THE UPLIFTED HAND
Amos made the transfer without a hitch.
He did not even look back once. It was as though he depended wholly
upon his chums to note any danger, and warn him of the same in good
time.
Another thing Amos did, Dolph was quick to notice, and which showed how
an observing wide-awake boy may pay attention to small things.
In making his advance toward the creek, Amos instead of pushing on in
a straight course seemed to choose a more roundabout one. Dolph was
at first a little puzzled to know why he did this when he might have
spared himself some extra labor.
It dawned suddenly upon him that the backwoods boy knew what he was
about for by circling in this way he was really keeping himself out of
range so that if it became necessary for Dolph to fire he might not
stop a portion of the bird shot.
Amos was nothing if not thoughtful, and while he may have been
ready to sacrifice much upon the altar of friendship, that did not
necessitate his accommodating Big Gabe and Crawley by sharing their
burdens.
Sallie remained on her knees, with her hands clasped in front of her
child-fashion, watching the progress of the boy toward the point where
in her mind his safety seemed assured, for were not his companions
waiting to receive him?
A very pitiful object the little girl looked just then, Dolph was
thinking. And then he felt his hand clutched by Amos, who had arrived
in company of Teddy.
After all their adventures, the right thing had come about at last;
and there did not seem to be any reason why they should not strike out
at once for the camp on the shore of the lake, where their tents and
canoes awaited them.
Undoubtedly, after the two ruffians awoke, and realized that their
prisoner had not only escaped, but carried off the precious Marlin gun
with him they would consider it too risky to remain in the neighborhood
of those whom they had been plotting against.
And the chances were the boys would have no further trouble with the
pair of lawless characters.
One thing alone worried Dolph.
Would little Sallie be suspected of having assisted the woods boy make
his escape; and if so, would her brutal father treat her as he was
accustomed to serving those bold enough to cross his will?
It was a galling thought, and made the lad grit his teeth because of
his utter inability to alter the complexion of things.
So the three boys began to move along the creek bed, intending to leave
it at a point further on, and take to the shelter of the woods.
The first thing Teddy did, however, was to exchange guns with Amos; and
the very touch of his recovered favorite seemed to send a thrill of
pleasure through the whole system of the lumberman’s son.
With that gun in his possession Teddy felt doubly armed, and ready to
defy the forces of villainy that could be arrayed against him.
They had gone only a short distance, after creeping out of the gully,
when a sound came to their ears that caused each of them to stop
instantly in his tracks, and listen eagerly.
There could be no mistaking the nature of the eruption, for it was the
roaring voice of Big Gabe, calling upon his companions to get up and
see what a trick had been played upon them while they slept.
Immediately the three lads sought places of observation, and the same
thought seemed to flash through the mind of each—what was about to
happen to Sallie?
As they looked toward the camp they saw that the big timber cruiser had
tossed an armful of light wood upon the red embers of the fire, for
already a flame had commenced to shoot up, and the immediate vicinity
was illuminated.
Crawley was on his feet also, prancing around, and evidently more or
less enraged because he could see nothing of the prisoner, who had been
there, safely tied hand and foot, when they lay down to sleep.
Big Gabe was pointing toward the girl, and his act was full of
significance, for Sallie had not moved from her position, and she was
exactly in the spot where Amos had last been seen.
Even duller-witted men than these must have been able to put two and
two together, when the conditions were so plain. Crawley of course
could easily guess where Amos had received his assistance, even before
he strode over, and clutched the child by the arm, savagely dragging
her to her feet.
Dolph unconsciously leveled his gun at the man though of course he
would not have dared fired at that distance lest Sallie be injured, as
well.
But the whole three boys were ready to spring to their feet and dash
forward, if it came to the worst.
As Crawley thus dragged the girl’s arm up in that violent fashion, what
she held clutched in her hand was disclosed; this of course, was the
very knife, one used in her kitchen work perhaps, with which the bonds
of Amos had been cut a few minutes before.
Big Gabe gave utterance to a howl, and immediately threw up his hands,
as if by that tragic gesture to intimate that he was ready to drop the
game then and there since there seemed to be a traitor in the camp.
But he evidently looked to Crawley to fit the punishment to the crime,
since it was a family affair.
Crawley at first seemed a little stunned at this positive evidence
of Sallie’s guilt; but the pent-up evil in his nature broke out in a
volley of oaths.
Carried away by the violence of his passion he raised his heavy hand to
strike the child down at his feet.
Had he done so, the man would have had to reckon with three furious
lads, for all of them were ready to leap forward and finish him as he
deserved by forcing him to run the gauntlet of their shot guns.
The fire leaped up into a fierce blaze at that moment, as if desirous
of allowing the angry man to plainly see the white face of his
daughter, as she stood there, bravely facing him, with words from her
mother about saving him, on her lips, and a look of calm resignation
set upon her face.
It was a tableau for about ten seconds, with the brute’s hand raised
aloft, and the child standing there, looking straight into his eyes.
Crawley simply could not stand it. Perhaps he saw again the look that
had been upon her mother’s face the last time he had struck her, before
she died; a smile that doubtless had haunted the guilty wretch ever
since.
Shaking his ugly head, and drawing a long breath, he threw her from him
and turning, strode away.
Dolph sighed.
He felt relieved, and yet in a measure disappointed, for just then
when his blood was up, it seemed to the boy that the problem of little
Sallie’s future could best be decided by energetic action on the part
of himself and his chums.
But it was not to be.
One last look they cast in the direction of the fire, and then plunged
into the depths of the pine woods.
Dolph wondered if fortune would ever throw them in contact with any
of these persons again. True, they had not wholly enjoyed their
association with the two men, but their thoughts must often go out to
the little lass who was struggling with one of the greatest problems
that can beset any of her sex, a task foolishly set her by the mother
who was gone. And bravely was little Sallie endeavoring to fulfill her
trust.
Amos knew just about where they were, and which direction they must
head in order to reach the shore of the lake around the spot where they
had made in the camp.
The genius of the Michigan backwoods boy for locating places was very
marked. And Teddy, who was a little bewildered himself, was glad to be
able to fall back on the one who was able to serve as a pilot.
“I notice you saved one thing from the wreck,” remarked Teddy, as
they walked steadily forward, hoping to reach the camp, even though
exhausted, long before the hour of dawn. “I saw you pick it up on your
way out.”
“Well, yes,” chuckled Amos. “It struck me I was entitled to something,
to pay up for all the bother they gave me. It is too bad to get away
with old Crawley’s fiddle just when he’s gone and learned how to start
on the second part of “The Arkansaw Traveler,” after waiting so long.
But I was just fiddle hungry, boys, and I felt I must have the thing.”
“Glad of it,” said Teddy.
“That’s right,” added Dolph, enthusiastically; “we can have music every
night now after this, and I give you my word, Amos, every time you play
I can just shut my eyes and see that crazy old rascal jumping around,
snapping his fingers, whistling and acting like he’d just broke out of
a lunatic asylum.”
“And I’ll always see her a-settin’ there on that three-legged stool,
holdin’ her chin in the hollow of her hand and lookin’ at me with them
big blue eyes. Poor Sallie; poor little gal. She’s got a hard row to
hoe, pardners,” and Amos sighed heavily.
“There’s one thing we must do when we get to the Soo,” said Teddy,
firmly.
“I know what you’re going to say,” declared Dolph, “and you can just
bank on me backing you up in it, too.”
“We’ll see Sallie’s grandmother and make her understand that when the
child comes back to her again to stay a spell, she must never let her
go away again. I reckon she don’t know what kind of a man Crawley is,
because Sallie would never say a word against her father. But this
thing has got to stop.”
When Teddy spoke in that way, the others just knew he meant it, and the
chances were little Sallie would sooner or later find that she would
not be allowed to make the sacrifice of her health and happiness, in
the useless expectation that by so doing she might possibly reform that
hopeless, drunken rascal she called father.
So the boys pushed on in a direct line. Tired as they were, they would
not let anything keep them from carrying out their plans.
About two hours after midnight they came upon the shore of the lake,
with the battered old moon showing them the beloved khaki-colored tent,
just as they had left it.