently he was pleased with the
information she imparted, for he, too, smiled broadly as the squire
called:
"Octavia Travers, step up to the bar!"
"What for?" asked Tavia saucily.
"To swear--take your oath--make your affidavit," called the squire
sharply.
"What's the charge?" interrupted Ralph.
"'Sault an' batt'ry," snapped the squire.
"Who signed the warrant?" questioned Ralph further.
"See here young feller!" and the squire rapped his cane vigorously upon
the desk, "if you don't let me go on with this case I'll kick you out."
"Oh, no, you won't. I have as much right here as you have, and I intend
to see that you do not, in any way, insult the young ladies!"
"You young scamp!" yelled the squire, making a dash for Ralph and
bringing his cane down squarely on the young man's head, at which Alice
and Tavia screamed.
A moment later the men were scuffling on the floor.
"I'll teach you!" the squire kept yelling.
"Let me go!" shouted Ralph.
"Oh, we must get help!" screamed Alice. "Tavia, run quick, to the
office next door. That man is crazy. He will kill Ralph," and, while
Tavia ran to one side of the place, Alice hurried to the other, so that
all possible help would be called at once.
In a short time the little place was crowded. Some came to aid, and
others came to see what was wrong. Alice and Tavia stood by with very
white faces. Alice had pulled the squire away from Ralph and the aged
man finally had been subdued, that is two men had succeeded in keeping
him away from Ralph, but not until the young man had been considerably
injured. The squire was still sputtering and those who tried to quiet
him had a hard task of it. Every time they would let go his arms he
would throw them up with new energy, trying to get at Ralph again,
until at last it was found necessary to go to the constables' desk; get
out the only pair of handcuffs in Dalton, and put them on the wrists of
the obstreperous official.
This, of course, was great fun for the boys who had gathered about, and
who had more than one grudge against Squire Sanders. Many a time he had
chased them off the coasting hill, he had often spoiled a good day's
swimming, and as for apples--a boy never knew when he was safe to
"borrow" one from any orchard in Dalton.
But the tables were turned now--and the boys were glad of it. A taste
of his own medicine would do the aged man good, they declared.
Not being able to do more than shout and kick, Squire Sanders soon
"gave out" and fell back sullenly in a chair near a window. Ralph's
head was bleeding.
"Oh, we must get Ralph to the drug store," insisted Alice. "Perhaps Dr.
Gray will be there. He is hurt, I am sure," and she was almost in
tears, for indeed Ralph looked very much injured--his lip was cut, and
girls cannot well stand the sight of blood.
Ralph felt quite well able to walk, he declared, and assured the girls,
laughingly, that their case and his would now likely "come up" together
in the next term of court.
But just as Alice, Tavia, Ralph, and a few sympathizing friends were
ready to leave the office Franklin MacAllister, president of the
Selectmen of Dalton, and father of Alice, stepped into the place. He
had heard of the disturbance, and having power to act in any such
emergency, he hurried to the scene.
"Well," he exclaimed, seeing his daughter there, "what in the world are
you doing here?"
"Oh, I made all the trouble," replied Alice, "that is, Tavia and I made
it. We were arrested--"
"Arrested!" repeated the father, incredulously.
"Yes, indeed we were. And Mr. Willoby only stepped in to help us when
he got in trouble."
Mr. MacAllister talked earnestly to Ralph. Plainly both men were of the
same opinion--either Squire Sanders was crazy or he was too old and
incompetent to hold office.
"What are we going to do with him, Mr. President?" asked one of the men
who had the unpleasant duty of standing by and keeping guard over the
squire.
"Bind him over to keep the peace," replied the president. "Squire
Sanders," he called, and thereat every one held his or her breath,
"this is a sad predicament to find an officer in. In fact the
occurrence is a disgrace to the town of Dalton."
The squire shifted uneasily in the chair. He had not spoken coherently
since the struggle with Ralph, and was still in an ugly mood. At the
same time he understood who now addressed him; the president of the
board; the man who had authority to bring matters about so as to
deprive him of the office he had held for years.
"Stand up!" called the president, and the squire shuffled awkwardly to
his feet.
"What have you to say in this matter? We have a quorum of the board
here present and we may as well dispose of this case. There is also
another count pending against you. How did you come to let that man
Anderson slip out of Dalton so easily--help him out in fact? Was his
money better than that of the people of this town, who for years have
been paying you for duties that you have never honestly performed?"
At the mention of Anderson, Squire Sanders' face turned from red to a
deadly ashen.
"Look out," cautioned Ralph aside to the president, "he is old you
know, and might drop at any moment."
"Not a bit of it," went on Mr. MacAllister. "He is too tough for that.
Speak up, Sanders. This is your last chance."
But the man never moved his lips. Sullen and beaten he sat there while
Mr. MacAllister, recounted some of his misdeeds.
"You have disgraced your office," he declared, "but the most outrageous
of your offenses was that of bringing into this office two innocent
schoolgirls--doctoring up a charge against them, trying to force them
to acknowledge they had taken part in an affair that they had
absolutely nothing to do with--and all this you did for the paltry fee
that goes with each case on your books. Now, Sanders, I have spoken to
the members of the board here present and the verdict in your case
is--that you leave Dalton inside of ten days. The penalty for contempt
in the matter will be a public trial, and, no doubt, imprisonment."
It was a difficult matter to restrain the boys present. They wanted to
cheer--to shout, but were not allowed to do so. Ralph had quite
recovered himself now, and so insisted on going alone to the drugstore
to have his slight wounds dressed if necessary. Two of the selectmen
looked after Sanders, releasing him of the handcuffs, and advising him
"to make himself scarce" around Dalton, until the feeling against him
had quieted down some. All the defiance had left him now; he scarcely
raised his head as he crept out the back way to his rooms next door.
Upon hearing the school story in full Mr. MacAllister decided to take
his daughter and Tavia back to the school room himself, and set every
thing right with Miss Ellis and her pupils.
"You have had a rough time of it lately," he commented as he and the
two girls made their way to the school.
"But Alice is a--a brick!" declared Tavia, in appreciation of her
friend's assistance. "She helped us splendidly."
"Glad to hear it," answered the father, "Alice is our tom-boy, but she
is true-blue, eh, Bob?" he said patting his daughter affectionately.
"You knew what I meant about the man Anderson, did you not, Tavia?" he
went on. "That was your 'special friend' I believe."
"Oh, I have met him," replied Tavia laughing, "but I think now the
reason the old squire wanted to get me into this trouble was because he
thought it might affect Dorothy Dale, as she is my special friend.
Somehow the Burlock-Anderson affair seemed to be aimed at the Dales."
"Oh, yes, no doubt of it," answered Mr. MacAllister, "but we think we
are on the track of settling the matter now."
Tavia felt she could scarcely wait to tell all this to Dorothy, for she
had been wondering what had become of the Anderson affair. Alice looked
proudly up at her father as they neared the school.
"They may think you have come to take someone else away," she said
laughing. "This has been a queer picnic day."
"Don't worry about that," he answered. "You must have an extra good
time to make up for your troubles and disappointment, I will see what I
can do for you."
Alice cast a meaning glance at Tavia. If her father undertook to give
Dalton school a treat it would surely be something worth while, Alice
was sure, and so, with that bright prospect uppermost in her mind, she
led her father into the school room.