The next morning at eight o'clock Tessibel walked eastward up the long
hill toward the college. The "Cranium" fellows were yet asleep. The
whole house was tired out from looking for their captured president. The
underclassmen did not know that Graves had escaped, Frederick's enemies
keeping them in ignorance as long as possible.
Tessibel turned into the carriage drive toward the fraternity with a
fish-basket upon her arm.
A man cleaning snow from the flight of steps addressed her.
"What do you want here?"
"I want to see Mr. Jordan.... He air here, ain't he? I has somethin' for
him."
"Give it to me," ordered the janitor, "I'll take it to him."
"Can't! He said as how I wasn't to give it to no one but hisself, and I
won't, so there!"
"He ain't up yet."
"Don't care, I'll wait, then.... Tell him, will ye, that I air a
waitin'?"
Dan Jordan wondered as he crawled slowly out of bed what a girl could
want of him at that early hour. He met Tess at the front door, and
without waiting for him to speak Tessibel said in an undertone.
"I has somethin' to tell ye.... I air Tess the squatter's brat, what ye
gived the coffee to at the parson's house. I said as how I has
somethin' to tell ye!"
"Will you tell me now?" asked Dan kindly. "You see, I can't ask you in
here--"
"I ain't a comin' in," and lowering her voice with a furtive glance she
almost whispered, "I knows--I knows where the minister's son air."
Dan started and looked at her sharply. She could mean no other than
Frederick. He placed his fingers on his lips.
"You have fish to sell," he asked, "I will take them all. Go around to
the back door and leave them...." Then in a lower tone he ordered, "Meet
me in five minutes at the bottom of the hill."
The last of the sentence was breathed rather than spoken. Dan Jordan
turned into State Street some minutes afterwards, and he could see the
glistening red head of the fisher-girl as she swung her empty basket on
her arm and jingled the money in her hand which she had received for the
fish.
"Tell me quickly where Mr. Graves is," commanded Dan rushing toward her.
"He air in my hut," answered Tess bluntly.
"Did the boys bring him there?"
"Nope, he got away.... And I took him there."
She described the plan she and Frederick had formed.
"Ye see by that way ye can get him to the supper, can't ye?"
"Yes," replied Dan delightedly, "and we will never be able to thank you
enough for what you have done. Let me assure you that we are very
grateful to you."
"Aw, shut up!" Every white tooth showed in the wide smile, "I ain't
done nothin'. He air done more than that for me."
The sweet face lighted by the infinite love for the student hidden in
her hut spoke its own secret to Dan Jordan and through his recently
acquired knowledge of heart emotions, he stared vaguely at the girl.
Would Frederick--no, no--the minister's son was a better lad than he.
His eyes filled with tears and a lump came into his throat. He stood
watching the figure of Tess moving away, and regarded intently the great
boots, the ragged skirt, the beautiful ringlets and the proud young head
set so well upon the sloping shoulders. Dan's mind reverted to another
girl, no older than the squatter, and with a sigh mournful enough he
turned back to the fraternity.
* * * * *
Tess walked down the lane, running as she neared the foot of the hill.
She wanted to impart to the student what Dan had told her. With her
fingers upon the hut latch she stopped short. Voices came from inside.
She dropped her hand--Ben Letts was there or another squatter. Suddenly
she opened the door and stood in the entrance. Frederick was seated upon
"Daddy's" stool; Professor Young was standing in his fur coat with his
back to the stove.
The student's face had blanched to the hue of death; an expression such
as Tess had never seen in human eyes rested in his. He was speaking and
the girl's ears caught the words.
"I would forfeit my life before I would harm her, believe me!" Two pairs
of masculine eyes turned at the opening of the door, and both men were
looking into the eager face of Tessibel. The Professor did not come
forward to meet her; his manner was stiff and formal. For a moment even
the student's last words left her mind, and Daddy Skinner rose before
her.
"Ye be here to tell me about Daddy?" she asked.
"You needed me to come more for yourself than to tell you of your
father, child!" said Young with accusing eyes upon Frederick.
A sullen expression flitted across Tessibel's lips.
"Ye didn't need to come, if yer a goin' to make the student sorry," she
answered haltingly. "Ye has yer own business to mind."
Tess was standing between them, her glance turning first to Frederick,
then to the Professor. She didn't fully understand his words, but she
knew that Frederick had been hurt by something the lawyer had said.
Young began to button his coat. He had thought the girl worth saving,
and Frederick had ever been in his mind as the perfection of young
manhood. His throat tightened; he looked at Tess and thought of his love
for her. It was almost mastering him. Why should he suffer over such a
girl, who insulted him even while he was trying to help her?
Frederick stood up wearily. Professor Young ought to realize the
situation, to remember that some shelter was necessary for him. Tess was
stolidly arranging the table.
"You do not know how I came to be here," said Frederick briefly.
"It is enough that I see you here," replied Young.
In a temper Tess slammed the oven door loudly.
"She found me on the tracks," explained Frederick. "I escaped from the
sophomores and she brought me here. I should have frozen to death
otherwise--and I did not think that it might harm her."
"It ain't hurt me," cried Tessibel coming forward. "He air the one what
helped me get my Daddy Skinner out of trouble. He air my friend!"
The rage of the girl when she wheeled impetuously upon him made the
Professor catch his breath. He had been the one who had done all the
work, had given her father a new lease of life. He had come now to tell
her about the letter, and to hear her say that a lad with no influence
whatever had done that which it would have been impossible for him to
do, to hear Tess give the credit which should be his to Frederick made
Young pass his fingers through his hair nervously, and wonder just what
the student had done to gain such praise. His own love for Tess, his
great desire, pleaded with him to believe in both the boy and the girl.
Tessibel's soulful expression went far in giving back to Deforest Young
the hope that had made his days brighter and filled the future with
promise.
"May I stay with you to dinner, Miss Tessibel?" he said, shaking his
shoulders. "I did not understand ... In fact I had forgotten about the
banquet. I am glad you helped Mr. Graves make his class dinner.... May I
stay?"
Frederick stepped forward, holding out his hand.
"Thanks," he said brokenly; "I shall never forget this--in you."
The clasping of the two hands and the smile on the lips of the student
made Tess broaden her own.
"Yep, jerk off yer coat, and eat," ordered she. "Air ye heard about
Daddy?"
"Yes." Young hesitated a moment.
"What is it, Professor?" ejaculated Frederick. "Don't keep her in
suspense."
"Daddy ain't a-goin' to hang!... He can't!" Her eyes turned to
Frederick. "'Cause ye said he couldn't."
The boy flushed to the roots of his hair and glanced at Professor Young.
Again she was giving the credit to Graves--credit the lad so little
deserved. Frederick felt this, and muttered:
"She doesn't understand yet what you've done, Professor--I'm sorry!"
"They've placed a stay upon your father's execution," explained Young,
"that will give us a chance to prove him innocent.... I am positive that
he didn't kill the gamekeeper. I went to the prison last week."
"Ye seed him?" asked Tess eagerly, striding close to him. He felt the
hot breath against his face and a feeling of longing coursed through his
veins.
"Yes," was all he said.
"What did he say about me?"
"Everything good! You will have him very soon here with you, Tessibel."
The girl was fatigued with turbulent emotions, lonely and heartsick. The
shadow of the rope was gone from Daddy Skinner. Like a relieved child
she sank down upon the floor and began to whimper. Both men were
silenced by the swaying red head. The bacon sputtered in the frying pan
upon the stove, spitting the grease to the lids, where it burned away in
tiny yellow flames.
Then Tess raised her head.
"What a bloke I air to cry when Daddy air a-comin' home.... We air
a-goin' to eat now," she ended, wiping her eyes.
Before the meal was over Tess was on better terms with Young than she
had ever been before. He outlined to the delighted girl his visit to the
prison.
"Your father says, child," he related, "that he took the gun from the
stern of the boat, and laid it on the shore, near where he was hauling
the net.... He heard a shot and ran forward and was arrested. He swore
to me that he did not fire the gun and I believe him. The fatal step was
in his taking the rifle at all, because that was disobeying the law."
"Ye air my friend, too," Tess said beamingly, leaning over and taking
the Professor's hand in hers. Before he could stop her, she had raised
it to her lips, kissed it several times, and dropping it again, calmly
went on eating.