CHAPTER XXI.
DAYS AT THE HOTEL.
"Perhaps those fellows have learned a lesson they won't forget in ahurry," remarked Frank to Joe, after he learned the particulars of theattack in the dark.
"I hope they don't molest me further," answered our hero. "If they'llonly let me alone I'll let them alone."
"That Sagger is certainly on the downward path," said Frank. "If hedoesn't look out he'll land in jail."
What Frank said was true, and less than a week later they heard throughanother hotel boy that Jack Sagger had been arrested for stealing somelead pipe out of a vacant residence. The pipe had been sold to a junkmanfor thirty cents and the boy had spent the proceeds on a ticket fora cheap theater and some cigarettes. He was sent to the House ofCorrection, and that was the last Joe heard of him.
With the coming of winter the hotel filled up and Joe was kept busy frommorning to night, so that he had little time for studying. He performedhis duties faithfully and the hotel proprietor was much pleased inconsequence.
"Joe is all right," he said to his cashier, "I can trust him withanything."
"That's so, and he is very gentlemanly, too," replied the cashier.
Ulmer Montgomery was still at the hotel. He was now selling antiquaries,and our hero often watched the fellow with interest. He suspected thatMontgomery was a good deal of a humbug, but could not prove it.
At length Montgomery told Joe that he was going to the far West to tryhis fortunes. The man seemed to like our hero, and the night before heleft the hotel he called Joe into his room.
"I want to make you a present of some books I own," said UlmerMontgomery. "Perhaps you'll like to read them. They are historicalworks."
"Thank you, Mr. Montgomery, you are very kind."
"I used to be a book agent, but I gave that up as it didn't pay me aswell as some other things."
"And you had these books left over?"
"Yes. The firm I worked for wouldn't take them back so I had to keepthem."
"And now you are selling curiosities."
At this Ulmer Montgomery smiled blandly.
"Not exactly, Joe--I only sell curiosities, or antiquities, when I amhard up. On other occasions I do like other folks, work for a living."
"I don't quite understand."
"I dropped into selling curiosities when I was in the South and hard upfor cash. I wanted money the worst way, and I--well, I set to work toraise it. Maybe you'd like to hear my story."
"I would."
"Mind you, I don't pose as a model of goodness and I shouldn't adviseyou to follow in my footsteps. But I wanted money and wanted in badly.So I put on my thinking cap, and I soon learned of a very zealousantiquary living about five miles from where I was stopping. He waswealthy and a bachelor, and spent no inconsiderable portion of hisincome on curiosities."
"And you went to him?" said Joe, becoming interested.
"I at once determined to take advantage of this gentleman's antiquarianzeal. I will own that I had some qualms of conscience--about imposingupon the old gentleman, but I didn't know of any other way to procurethe money I absolutely needed.
"Having made all of my preparations, I set off for Mr. Leland's house.To disguise myself I put on a pair of big goggles and an old-fashionedcollar and tie.
"'I understand, Mr. Leland, that you are in the habit of collectingcuriosities,' I said.
"'Quite right, sir,' said he. 'I have got together some few,' and hegazed with an air of pride at the nondescript medley which surroundedhim.
"'I have in my possession,' I proceeded, 'two or three of great value,which I had hoped to retain, but, well, I need money, and so I must partwith them, much as I wish to call them mine. But I wish to see that theyget into the proper hands, and I have been told that you are a greatantiquarian, understanding the true value of such things, and so--'
"'Pray, show them to me at once!' cried the old man, eagerly.
"'I have traveled a good deal, and been a pilgrim in many climes,' Iwent on. 'I have wandered along the banks of the Euphrates and dipped myfeet in the currents of the Nile. I have gazed upon ruined cities--'
"'Yes! yes! show me what you have!' he cried, eagerly.
"'Here is a curiosity of the highest order', I said, opening a paperand showing a bit of salt about the size of a walnut. 'This is a portionof the statue of salt into which Lot's wife was turned.'
"'Is it possible?' cried the antiquary, taking the salt and gazing atit in deep veneration. 'Are you quite certain of this?'
"'I am,' I answered. 'It is a portion of the wrist. I broke it offmyself. The hand was already gone.'"
"And did he buy it?" questioned Joe, in astonishment.
"He did, and gave me fifty dollars in cash for it."
"But that wasn't fair, Mr. Montgomery."
The seller of bogus curiosities shrugged his shoulders.
"Perhaps not. But I was hard up and had to do something."
"Did you sell him anything else?"
"I did--a walking stick, which I had procured in Connecticut. It wascovered with strange carvings and he mistook them for hieroglyphics, andgave me ten dollars for the thing."
"I don't see how you could have the nerve to do such things, Mr.Montgomery."
"Well, a man can do lots of things when he is driven to do them. I admitthe deals were rather barefaced, but, as I said before, I had to dosomething. Some day, when I am rich, I'll return the money to the oldfellow," added the impostor.
He left the hotel that morning, and it may be said here that Joe did notmeet him again for several years.
Christmas came and went at the hotel, and our hero received severalpresents from his friends, including a pair of gloves from Ned Talmadgeand a five-dollar gold piece from Felix Gussing. Some of the regularboarders at the hotel also remembered him.
"And how do you like married life?" asked Joe, of Felix Gussing.
"We are getting along very nicely," said the dude.
"Have you told your wife about the duel yet?"
"No,--and I don't think I shall," added Felix Gussing. "You seeshe--er--she thinks me a very brave man and--"
"And you don't want her to change her opinion," finished Joe, with asmile!
"Why should I, Joe."
"Oh, I don't know as there is any reason, excepting that they usuallysay men and their wives should have no secrets from each other."
"Mr. Montgomery is gone, I see," said the dude, changing the subject.
"Yes, sir."
"Then you are the only one who knows of this secret. You won't tell,will you?"
"No, sir."
"We are having troubles enough as it is," went on the dude. "Both mywife and I find housekeeping rather troublesome. It is hard to obtainproper servants, and she does not care to do the work herself."
"Why don't you go to boarding?"
"Perhaps we will, later on."
With the new year came a heavy fall of snow and soon sleighs big andlittle were in demand. Then came a slight fall of rain which made thesidewalks a glare of ice.
"Got to be careful," announced Frank to Joe. "If you don't you'll godown on your back."
"I intend to be careful," answered our hero. "I have no wish to breakany bones."
That afternoon Joe was sent on an errand to a place of business half amile away. On returning he chanced to stop at a street corner, to watcha number of children who had made a long slide for themselves.
As he stood watching, a man came along bundled up in a great coat andwearing a slouch hat and blue glasses. The man was walking rapidly, asif in a hurry.
"That fellow looks familiar to me," thought Joe. "Wonder who he can be?"
He watched the stranger cross the street. Then the fellow happened tostep on the icy slide and in a twinkling he went down on his back, hishat flying in one direction and a bundle he carried in another.
"Hurrah! Down goes the gent!" sang out a newsboy standing near.
"Come here an' I'll pick yer up!" said another s
treet urchin.
"You rascals, you fixed this on purpose so I should fall!" cried theman, starting to get up.
"Can I help you?" questioned Joe, coming up, and then he gave a start,as he recognized the fellow.
It was Pat Malone, alias David Ball, from Montana!