THE HOME-COMING OF JO DAVIES
"Whew! that's tough!" observed Seth.
One or two of the other scouts whistled, to indicate the strained
condition of their nerves; and all of them pressed up a little closer,
so as not to lose a single word of what was passing.
"But if as you say, sir, that you had this money securely hidden, it
doesn't seem possible that an ordinary tramp would know the place where
you kept it, so that he could dodge right into the house, and in a
minute be off with it; isn't that so?"
Paul was the greatest hand you ever heard of to dip deeply into a thing.
Where most other boys of his age would be satisfied to simply listen,
and wonder, he always persisted in asking questions, in order to get at
the facts. And he was not born in Missouri either, as Seth often
laughingly declared.
The farmer looked at him. There was a frown beginning to gather on his
forehead as though sudden and serious doubts had commenced to take a
grip on his mind.
"If he took my money I'll have the law on him, as sure as my name is
Sile Rollins," Paul heard him mutter, half to himself.
"Then you've thought of some one who might have known that you had three
thousand dollars under your roof, is that it, sir?" he asked.
"Y-yes, but it's hard to suspect Jo, when I've done so much for him
these years he's been with me," admitted the owner of the farm; though
at the same time his face took on a hard expression, and he ground his
teeth together furiously, while he went on to say, "but if so be he has
robbed me, I ain't called upon to have any mercy on him, just because
his old mother once nursed my wife, and I guess saved her life. Jo has
got to hand my money back, or take the consequences."
"Is Jo your hired man?" Paul asked.
The farmer nodded his head moodily; he was evidently a prey to mingled
feelings, and close upon the border of a dazed condition. These
calamities following so swiftly upon each other's heels had taken his
breath away. But presently he would recover, and be eager to do
something.
"You said just a bit ago that he was away today, and that you had to do
the chores this evening, looking after the stock, and such things;
wasn't that it, sir?" continued the scoutmaster.
"He asked to have this afternoon off; wouldn't say why he wanted to get
away, either. And by ginger! now that I think of it, Jo did look kind of
excited when he was asking me for leave. I can see why that should be
so. He was figuring on this nasty little game right then and there. He
wanted to be able to prove an _alibi_ in case he was ever accused. And
this evening he must have put a match to the hay in the barn, and then
watched his chance to creep into the house when both of us was busy
trying to save the stock. Oh! it makes my blood boil just to think of
it. And I never would have believed Jo Davies could have been so cold
blooded as to take the chances of burnin' the animals he seemed to be so
fond of."
"Did he stay here over night with you?" Paul asked.
"Not as a rule, Jo didn't. You see, he's got an old mother, and they
live in a little cottage about a mile away from here toward town. So Jo,
he always made it a point to sleep there. I had no fault to find,
because he was on hand bright and early every morning. But this will
kill his old mother; however could he do it? Chances are, he fell in
with some racing men when we had the county fair, and has got to
gambling. But I'll be ruined if I don't get that money back again."
"Could we help you in any way, Mr. Rollins? You know, Boy Scouts are
always bound to be of assistance whenever they find a chance. We're on a
great hike just now, and a little leg weary; but if we can stand by you
further, please let us know. How about that, boys?" and Paul turned
toward his chums as he spoke.
"That's the ticket, Paul!" replied Andy, promptly.
"Our sentiments, every time," said Seth.
And the others gave vigorous nods, to indicate that they were all of the
same mind; which unanimity of opinion must have been a great
satisfaction to the leader.
"Then let's go right away, boys!" remarked the farmer, eagerly. "P'raps
now we might come up with Jo on the way, and ketch him with the goods
on. If he'll only give me back my money I'll agree not to prosecute, on
account of his poor old mother, if nothing else. But I'm as bad off as a
beggar if I lose all that hard earned cash."
Without saying anything to Mrs. Rollins or the neighbors, they hurried
away, the boys keeping in a cluster around the farmer. If any of the
scouts began to feel twinges in the muscles of their legs, already hard
pushed, they valiantly fought against betraying the weakness. Besides,
the excitement acted as a tonic upon them, and seemed to lend them
additional powers of endurance, just as it does in foot races where the
strain is terrific.
"It looks bad for Jo Davies, I should think, Paul," Andy managed to say,
as they pushed resolutely along.
"Well, he is the one fellow who may have known about the money,"
admitted the scout master, "and if the temptation ever came to him, he
could easily watch his employer, and learn where he hid the cash. How
about that, Mr. Rollins?"
The farmer had heard what was being said, and immediately replied:
"If Jo was bent on robbery, p'raps he could have watched me some time,
and seen where I hid that little tin box away in the attic. I used to go
there once a week to add some money to the savings that I'd foolishly
drawn out of bank long before I needed 'em, just to see how it felt to
be rich for a little while."
"When was the last time you went up there to look at it?" Paul asked.
"Let me see, when Web Sterry paid me for the heifer I sold him I put the
money away; and that was just ten days back."
"And it was all there then, you say?" questioned Paul.
"Surely," replied the farmer.
"Was Jo working near the house then, can you remember, sir?"
Mr. Rollins appeared to reflect.
"When was the day we did some carpenter work on that extension--as sure
as anything it was the day Webb paid me! Yes, I remember, now, that Jo
came around from his work on the plane, and told me Webb was there."
The farmer's excitement was increasing. Things, under the clever
questioning of the young scoutmaster, seemed to be fitting in with each
other, just as a carpenter dovetails the ends of a box together.
"It looks as though Jo might have spied on you when you went up to the
attic to put that new money away with the rest. If he suspected that you
were keeping a large sum in the house that's what he would most likely
do when he knew you had just taken in some more cash. Now, I don't know
Jo Davies, and I don't like to accuse him of such a terrible crime; but
circumstantial evidence all points in his direction, Mr. Rollins."
Paul measured his words. He never liked to think ill of any one; but
really in this case it seemed as though there could be hardly any doubt
at all; Jo Davies must be the guilty party.
"Are we gettin' near where Jo lives?" asked Jotham, trying to speak
lightly, although there was a plain vein of anxiety in his voice; for
when a fellow has covered nearly thirty miles since sun-up, every rod
counts after that; and following each little rest the muscles seem to
stiffen wonderfully.
"More'n two-thirds the way there," replied the farmer. "We'll see a
light, like as not, when we get around this turn in the woods road.
That'll come from the little cabin where he lives with his old mother.
Oh! but I'm sorry for Mrs. Davies; and the boy, he always seemed to
think so much of his maw, too. You never can tell, once these fast
fliers get to running with racing men. But I only hope I get my own back
again. That's the main thing with me just now, you know. And if Jo, he
seems sorry, I might try and forget what he's done. It all depends on
how things turn out. See, just as I told you, there's the light ahead."
All of them saw it; and as they continued to walk hastily forward
through the darkness Paul was thinking how human Mr. Rollins was, after
all; for it was only natural that his first thought should be in
connection with the safe recovery of his hard earned money.
They rapidly drew near the cottage, and all of the boys were beginning
to wonder what was fated to happen next on the programme. Doubtless they
were some of them fairly quivering with eagerness, and hoping that the
thief might be caught examining the stolen cash box.
"Hush! there's somebody coming along over there; stand still,
everybody!" Paul gave warning, suddenly, and the whole party remained
motionless, watching a lighted lantern that was moving rapidly toward
the cottage from the opposite direction, being evidently carried by an
approaching man.
It continued to advance straight toward the cottage. Then the unknown
opened the door, and went in.
"That was Jo," muttered Mr. Rollins, "I seen his face plain as anything;
but why would he be coming from the direction of town, instead of my
place?"
"Oh! that might be only a clever little trick, sir," Seth made haste to
say, as though to indicate in this way that scouts were able to see back
of all such sly dodges.
"Say, he sure had something under his arm," broke in Jotham just then.
"Yes, I saw that, too," added Paul. "It was a small package, not much
larger than a cigar box, I should say, and wrapped up in brown paper."
"P'raps my tin cash box?" suggested Mr. Rollins, in trembling tones.
"It might be, though I hardly think any one smart enough to play such a
game as setting fire to a barn in order to draw all attention away from
the house he wanted to rob, would be silly enough to carry home a tin
box that would convict him, if ever it was found there."
Paul made this remark. They had once more started to advance, though by
no means as rapidly as before. The fact that Jo Davies had arrived just
before them, and not only carrying a lighted lantern, but with a
suspicious packet under his arm, seemed to necessitate a change of pace,
as well as a new line of action.
"Let's sneak up to the window, and peek in?" suggested Fritz, and
somehow the idea appealed to the others, for without any argument they
proceeded to carry out the plan of campaign.
It promised to be easy work. The shade seemed to be all the way up, as
though the old lady who lived in the humble cottage had left a light
near the window purposely in order to cheer her boy when he turned the
bend below, and came in sight of home.
As noiselessly as possible, therefore, the six scouts, accompanied by
the farmer, crept toward this window. The sill was not over four feet
from the ground, and could be easily reached; indeed, in order not to
expose themselves, they were compelled to stoop rather low when
approaching the spot.
Some sort of flower garden lay under the window. Paul remembered
stepping upon unseen plants, and somehow felt a pang of regret at thus
injuring what had probably taken much of the old lady's time and
attention to nurse along to the flowering stage. But this was an
occasion when all minor scruples must be laid aside. When a man has been
basely robbed, and by an employee in whom he has put the utmost
confidence, one cannot stand on ceremony, even if pet flowerbeds are
rudely demolished. And if the farmer's suspicions turned out to be real
facts, Jo Davies' old mother was apt to presently have worries besides
which the breaking of her flowers would not be a circumstance.
Now they had reached a point where, by raising their heads, they could
peep into the room where the lamp gave such illumination.
As scouts the boys had long ago learned to be cautious in whatever they
attempted; and hence they did not immediately thrust their heads upward,
at the risk of attracting the attention of whoever might be within the
room. On the contrary each fellow slowly and carefully raised himself,
inch by inch, until his eyes, having passed the lower sill he could see,
first the low ceiling, then the upper part of the opposite wall, and
last of all the occupants themselves.
They were two in number, one an old woman with a sweet face and
snow-white hair; the other a tall, boyish-looking chap, undoubtedly the
Jo who had been farmhand to Mr. Rollins, and was now under the dreadful
ban of suspicion.
When Paul first caught sight of these two they were bending over the
table, on which something evidently lay that had been holding their
attention. Jo was talking excitedly. Every minute he would pause in
whatever he was saying, to throw his arms around the little old lady,
who in turn would clasp her arms about his neck; and in this way they
seemed to be exchanging mutual congratulations. But when they moved
aside while thus embracing, Paul felt a cold chill run up and down his
spine because _there upon the table were several piles of bank bills_!