CHAPTER XVIIIDOUBTS AND SUSPICIONS
Mary Louise entered her friend's room at seven o'clock and exclaimed:"Not up yet?"
Josie raised her head drowsily from the pillow.
"Let me sleep till noon," she pleaded. "I've been out all night."
"And did you learn anything?" was the eager question.
"Please let me sleep!"
"Shall I send you up some breakfast, Josie?"
"Breakfast? Bah!"
She rolled over, drawing the clothes about her, and Mary Louise softlyleft the darkened room and went down to breakfast.
"Gran'pa Jim," said she, thoughtfully buttering her toast, "do youthink it's right for Josie to be wandering around in the dead ofnight?"
He gave her an odd look and smiled.
"If I remember aright, it was one Miss Mary Louise Burrows who thrustJosie into this vortex of mystery."
"You didn't answer my question, Gran'pa Jim."
"I can imagine no harm, to girl or man, in being abroad in thispeaceful country at night, if one has the nerve to undertake it. Youand I, dear, prefer our beds. Josie is wrapped up in the science ofcriminal investigation and has the enthusiasm of youth to egg her on.Moreover, she is sensible enough to know what is best for her. I do notthink we need worry over her nightly wanderings, which doubtless havean object. Has she made any important discovery as yet?"
"I believe not," said Mary Louise. "She has learned enough to bepositive that old Mr. Cragg is engaged in some secret occupation of anillegal character, but so far she is unable to determine what it is.He's a very queer old man, it seems, but shrewd and clever enough tokeep his secret to himself."
"And how about the disappearance of Mr. Joselyn?"
"We're divided in opinion about that," said the girl. "Ingua and I bothbelieve Mr. Cragg murdered him, but Josie isn't sure of it. If he did,however, Josie thinks we will find the poor man's grave somewhere underthe stones of the river bed. There was no grave dug on our grounds,that is certain."
Colonel Hathaway regarded her seriously.
"I am sorry, Mary Louise," he remarked, "that we ever decided to mix inthis affair. I did not realize, when first you proposed having Josiehere, that the thing might become so tragic."
"It has developed under investigation, you see," she replied. "But I amnot very sure of Josie's ability, because she is not very sure of itherself. She dare not, even yet, advance a positive opinion. Unless shelearned something last night she is still groping in the dark."
"We must give her time," said the Colonel.
"We have accomplished some good, however," continued the girl. "Inguais much happier and more content. She is improving in her speech andmanners and is growing ambitious to become a respectable and refinedyoung lady. She doesn't often give way to temper, as she used to do onevery occasion, and I am sure if she could be removed from hergrandfather's evil influence she would soon develop in a way tosurprise us all."
"Does her grandfather's influence seem to be evil, then?" asked theColonel.
"He has surrounded her with privations, if not with actual want," saidshe. "Only the night before last he was in such a violent rage that hetried to smash everything in the house. That is surely an evil exampleto set before the child, who has a temper of her own, perhaps inheritedfrom him. He has, however, bought her a new dress--the first one shehas had in more than a year--so perhaps the old man at times relentstoward his granddaughter and tries to atone for his shortcomings."
Gran'pa Jim was thoughtful for a time.
"Perhaps," he presently remarked, "Mr. Cragg has but little money tobuy dresses with. I do not imagine that a man so well educated as youreport him to be would prefer to live in a hovel, if he could affordanything better."
"If he is now poor, what has he done with all his money?" demanded MaryLouise.
"That is a part of the mystery, isn't it? Do you know, my dear, I can'thelp having a kindly thought for this poor man; perhaps because he is agrandfather and has a granddaughter--just as I have."
"He doesn't treat her in the same way, Gran'pa Jim," said she, with aloving look toward the handsome old Colonel.
"And there is a perceptible difference between Ingua and Mary Louise,"he added with a smile.
They were to have Ingua's dress fitted by Miss Huckins that morning,and as Josie was fast asleep Mary Louise went across to the cottage togo with the girl on her errand. To her surprise she found old Mr. Craggsitting upon his little front porch, quite motionless and with his armsfolded across his chest. He stared straight ahead and was evidently indeep thought. This was odd, because he was usually at his office anhour or more before this time.
Mary Louise hesitated whether to advance or retreat. She had never asyet come into personal contact with Ingua's grandfather and, suspectinghim of many crimes, she shrank from meeting him now. But she washerself in plain sight before she discovered his presence and it wouldbe fully as embarrassing to run away as to face him boldly. Moreover,through the open doorway she could see Ingua passing back and forth inthe kitchen, engaged in her customary housework. So on she came.
Mr. Cragg had not seemed to observe her, at first, but as she nowapproached the porch he rose from his chair and bowed with a courtlygrace that astonished her. In many ways his dignified manners seemed tofit his colonial costume.
"You will find Ingua inside, I believe," he said.
"I--I am Mary Louise Burrows."
Again he bowed.
"I am glad to meet you, Miss Burrows. And I am glad that you and Inguaare getting acquainted," he rejoined, in even, well modulated tones."She has not many friends and her association with you will be sure tobenefit her."
Mary Louise was so amazed that she fairly gasped.
"I--I like Ingua," she said. "We're going into town to have her newdress tried on this morning."
He nodded and resumed his chair. His unexpected politeness gave hercourage.
"It's going to be a pretty dress," she continued, "and, if only she hada new hat to go with it, Ingua would have a nice outfit. She needs newshoes, though," as an afterthought, "and perhaps a few other littlethings--like stockings and underwear."
He was silent, wholly unresponsive to her suggestion.
"I--I'd like to buy them for her myself," went on the girl, in awistful tone, "only Ingua is so proud that she won't accept gifts fromme."
Still he remained silent.
"I wonder," she said, with obvious hesitation, "if you would allow meto give _you_ the things, sir, and then you give them to Ingua, as ifthey came from yourself."
"No!" It was a veritable explosion, so fierce that she started back interror. Then he rose from his chair, abruptly quitted the porch andwalked down the path toward the bridge in his accustomed deliberate,dignified manner.
Ingua, overhearing his ejaculation, came to the open window to see whathad caused it.
"Oh, it's you, Mary Louise, is it?" she exclaimed. "Thank goodness,you've drove Gran'dad off to the office. I thought he'd planted himselfin that chair for the whole day."
"Are you ready to go to Miss Huckins'?" asked Mary Louise.
"I will be, in a few minutes. Gran'dad was late gett'n' up this mornin'and that put things back. He had the 'wakes' ag'in last night."
"Oh; did he walk out, then?"
"Got back at about daylight and went to bed. That's why he slep' solate."
Mary Louise reflected that in such a case Josie ought to have some newsto tell her. She answered Ingua's inquiries after Josie by saying shewas engaged this morning and would not go to town with them, sopresently the two girls set off together. Mary Louise was much betterqualified to direct the making of the new dress than was Josie, and shegave Miss Huckins some hints on modern attire that somewhat astonishedthe country dressmaker but were gratefully received. There was noquestion but that Mary Louise was stylishly, if simply, dressed on alloccasions, and so Miss Huckins was glad to follow the young girl'sadvice.
They were in the dressmaker's shop a long time, fitt
ing and planning,and when at length they came down the stairs they saw Sol Jerremsstanding in his door and closely scrutinizing through his big hornspectacles something he held in his hand. As Mary Louise wished to makea slight purchase at the store she approached the proprietor, who saidin a puzzled tone of voice:
"I dunno what t' say to you folks, 'cause I'm up in the air. This moneymay be genooine, but it looks to me like a counterfeit," and he held upa new ten-dollar bill.
"I want a roll of tape, please," said Mary Louise. "I hope your moneyis good, Mr. Jerrems, but its value cannot interest us."
"I dunno 'bout that," he replied, looking hard at Ingua, "Ol'Swallertail gimme this bill, not ten minutes ago, an' said as hisgran'darter was to buy whatever she liked, as fur as the money wouldgo. That order was so queer that it made me suspicious. See here: a fewdays ago ol' Cragg bought Ingua a dress--an' paid for it, by gum!--an'now he wants her t' git ten dollars' wuth o' shoes an' things! Don'tthat look mighty strange?"
"Why?" asked Mary Louise.
"'Cause it's the first money he's spent on the kid since I kinremember, an' he's allus talkin' poverty an' says how he'll die in thepoorhouse if prices keep goin' up, as they hev durin' the furrin warthat's now hummin' acrost the water. If he's _that_ poor, an' on asudden springs a ten-dollar bill on me for fixin's fer his kid, there'ssure somethin' wrong somewhere. I got stuck on a bill jus' like this ayear ago, an' I ain't goin' to let any goods go till I find out forsure whether it's real money or not."
"When can you find out?" inquired Mary Louise.
"To-morrer there's a drummer due here f'm the city--a feller keen as arazor--who'll know in a minute if the bill is a counterfeit. If he saysit's good, then Ingua kin trade it out, but I ain't goin' to take nochances."
Ingua came close to the storekeeper, her face dark with passion.
"Come," said Mary Louise, taking the child's arm, "let us go home. I amsure Mr. Jerrems is over particular and that the money is all right.But we can wait until to-morrow, easily. Come, Ingua."
The child went reluctantly, much preferring to vent her indignation onold Sol. Mary Louise tried to get her mind off the insult.
"We'll have the things, all right, Ingua," she said. "Wasn't itsplendid in your grandfather to be so generous, when he has so littlemoney to spend? And the ten dollars will fit you up famously. I wish,though," she added, "there was another or a better store at theCrossing at which to trade."
"Well, there ain't," observed Ingua, "so we hev to put up with that SolJerrems. When I tell Gran'dad about this business I bet he'll punch SolJerrems' nose."
"Don't tell him," advised Mary Louise.
"Why not?"
"I think he gave this money to Mr. Jerrems on a sudden impulse.Perhaps, if there is any question about its being genuine, he will takeit back, and you will lose the value of it. Better wait untilto-morrow, when of course the drummer will pronounce it all right. Myopinion is that Mr. Jerrems is so unused to new ten dollar bills thathaving one makes him unjustly suspicious."
"I guess yer right," said Ingua more cheerfully. "It's amazin' thatGran'dad loosened up at all. An' he might repent, like you say, an'take the money back. So I'll be like ol' Sol--I'll take no chances."