FARMER BERNARD COLLECTS HIS BILL
"Come and go along with me, Hugh," Thad Stevens was saying, some days
after the defeat suffered by Scranton High at the hands of the Champs,
as he bounced into his chum's den about four in the afternoon.
"Where to?" demanded the other, looking up with a smile; and then
noting the eager expression on Thad's face he hurriedly added: "But
I guess I can get pretty close to the mark without your telling me.
You're meaning to continue your campaign against our friend, Brother
Lu---how about that for a guess, Thad?"
"Just what I'm up to, for a fact," asserted Thad, with his jaws
shutting in an energetic fashion. "You ought to know that I never
give over, once I'm worked up like that business got me. Day and
night I've been trying to plan a way of ridding poor deluded Matilda
and her sick husband from that sleek rascal who's fastened on them
for keeps."
"Well, what's new in the game, Thad?" continued Hugh, picking up his
cap, and in this way proclaiming his intention of joining his chum.
"Several things have happened," admitted Thad, "though honest to
goodness I can't say that they have advanced the cause a whit.
First of all Mom has capitulated, which word means she couldn't stand
the strain any longer, worrying so about Matilda going hungry for
lack of sewing to do to earn food for the three of them. So she and
some of the other ladies sent out a bundle, and I've got another
down at the door right now, to carry over to the Hosmer cottage."
"I must say I honor your mother, Thad, for being so tender-hearted,"
said Hugh, warmly.
"Of course you do, Hugh," sighed the other boy, "but it's too bad
they had to give in before that big eater was starved out, and took
to the road again, where he could always make sure of begging a full
meal at back doors. Now he'll just decide to squat down and stick
through the summer, yes and winter in the bargain, acting as if he
might be almost dying every little while, and then recovering his
appetite _wonderfully_ soon again. Oh! it makes me furious, that's
what it does."
"Well, as you've asked me to go along, Thad, I'll accommodate you;
but have you any little scheme on foot today?" continued Hugh, leading
the way toward the back door, since he under stood that his chum had
left his bundle there before hunting him out.
"I wish I did, Hugh," replied the other, eagerly, "but try as I may,
it seems to me I just can't think up anything worth while. After
that grand scheme of ours fell so flat it took all the wind out of
my sails. I'm trusting mostly to luck to have something come up
that we can grab hold of, so as to give him a boost."
They were soon on their way. Thad talked almost incessantly, and
begged his companion to try his hardest to conceive some promising
plan that might turn out a shade better than the one connected with
that imaginary marshal from Texas.
So they presently arrived at the Hosmer cottage. Thad did the knocking.
He had decided to go in at the slightest invitation, in hopes of
meeting Brother Lu again, and ascertaining what the prospects were for
his departing to the other world.
To the surprise of both boys, when they were admitted by Matilda they
discovered the object of their thoughts seated in a chair, with a
thick shawl across his shoulders. He looked as though he might be
a trifle ill, too. At the sight of them one of his accustomed grins
came over his face, now rough again with a three days' growth of
gray beard.
"Hello, boys!" the reformed tramp called out, as though really pleased
to see them again; "you find me under the weather this time for keeps.
Had one of my little bad attacks, and just beginning to feel a shade
better. Perhaps I'll go off in one of these spells some fine day,
sooner or later. Matilda she's been a good nurse to me, and I'm
beginning to believe I did the wisest thing ever when I decided to
hunt my last remaining blood relative up, and stay with her till
the end came."
Matilda looked pained to hear him speak in that way, but Thad was
not in the least impressed. According to his mind the other had
only caught a little summer cold, and which had caused him considerable
distress, with its accompanying sneezing discomforts. He did not
believe it was anything serious.
Determined, however, to stay a short while and study the man, in
hopes of discovering some loophole through which he might be reached
and made to give up his soft berth in the Hosmer home, Thad took a
chair, and settled himself for a visit.
Hugh asked the man a number of questions concerning his illness, and
took note of the fact that every time Brother Lu had occasion to
glance toward his sister a wonderfully tender gleam would come into
his blue eyes. Apparently he had learned what everybody in Scranton
always knew, that Matilda Hosmer was the kindest and softest-hearted
creature alive. Hugh wondered whether this knowledge might not in
time cause the man to feel ashamed of imposing upon her strength and
generosity, so that of his own free will he would take his departure
for other scenes.
"Matilda is going to have a birthday in a few days," he confided
to the boys, at a time his sister chanced to be in the kitchen, "and
me'n Brother-in-law Andrew, we've made up our minds to surprise her
with a little present. 'Course it can't be anything much, because
we haven't a superabundance of ready cash; but Matilda, she's stood
by her poor old wandering brother so handsomely I'd be glad to give
her a whole hundred dollars, if only I possessed that sum."
Thad looked surprised, indeed he may have begun to suspect that after
all the grizzled old hobo might not be quite so heartless as
appearances would indicate. This unexampled spirit of self-sacrifice
shown by Matilda was beginning to have its influence on his hard
nature. As for Hugh, he listened with considerable interest, listened
and sat there, watching the play of emotions across the face of
Brother Lu, and forming certain opinions of his own at the same time.
While they sat there a heavy knock came at the door. Upon Matilda
venturing to open the same a big man pushed his way inside, and
started talking roughly in a loud, almost abusive tone.
Thad recognized him as a certain well-to-do farmer and dairyman who
had an unenviable reputation as a cruel taskmaster with his hired
help. He was also known to be exceedingly harsh in his treatment
of any with whom he had dealings, who chanced to be unable to meet
their obligations to the minute. Because he had been able to accumulate
his "pile," Mr. Abel Bernard seemed to believe everyone should be
capable of doing the same. If they could not afford a thing they
ought to do without it. He never took excuses from anyone. It
was all business with Abel---pay up or quit, was his daily motto.
Hugh, listening, quickly determined that a little more fresh trouble
had dropped down upon the poor head of Matilda. She had been taking
a quart of milk a day from Farmer Bernard, and the bill had run two
months and more now. He shoved an account at her in a most savage
manner, Thad thought, and the boy felt as if he could have kicked
the grim dairyman with rare good pleasure to settle the account.
As for Hugh, if he had chanced to have the money with him just then
he would only too gladly have loaned or given it to Matilda, so
that she might get rid of the abusive farmer, whose very tone was
harsh and rasping.
"It's my rule never to let anybody get away with more than a second
month's milk," the big man was saying in that loud, abusive voice
of his. "You asked me to let the account go on another spell when
I handed you the same before, and now you tell me you haven't got
the five dollars it calls for because some old tramp of a brother
that you haven't seen for twenty years has dropped down on you,
and had to be taken care of. Well, Mrs. Hosmer, I'm not helping
to run a hospital, let me tell you; I've got all I can do to look
after my own folks. You mustn't expect me to deliver you any more
milk till you can pay this; and I hope you'll get the cash soon,
too, because I've some accounts of my own I want to settle."
Matilda was near tears, for such a scene as this frightened her.
Poor old Mr. Hosmer tried to bustle forward and enter into the
conversation; but the husky dairyman just brushed him aside as though
he were no more than a child.
"I'm not talking to you about it, Mr. Hosmer," he went on to say,
almost brutally; "it's your wife I do business with. I'll be looking
to her to settle my account. And if what I hear honest folks a-sayin'
is near true, the sooner she gets rid of her disreputable brother the
better for all concerned."
Matilda's eyes flashed.
"You need not add insult to injury, Mr. Bernard," she flashed, showing
a little touch of spirit that Hugh hardly believed she possessed. "He
is the only living tie to bind me with my long past childhood. We were
once very fond of each other; and now that poor Luther has fallen
sick, and fears he has not long to live, I mean to stand by him, no
matter how people talk."
Brother Lu looked as though this sort of thing gave him something akin
to joy. He even shot a tender glance across at Matilda, and then a
triumphant one toward the two boys, as though to say: "Didn't I tell
you my sister had a tender heart?"
Then he got on his feet. He really seemed a trifle weak, showing that
he had actually been under the weather latterly.
"How much does my sister owe you, man?" he demanded in as stern a
voice as he could command.
"Oh! does that interest you at all, Mister Weary Willie?" sneered
the irate farmer; "well, if you want to know, my account is an even
five dollars. Perhaps, now, you'll put your hand into your jeans
pocket and hand out that amount with pleasure."
"I've got that much tied up in my old bandanna handkerchief, it
happens," said Brother Lu, to the astonishment of Thad. "It's true
me 'nd Brother-in-law Andrew expected to do something different with
my little fortune, but then let that pass. You wait till I get it,
you grasping milk raiser."
He started from the room, followed by the admiring gaze of Matilda,
who evidently saw in this wonderful offer of her brother a full
settlement for all the tender care and affection she had bestowed
upon him during the past weeks.
Presently, after a little delay, the reformed hobo came into the
room. Sure enough, he was holding a brand-new five-dollar bill in
his extended hand, and there was a look of actual pleasure to be
seen on his grizzled face.
"There you are, Mister Man," he said as he thrust the money at the
farmer; "now you sign that bill in a hurry, and never show your face
here again. We'll either find another party to deliver us milk,
or go without."
Hugh saw something that gave him an unexpected thrill. It was a
simple matter, and no doubt escaped Thad's attention entirely, yet
it might mean a great deal. As he looked closely at the fresh and
new bank bill of the denomination of five dollars, Hugh saw that
it had only three distinct creases marked across its face, as though
it might have been taken from some flat receptacle like a bill-book;
certainly when Brother Lu declared that he had such a bill tied up
in his bandanna handkerchief he prevaricated, for it would under such
conditions have been crumpled instead of looking so smooth! Hugh
from that moment began to smell a rat!