THE FISHING PARTY
Ruth felt so unhappy she wept openly. It seemed too bad that Jerry Sheming
should be taken away to the mainland a prisoner.
"They'll find some way of driving him out of this country again," remarked
Preston, the foreman. "You don't know Blent, Mr. Tingley, as well as the
rest of us do. Other city men have come up here and bucked against him in
times past--and they were sorry before they got through."
"What do you mean?" demanded the angry owner of Cliff Island.
"Blent can hire those fellows from the lumber camps, and some of the
guides, to do his dirty work. That's all I've got to say. Hunting camps
have burned down in these woods before now," observed the foreman,
significantly.
"Why! the scoundrel sold me this island himself!"
"And he's sold other outsiders camp sites. But they have had to leave if
they angered Blent."
"He is a dangerous man, then?"
"Well--things just happen," returned Preston, shaking his head. "I'd keep
watch if I were you."
"I will. I'll hire guards--and arm 'em, if need be," declared Mr. Tingley,
emphatically. "But take it from me--I am going to see that that boy Jerry
is treated right in these backwoods courts. That's the way I feel about
it."
Ruth was glad to hear him say this. As she had decided when she first saw
him, Mr. Tingley could be very firm if he wished to be. At once he went
back to the house, had a team hitched to a sleigh, and drove over to the
mainland so as to be sure that Blent did not get ahead of him and have
court convened before the proper hour.
The day was spoiled for Ruth and for some of the other young folk who had
taken such a deep interest in Jerry. The boy had been caught because he
tried to get the mattock Ruth and Tom had put out for him. Ruth wished now
that she and Tom had not gone down to the brook.
There was too much going on at Cliff Island for even Ruth to mope long.
Mr. Tingley came back at dark and said he had succeeded in getting Jerry's
case put over until a lawyer could familiarize himself with the details.
Meanwhile Keller, Blent's man, had refused to accept bail. Jerry would
have to remain in jail for a time.
A man came across from the town that evening and brought a telegram for
Mr. Tingley. That gentleman had without doubt shown his interest in Jerry
Sheming. Fearing that the local legal lights might be somewhat backward
about opposing Rufus Blent, he had telegraphed to his own firm of lawyers
in New York and they were sending him a reputable attorney from an
up-State city who would be at Logwood the next day.
"Let's all go over to court to-morrow and see that lawyer get Jerry free,"
suggested Belle Tingley, and the others agreed with enthusiasm. It would
be as much fun as snow-shoeing; more fun for those who had not already
learned that art.
The day after Christmas, in the morning, the boys insisted that everybody
but Mercy Curtis should get out and try the shoes. Those who had been at
Snow Camp the year before were able to set out quite briskly--for it is an
art that, like swimming and skating, is not easily forgotten.
There were some very funny spills and by luncheon they were all in a glow.
Later the big sledge was brought around and behind that the boys strung a
couple of bobs. The horses drew them down to the ice and there it was easy
for the team to pull the whole crowd across to Logwood.
The town seemed to have turned out to meet the party from Cliff Island.
Ruth and her friends noted the fact that many of the half-grown boys and
young men--those of the rougher class--seemed greatly amused by the
appearance of the city folk.
"But what can you expect from a lot of rubes?" demanded Tom, rather
angrily. "See 'em snickering and grinning? What d'ye s'pose is the matter
with them?"
"Whatever the joke is, it's on us and we don't know it," remarked Heavy,
who was easily angered by ridicule, too. "There! Mr. Tingley has gone off
with the lawyer. I guess we'll know what it's all about pretty soon."
And _that_ was true, sure enough. It came out that there would be no case
to try. Justice Keller announced that the accusation against Jerry Sheming
had been withdrawn. Mr. Blent had "considered Mr. Tingley's plea for
mercy," the old fox said, and there was nothing the justice could do but
to turn the prisoner loose.
"But what's become of him?" Mr. Tingley wanted to know.
"Oh, that does not enter into my jurisdiction," replied Keller, blandly.
"I am not his keeper. He was let out of jail early this morning. After
that I cannot say what became of him."
Blent was not even at the court. It was learned that he had gone out of
town. Blent could always find somebody to handle pitch for him.
It was later discovered that when Lem Daggett had opened the jail to
Jerry, several of Blent's ruffians had rushed the boy to the railroad
yard, put him aboard a moving freight, given a brakeman a two-dollar bill
as per instructions from the real estate man, and Jerry wasn't likely to
get off the train, unless he jumped while it was moving, until it was
fifty miles farther west.
But, of course, this story did not come out right away. The whole town was
laughing at Mr. Tingley. Nobody cared enough about the city man, or knew
him well enough, to explain the details of Jerry's disappearance at that
time.
Mr. Tingley looked very serious when he rejoined the young folk and he had
little to say on the way home, save to Ruth, whom he beckoned to the seat
beside him.
"I am very sorry that the old fox got the best of us, Miss Fielding. As
Preston says, I must look out for him. He is sly, wicked, and powerful. My
Albany lawyer tells me that Blent is notorious in this part of the State,
and that he has great political influence, illiterate as he is.
"But I am going to fight. I have bought Cliff Island, and paid a good
price for it. I have spent a good many thousand dollars in improvements
already. I'll protect myself and my investment if I can--and meanwhile
I'll do what I can for your friend, Jerry Sheming, too.
"They've got the boy away from the vicinity for the time being, but I
reckon he'll find his way back. You think so, too, Miss Fielding?"
"If he understands that we are trying to help him. And--yes!--I believe he
will come back anyway, for he is very anxious to find that treasure box
his Uncle Peter lost."
"Oh--as to that--Well, there may be something in it. But Pete Tilton was
really insane. I saw him myself. The asylum is the place for him, poor
man," concluded Mr. Tingley.
Ruth felt in secret very much worried over Jerry's disappearance. When she
once became interested in anybody, as Helen said, "she was interested all
the way through."
The others could laugh a little about how the crafty real estate agent had
fooled Mr. Tingley and gotten Jerry out of the way, but not Ruth. She
could scarcely sleep that night for thinking of what might have happened
to the ill-used youth.
But she tried to hide her anxiety from her companions the next morning
when plans were made for a fishing trip. All but Mercy joined in this
outing. They went on snowshoes to the far end of the island, keeping on
the beach under the huge cliffs, to a little cove where they would be
sheltered and where the fishing was supposed to be good.
Preston, the foreman, went with them. He and the boys dragged a bobsled
well laden with the paraphernalia considered necessary for fishing through
the ice.
First the holes were cut--thirteen of them. Then, near each hole, and on
the windward side, two stakes were set about four feet apart and a square
of canvas lashed between them for a wind-break. A folding campstool had
been brought for each fisherman and "fishergirl," and there were a lot of
old sacks for the latter, especially, to put under their feet as they
watched the "bobbers" in the little pool of water before which they sat.
After Preston saw them well started, he went back to the house. The crowd
intended to remain until evening, and planned to make their dinner on the
shore of the cove, frying some of the fish they expected to catch, and
making coffee in a battered camp pot that had been brought along.
The fish were there, as the foreman had assured them. Each member of the
party watched and baited two lines. At first some of the girls had
considerable trouble with the bait, and the boys had to show them how to
put it on the hook; but it was fun, and soon all were interested in
pulling out the flopping fish, vying with each other in the catch,
calling back and forth about their luck, and having a splendid time.
It was so cold that the fish froze almost as soon as they were thrown upon
the ice. Had they been catching for shipment, the fish could have been
boxed and sent some distance by express without being iced.
But the young folk did not mind the cold much, nor the fact that the sun
did not shine and the clouds grew thicker as the day advanced.
"I'm going to beat you all!" declared The Fox, after a great run of luck,
in which she could scarcely bait rapidly enough to satisfy the ravenous
fish. "Might as well award me the laurel wreath right now."
"Don't you be too sure," drawled Heavy. "You know, 'He laughs best who
laughs last.'"
"Wrong!" returned Mary Cox. "The true quotation should be, 'He laughs best
whose laugh lasts.' And mine is going to last--oh-he! here comes another!"
Tom and Ruth got the dinner. There was plenty of dry wood under the fir
trees. Tom cleaned the fish and Ruth fried them to a delicious brownness
and crispness. With the other viands brought from home and cups of good,
hot coffee, the thirteen friends made a hearty and hilarious meal.
They were sheltered by the high cliff at their backs and did not notice
when the snow began to fall. But, after a time, they suddenly discovered
that the flakes were coming so thick and fast that it was all but
impossible to see the farthest fishing shelters.
"Oh, dear me! we don't want to go back yet," wailed The Fox. "And we were
catching them so fast. Do, do let's wait a while longer."
"Not much fun if it keeps on snowing this way," objected Bobbins.
"Don't begin croaking, little boy," advised his sister. "A few flakes of
snow won't hurt us."
Nevertheless, the storm did not hold up. It was more than a "flurry" and
some of the others, as well as Bob Steele, began to feel anxious.