RUFUS BLENT'S LITTLE WAYS
The crowd waded through the soft snow to the inn. It was a small place,
patronized mainly by fishermen and hunters in the season. It was plain,
from the breakfast they served to the Tingley party, that if the
unexpected guests had to remain long, they would be starved to death.
"And all the 'big eats' over on the Island," wailed Heavy. "I could swim
there, I believe."
"I am afraid I could not allow you to do that," said Mrs. Tingley, shaking
her head. "It would be too absurd. We'd better take the train home again."
"Never!" chorused Belle and her brothers. "We must get to Cliff Island in
some way--by hook or by crook," added the girl, who had set her heart upon
this outing.
Ruth was rather serious this morning. She waited for a chance to speak
with Mrs. Tingley alone, and when it came, she blurted out what she wished
to say:
"Oh, Mrs. Tingley! I couldn't help hearing what that man said to you. Must
he discharge Jerry because Rufus Blent says so?"
"Why, my dear! Oh! I remember. You were the girl who befriended the boy in
the first place?"
"Yes, I did, Mrs. Tingley. And I hope you won't let your foreman turn him
off for nothing----"
"Oh! I can't interfere. It is my husband's business, of course."
"But let me tell you!" urged Ruth, and then she related all she knew about
Jerry Sheming, and all about the story of the old hunter who had lived so
many years on Cliff Island.
"Mr. Tingley had a good deal of trouble over that squatter," said Belle's
mother, slowly. "He was crazy."
"That might be. But Jerry isn't crazy."
"But they made some claim to owning a part of the island."
"And after the old man had lived there for fifty years, perhaps he thought
he had a right to it."
"Why, my child, that sounds reasonable. But of course he didn't."
"Just the same," said Ruth, "he maybe had the box of money and papers
hidden on the island, as he said. That is what Jerry has been looking for.
And I wager that man Blent is afraid he will find it."
"How romantic!" laughed Mrs. Tingley.
"But, do wait till Mr. Tingley comes and let him decide," begged Ruth.
"Surely. And I will tell Mr. Preston to refuse any of Blent's demands. He
is a queer old fellow, I know. And, come to think of it, he told us he
wanted to make some investigations regarding the caves at the west end of
the island. He wouldn't sell us the place without reserving in the deed
the rights to all mineral deposits and to treasure trove."
"What's 'treasure trove,' Mrs. Tingley?" asked Ruth, quickly.
"Why--that would mean anything valuable found upon the land which is not
naturally a part of it."
"Like a box of money, or papers?"
"Yes! I see. I declare, child, maybe the boy, Jerry, has told you the
truth!"
"I am sure he has. He seemed like a perfectly honest boy," declared Ruth,
anxiously.
"I will see Mr. Preston again," spoke Mrs. Tingley, decisively.
The storm continued through the forenoon. But the boys and girls waiting
for transportation to Cliff Island had plenty of fun.
Behind the inn was an open field, and there they built a fort, the party
being divided into opposing armies. Tom Cameron led one and Ann Hicks was
chosen to head the other. Mercy could look at them from the windows, and
urge the girls on in the fray.
The boys might throw straighter, but numbers told. The girls could divide
and attack the boy defenders of the fortress on both flanks. They came in
rosy and breathless at noon--to sit down to a most heart-breaking
luncheon.
"Such an expanse of table and so little on it I never saw before,"
grumbled Heavy, in a glum aside. "How long do you suppose we would exist
on these rations?"
"We're not dead yet," said Ruth, cheerfully, "so you needn't become a
'gloom.'"
"Jen ought to live on past meals--like a camel existing on its hump,"
declared Madge.
"I'm no camel," retorted the plump one, instantly. "And a meal to
me--after it has been digested--is nothing more than a beautiful dream;
and you can bet that I never gained my avoirdupois by dreaming!"
Mrs. Tingley beckoned to Ruth after dinner. Together they went into the
general room, where there was a huge fire of logs. Mr. Preston, the
foreman, was there.
"I have been making inquiries," the lady explained to Ruth, "and I find
that this Rufus Blent has not a very enviable reputation. At least, he is
considered, locally, a sharper."
"Is this the girl who is interested in Jerry?" asked the foreman. "Well!
he ought to be all right if she sticks up for him."
"I believe his story is true," Ruth said, shaking her head.
"And if that's so, then the boss hasn't got a clear title to Cliff
Island--eh?" returned the big foreman, smiling at her quizzically.
"That isn't Mr. Tingley's fault," cried Ruth, quickly.
"He'd be the one to suffer, however, if it should be proved that old Pete
Tilton had any vested right in the island," said Preston. "You can bet
Blent is sharp enough to have covered his tracks if he has done anything
foxy. He was never caught yet in any legal tangle."
"Oh, I hope Mr. Tingley won't have trouble up here," declared Mrs.
Tingley, quite disturbed.
Ruth felt rather embarrassed. As much as she was interested in Jerry
Sheming, she did not like to think she was stirring up trouble for her
school-mate's father. Just then the outer door of the inn opened and a man
entered, stamping the snow from his boots upon the wire mat.
"S-s-t!" said Preston, his eyes twinkling. "Here's Rufus Blent himself."
It seemed that Mrs. Tingley had never seen the real estate man and she was
quite as much interested as Ruth in making his acquaintance. They both
eyed him with growing disapproval as the old man finished freeing his
feet of the clinging snow and then charged at Preston from across the big
room.
"I say! I say, you, Preston!" he snarled. "Have you done what I tol' you?
Have you got that Jerry Sheming off the island? He'd never oughter been
let to git on there ag'in. I've been away, or I'd heard of it before. Is
he off?"
"Not yet," replied Preston, smiling secretly.
"I wanter know why not? I won't have him snoopin' around there. It was
understood when I sold Tingley that island that I reserved sartain
rights----"
"This here is Mis' Tingley," interposed Preston, turning the old man's
attention to the lady.
He was a brown, wrinkled old man, with sparse pepper-and-salt whiskers and
a parrot-like nose. "Sharper" was written all over his hatchet features;
but probably his provincialism and lack of book education had kept him
from being a very dangerous villain.
"I wanter know!" exclaimed Rufus. "So you're Tingley's lady? Wal! do you
take charge here?"
"Oh, no," laughed Mrs. Tingley. "My husband will be up here Christmas
morning."
"Goin' to have Preston send that boy back to the mainland?"
"Oh, no, I shall not interfere. Mr. Tingley will attend to it when he
comes. I think that would be best."
"Nothin' of the kind!" cried Blent, his little eyes snapping. "That boy's
got no business over there--snooping round."
"What are you afraid of, Rufus? What do you think he'll find?" queried
Preston, who was evidently not above aggravating the old fellow.
"Never you mind! Never you mind!" croaked Blent. "If you folks won't
discharge him and put him off the island, I'll do it, myself."
"How can you, Mr. Blent?" asked Mrs. Tingley, feeling some disposition to
cross swords with him.
"Never you mind. I'll do it. Goin' back to-day, of course, Preston; ain't
you?"
"I'm hoping to get this crowd of young folk--and Mrs. Tingley--across to
the island. And I think the snow is going to stop soon."
"I'll go with you," declared Blent, promptly. "Don't you go till I see you
again, Preston. I gotter ketch 'Squire Keller fust."
He hurried out of the inn. Mrs. Tingley and Ruth looked at the foreman
questioningly. The girl cried:
"Oh! what will he do?"
"He's going to get a warrant for the boy," answered Preston, scowling.
"How can he? What has Jerry done?"
"That don't make no difference," said the woodsman. "Old Rufus just about
runs the politics of this town. Keller will do what he says. Rufus will
get the boy off the island by foul means if he can't by fair."