CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE SHREDS OF HOPE.
During the time that Clarence Sage had been practically in hiding uponthe premises of his parents his mother had been wholly unaware of hisproximity. Resigned in her belief that her unfortunate son lay buried inanother state, Mrs. Sage had bravely endeavored to make the best of theterrible affliction which had come upon her at a period of her life whenall things had seemed the most promising of happiness and prosperity.Never for a moment, even after the jury had pronounced him guilty and hehad been sentenced to prison, had Mrs. Sage entertained a doubtregarding the innocence of her older son. As far as possible thenewspaper reports of the young man’s escape from prison were kept fromher; but in time, when, many weeks later, Andrew Sage had viewed thebody of a man recovered from the Hudson and pronounced it that ofClarence, it had been necessary to tell her the crushing and terribletruth.
For a time the poor woman was prostrated and under the constant care ofa physician. During that period the body of the drowned man was buriedand a tombstone bearing the name of Clarence Sage was placed over thegrave.
With commendable knowledge of feminine nature, the physician, finallyperceiving that drugs or medicines of any sort would never help Mrs.Sage, succeeded in rousing her by turning her mind from herself to herhusband; by leading her gradually to believe that the shock of thetragedy had benumbed Andrew Sage and threatened to crush him entirelyunless something could be done to encourage him to brace up; byconvincing her that she alone could do this, and that it was her duty tomake the effort.
The result was most surprising. The sick woman rose from her bed, and,seconded by the younger son, set about the task of cheering andencouraging the stricken father. She pleaded with him to turn histhoughts from their dead son and to remember that Heaven had graciouslyspared them another son, to whom they owed a duty which must not beforgotten. She forced herself to smile, and in time the sunshine of thatsmile, even though tempered a bit with the faintest cloud of sorrow,which promised never wholly to leave her, drove most of the blackshadows of bitter resentment from the heart of old Andrew Sage. In timethey came to talk the matter over calmly, and decided to leave theirhome in New York, where, were they to remain, they must be continuallyreminded of that which they wished to forget, and move to some obscuretown in another state.
And so it happened that, after many years of hardships and wandering andconstant yearning for the sight of his mother’s face, the young man whowas supposed to be dead traced them to that little town. Through awindow of the house he had tried to get a look at his mother, but hadbeen sent scurrying away by Fred, who, discovering the prowler, came outand circled the buildings.
That very night Clarence tramped onward to another village, resolved toreturn no more to Oakdale. He had learned that his parents and hisbrother were comfortably settled there and apparently peaceful andhappy, and he told himself that the knowledge was sufficient.
But he had not seen his mother’s face, and each hour and each day theyearning to do so grew stronger within him, until presently it made himfalter, broke his resolution and caused him to turn back.
Fred, returning home from the disappointing duck hunt at Marsh Pond, wasseen by Clarence, who suddenly decided to let his brother know that hestill lived. The reader may imagine the state of mind into which thismeeting between the brothers threw Fred Sage. It was this mentalcondition which caused his thoughts to wander in the football game thatafternoon and made him responsible for much of the bad playing and manyof the flukes which prevented the home team from piling up a biggerscore in the earlier stages of the game, and thus encouraged thevisitors to keep plugging with all the energy and aggressiveness theycould work up, until eventually they swept Oakdale down in defeat.
For two nights Clarence Sage slept upon some blankets in the stablegranary. After seeing and talking with Clarence several times, Freddecided that their father should be taken into the great secret—shouldbe told that the boy he thought dead was still living.
“If I know father,” argued Fred, “and I think I do, it will do him aheap of good. On the other hand, I’m just as sure that it would be a bigmistake to let mother know. She’d want you to stay near her, that shemight be able to see you, and she would live in constant terror lest thetruth become known and you were taken back to prison. She has struggledhard to forget you in a way, Clarence—that is, to put you out of hermind so that she might cease to brood over that dreadful thing.”
Clarence agreed with Fred, and thus it came about that on Sunday oldAndrew Sage came to know the amazing truth that his unfortunate sonstill lived. While Fred entertained his mother in the house thebewildered father talked with Clarence in the stable.
At first old Andrew had thought that his wife must be told, but it wasnot difficult to convince him that this would be unwise. He spent asmuch time as possible talking with Clarence, who told him briefly thestory of his experiences since escaping from prison, and together theylaid plans for the future. Only once did Clarence declare to his fatherhis innocence of the crime for which he had been convicted. Mr. Sagechecked him promptly, stating positively that such a protestation wasunnecessary, as he had never permitted himself for a single instant toentertain any doubts upon that point.
Clarence thought of going away Sunday night, but he had no money in hispocket, and, learning this, his father practically commanded him to waituntil Monday, when he would draw from the bank and furnish the wandererwith funds, which might be taken as a loan and repaid when convenient.Thus it happened that Clarence lingered, finally to be captured as oneof the bank robbers by Constable Hubbard.
As he had expected, when he hurried into the house to quiet herapprehensions, Fred found his mother much disturbed by the presence ofthe armed men whom she had seen through the windows.
“What does it mean, my boy?” she asked, her face quite pale. “Why arethey here?”
“They’re hunting everywhere for the bank robbers, you know,” was theanswer. “There’s no telling where the scoundrels may have taken refuge.”
“But not here—they can’t expect to find any of them here!”
“Perhaps they don’t really expect to find them, but they can’t afford tooverlook the possibility. Why, what’s happened out here?” As he utteredthis exclamation he hurried to a window at the back of the house andpeered through it, pressing his face against the glass.
The little subterfuge was sufficient. His mother likewise hastened tothe window and looked forth, questioning him agitatedly.
“Two of the men out there—I saw them running, I thought,” he answered.“They were running toward the corner. I didn’t know but they had seensomething. Look, mother, at that big tree at the edge of the orchard.Father had to prop the limbs up when it was loaded with fruit. It mustbe pruned.” In this manner he kept her at the window until he was quitecertain that the men with the prisoner had vanished down the road towardtown.
Afterward he waited with no small impatience for the return of hisfather from the village. He did not contemplate for a moment leaving hismother alone. Ordinarily he might have done so, but, now that she knewof the attempted bank robbery and had seen the armed man-hunters, shewas pitifully pale and almost bordering upon complete collapse. Fredknew that her mind had been led to thoughts of Clarence and what he musthave suffered in prison and as a fugitive with the armed guards huntinghim across the frozen bosom of the Hudson.
Fred’s own mind was in a scarcely less tumultuous and painful condition,but he tried his best to lead his mother’s thoughts into pleasanterchannels. All the while, having placed himself where he could watch theroad, he waited for the coming of his father.
In time Andrew Sage appeared, walking briskly, although his shoulderswere a trifle stooped. At once Fred made an excuse and hurried to meethis father.
As the boy drew near, he became assured by the old man’s appearance thathe did not know that Clarence had been taken.
“Father,?
?? said Fred hurriedly, “I want a word with you before you gointo the house. Something has happened.”
“What is it?” asked Andrew Sage, a sudden shadow of apprehensionclouding his face. “Uncle Ed Tower just told me that another one of therobbers has been caught.”
“Father,” said Fred, standing with his back toward the house, “what I amgoing to tell you will be a shock, and it’s possible that mother iswatching us from the window. You must not let her see that you’reaffected.”
The man’s face grew suddenly ashen.
“Clarence?” he muttered hoarsely.
“Do brace up,” urged Fred. “They came here to search for one of therobbers. They had been told that he was hiding in our stable.”
“And they found Clarence?”
“Yes. He gave himself up when he realized that it was useless to try tohide.”
“But—but he had—nothing to do with the attempted robbery. They had noright to touch him for that. Didn’t he tell them?”
“What good would that have done, father? He was found concealed in ourstable, and he’s a stranger in this town. You can see that noexplanation he could possibly make would keep them from locking him up.”
“But they have no right to touch him!” cried Mr. Sage, with a suddenvehement gesture.
“Steady, father. Remember about mother. She does not know. I kept herdiverted while they took him away. You must be strong. We must continueas long as possible to hide the truth from her.”
“But it will all come out now,” groaned the old man, his shouldersdrooping more than ever. “It’s my fault—my fault! Why didn’t I let theboy go yesterday? I am to blame!”
“No one is to blame, father. It’s just fate. It had to come.”
“But—but if they find he’s not one of the robbers—if he can prove thathe’s not,” said Andrew Sage eagerly, “perhaps they will let him go.”
“That’s my only hope, and it’s a slim one, father. We mustn’t base toomuch upon it.” Even as he said this, Fred realized how futile that hopewas. For had not Sleuth Piper, by prying and spying, learned the truth,which would mean full exposure for Clarence? Still, it was not best tolet Andrew Sage know at present how desperate the situation was.
“I’m going into town and see what can be done,” said Fred. “You’recompletely upset, father, but still you must keep it from mother. Ifthey capture the other robbers there may yet be a chance—a very smallchance—for Clarence.”
“It’s fate,” mumbled Mr. Sage, repeating the words the boy had spoken afew moments before—“fate! It would have been better had he never comehere; better had he left us in ignorance that he was alive.”
He swayed, and Fred clutched his arm, again entreating him to brace up.
“I’m tired, tired!” sighed old Andrew Sage, his face drawn and haggard.“I must rest.”
Alarmed, Fred said, “I’ll help you to the house.”
In a moment, however, Mr. Sage drew himself up and protested that heneeded no assistance.
“Your mother, boy—your mother,” he murmured. “She will see and befrightened. I’m all right now; I’m strong. You see what more you canlearn, and if it’s anything favorable let me know as soon as possible.Look! You can see that I’m all right now. Go!”
Bravely, sturdily he started onward toward the house, even turning towave his hand and throw the boy a mock smile, which at that distancemight deceive the eyes of the woman within the house.
After watching the old man for a few moments, Fred turned toward thevillage, breaking into a run ere he had passed beyond sight of his home.