JIM GIVES BAIL.
Upon Jim's reappearance in the cottage, Mrs. Harris installed him as
nurse, and, herself, set about improvising a kitchen in the rear room.
Mr. Harris had been despatched to town for sundry articles, and, at
noon, we were served with a plentiful lunch, of which we partook in
rather primitive fashion.
Not long after, while Jim and I were conversing out under the trees, and
Mr. Harris was discoursing to two Trafton ladies who had called to
proffer service and sympathy, I saw Gerald Brown coming toward the
cottage, and guessing that his real business was with me, whatever
pretext he might present, I advanced to the gate and met him there.
He carried in his hand a telegraph envelope, which he proffered me
ostentatiously over the gate.
I opened it and read:
N. Y., etc., etc.
Will come to-night.
DENHAM.
Underneath this was written:
_They are wild in town; are about to arrest Jim Long for the
shooting of Bethel._
Two pair of eyes, at least, were looking out from the cottage door and
window.
I turned the message over, and resting it upon the gate post, wrote the
following:
_Don't lose sight of Dimber; telegraph to the Agency to ask if Blake
has arrived. Tell them not to let him get out of reach. We may want
him at any moment._
While I was writing this Gerry shifted his position, so that his face
could not be seen by the observers in the house, and said:
"Dimber is in it. He claims to have seen Long with his gun near Bethel's
house last night. The gun has been found."
"Of course," I returned. "We will put a muzzle on friend Dimber very
shortly."
I refolded the message and returned it to Gerry, who touched his hat and
turned back toward the village.
Going to the door of the cottage, I informed Mr. Harris and the ladies
that the new operator had just brought the news we so much wished for,
viz.: the coming of Bethel's uncle from New York by that night's
express. Then, sauntering back to my old place under the trees, I
communicated to Jim the purport of the postscript written by Gerry.
He listened attentively, but with no sign of discomposure visible upon
his countenance.
"I've had time to think the matter over," he said, after a moment's
silence, "and I think I shall pull through, but," with a waggish twinkle
in his eye, "I am puzzled to know why that young man going up the hill
should take so much interest in me, or was it Harris?"
"It was not Harris," returning his look with interest. "That young man
going up the hill is Gerald Brown, of New York. He's the new night
operator, and he will not fail to do his _duty_, in the office and out
of it."
"Ah!" ejaculated Jim, turning his eyes once more toward the receding
form of Gerry.
I let my own gaze follow his and there, just coming into sight on the
brow of the hill, was a party of men.
It consisted of the constable, supported by several able-bodied
citizens, and followed, of course, by a promiscuous rabble.
Jim gave vent to a low chuckle.
"See the idiots," he said, "coming like mountain bandits. No doubt they
look for fierce resistance. Don't let them think you are too much
interested in the case."
"I won't," I said, briefly, for the men were hurrying down the hill. "It
would not be politic, but I'll have you out of their clutches, Long,
without a scratch, sure and soon."
I turned toward the house as I finished the sentence, and Jim arose and
went toward the gate; not the man of easy movements and courteous speech
who had been my companion for the past twenty-four hours, not Long, the
gentleman, but "Long Jim," the loafer, awkward, slouching, uncouth of
manner and speech.
As the crowd made a somewhat noisy approach, Jim leaned over the gate
and motioned them to silence.
"Gentlemen," he said, seriously, "ye can't be any too still about this
place, an' ye'd a' showed better gumption if ye hadn't paid yer respects
in a squad, as if ye was comin' to a hangin'. Somehow ye seem mighty
fond o' waitin' on Dr. Bethel in a gang."
Acting upon a hint from me, Mr. Harris now went out, and in milder
words, but with much the same meaning, exhorted the visitors to quiet.
And then, casting a quick glance behind him, and a somewhat apprehensive
one toward Jim, the constable read his warrant. The two men inside the
gate listened with astonished faces. Indeed, Jim's assumption of
amazement, viewed in the light of my knowledge concerning its
genuineness, was ludicrous beyond description.
Mr. Harris began an earnest expostulation, and turned to beckon me to
his assistance, but Jim checked him by a gesture.
"We can't have any disputing here," he said, sharply. "Don't argy,
parson; tain't wuth while."
Then he opened the gate and stepped suddenly out among them.
"I'll go with ye," he said, "for the sake of peace. But," glaring about
him fiercely, "if it wan't fer makin' a disturbance, again the doctor's
orders, I'd take ye one at a time and thrash a little sense into ye.
Come along, Mr. Constable; I'm goin' to 'pear' afore Jestice Summers,
an' I'm goin' to walk right to the head o' this mob o' your'n, an' don't
ye try to come none o' yer jailer dodges over me. Ye kin all walk
behind, an' welcome, but the first man as undertakes to lay a finger on
me, or step along-side--somethin'll happen to him."
And Jim thrust his hands deep down in his pockets, walked coolly through
the group, which divided to let him pass, and strode off up the hill.
"Goodness!" ejaculated the valorous officer of the law, "is--is there a
man here that's got a pistol?"
[Illustration: "Goodness!" ejaculated the valorous officer of the law,
"is--is there a man here that's got a pistol?"--page 332.]
No reply from his supporters.
I put my hand behind me and produced a small revolver.
"Take this," I said, proffering the weapon over the gate. "You had
better humor his whim, but if he attempts to escape, you know how to
stop him."
He seized the protecting weapon, nodded his thanks, and hastened after
his prisoner, followed by the entire body guard.
"My dear sir," said Mr. Harris, gravely, "I was sorry to see you do
that. You surely don't think Long guilty?"
I turned toward him, no longer trying to conceal my amusement.
"He is as innocent as you or I," I replied, "and the pistol is not
loaded. One may as well retain the good will of the magnates of the law,
Mr. Harris."
He smiled in his turn, and, wishing to avoid a discussion, in which I
must of necessity play a very hypocritical part, I turned back and
entered the cottage to explain the situation to the ladies.
During that long, still afternoon, visitors came and went. Louise
Barnard, a little refreshed and very anxious returned and resumed her
post at the bedside. She was shocked and indignant at the news of Jim
Long's arrest; and she breathed a sigh of relief and gratification upon
being told of the expected coming Dr. Denham. Late in the afternoon, Dr.
Hess made a second visit, and when he returned to town Mr. Harris
accompanied him, the two driving back in the doctor's gig.
It was very quiet. Mrs. Harris dozed in the easy-chair; Louise sat mute
and statue-like by the bedside of her lover, and I, oppressed by the
stillness, was leaning over the open window sill, wondering how it was
faring with Jim Long, when the gate gave the faintest creak, and I
lifted my eyes to see the object of my mental inquiry coming toward me.
Uttering an exclamation which roused good Mrs. Harris and caused the
watcher in the inner room to turn her head, I hastened to meet him.
"Long," I exclaimed, "what lucky fate has brought you back?"
He glanced from me to the doorway, where Mrs. Harris was now standing,
with an expectant look on her benevolent countenance, and replied,
laconically:
"Bail."
"Good! I was thinking of that."
"Jim," broke in Mrs. Harris, eagerly, "who did it? We'll all bless his
kindness."
He advanced to the door, planted his right foot upon the lower step,
rested his elbow on his knee, pushed his hat off his forehead, and
grinned benignly on us both.
"Then I'm the feller that'll walk off with the blessin'," he said, with
a chuckle. "I went my own bail to the tune of five thousand dollars!"
Mrs. Harris gave a gasp of surprise. I seated myself on the corner of
the step farthest from Jim, and, seeing that he was about to volunteer a
further explanation, remained silent.
At the same moment I observed what was unnoticed by the other two; Miss
Barnard had left her post and was standing behind Mrs. Harris.
"Ye see," continued Jim, giving me a sidelong glance, and then fixing
his eyes upon the hem of Mrs. Harris's apron, "Ye see, I had ter appear
afore Jestice Summers. Now, the Jestice," with another sidelong glance,
and an almost imperceptible gesture, "is a man an' a brother. I ain't
agoin' ter say anythin' agin' him. I s'pose he had to do his duty. There
was some in that office that wanted ter see me put where I couldn't be
so sassy, but I didn't mind them. The minit I got in my oar, I jest
talked right straight at the Jestice, an' I told him in short order that
ef I was sure of bein' treated on the square, I'd jest waive an
examination. An' then I kind o' sighed, an' appealed to their feelin's,
tellin' them that I hadn't no friends nor relations, but that may be, ef
they gave me half a show, an' didn't set my bail too high, may be some
one would go my security, an' give me a chance ter try ter clear myself.
Wal! ef you could a looked around that office, ye'd a thought my chance
o' gittin security was slim. The Jestice called the time on me, an'
allowed 'twould be fair ter give me bail. An' then 'Squire Brookhouse,
an' one or two more, piped in with objections, until the Jestice put the
bail up ter five thousand. Of course that wilted me right down.
Everybody grinned or giggled, an' nobody didn't offer any more
objections, an' the bizness was finished up. Then, when they had got ter
a place where there was no backin' out, I jest unbuttoned my coat an'
vest, whipped off a belt I'd got fixed handy for the 'casion, an'
counted five thousand dollars right down under their noses!"
Here he paused to lift his eyes to the face of Mrs. Harris, and to see,
for the first time, his third auditor, who now came forward to grasp his
hand, and utter rejoicings at his present liberty, and indignant
disapproval of the parties who had brought against him a charge which
she unhesitatingly pronounced absurd and without reasonable foundation.
Next Jim's hand came into the cordial grasp of good Mrs. Harris, who was
more voluble than Louise Barnard, and none the less sincere.
When, after a time, Jim and I found ourselves _tete-a-tete_ for a
moment, I said:
"Long, I look on it as a fortunate thing that you were taken before
Justice Summers."
"Well," said Jim, dryly, "all things considered, so do I."