SOMETHING GOES WRONG
It was in this confident mood that they made their start. Philip had
the copy of the _Courier_, which Jim had deftly folded so that the
headlines of his startling article would be seen immediately any one
picked the paper up. He was also instructed to simply say that the
management of the weekly, wishing to give more citizens of Scranton
an opportunity to get acquainted with the feast of good things
served up every Saturday, was sending out a supply of sample copies,
and that a subscription would be much appreciated. As Philip was a
shrewd little fellow he "caught on" to the idea, and would without
fail carry it through all right.
It was not intended that any occupant of the Hosmer home should suspect
the presence of the three who meant to see what happened. Thad
knew just how they could advance fairly close without being seen,
since he had been "playing spy" before on his own account, and was,
therefore, acquainted with every bush capable of affording shelter.
Accordingly, when they found themselves drawing near their intended
destination, Thad was given charge of the expedition, and he seemed
pleased to serve in the exalted capacity of pilot or guide. He led
the way, and the other two followed as close to his heels as possible.
In this manner they finally found themselves as close to the cottage
as circumstances and a scarcity of sheltering bushes would allow.
"Here's where I hide," whispered Thad, coming to a sudden pause,
and remaining in a crouching position. "We can see everything that
goes on outside the house and, if the door should be left open on
such a fine warm morning, perhaps hear something that might be said
inside."
Both Hugh and Jim seemed quite satisfied with the prospect, if their
nods could be taken for assurance.
"If everything is ready, and the trap set," remarked Jim, softly, "I'll
give Philip the signal we agreed on."
"Go ahead, then," said Thad, eagerly, his eyes fairly dancing with
expectancy; for somehow his heart seemed more than ever set on relieving
poor Matilda Hosmer from the fresh load she had taken so generously on
her already tired shoulders.
Accordingly Jim, without raising his head above the level of the bush
that concealed his body, waved his handkerchief three times. He knew
that Philip would be waiting and watching for such a sign, because
before they left the boy Thad had taken pains to point out to him
where they expected to hide.
Sure enough, hardly had Jim made the third and concluding wave than
the carrier was seen to come in sight, bearing quite a load of
papers; which in reality be expected to deliver on his first round
to regular customers; for none of them saving that particular one
were to be given away free as sample copies; and that had, as Thad
expressed it, "a string tied to it."
Whistling in the most unconcerned manner possible Philip walked
straight up to the cottage door and knocked. The boy was playing his
part to perfection, all of them saw, and Jim in particular seemed much
impressed.
It was Matilda herself who answered the summons. They could see that
Philip was getting off the lines which he had committed to memory.
Matilda asked him several questions, but she held on to the paper
all the same, and seemed quite pleased at being picked out as a
possible new subscriber; although times were just then too hard to
admit of her indulging in such a luxury.
But perhaps she thought it would be such a pleasure for "poor Brother
Lu" to forget all his troubles in looking over the town paper. Thad
felt sure this must be in the mind of Matilda, for she was one of
those persons whose first thought is always of some one beside
themselves.
Philip having exhausted his schedule hastened to betake himself off
before he said too much; because he was a wise boy for his years, Jim
allowed. And Matilda went back into the house, glancing at the paper
as she vanished from view.
"Now let's hope that hammock there will tempt Brother Lu to saunter
forth and take things easy while he looks over the paper," said
Jim, with just a touch of eagerness discernible in his well-controlled
voice; for he prided himself on always "keeping cool" under the most
trying conditions.
They did not have long to wait. Why, it seemed to Thad that the
wonderful Jim must have some peculiar power, as of suggestion, with
which he could influence other minds; for as they peeped through
openings in the bushes, lo! and behold, out of the cottage door
came the object of Thad's especial aversion. Yes, it was the hobo
whom they had first met when he was cooking his meal in regular
tramp fashion by using discarded tomato cans for receptacles to
hold coffee and stew. But Brother Lu was a transformed tramp.
He wore the Sunday clothes of Brother-in-law Andrew, and his face
was actually as smooth as a razor could make it. In fact, he looked
just too sleek and well-fed for anything; and Thad, as usual, gritted
his teeth with savage emphasis to think how the fellow was imposing
on the good nature of that simple and big-hearted couple.
Then, too, he had the paper in his hand, which evidently Matilda had
given over to him immediately she entered. He made straight for that
hammock, as though he had actually heard Jim suggest such a charming
possibility.
"Now we're in great luck," Thad breathed, gripping Hugh by the knee,
as they crouched in company behind their screen of bushes. "We can
watch, and see just what effect that bombshell has on the skunk!"
"Keep quiet, Thad," warned Hugh; "or he might hear you."
The reformed tramp seemed to be very particular about his comfort
nowadays. Time was when he could throw himself down carelessly
on the hardest kind of ground and rest easy; but since he had taken
to living under a roof things were different. They saw him fix
the pillow in the hammock very carefully before he allowed himself
to recline there. Then he raised the paper, and seemed to take
a careless glance at it.
Hardly had he done this than the watchers saw him start upright again.
He was undoubtedly devouring the thrilling news item on the front
page with "avidity"---at least, that was what Jim Pettigrew would
have called it, had he been at his favorite job of "writing up"
the doings of Scranton society for the past week.
"Now he has got a body blow!" hissed the delighted Thad, unable to
keep still any great length of time when his pulses were throbbing
like mad, and his eyes round with eagerness.
Brother Lu read the article through. Then he lowered the paper
and seemed to be meditating, to judge from his attitude. Hugh thought
he could detect something akin to a wide grin on the other's face,
but then he may have been mistaken. Thad, on his part, was positive
that he knew what must be passing through the mind of the man after
reading that suggestive news concerning the Texan marshal who never
yet allowed an intended victim to elude his clutches, and who meant
to get the guilty party so badly wanted "down below."
"Say, he's figuring on whether he'd best streak it as he is, or go
in and gather a few things together that he may need," continued the
irrepressible Thad.
Even as he spoke they saw the other scramble hastily out of the
comfortable hammock, and start post-haste for the open door of the
cottage. Thad was as certain of what was about to happen as that
he knew his own name. Hugh suspended judgment, believing that it
would be unwise to jump too hastily to a decision. Besides, there
were a few little suspicious things connected with the actions of
Brother Lu that he did not wholly like.
A minute passed, two of them, which doubtless seemed like so many
hours to the confident Thad. Then they again saw the late hobo
coming out. Thad stared harder than ever, and his heart felt like
lead.
What did it mean? he asked himself. Brother Lu did not have his hat
on, nor was he carrying any sort of hastily thrown together bundle.
In fact, he showed not the first sign of the dreadful alarm Thad
had anticipated.
He still carried the weekly paper in his hand as though he meant to
look over that wonderful article of Jim's again. And what he had
really darted into the house after was evident; for in the other
hand he carried Mr. Hosmer's only good pipe, as well as his tobacco
bag, now getting woefully depleted of its prized contents.
Then, as if totally unaware of the fact that three pairs of eyes
were glued upon his every slightest move, Brother Lu calmly filled
the pipe, struck a match on the sole of Brother-in-law Andrew's
shoe, applied the flame to the contents of the pipe bowl, and puffed
out a cloud of blue smoke with all the assurance in the world.
Thad nearly took a fit trying to hold in; the fact was Hugh felt
constrained to lay a warning hand on his chum's arm to keep him from
bursting out in such a manner as to betray them to the smug hobo.
Brother Lu read the article again from beginning to end. Then he
smote his knee with his open palm several times, and they could
actually hear him chuckle, as if he might be highly amused. All
this rather puzzled Jim, who had fully anticipated seeing the intruder
making a bee-line for the railroad. Perhaps he even began to wonder
whether, after all, he might not have "laid it on a little thicker"
when writing up that story about the grim Texan marshal.
Presently Matilda was heard calling to Brother Lu, who, leaving his
hammock, sauntered into the house with all the airs of one who had
arranged to take life easy from that time on.
"Hey! let's beat it," mumbled the keenly disappointed Jim Pettigrew.
"I've got heaps to do at the office; and I seem to tumble to the fact
that, after all, our big game didn't pan out just as was expected."
Thad did not have a single word to say just then. He was, in fact,
too dazed to collect his thoughts. But Hugh's active mind was grappling
with the matter, and he apparently seemed able to figure things out.
They retreated in a strategic fashion, so that possibly no one was
the wiser for their having been behind the bushes, unless Brother Lu
chanced to take a notion to peep from behind some fluttering white
dimity curtain.
"Well, what does it all mean, do you know, Hugh?" finally burst out
Thad, after they had gone far enough away to make it safe to talk
in ordinary tones.
"I think I have guessed why he seemed so tickled after reading the
article which we figured would give him such a bad scare," said
Hugh, with a grim smile. "The fact of the matter is he hoodwinked
me when he told such whopping yarns about the terrible sheriff of
the oil regions. There may be such a chap, all right, but his name
isn't Hastings by a long shot. He just invented that name, you see;
and when he read Jim's article about his being up here, he tumbled
to the game."
"Oh! it's rotten luck!" groaned Thad; "after all that beautiful
strategy we've fallen down flat. No use talking, Hugh. Jim, that
fellow is a sticker, and it begins to look as if he couldn't be
budged or pried loose with a crowbar. But I'm not the one to give
a thing up because I've failed once or twice; just wait till I get
my third wind, and I'll settle Brother Lu's hash for him!"
So they wandered back to town, sadder but wiser from their new
experience.