A FOOT-RACE FOR MONEY
"They've got wind of something," said Mr. Tinkham to Mr. Gray, "or else
they are waiting for you to resume payment,--or else the widow's got
money from somewhere for her present necessities."
"I don't know what hope they can have of getting money out of me," said
Gray, with a laugh. "I've tangled everything up, so that Beal can't find
a thing to levy on. I have but one piece of property exposed, and that's
not in this State."
"Where is it?" asked Tinkham.
"It's in Kentucky, five miles back of Port William. I took it last week
in a trade, and I haven't yet made up my mind what to do with it."
"That's the very thing," said Tinkham, with his little face drawn to a
point,--"the very thing. Mrs. Dudley's son came home from Port William
yesterday, where he has been at school. They've heard of that land, I'm
afraid; for Mrs. Dudley is very positive that she will not sell the
claim at any price."
"I'll make a mortgage to my brother on that land, and send it off from
the mail-boat as I go down to-morrow," said Gray.
"That'll be too late," said Tinkham. "Beal will have his judgment
recorded as soon as the packet gets there. You'd better go by the
packet, get off, and see the mortgage recorded yourself, and then take
the mail-boat."
To this Gray agreed, and the next day, when Jack went on board the
packet "Swiftsure," he found Mr. Francis Gray going aboard also. Mr.
Beal had warned Jack that he must not let anybody from the packet get
to the clerk's office ahead of him,--that the first paper deposited for
record would take the land. Jack wondered why Mr. Francis Gray was
aboard the packet, which went no farther than Madison, while Mr. Gray's
home was in Louisville. He soon guessed, however, that Gray meant to
land at Port William, and so to head him off. Jack looked at Mr. Gray's
form, made plump by good feeding, and felt safe. He couldn't be very
dangerous in a foot-race. Jack reflected with much hopefulness that no
boy in school could catch him in a straight-away run when he was fox. He
would certainly leave the somewhat puffy Mr. Francis Gray behind.
But in the hour's run down the river, including two landings at Minuit's
and Craig's, Jack had time to remember that Francis Gray was a cunning
man and might head him off by some trick or other. A vague fear took
possession of him, and he resolved to be first off the boat before any
pretext could be invented to stop him.
Meantime, Francis Gray had looked at Jack's lithe legs with
apprehension. "I can never beat that boy," he had reflected. "My running
days are over." Finding among the deck passengers a young fellow who
looked as though he needed money, Gray approached him with this
question:
"Do you belong in Port William, young man?"
"I don't belong nowhere else, I reckon," answered the seedy fellow, with
shuffling impudence.
"Do you know where the county clerk's office is?" asked Mr. Gray.
"Yes, and the market-house. I can show you the way to the jail, too, if
you want to know; but I s'pose you've been there many a time," laughed
the "wharf rat."
Gray was irritated at this rudeness, but he swallowed his anger.
"Would you like to make five dollars?"
"Now you're talkin' interestin'. Why didn't you begin at that eend of
the subjick? I'd like to make five dollars as well as the next feller,
provided it isn't to be made by too much awful hard work."
"Can you run well?"
"If they's money at t'other eend of the race I can run like sixty _fer a
spell_. 'Tain't my common gait, howsumever."
"If you'll take this paper," said Gray, "and get it to the county
clerk's office before anybody else gets there from this boat, I'll give
you five dollars."
"Honor bright?" asked the chap, taking the paper, drawing a long breath,
and looking as though he had discovered a gold mine.
"Honor bright," answered Gray. "You must jump off first of all, for
there's a boy aboard that will beat you if he can. No pay if you don't
win."
"Which is the one that'll run ag'in' me?" asked the long-legged fellow.
Gray described Jack, and told the young man to go out forward and he
would see him. Gray was not willing to be seen with the "wharf-rat,"
lest suspicions should be awakened in Jack Dudley's mind. But after the
shabby young man had gone forward and looked at Jack, he came back with
a doubtful air.
"That's Hoosier Jack, as we used to call him," said the shabby young
man. "He an' two more used to row a boat acrost the river every day to
go to ole Niles's school. He's a hard one to beat,--they say he used to
lay the whole school out on prisoners' base, and that he could leave 'em
all behind on fox."
"You think you can't do it, then?" asked Gray.
"Gimme a little start and I reckon I'll fetch it. It's up-hill part of
the way and he may lose his wind, for it's a good half-mile. You must
make a row with him at the gang-plank, er do somethin' to kinder hold
him back. The wind's down stream to-day and the boat's shore to swing in
a little aft. I'll jump for it and you keep him back."
To this Gray assented.
As the shabby young fellow had predicted, the boat did swing around in
the wind, and have some trouble in bringing her bow to the wharf-boat.
The captain stood on the hurricane-deck calling to the pilot to "back
her," "stop her," "go ahead on her," "go ahead on yer labberd," and
"back on yer stabberd." Now, just as the captain was backing the
starboard wheel and going ahead on his larboard, so as to bring the boat
around right, Mr. Gray turned on Jack.
"What are you treading on my toes for, you impudent young rascal?" he
broke out.
Jack colored and was about to reply sharply, when he caught sight of the
shabby young fellow, who just then leaped from the gunwale of the boat
amidships and barely reached the wharf. Jack guessed why Gray had tried
to irritate him,--he saw that the well-known "wharf-rat" was to be his
competitor. But what could he do? The wind held the bow of the boat out,
the gang-plank which had been pushed out ready to reach the wharf-boat
was still firmly grasped by the deck-hands, and the farther end of it
was six feet from the wharf, and much above it. It would be some
minutes before any one could leave the boat in the regular way. There
was only one chance to defeat the rascally Gray. Jack concluded to take
it.
He ran out upon the plank amidst the harsh cries of the deck-hands, who
tried to stop him, and the oaths of the mate, who thundered at him, with
the stern order of the captain from the upper deck, who called out to
him to go back.
But, luckily, the steady pulling ahead of the larboard engine, and the
backing of the starboard, began just then to bring the boat around, the
plank sank down a little under Jack's weight, and Jack made the leap to
the wharf, hearing the confused cries, orders, oaths, and shouts from
behind him, as he pushed through the crowd.
"Stop that thief!" cried Francis Gray to the people on the wharf-boat,
but in vain. Jack glided swiftly through the people, and got on shore
before anybody could check him. He charged up the hill after the shabby
young fellow, who had a decided lead, while some of the men on the
wharf-boat pursued them both, uncertain which was the thief. Such
another pell-mell race Port William had never seen. Windows flew up and
heads went out. Small boys joined the pursuing crowd, and dogs barked
indiscriminately and uncertainly at the heels of everybody. There were
cries of "Hurrah for long Ben!" and "Hurrah for Hoosier Jack!" Some of
Jack's old school-mates essayed to stop him to find out what it was all
about, but he would not relax a muscle, and he had no time to answer any
questions. He saw the faces of the people dimly; he heard the crowd
crying after him, "Stop, thief!" he caught a glimpse of his old teacher,
Mr. Niles, regarding him with curiosity as he darted by; he saw an
anxious look in Judge Kane's face as he passed him on a street corner.
But Jack held his eyes on Long Ben, whom he pursued as a dog does a fox.
He had steadily gained on the fellow, but Ben had too much the start,
and, unless he should give out, there would be little chance for Jack to
overtake him. One thinks quickly in such moments. Jack remembered that
there were two ways of reaching the county clerk's office. To keep the
street around the block was the natural way,--to take an alley through
the square was neither longer nor shorter. But by running down the alley
he would deprive Long Ben of the spur of seeing his pursuer, and he
might even make him think that Jack had given out. Jack had played this
trick when playing hound and fox, and at any rate he would by this turn
shake off the crowd. So into the alley he darted, and the bewildered
pursuers kept on crying "Stop, thief!" after Long Ben, whose reputation
was none of the best. Somebody ahead tried to catch the shabby young
fellow, and this forced Ben to make a slight curve, which gave Jack the
advantage, so that just as Ben neared the office, Jack rounded a corner
out of an alley, and entered ahead of him, dashed up to the clerk's desk
and deposited the judgment.
"For record," he gasped.
The next instant the shabby young fellow pushed forward the mortgage.
"Mine first!" cried Long Ben.
"I'll take yours when I get this entered," said the clerk quietly, as
became a public officer.
"I got here first," said Long Ben.
But the clerk looked at the clock and entered the date on the back of
Jack's paper, putting "one o'clock and eighteen minutes" after the
date. Then he wrote "one o'clock and nineteen minutes" on the paper
which Long Ben handed him. The office was soon crowded with people
discussing the result of the race, and a part of them were even now in
favor of seizing one or the other of the runners for a theft, which some
said had been committed on the packet, and others declared was committed
on the wharf-boat. Francis Gray came in, and could not conceal his
chagrin.
"I meant to do the fair thing by you," he said to Jack, severely, "but
now you'll never get a cent out of me."
"I'd rather have the law on men like you, than have a thousand of your
sort of fair promises," said Jack.
"I've a mind to strike you," said Gray.
"The Kentucky law is hard on a man who strikes a minor," said Judge
Kane, who had entered at that moment.
Mr. Niles came in to learn what was the matter, and Judge Kane, after
listening quietly to the talk of the people, until the excitement
subsided, took Jack over to his house, whence the boy trudged home in
the late afternoon full of hopefulness.
Gray's land realized as much as Mr. Beal expected, and Jack studied hard
all summer, so as to get as far ahead as possible by the time school
should begin in the autumn.