he, rubbing his hands together. “He has found the money, and yet he
wanted me to tell him where it was. Now, Benny,” placing his hand upon
the dog, which just then came up and put his head upon his knee. “We
will wait until twelve o’clock, and then we will start for Pond Post
Office. I know it is a small place but I reckon I can get some clothes
there, and a couple of big valises that I can carry my money in.”
The time now seemed longer to Nat than it did before. He felt at his
ease, and he longed to be up and doing. Every minute that he lingered
in his prison-pen was just so much taken away from the enjoyment of
his money; and he fretted and chafed over it. He wanted to get up and
pace the room in order to make the time pass more rapidly away, but was
checked by the thought that the storekeeper might come back there and
listen at the door to see what he was doing, and thus put it out of his
power to escape by the window.
“If he hears me walking about he will know that Benny and me are all
right,” said Nat, “and that will arouse his suspicions so that he will
put me somewhere else. I reckon I had best sit down here on my box and
wait for the hours to go by.”
A short time afterward, perhaps it was two or three hours, he heard a
faint rustling outside the door, whereupon the dog left him and took
up his stand directly in front of it to see what was going to happen.
If it was the storekeeper and he wanted to know what was going on in
the room, he had his trouble for his pains. Whatever it was that made
the noise outside it finally ceased altogether and then everything was
quiet.
This happened two or three times, and on each occasion Nat was sure
that he was being watched; but every time the watcher went away without
hearing or seeing anything suspicious. At last Nat heard some sounds
coming from the store which indicated that the proprietor was going to
shut up for the night; and then his heart began to beat more rapidly.
The time for action was fast approaching. He heard the banging of
shutters, the goods which had been outside for inspection during the
day, were brought in and stood up beside the counter, and finally the
storekeeper’s tread was heard outside the door. He tried the lock and
found that it was safe.
“Are you all right in there?” Nat heard him inquire.
“As tight as you please,” answered Nat; “but in half an hour more I
will be down the road,” he added, to himself.
“You don’t know anything about that money yet, I suppose?” said the man.
“How can I know anything about it when you have got it?” asked Nat.
“You have hidden it away somewhere. The best thing you can do is to
take it up and clear yourself before I get out.”
“You are going to make trouble for me, are you?” said the voice,
angrily. “Well, if you get tired of waiting for grub just let me know.
Good-by.”
“Good-by. And it will be a long time before you see me again,” said Nat
mentally.
Nat knew when the storekeeper went out and locked the door behind him,
and then he heard him go down the street. He knew that he did not sleep
in the building but his house lay at some distance from the store, so
the coast was clear at last. He resolved to make the attempt at once,
being satisfied if he were well on the street it would take a better
man than the storekeeper to overhaul him. It was but the work of a few
seconds to go to the window and remove the hasp with which it was
confined. As the shutter swung loose he found that the moon was shining
brightly and that the ten miles that lay between him and Pond Post
Office could be made easily as it could by broad daylight.
“Come along, Benny,” said Nat placing both hands upon the sill and
springing up so that all he had to do was to drop his legs outside.
“But maybe you don’t want to go.”
While Nat was talking about it he was free; and he afterward said that
he never felt anything so good as he did when he found the solid earth
under his feet once more. The dog made three attempts to follow him,
but the window was rather high and all he could do was to get his fore
feet upon the sill and each time he fell back making more noise than
was agreeable to Nat. The next time he tried it Nat seized him by the
thin skin on the back of his neck, and in a moment more he was standing
by Nat’s side on the ground. We say he was standing by Nat’s side; but
if the truth must be told, he was prancing around all over the ground
as if he were overjoyed at finding himself at liberty once more.
“I will tell you what’s the matter with you,” said Nat, after he had
looked carefully around him and had drawn a bee-line for the bars that
led him out into the street. “You have been shut up and deprived of
your freedom so long that you don’t know what to do with yourself when
you are let out. Well, you stick to me and I will see that you are not
shut up any more.”
Nat’s first impulse, when he found himself outside the bars, was to
strike up a whistle; but before the first note had fairly left his
lips he caught his breath and looked all around to see if there was
anybody within hearing. The street was silent and deserted; but that
was no sign that there was not somebody stirring in the houses by which
he passed so rapidly. He felt of his roll of bills to make sure that
he had it, and settled down into a good fast walk, turning his head
occasionally to be certain that he was not followed. There was one
thing that Nat kept saying to himself: “I have had a struggle for this
fortune, and now that it is fairly within my grasp, nobody need think
that I am going to give it up. If I don’t enjoy it, the money can stay
there until it rots.”
The next thing that Nat had to decide upon was, as he expressed it,
something else. He was free but his money was not free. The way to
get his fortune to St. Louis was what troubled him; and he thought
about it until he arrived within sight of Pond Post Office. He began
to feel sleepy, too. It was then about two o’clock, so that he had to
wait for five long hours before the single store of which the village
could boast would be open and ready for business. So he climbed the
fence, followed by the dog, found himself a comfortable place under
the protection of a beech tree and stretched himself out and prepared
to go into the land of dreams. That would have been considered a hard
couch by some lads who are raised in the city, but Nat had so long been
accustomed to hard things that he did not mind it. He slept until the
sun was well up, and his dog kept watch over him.
“Now the next thing will be something to eat, Benny,” said Nat,
pausing for a while in his operations of smoothing down his hair to pat
the dog on the head. “I think you could eat a good breakfast, don’t
you? I tell you what we will do: If they don’t have anything at the
store worth eating, we will go to someone’s house and ask for a meal.
I’ve got money to pay for it.”
Nat’s next duty was to take out his roll of bills and select enough
to pay for his clothes and have a little left over for a bite to eat.
When this had been done he put the balance of the roll back again, and
the rest into his pocket where it would come handy. Then he climbed
the fence and started for Pond Post Office again. He found very few
people stirring there but the groceryman was up, and to him Nat at once
addressed himself.
“You look as though you had something to eat here,” said he.
“Well, yes; that’s our business,” said the man, smiling upon Nat.
“Gracious! What a horrid looking dog. Will he bite?”
“Not while I am around,” said Nat. “Have you got a suit of clothes!
You see I need one badly enough.”
“Well, I should say you did. I was looking at your clothes when you
came up. How big a priced one do you want! We have some for $5.00 and
some as high as $20.00.”
“Let me see a sorter of betwixt and between,” said Nat, as he followed
the man into the store. “Something that will do to wear between here
and St. Louis.”
“Are you going as far as St Louis?” asked the man, in amazement. “Then
you want something pretty nice. Now there’s a suit that will jest suit
you.”
Nat had never bought any clothes before, and consequently he was rather
awkward about it. As far as he could see the clothes were well made
(the man took his measure around the chest and of the length of his
leg to make sure that they would fit him) the price suited him and he
took them on the spot. Then he needed a couple of shirts, two pairs of
stockings and a pair of shoes and a hat; all of which he took upon the
man’s recommendation, and so his trading was quickly done.
“Now I wish to get a couple of valises to put them into,” said Nat,
looking around the store and trying to select the articles in question.
“One’s going to be enough for you,” said the man. “Now here is a
valise--”
“That is not the kind I want,” said Nat. “I want some old-fashioned
carpet things, with a mouth like a catfish. You see I have lots of
things to carry with me.”
“Are you going to walk?” asked the storekeeper, still more amazed.
“Why, it must be as much as one hundred and fifty miles.”
“I don’t care how far it is, I have got to go there, unless I can find
some person who is kind enough to give me a lift.”
“You can do that, of course; but I was just thinking that your legs
will ache before you get there. Now you hold on a minute. I have two
old carpet sacks in my garret that are doing no good to anybody, and if
you will wait a minute I will bring them down to you.”
The man went to his drawer, put away the money that Nat had given him
and went out, leaving him for the next ten minutes there alone in the
store. What a chance it would have been for Nat to steal something; but
the thought never came into his head. He was leaning back against the
counter when the man left, and that was the way he was standing when he
came back.
“Those are just the things,” said he, taking the carpet sacks and
turning them over to see that there were no holes in them. “How much
apiece for them?”
“Oh, a quarter; or, as you were raised in this country, two bits,” said
the storekeeper, smiling at Nat. “How do I know that you were raised in
this country? I know it by your looks. I was raised in New York. Now
do you want something to eat? Well, come here. I don’t know whether I
have anything that dog will eat or not. Where did you get that fellow?
He would be just the one to guard a fellow’s melon patch, wouldn’t he?
There, take your pick. It’s my treat.”
Nat knew enough about the ways of the country to know that the
storekeeper was going to give him his provisions for nothing because of
the dry goods he had purchased. The only things he could find were some
crackers and cheese. He took enough of them as he thought to last him
to Manchester and back, and then the groceryman excused himself once
more and went into the back room with a huge knife in his hand. When he
returned he brought with him a piece of fresh meat which he handed to
the dog.
“I did some butchering yesterday, and I think that if that dog won’t
eat anything else, he will eat fresh meat,” said he. “See him take it
down.”
The dog did “take it down” and devoured his meal as if he were almost
starved. It was no wonder that he wanted Nat for a master when he was
going to get such good living as this. He put all the things he had
purchased into one of his valises, bade the proprietor good-by and
took his way back toward Manchester, feeling much lighter hearted than
he did when he came down. But he did not go very far before he began
looking up and down the road to see if anyone was watching him; and
having satisfied his mind on this score he once more climbed the fence
into the woods, and when he was safe from everybody’s view he stopped,
and lowered his bundles to the ground.
“Now when I put these things down I am Nat, the tramp; and when I put
on my other clothes, I am something else,” said he, taking his suit out
and unfolding it before him. “Let us see how it looks to be dressed up
as a white man.”
This was Nat’s object in getting so far away from the road so that he
could make a change in his appearance. To take off the clothes he then
had on did not require a second’s time, but it took more time than it
did to put on the others. In fifteen minutes he was all dressed, and
then he wished he had a looking glass to view himself. He certainly
did look like a different person; and it is doubtful if any one who
was acquainted with him had met him on the road, if he would have
recognized him. His first care was to put what remained of his roll of
bills safe in his vest pocket. There were no holes in the vest for the
bills to work out, and when Nat tucked them away he felt that he was
somebody.
“Now I am Nat Wood, gentleman,” said he, as he surveyed himself as
well as he could by turning first one leg and then the other to make
an estimate of himself. “I tell you it makes a fellow feel grand to
be dressed up as I am. Supposing Caleb should see me now? Whoo-pe! He
would not rest easy until he got these things on his own back.”
Having put away his old clothing in one of the valises--it is true
the clothes were old but they might be of some assistance to him some
day--he took a carpet sack in each hand and kept on his way toward
Manchester. The dog did not know hardly what to make of it. He looked
at Nat closely; for several minutes before he would follow him, and
then he seemed to think it was all right and ran on as freely as he did
before.
Nat did not go through Manchester; he knew too much for that. He went
ahead until he saw the roofs of the houses, and then turned out into
the fields and took a round-about course to bring him to the woods back
of Mr. Nickerson’s yard. He was very still about it, halting every few
feet to listen, and finally he stopped in a ravine where he threw his
bundles off again. He was now within reach of the place where he had
hidden his money. He wanted to be sure that his fortune was safe before
he had anything to eat.
“Come this way, Benny; it is right out here,” said Nat. “If that is
gone I am gone; but I don’t think there has anybody discovered it.”
Nat presently stood beside the log which concealed his treasure, but
this time he was not satisfied with what he saw on the outside. The
leaves and twigs were there as he had left them, but that did not suit
him. He looked sharply through the woods in all directions, then
kneeled down beside the log and with a few sweeps cleared away all the
_debris_ which he had placed there. The bags were where he had left
them. He ran his hand over them and could distinctly feel the “yellow
boys” with which they were filled.
“Thank goodness, it is all mine, and no one else has a right to lay a
claim to any of it,” said Nat, as he pushed the twigs and branches back
to their place. “Mr. Nickerson gave it to me before he died, he has
neither kith nor kin to say that he owns it, and now if I can find some
honest lawyer in St Louis to stand up for me, I am all right.”
This was a matter that created considerable confusion in Nat’s mind. He
did not know where to go to find an honest lawyer, but he supposed that
there must be some people who would look out for him if he only knew
whom to speak to. As he had done a hundred times before he dismissed
this matter with the thought that it would be time enough to attend to
that when he reached St. Louis; and he turned to go back to the ravine
where to solace himself with a handful of crackers and cheese.
CHAPTER XVI.
_Benny, the Tramp._
That was a long night to Nat Wood for, if the truth must be told, he
did not once close his eyes in sleep. He had an opportunity to judge of
the watchfulness of his new friend, for Benny seemed to be wide awake
and never once forgot that everything depended on Nat’s vigilance. He
lay close beside Nat on the leaves, and once or twice he raised his
head and growled at something, but nothing came near to disturb them.
At the first peep of day Nat arose from his couch, he and the dog
finished what was left of the crackers and cheese and then the boy went
to the place where he had left his treasure and filled up his carpet
sacks; and when he had them loaded he was surprised at their weight.
It did not seem possible that he could carry that gold one hundred and
fifty miles.
“But I may strike a railroad before I have gone far,” said Nat, drawing
in a long breath and picking up a valise in each hand. “I will go as
straight South as I can go, and when I become tired of my burden I can
put it down and rest. I will reach St. Louis or die in the attempt.”
Nat took good care to keep clear of the road until he had passed
Manchester for fear that some one would see him and recognize him in
spite of his new suit, and when at last he climbed the fence into the
highway, he drew another long breath and went ahead with new zeal. He
did not fail to look back occasionally to see if he were followed, but
every time there was no one in sight, and he was more than once tempted
to believe that his struggles were over; that the money was his own,
and all he had to do was to hurry down to St. Louis and deposit it in
the bank. But it would be a week at least, and perhaps two, before that
would happen, and in the meantime he was resolved that he would go
hungry and sleepless, too, but that his treasure should be safe.
Nat wanted to buy some more crackers and cheese and feed his dog before
he left the country where he was known, and with this object in view he
approached the store at which he had purchased his new suit. The man
was busy sweeping out, but he knew Nat in spite of the wonderful change
in his appearance.
“Well, sir, you got your things, didn’t you?” said he, with the smile
which Nat had noticed on his face the day before. “You are off now, I
suppose? But you must not try to walk all that distance. It is too far.”
“I am off now,” replied Nat. “But I should like to have some more
crackers and cheese and a bite of fresh meat for Benny, if it is not
too much trouble for you to get it.”
“Of course I can. I was thinking about you yesterday after you had been
in here, and there is no need that you should walk all that distance.
Follow this road about twenty miles and you will strike a little
village called Bridgeport. There you will hit the Alton road, and all
you have to do is to pay your fare and get on board. You have money
enough for that, I suppose?”
Nat selected a couple of crackers and a liberal piece of cheese from
the amount the grocer weighed out to him, saw his dog devour a huge
piece of beef which had also been furnished to him, leaned against the
counter to rest his tired limbs and pondered upon a thought that had
just then occurred to him. He had never ridden on a railroad, he did
not know what to do when he got there, but what would be done with
Benny!
“But there is one thing about it,” said the man, giving utterance to
the thought that was in Nat’s mind. “You can’t take your dog with you
on a passenger train.”
“I have been thinking about that, and the best thing I can do is to go
on foot all the way,” said Nat. “I can’t think of leaving Benny behind.”
“Of course I don’t know what rules they have with their freight
trains,” said the man. “Perhaps they will let you take him with you,
and perhaps they won’t. You can tell when you get to Bridgeport.
Good-by. I hope you will get safe through.”
Nat picked up his valises again and left the store. It seemed now that
Benny was a hindrance to him rather than a success, and for a minute or
two he did not know but he would prefer to give him up than keep him.
It did not seem possible that he could walk all the way to St Louis and
carry his treasure besides, and he looked down at Benny who gazed back
at him, and wagged his tail in a forlorn sort of way as if the man had
given him a bad reputation.
“No, I won’t do it Benny,” said Nat, putting one of his valises on the
ground long enough to pat the dog on the head. “I’ll keep you with me
until the time comes for you to show what you are made of; then if you
fail me, I will know what to do with you.”
Perhaps, when Nat came to think about it, it was better after all to
keep the dog and trust to luck. There were plenty of persons who met
him on the road who would have been glad to snatch his valises and
make off with them, if they only knew how much was in them; and with
Benny there to protect him he did not think they would attempt it. So
Benny was accepted on sufferance.
Nat had not proceeded very far on his road before he heard the sound
of wheels behind him, and in a few minutes a man drove by in a lumber
wagon. The man looked down at Nat and then pulled up his team.
“Soger, would you work?” said he, with a laugh. “You have a heavy load
there. Are you going fur?”
“I am going down to Bridgeport,” said Nat. “If you have a place for me
I shall be glad to get in.”
“You are as welcome as the flowers in May,” said the man. “Climb in.
Gosh! What an ugly looking dog you have. Will he bite?”
“He has never bitten anybody since I had him,” said Nat, lifting his
carpet sacks one after the other and putting them into the wagon with
a good deal of trouble. “He won’t bite if he is let alone.”
“Well, you just bet your bottom dollar that I won’t interfere with him.
What you got in there? It seems mighty heavy.”
“Yes. It is some tools that I work with. Do you know anybody in
Bridgeport?”
This question got the man off on a new subject, and during the ride
to Bridgeport, and he went all the way so that Nat had his arms well
rested by the time they got there, he never referred to the contents
of the valises again. Benny ran along the wagon in front of him, and
every time the man saw him he would remark on his savage appearance,
and say that he did not see what a man could be thinking of to have
such an ill-looking brute hanging around him. The man had been in the
Confederate army, too, and during the ride he kept Nat interested in
his exploits, until Nat was really surprised when he pointed to the
roofs of some houses in the distance and said:
“We are near our journey’s end at last. There is Bridgeport Did you
say that you wanted to get out at the depot? Well, I am going right
there.”
After a few cracks with the whip and turning several corners the man
drew up at a long, low building, and Nat, after thanking him for his
kindness, took his valises and got out. Presently he was standing in
front of an open window, on the other side of which, on a high stool,
was perched a clerk who was busy smoking a cigar.
“Well, my friend, what can I do for you on this fine morning?” was the
way he greeted Nat.
“I want to know what is the fare to St Louis,” said Nat.
“Eight seventy-five,” said the clerk, laying down his cigar and
reaching for a ticket “Do you want to go there?”
“Yes, sir; but I want to know in the first place whether or not you
will take my dog on a passenger train,” said Nat.
“Where’s the dog?”
“He is right here.”
“Hold him up so that I can see him.”
“I can’t. He is too heavy.”
The clerk reached for his cigar again, got down from his stool and
unlocked the door leading into his room. He came out of it, but He went
back in less time than it takes to tell it.
“Good Lord! Do you want to take that beast on the train?” said he. He
vanished in his room on the instant and closed the door, all except a
little opening through which he talked to Nat. “No, _sir_. There is not
a baggage-smasher on the road who will take charge of that dog between
here and St. Louis. You must be crazy.”
“Well, would they take him on a freight train?”
“_Cer_-tainly not. We want to have some men to handle the freight train
when they get to St. Louis, don’t we?”
“I suppose you do; but what is the reason you can’t have them any way?”
“Why, that dog will eat the train men all up, if he once gets in
action. No, sir. You can’t take that beast on any train on this road.”
“Then I don’t see any way but for me to go on foot,” said Nat, who was
very much disappointed.
“That’s the only way that I know of, unless you will kill the dog.”
“I won’t do that, you bet. Does this road go straight to St. Louis?”
“As straight as a die, and that’s the way,” said the clerk, pointing
out the direction. “I don’t see what you want with that thing. The best
thing you can do is to kill him.”
Nat picked up his valises, walked slowly out of the other side of the
depot and looked down the track. For miles it was perfectly straight,
and there was not another house within sight. His arms ached awfully
when he thought of the many miles of such track he would have to face
during his tramp, but he never once was guilty of a traitorous thought
to Benny. They were in for it, and the sooner they started in on it,
the sooner it would be done.
“Now the first thing to be done, Benny, is to lay in a lot of
provisions,” said Nat, as if the dog could understand every word he
said. “And the next thing is to start on our way. Let us go down this
way and see what we can find.”
Nat had set out with the intention of finding a grocery store and a
butcher shop at which to purchase his provisions, but he had not made
many steps before he found one much sooner than he had expected; or
rather, some thing who kept guard over it saw him coming down the
street and sprang to meet him half way. It was the big dog which kept
watch over the butcher stand. He saw Benny, he did not like the looks
of him and proceeded to let him know it in language that anybody could
understand. He came at full speed down the road, seize Benny by the
neck and rolled him over in the gutter. They were both fair sized dogs,
and those who saw the movement were pretty certain that they were about
to witness a good fight; but it was all over in less than two seconds,
Benny seemed surprised to find himself in the gutter, turned his head
to see who it was that had dared to molest him and went to work in
earnest to put a stop to it. He seized his assailant by the foreleg,
but before he had taken a fairly good hold the butcher’s dog set up a
fearful howl, slunk out of the fight as quickly as he could and limping
on three legs, howling at every jump, he went back to his place in the
butcher’s shop. A moment later the butcher appeared. Nat knew that it
was the butcher, for his coat was off, he had his apron on and his
sleeves were rolled up.
“Now, Benny, you have got me into a terrible scrape,” said Nat,
reaching down to give the dog a reassuring pat. “He will want to kill
you, but he will have to kill me first.”
The butcher seemed to be surprised to find that his favorite had been
whipped, but still he did not show it. He examined his dog and then
looked up to see what had caused it; and when he saw Nat approaching he
grinned all over.
“Young man, is that your dog?” said he.
Nat replied that it was.
“Well, sir, he is a nobby fellow,” said the butcher; and giving no heed
to Benny’s savage looks he caught him by the upper jaw and raised his
lips so that he could see his teeth. Then he released his hold upon
him and patted him on the side so loudly that you could have heard it
across the street. “I have said that I would give twenty-five dollars
for any dog that could whip Barney, and this dog has done it with just
one grip. You will take that for him, won’t you?”
“No, sir,” replied Nat. “The dog is not for sale.”
“Then I will give you twenty plus ten, which makes thirty when I went
to school. Come in and get it.”
“That is more than the dog is worth, but he is not for sale at any
price. I need the dog more than you do. But I will tell you what I
would like to have. He wants a piece of meat.”
“Well, if you won’t sell the dog, come in and fill him up on meat You
wouldn’t look at forty dollars for that dog, would you?”
No, Nat thought that he would not sell the dog, and he went into the
butcher shop and got a piece of meat that fairly made him open his
eyes. He was not charged a cent for it, either. While the butcher was
examining the dog and complimenting him, Nat managed to unclose one of
his valises and crowd the meat into it, and no one was the wiser for
what he had done.
Of course the victory that Benny had won brought him into notice along
the street, and when he went into another store to buy his crackers
and cheese, he had plenty of friends to admire him. But Nat got away
as soon as he could, and felt much easier when he was walking down the
track toward St. Louis.
“That’s a good name for you, Benny, and you will keep it as long as I
have anything to do with you. Benny, the tramp. That’s what you are,
Benny, and you must always come when I call you.”
Nat’s first care was to find a place where he could sit down and
satisfy his appetite without having some one to talk to him about
Benny. A mile further on he found it, and there he and Benny made away
with enough meat and crackers and cheese to last them until night.
While there a passenger train went along, and it went swiftly, too, as
if the distance that lay between it and St. Louis was just nothing at
all for it to accomplish. Nat sighed but he looked at Benny, and got up
and followed after the train.
We might make this portion of our story still more interesting by
telling of the wonderful scrapes that Nat and his money got into from
the rough looking tramps who met him along the way and who wanted to
know what was in his carpet-sacks, which he never allowed out of his
grasp; but unfortunately Nat did not meet with any such adventures. It
is true that one or two tramps--Nat was sure they were tramps although
he had never seen one before--made some inquiries in regard to the
contents of his valises, but the sight of the dog, which growled and
showed his teeth every time one of them came up, induced them to be
satisfied with what Nat had to say about it--that he had some tools
which would be necessary to carry on his business when he got to St.
Louis. He bought his food from farm houses which were scattered at
intervals along the railroad, slept beside the fence or in deserted
barns every time he got the chance, and finally, when he was thinking
about taking one of his gold pieces to buy him another pair of shoes,
for his bills, although he had held on to them “until the eagle
hollered,” were all gone, he discovered, one night when the sun was
about two hours high, some buildings in the distance, which were larger
than any he had seen yet. By cautious inquiries at the next house at
which he stopped to buy food, he learned that he was at his journey’s
end. How his heart thrilled with the thought! He had been more than two
weeks on the way, and to say that he was tired would be hardly saying
enough. In a few days his money would be safe, and then he could lie
down and sleep.
“But our labor is not over yet,” said Nat, as he separated the meat
from the sandwiches that he had purchased and handed it to the dog.
“Now is the time to look out for every person we meet. There is not one
of them who would not knock me on the head to gain this money. And yet
I am to find a good, honest lawyer in all this crowd of people!”
Nat did not know how he was going to succeed, whether or not he could
find what he wanted in all that crowd, but he resolved to try it at
the first opportunity. Arriving at a place where a road ran across the
track he turned into it, making out with much difficulty some of the
signs that graced the front ends of buildings as he walked along, and
finally stopped at the front of a more pretentious building than the
rest, for there was a sign that struck his eye; “Lodgings 50 cents.”
Nat pushed the door open and he and Benny walked in. He did not like
the appearance of the room in which he found himself, but then he
supposed that all hotels in the city looked like that. There was a bar
in one corner of it, behind which stood a man that reminded him of
Jonas Keeler as far as his appearance was concerned. On the other side
of the room were tables in front of which were men playing cards, and
others with men sprawling out upon them with their heads pillowed upon
their arms as if fast asleep. He thought of backing out and trying it
again at another place; but the man behind the bar discovered him and
came out.
“Ah! Here you are. You want a supper and some lodging, I suppose? Are
you traveling far? Hello? Where did you get that dog? Will he bite?”
“He has been with me a long time, and I never saw him bite anybody yet.
He always sleeps with me and he won’t let any one harm me. I want a bed
but I don’t want any supper.”
“Heavens and earth! What’s in your grip?” said the man lifting one from
the floor where Nat had placed it.
“They are tools I work with; hammers and the like.”
“Oh. You are a machinist, are you? Well, come along and I will show you
to your room. I hope that dog won’t nail me until I get down.”
The man stepped behind the bar to obtain a key to Nat’s room, and
carrying the carpet-sack in one hand while Nat followed with the
other, they went through the room and up the stairs to Nat’s apartment.
“There, sir, you can lock yourself in and be safe until morning.
Good-night.”
Nat was too tired to look around his room and see what sort of a place
it was. He turned down the quilts with the remark that the sheets might
have been cleaner, pulled off his clothes, and tumbled into bed; and he
had hardly struck the pillow before he was sound asleep.
CHAPTER XVII.
_Conclusion._
There was one little thing that troubled Nat, and it came to him the
first thing when he opened his eyes in the morning. His bills were all
gone, and he must unlock one of his valises, undo one of his bags and
take out gold enough to pay the proprietor for his lodgings. There was
not anything so very wrong in that, but suppose the proprietor should
become suspicious and ask to see the rest of his valise; and suppose,
too, that he should take it away from him?
“It has got to be done, and I might as well have it over with,” said
Nat, throwing aside the quilts and jumping out on the floor. “You will
stand by me, Benny, won’t you?”
Nat went to his valise and opened it, and was surprised to find that
one of the bags was decayed and its contents had ran out. But the
carpet sack had caught them and there was none of them missing. He took
up a ten dollar gold piece and put it in his pocket; and then went on
with his dressing with all possible speed. It was early yet and he
hoped to find no one in the bar except the proprietor. He did not want
any breakfast, either. It would be time enough to think about that
after he had seen his money safe. The proprietor was alone in the room,
engaged in washing up, but he greeted Nat with a hearty good morning.
“I want to pay for my lodging,” said Nat. “My bills are all gone and so
I will have to hand you that.”
“W-h-e-w!” exclaimed the man, as Nat laid his piece on the counter.
“You must have been living with some rich people since you were here.”
The man took up the ten dollar gold piece, jingled it upon the counter
to see if it was all right, then turned to his drawer to get the money
that he was to give Nat in change.
“Breakfast will be ready in a little while, lad, you had better wait,”
said he, at length.
Nat made some excuse, he hardly knew what, took up both his valises
and left the room to run into the arms of a policeman before he got to
the sidewalk. He knew it was a policeman, because he had a badge on
his breast, was dressed in uniform and was swinging his club along as
if waiting for a chance to use it on somebody. The police were always
ready to assist a friendless person, and Nat was certain that this one
would assist him. He walked up to him and put his valises down by his
side.
“Well, sir, what have you got there?” said he; and Nat was delighted to
see him smile in a friendly sort of way.
“It is money,” said Nat, sinking his voice.
“Money?” said the officer, more than half inclined to believe that the
boy was crazy. “What are you going to do with it?”
“I want to get it into the bank where it will be safe,” said Nat. “You
don’t believe it, do you? Well, step here and I will show you.”
Nat drew off on one side and the policeman, placing his club behind
him, strolled slowly after him. He saw Nat unlock the valise with a
smile, but when the contents of it were shown to him the smile gave
away to a look of profound astonishment.
“Where did you get all this?” he asked.
“In the ground. Have you got a hotel or any place you stop at when you
are asleep?”
“Hotel? No. We have a police court, if that is what you mean.”
“Well, have you got any lawyers there?”
“Oh, yes; there are plenty of them there.”
“I want to find a good, honest lawyer who will take charge of this
money and tell me what to do with it. You see I am a stranger here.”
“Yes; I saw that.”
“Now can I find such a one up there?”
“Yes, of course you can, and it is the very place for you to go. I will
show you where it is. I will carry one of your carpet sacks and you
can carry the other.”
There were more people stirring now than there were when Nat came out
of his hotel, and nearly all who passed him on the street turned too
look at him with astonishment and others with amusement. They thought
that Nat was being arrested for something he had done; but those
who looked at his innocent face as he walked along talking to the
policeman, knew better than that.
“I am so glad to be where I can tell the truth regarding this money,”
said Nat; and the long-drawn sigh that he uttered gave evidence to his
words.
“What did you tell folks you had?” asked the officer.
“I told them that I had tools which I needed to work with when I
reached St Louis,” said Nat. “And they thought I was a machinist, and
did not ask any more questions. But I will tell you what is a fact: The
presence of that dog has saved me from being robbed more than once.”
The policeman said he was sure of that, and at last turned to the right
and led Nat up a flight of stone steps and into the court room. There
were plenty of police officers standing around, but they all made room
for them to pass and looked at Nat with some curiosity. The room in
which the trials were held was arranged with benches and chairs, and
around the outside were more chairs and to these he conducted Nat and
set him down in front of a window.
“Now you keep still right here, and when the judge comes you can talk
to him,” said he.
“But I don’t know the judge when I see him,” said Nat.
“I will speak to one of those policemen there and he will tell him. I
must go now.”
“Why can’t you stay with me?”
“Because I must go on my beat. If anybody talks to you about your
money, you can say what you please. There’s men enough here to protect
you. So long.”
There was a good deal of this talk that Nat could not understand, but
he asked no questions. Everybody could see that he was a stranger
there and to the city besides, and all he wanted to know now was where
to go to place his money so that it would be safe. He looked at the
policemen, but they did not seem to have anything to do but just to
stand around and wait for somebody. They were tall, broad-shouldered
fellows, and he was certain that Jonas, if he could have found his way
into that court room, would think twice before laying claim to any of
Nat’s money. When he grew tired of looking at them he turned and looked
out of the window. The people seemed to have increased in numbers,
and it was a mystery where they all came from. He thought he would
never get weary of looking at them, and when he turned to look at the
policemen again, he found that the court room was filled; but no one
paid any attention to him. A few looked at the dog, others cast glances
toward the carpet-sacks, and Nat finally wondered what had become of
the police justice all this time; but while he was turning the matter
over in his mind the crowd in front of the door gave way, and two
gentlemen who seemed to have a right there, came in. They exchanged
greetings with those they met, and presently one of them was stopped by
a policeman, who seemed to be communicating something to him. Nat was
certain that one of them was talking about him, for they nodded their
heads in his direction, and finally the two men came toward the corner
where he was sitting.
“Do you want to see me, young man?” one of them inquired.
“I want to see the judge when he comes,” replied Nat. “I want to find a
good, honest lawyer to tell me what to do.”
“Humph!” exclaimed the man. “You want to find a good, _honest_ lawyer,
do you? Well, you have come to a bad shop to find him. How do you think
Judge Daniels will suit you?”
“I don’t know the man, for I am a stranger in a strange place; but I
will talk to any man whom you recommend.”
“Daniels, I guess you are in for it,” said the man, turning to his
companion. “This is Judge Daniels, and you may tell him what you want.”
The speaker turned away and Nat proceeded to give the man who had been
called Judge Daniels a good looking over. All he saw was the man’s
face. It was a benevolent looking face, and more than all there was a
smile upon it which instantly won Nat’s heart.
“What do you want to say to me?” was the way in which he began the
conversation.
“I have a long story to tell, and you will have to sit down beside me
while I tell it,” said Nat. “In the first place, you will not steal
every thing I have got will you?”
“No, I don’t think I shall do that,” said the man, as he seated himself
in one of the chairs alongside of Nat. “There is no necessity for it.”
“Well, sir, it is money that I have in these two carpet-sacks,” said
Nat, sinking his voice to a whisper. “I have dug it out of the ground,
and carried it all the way from Bridgeport on foot.”
The man continued to regard him with a smile until Nat unlocked his
valise; and then he looked surprised. He listened while Nat told his
story never once interrupting him, but he kept his eyes fastened upon
the boy as if he meant to look him through.
“You want in the first place, to put that money in the bank where it
will be safe,” said he, at length. “Then are you willing to go back
with me to Bridgeport so that I can collect evidence that your story is
true?”
“Yes, sir; I will go with you anywhere,” said Nat.
This was all that Judge Daniels wanted. He had been doing a heap of
thinking while Nat was telling his story, and when he had seen Nat
close his valise he got up and walked over to where the police justice
sat in his chair. The court was just about ready to begin. He was
evidently astonished at what the judge had to tell him, and when he
came back he was full of business.
“I will carry one valise, you can carry the other, and we will go down,
get a carriage and take them to the bank,” said he. “That will be the
first job done. I hope the dog will not bite me?”
Nat hastened to assure him that the dog would not, and together they
left the court room and in a few moments more were seated in a hack,
with Benny for company, and were being whirled away toward the bank in
the lower end of the city. At every turn Nat found something to wonder
at. The streets were crowded with all sorts of vehicles and Nat more
than once held his breath for fear that their driver would run into
some of them.
Pedestrians crossed and recrossed before them until Nat was certain
that somebody would be run down; but he did not have time to take it
all in. Judge Daniels had a good many questions to ask, and while Nat
was trying to make everything clear to him, they drew up in front of
the bank.
Judge Daniels was so well known there that he was invited at once
into the private office where there was no one to see them but the
president. At his request Nat related his story once more, the judge
watching it closely to detect any flaws in it, and when the money was
poured out on the table before the president, the latter could scarcely
restrain his astonishment. Several clerks were summoned to count the
money, and Nat strange as it may seem, did not bother his head whether
they counted it right or not. The money was out of his hands, it had
been surrendered to those whose duty it was to look after it, and he
was satisfied. Finally one of the clerks presented a paper to the
president, who looked at it and said:
“Do you know how much money you have here, Bub?”
Nat replied that he did not. He took the money as he found it without
stopping to count it.
“I don’t think you could have counted all this money in a hurry,” said
the president, with a smile. “You have here $40,000 lacking $10. Now
what are you going to do with it?”
Nat was obliged to confess that he did not know. Judge Daniels and the
president exchanged a few words in a lower tone, and then the latter
arose and picked up his hat.
“We’ll let it lay here until we go up to that place of yours,” said he.
“Now, Nat, you want some good clothes. Look at your shoes. They are all
giving out.”
How different this was from what Jonas said to him the last time he
referred to Nat’s shoes! He readily surrendered himself to Judge
Daniels’ guidance, and in half an hour more came out of the tailor shop
with a wonderful change in his appearance. The clothes he had taken off
would do very well for the country but they would hardly do for the
city. It was not possible that anybody who had known him in Manchester
could have recognized him. Then after he had been to a barber shop and
had his hair neatly trimmed, the transformation was complete.
The next thing was to go to Judge Daniels’ home and get dinner; and
here Nat’s admiration and surprise knew no bounds. It did not seem that
those chairs were made to sit on, or that the carpet was made to walk
on; or that the lady who came to see him, would not take wings and fly
up out of his sight. It was the judge’s wife. She seated herself beside
him on the sofa, listening in unbounded astonishment to Nat’s story,
the Judge watching it all the time to see if there were any flaws in
it, and when it was over she reached down and patted the dog, and Benny
never raised any objections to it.
During the afternoon they went down to the Judge’s office where there
was another consultation held between him and his partner. The latter
was amazed, but he thought that the best thing the Judge could do would
be to accompany Nat to his home and get all the evidence there was to
be had; so the next morning, Benny being left with the hostler, they
took the cars for Bridgeport. This was the first time that Nat had
been on a railroad train, and sometimes, when he looked out at the
window and saw how fast they were going, he could not help clutching
the seat for fear that the train was going to leave the track. Arriving
at Bridgeport they went to a hotel for the rest of the night, and the
next morning they hired a carriage to take them to Pond Post Office.
We can scarcely imagine what Nat’s feelings were when he gazed upon
the scenes which were so familiar to him; and when at last he got out
of the carriage and opened the bars so that it could be driven through
to where Jonas was standing in the door waiting for them, he felt like
yelling. On the contrary he controlled himself and said quietly:
“How do you do, Mr. Keeler?”
“Well, I will be dog-gone!” was all Jonas had to say in reply.
Getting the evidence he was in search of was not difficult. Jonas saw
in a moment “which side of his bread had the butter onto it,” and
answered all his questions readily; while the antics which Caleb went
through were enough to make Nat fairly burst with merriment. They
were all sincere, too. He said “dog-gone the luck” several times in a
whisper, felt of Nat’s clothing with his fingers, and could not bring
himself to believe that the thing was true. But it was to Mrs. Keeler
that Nat devoted the most of his attention. The woman seemed really
glad of his good luck, and Nat assured her that at some future time
there was a thousand dollars awaiting for her out of Mr. Nickerson’s
money.
It was a happy moment for Nat when they seated themselves in the
carriage bound for Bridgeport, and Judge Daniels declared that, as far
as he could see, Nat’s story was all true, and that the money which he
had struggled so hard to obtain was all his. All that remained to do
now was to have a guardian appointed and get ready to go to school.
“It will not take me five minutes to select a guardian,” said Nat.
“Will you take it Judge Daniels?”
The judge said he would and so the matter was settled.
Years have passed away since the events that are recorded in this
story took place, and if you go to a certain law firm and ask to see
Nathaniel Wood, you would be fairly surprised to see in that tall,
well-dressed man who is coming toward you the ragged, dirty-faced boy
who was wont to do the chores about Jonas Keeler’s place. Jonas thinks
the world of him, although to tell the truth, he does not do any work
to speak of as long as his remittance from St. Louis lasts.
“Do you know Nat Wood, that little snipe who used to work on my farm?”
he would say to some listener. “Well, he has got to be a big lawyer in
the city. If he ever runs for President, I am going to vote for him.”
Benny is dead; he served his day and generation faithfully. He soon
grew to be a regular favorite around the Judge’s house, and although a
tramp would have passed by on the other side, people who came there
on business were readily admitted, and no questions asked. Nat is the
same fellow he always was. He was an honest boy and he grew up to be
an honest man. He is always ready to live over old times; but those he
likes best to talk about are those that attended his Struggle for a
Fortune.
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Transcriber's note:
Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation are as in the original.