A CONFESSION.
It seemed to Joe as if aunt Dorcas had but just left the room when she
returned, ready for the work of binding up his wounds.
"Do you feel any worse, Joseph?" she asked, laying her hand gently on
his shoulder.
"Not a bit of it," Master Potter replied, stoutly.
"Do you think you can bear up until I have built a fire and heated some
water?"
"Now, look here, aunt Dorcas, I ain't hurt any to speak of, even though
there is a good deal of blood on my face, an' as for bearin' up, why, it
wouldn't do me a bit of harm if there wasn't anything done to my face.
I'll build a fire, if it's warm water you're after," and, before the
little woman could prevent him, he had set about the task.
While waiting for the fire to burn, aunt Dorcas collected such articles
as she believed would be needed, and Joe found it difficult to prevent a
smile from appearing on his bruised face, as he watched the
preparations.
Several rolls of clean, white cloth, in sufficient quantity to have
bandaged the heads of twenty boys, arnica, antiseptic washes, adhesive
plaster, a sponge, cooling lotions, and, as Joe afterwards told Plums,
"a whole apothecary's shop full of stuff," was placed on the table in a
methodical fashion.
"I guess while this water's bein' heated I'll wash some of the blood off
my face, an' then you'll see that there ain't any need of worryin' much
'bout me," Joe said, with a laugh, as he turned towards the sink, and
aunt Dorcas cried, excitedly:
"Don't do it, Joseph! Don't you dare to do it; it might be as much as
your life is worth to put cold water on that bruised flesh! It won't be
many minutes before we shall have plenty of the proper temperature."
"Of course I'll do jest as you say, aunt Dorcas; but I've been hurt
worse'n this a good many times, an' never had any one to touch me up the
same's you seem bound on doin'."
"If you have been foolhardy in the past, it is no reason why you should
run unnecessary risks now," the little woman said, severely, and Joe
made no further attempt to dissuade her from her purpose.
When the water was sufficiently warm, aunt Dorcas set about her
self-appointed task, passing the moist sponge over Joe's face with an
exceedingly light touch, as if afraid of causing him pain, and he said,
with a stifled laugh:
"You needn't be afraid of hurtin' me, aunt Dorcas. I can stand a good
deal more'n that without yippin'. I'd been willin' to got it twice as
bad, if we could have held on to that duffer."
"You shouldn't harbour revengeful thoughts, Joseph. I am truly glad he
made his escape."
"If you treat burglars in that way, this place will be overrun with them
before next winter."
"Of course I don't like the idea of having strange men prowling around
the house in the night; but there is nothing here for them to steal, and
I am certain they couldn't be wicked enough to hurt a poor old woman
like me. Instead of harbouring revengeful thoughts, we should endeavour
to do good to those who would injure us, remembering the words spoken on
the Mount, 'That ye resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on
the right cheek, turn to him the other also.'"
"If a feller went 'round doin' anything like that, I reckon he'd soon be
in worse shape than I am. Do you mean, aunt Dorcas, that I ought to have
stood still an' let that burglar have fun with me?"
"I can't think it was intended we should take the words literally; but
they certainly were meant that we should be forgiving,--that we should
love our enemies so heartily as to lead them from their evil ways. The
man who beat you so cruelly will never be brought into a better life by
harsh words. Now, I am going to put some arnica on these bruises; it
will hurt, but you must try to bear the pain manfully."
"Don't be afraid of me, aunt Dorcas. You couldn't do anything that would
make me yip."
The little woman treated Joe's wounds with such simple remedies as she
had near at hand, and then proceeded to bandage his head, until but
little more than his eyes and mouth could be seen, striving, meanwhile,
to show him how much better the world would be for his having lived in
it, if he would govern himself strictly by the Golden Rule.
During all the while she was putting the many bandages in place, Joe was
saying to himself that now was come the time when he should make that
confession he had decided upon, and, although aunt Dorcas had said so
much concerning the blessedness of forgiving those who have done us an
injury, he did not believe she would so far carry her precepts into
practice as to be willing to shelter one who appeared to be as great a
criminal as himself.
"I believe, Joseph, I have done all that is possible to-night," the
little woman finally said, as she fastened in place the last bandage.
"You are not to get up in the morning until after I have made certain
you are in no danger of a fever. Now, go to your room, and if you think
George may disturb you, I'll put him in the spare chamber."
"Wait a minute, aunt Dorcas; I want to tell you something," and Joe laid
his hand on the little woman's arm to prevent her from rising. "You
never knew why Plums an' I left New York to come out here where there
isn't a chance to earn a living."
"I understood from something you said, Joseph, that there was a reason
for your leaving home suddenly; but I can't believe, my boy, you have
done anything wrong."
"An' I haven't, aunt Dorcas; as true as I live, I haven't, though
everybody, even Plums, thinks I've been cuttin' a terrible swath! Of
course, when that advertisement come out, I had to run away, else they'd
carried me to jail--"
"To jail?" aunt Dorcas repeated, in horror. "What advertisement do you
mean, Joseph?"
"The one that was in the paper 'bout payin' anybody who'd tell where I
was."
"But who wanted to know where you were?"
"The lawyers, of course,--the fellers that advertised."
"Why did they want to find you?" aunt Dorcas asked, in perplexity.
"That's what knocks me silly, 'cause I don't know a thing about it, any
more'n you do."
"Did you say the advertisement knocked you silly, Joseph?" and the
little woman now looked thoroughly bewildered.
"Course it did, an' it would have paralysed 'most anybody that didn't
know what they'd been about."
"Joseph, I'm afraid I don't understand you. It is a printed
advertisement you are telling me about, isn't it?"
"Of course. I saw the first one in the _Herald_, an'--"
"I thought you said some one had dealt you a blow. Tell me what there
was in the advertisement."
Joe repeated the words almost verbatim, and then told aunt Dorcas all
the details of the flight, up to the moment they arrived at her home.
Regarding the threats made by the amateur detective he remained silent,
because of the promise to Dan.
"There must be some terrible mistake about it all, Joseph. If you
haven't committed a crime, and I feel certain you couldn't have done
such a thing, then it is some other boy these lawyers are hunting for."
"There's no such good luck as that, aunt Dorcas. I don't believe there's
another feller in town named Joseph Potter, who's been sellin'
newspapers an' then went into the fruit business. You see, that's me to
a dot, an' now Plums an' Dan are in the scrape because they helped me
away. Just as likely as not Dan will come here to-morrow to ask you to
take him in, too, an' I've made up my mind that the princess an' I have
got to leave. We're goin' away about noon, aunt Dorcas, an' some time
I'll be back to pay you for bein' so good to us."
The little woman looked at Joe for an instant, as if not understanding
what he had said, and repeated:
"Going away?"
"Yes, aunt Dorcas, we've got to. Even if you was willin' we should stay,
after what I've told you, I wouldn't agree to hang 'round, livin' on
you, while there are two other fellers doin' the same thing."
Aunt Dorcas gazed at Joe steadily during several seconds, and then said,
in a decided tone:
"I don't understand what you have tried to tell me; but it is certain,
Joseph Potter, that you sha'n't leave my house while you are wounded so
seriously."
"I ain't wounded, aunt Dorcas, an' I'm as well able to go this minute as
I was when I came."
"It doesn't make any difference whether you are or not. I sha'n't allow
you to step your foot off of these premises until I know more about this
affair. It is all a mistake from beginning to end; there can be no
question of that, and I'll get at the bottom of it before we are very
much older. Now go straight to bed, and mind what I told you about
getting up in the morning."
Aunt Dorcas pulled the bandages apart sufficiently to admit of her
kissing Joe on the lips, and then, putting the lamp in his hand, she led
him to the stairway.
"You're an awful good woman, aunt Dorcas, an' some day I'll be able to
do more than tell you so."
"Good night, my boy. Put this matter entirely out of your mind and go to
sleep."
When Joe gained the chamber once more, it was as if a great weight had
been lifted from his heart.
The confession which caused him so much anxiety had been made, and,
instead of reproaching him for having come to her home, aunt Dorcas was
the same kindly, Christianlike woman as when he first saw her.
Master Plummer, who had slept peacefully during all the adventures of
the night, was disturbed by the light of the lamp, as it shone full in
his face, and opening his eyes, he said, petulantly:
"What are you doin'--" He ceased speaking suddenly, as he saw his
friend's bandaged face, and cried, in something very like alarm,
"Wha--wha--what's happened to you?"
"There was a burglar in the house, an' I tackled him."
This was sufficient to bring Master Plummer to a sitting posture at
once, and he demanded to be told all the particulars.
Joe began to comply with his friend's request, but was interrupted by
the voice of aunt Dorcas from the room below.
"George! Don't you allow Joseph to say a single word to-night. He must
be kept perfectly quiet, or no one can say what may be the result of his
terrible wounds. Go to sleep immediately, both of you, and to-morrow
morning I'll do the talking, if Joseph isn't strong enough."
"Go on, an' tell me all about it," Plums whispered. "She won't hear if
we talk low."
"I'll do jest exactly as aunt Dorcas told me, even if she said I was to
stand on my head for half an hour. A feller who wouldn't mind what she
tells him ain't fit to live," and Joe got into bed, refusing to so much
as speak when Plums plied him with questions.
Although he had made light of his wounds when talking to aunt Dorcas,
they gave him no slight amount of pain, and this, together with his
anxiety of mind, would seem to have been sufficient to keep his eyes
open until morning; yet within a very short time he was sleeping as
peacefully as if attorneys and burglars had never been known in this
world.
Not until aunt Dorcas tapped gently on the door next morning did either
of the boys awaken, and then Joe would have leaped out of bed
immediately after answering her summons, but for the words:
"You're not to get up, Joseph, until I am positive you are out of
danger."
Joe laughed aloud, in the gladness of his heart; such solicitude for his
welfare was something he had never known before, and it seemed very
sweet to him.
"Let me get up, aunt Dorcas, an' if I don't show you I'm all right, I'll
come straight back to bed. There's no need of my layin' here, 'cause I'm
sound as a nut."
The little woman hesitated, but finally gave the desired permission, and
when Joe was in the kitchen once more, she insisted on removing the
bandages to examine the wounds before even so much as allowing Master
Plummer to partake of the breakfast already prepared.
To Joe and Plums, who were accustomed to such injuries, there appeared
to be no reason why the bandages should be replaced, but aunt Dorcas,
who could be as firm as she usually was gentle, when occasion required,
insisted upon obedience, and once more Joe's face was enveloped in white
cloth, until he presented a most comical appearance.
Then aunt Dorcas brought the princess down-stairs, and the little maid,
not recognising her young guardian, positively refused to speak to him,
but nestled close by the little woman's side until Joe, by dint of much
coaxing and bribing, persuaded her to accept him as a new, if not an
old, acquaintance.
When the meal was brought to an end, and before the breakfast dishes
were cleared away, aunt Dorcas referred to the confession of the
previous night, by saying:
"I've been thinking over what you told me, Joseph, and verily believe I
should have awakened you before daylight this morning to ask a few
questions, if you had not been in such a serious condition. You have no
objection to my speaking about the matter before George?"
"Of course not, aunt Dorcas. He knows the whole thing as well as I do,
except he believes I must have done something pretty tough."
"You should never think evil of any person, George, no matter how much
appearances are against him."
"Well, if Joe didn't do anything, what are these lawyers offerin' to
give a whole hundred dollars to catch one of us for?"
"That is what I hope to find out. There is something in connection with
the matter which you boys have failed to explain, that will make it all
very simple. Have either of you a copy of that advertisement?"
"No, aunt Dorcas, I wasn't achin' to lug such a thing as that 'round
with me."
"Does it still appear in the papers?"
"It did yesterday mornin', 'cause Dan showed it to me, an' his name and
Plums's were 'longside of mine."
"Then George must go to Weehawken and buy one of those papers."
Master Plummer looked up in dismay. A six-mile walk was to him such
exercise as amounted almost to torture, and he said, petulantly:
"What good will it do for you to read it in the paper, when we can tell
you every word?"
"Indeed, I don't know; but there must be something which you have failed
to remember."
"Truly, there isn't, aunt Dorcas. I said over the words jest as they was
printed, 'cause I'd be sure to remember a thing like that," Joe replied.
"I am set, when I make up my mind, as all old maids are," the little
woman said, grimly, "and it seems to me absolutely necessary I should
see that advertisement. Now, if George thinks he cannot walk to
Weehawken, I must go myself."
"Indeed you mustn't, aunt Dorcas," and Joe spoke in a tone of authority,
such as he had never before used. "There's nothin' to prevent my walkin'
a dozen miles, if anything is to be gained by it, an' I'll start this
very minute."
To such a proposition as this, aunt Dorcas positively refused to listen.
She was certain Joe's wounds were of such serious nature that violent
exercise might be fatal to him, and Master Plummer began to fear he
would be forced to take that long walk when there was no real necessity
for so doing, until a happy thought came to him, and he cried,
animatedly:
"There's no need for anybody to go to Weehawken, 'cause Dan Fernald must
have that paper he showed to Joe, in his pocket now."
"Where is he?" aunt Dorcas asked, quickly.
"Loafin' 'round here somewhere," Plums replied. "He counted on comin'
here this afternoon to ask if you'd let him stop a spell, so's the
lawyers couldn't catch him. He would have come last night, but Joe hired
him to keep away."
Aunt Dorcas looked at Master Potter, inquiringly, and the latter said:
"I promised Dan I wouldn't speak a word to you about what he was goin'
to do; but you'll know it all when he comes."
"_I_ didn't promise, so there's nothing to keep me from tellin'," Master
Plummer cried, and, before his friend could prevent him, he had added,
"Joe thought it was playin' too steep on you for Dan to come, when you
had him, an' me, an' the princess, so he gave him seventy-five cents to
keep away till three o'clock this afternoon. He counted on goin' off
with the kid before then."
Aunt Dorcas did not appear to fully understand this explanation; but her
impatience to see the advertisement was so great that she evidently
could not wait to ask further concerning the matter.
"Can you find Dan Fernald now?" and she turned to Plums.
"Well, I guess it wouldn't take very long, 'cause he's somewhere close
'round."
"Go out this minute, George, and hunt for him."
"He'll count on stoppin', once he gets in here," Plums said, warningly.
"If the poor boy hasn't any home, and is hidin' here in the country for
the same reason you are, I will give him a shelter so long as may be
necessary."
"But you see, aunt Dorcas, you can't afford to jam this house full of
boys what have got into a scrape," Joe cried. "I'm willin' to go away,
so's to give Dan the chance; but I won't hang 'round here when there's a
whole crowd."
"You will remain exactly where you are, Joseph Potter, until this
matter is settled, so don't let me hear anything more of that kind.
George, go directly and find your friend."
The boys did not dare oppose aunt Dorcas when she spoke in such a tone,
and although Plums was not inclined to do even so much as go in search
of Dan, when he might be resting quietly in the house, he obeyed.