CHAPTER XXIX.
A CONCESSION FROM SLEUTH.
In a way, business in Oakdale was suspended, or, perhaps it should besaid that it had not really begun for the day. On the street cornersgroups of men and boys discussed the recent exciting events andspeculated over the probability of quick capture of the robber orrobbers who still remained at large; for it was believed that at leastthree men had been concerned in the effort to plunder the bank. Somehow,it had leaked out that a part of the bank funds were missing, and ofcourse this created an additional volume of gossip and speculation.
Fred, searching for Sleuth Piper, was hailed by various schoolboyfriends, but, further than to make inquiries regarding Sleuth, he had notime for them. At last he found the boy he sought, who was on his way tothe office of the village lawyers.
Sleuth turned and waited as Fred called his name and came hurrying up.
“I want to see you, Piper,” said Sage. “I want a little private talkwith you.”
“I’m pretty busy,” returned Sleuth; “but I presume I can spare you alittle of my valuable time. Of course I can imagine what you’re after,but I’m afraid it won’t be any use, old fellow. I’m sorry for you,but——”
“Oh, yes, you are—_not_,” flung back Fred scornfully. “After what you’vedone——”
“Now wait; stop right there,” interrupted Sleuth. “I’ve simply done myduty, although in your position you may not regard it as such. If mybrother was a bank robber and an escaped convict, perhaps I’d feel hardtoward anyone who tried to send him back to prison, but at the same timeI’m sure my sense of justice——”
“Bosh! That sort of tommyrot gives me a cramp. Besides, my brother is aninnocent man.”
Sleuth lifted his eyebrows and shrugged incredulously.
“He’s innocent, I tell you!” panted Fred fiercely.
“It looks that way, don’t it!” said the young amateur detective, unablein spite of his professed sympathy for Sage, to repress a slight sneer.
“No, it doesn’t look that way,” admitted the other boy. “I own up thatit must seem that he’s surely guilty. Here come some people, Piper.They’ll stand around and listen. We can’t talk here. Won’t you come withme some place where we’ll be by ourselves, with no rubbernecks around?”
Sleuth hesitated a moment. “I can see the lawyers later,” he mutteredpresently. “As long as it’s you, Fred, and you’re so badly broken up,I’ll do what you want, though again I must say I’m sure it’s useless.”
When Sile Crane and Chub Tuttle attempted to follow them as they turneddown the street Fred whirled and almost snarled:
“What do you fellows want? Can’t you let us have a little private talk?”
“Lordy!” gasped Tuttle. “Don’t snap anybody’s head off. Haven’t you hadbreakfast? Here, take some peanuts.”
Disdaining this placating offer, Fred strode away at Sleuth’s side.Reaching the bridge, they paused.
“I hope you’re not going to appeal to me from the standpoint offriendship,” said Piper. “You must realize that it’s too late now, oldman. Your brother is captured, and I can do nothing. I expect to receivethe reward offered for his apprehension.”
“The offer was withdrawn long ago, when it was supposed that he had beendrowned in the Hudson.”
“Oh, I don’t mean that; I mean the reward offered for the party known asJames Wilson, or Gentleman Jim.”
“Piper, you’re on the wrong track. My brother is not Gentleman Jim.”
Again Sleuth shrugged. Slipping his hand into his pocket, he drew forththe printed description of James Wilson which he had clipped from thenewspaper.
“This fits him to a tee,” he said. “He must be the man.”
“I admit that, in a way, the description of Wilson seems to fit mybrother, but still, I maintain that they are two different men, Piper.You’ll find it out, too, if this Wilson was concerned in the attempt onthe bank last night and he does not escape the men who are hunting forhim. My brother had no hand in that business.”
“How do you know that?”
“How do I know? Why, he—he came here alone; came to get a glimpse of themother whose heart was so nearly broken over his terrible misfortune.Oh, Sleuth, you can’t realize what you’ve done! You pried into oursecret. There are few families so fortunate that they have no secretthey wish to keep hidden from the general public.”
“I won’t argue about that,” said Piper, returning the newspaper clippingto his pocket, “for it can have no bearing on the situation. You sayyour brother was not concerned in the attempt to rob the Oakdale bank. Iask, how do you know? He was here, wasn’t he? He was hidden in yourstable. Of course he told you that he came here to see your mother.That’s a plausible story. But how do you know he didn’t come here totake a hand in that bank cracking? While you were asleep in your bedlast night, he was helping his pals cut their way into the bank and blowopen the vault.”
“No—I tell you no!” contradicted Fred, his hands working convulsively,as if he longed to choke the other boy. “Clarence never did adishonorable or criminal thing in his life. After his escape from prisonhe fled to the West, and, while this man called Gentleman Jim has beenmaking himself notorious as a crook, Clarence has been in Alaska andAustralia. He has but lately returned to this part of the country.”
“How do you know?” persisted Sleuth, unshaken in his position. “Ofcourse that’s the story he told you. Naturally, he’d lie to you.”
Fred’s chest rose and fell; his teeth were set and his nostrils dilated;his appearance was so ominous that Piper shrank away.
“’Twon’t do you any good to jump on me,” spluttered Sleuth. “If yourbrother wasn’t one of that gang, how did it happen that the wound of theother chap who was captured was bound up in your stable? How did ithappen that you led him into the woods, in order that he might have achance to get away?”
“I’ll tell you,” answered Fred, after exhaling a long breath that seemedto relieve in a degree the tension of his nerves. “My brother knew thatman in prison. The man’s name is Riley. When Riley sought shelter in ourstable my brother saw him sitting there on a box and trying weakly tostaunch the flow of blood. Clarence came out and gave a hand to bind upRiley’s wound. About that time some men searching for the robbers passedour house, and we learned what had happened. I went into the stable andcame upon Clarence and Riley. Of course it was necessary for them totell me how matters stood. In a moment I realized the danger to mybrother—the terrible danger of having Riley traced there and captured onthe premises. I knew what I was doing when I guided the man into thewoods, but I did so for my brother’s sake.”
Sleuth shook his head. “Too bad—too bad you had to do that, for it makesyou sort of an accomplice. However, Sage, even though you thought meyour bitter enemy and I knew just what you now own that you did, Ihaven’t breathed a word that would bring suspicion of this matter uponyou. I’ve pledged Hooker to keep still. He’s your friend, and that factought to help keep his mouth buttoned up.”
“As long as you’ve done this much, why won’t you do something more? It’sdoubtful if the people here know anything of my brother’s history, andso, if it’s shown that he was not connected with last night’s affair, hemay be released. They are still searching for the robbers who have notyet been taken. Now if those men are captured and one of them proves tobe Gentleman Jim, you’ll see what a blunder you’ve made. It can do youno good to expose my brother and send him back to Sing Sing. Beforetelling what you know about him, won’t you wait to see if one of theseother burglars may not be Gentleman Jim? If you refuse to do that, I’llknow that your behavior toward me was prompted by pure animosity, andnothing else.”
“You’re hanging on to a false hope, Sage,” said Sleuth, after a momentor two of consideration; “but, seeing it’s you, I’ll agree to keep mumfor a while. That won’t hurt me, for your brother is safe in custody andcan’t get away. When the robbers are captured
and you’re satisfied thatyour brother is the only one of the bunch who could possibly beGentleman Jim, I shall tell the authorities everything. You can’t ask meto do otherwise under those circumstances.”
“You’ve agreed to do all I expected of you—and more,” acknowledged Fredin relief. “I—I thank you, Piper.”
“Don’t,” said Sleuth. “Some day you’ll understand that there was not anatom of animosity or spite in my heart. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll gosee those lawyers. And don’t worry, I won’t blow until I’ve seen youagain.”
A short time later Fred Sage presented himself at the lockup, where hetried to get a word with Clarence, but admission was denied him. Erereturning home, more from habit than otherwise, he called for mail atthe post-office and was given a letter addressed to his father. Notuntil he had nearly reached his home did he observe that the envelopebore the postmark of Rutledge, New York, and that the names of “Jorlemon& Gates, Attorneys-at-Law,” were printed upon it.
Jorlemon and Gates were the lawyers who had defended Clarence Sage athis trial.
CHAPTER XXX.
THE TRUTH AT LAST.
Old Andrew Sage uttered a choking cry and fell back on his chair, theletter he had been reading fluttering from his nerveless fingers anddropping upon his lap.
Startled, Mrs. Sage hastened toward her husband, and Fred sprangforward, crying:
“What is it—what is it, father? What’s the matter? Are you ill?”
No wonder he asked the question, for Mr. Sage’s face was white as chalkand he was gasping painfully, as if he found it difficult to breathe.
“Get some water quick, Fred,” urged Mrs. Sage, bending over her husband.
In a moment Fred had brought a glass of water, and Andrew Sage took aswallow or two, which seemed to revive him in a measure.
“The letter,” he whispered hoarsely, peering from beneath hisspectacles—“where’s the letter?”
“Here it is, father.”
“Read it, boy—read it!” almost shouted the old man. “Read it aloud, thatyour mother may hear. It doesn’t seem possible! It’s Heaven sent at thismoment!”
Wonderingly Fred picked up the typewritten missive and began to read italoud:
“DEAR MR. SAGE:
It is possible that you have not yet heard of the death of George Barrows, late cashier of the First National Bank of Rutledge. Mr. Barrows died yesterday, and, when he knew beyond doubt that there was no hope for him, he sent for me to come to his bedside and bring with me a stenographer. I complied, and in the privacy of the unfortunate man’s death chamber I listened to a most astounding confession which absolutely clears the name of your unfortunate dead son from the stigma of the crime for which he was convicted and sent to Sing Sing.”
At this point it was necessary for Fred to give his mother assistanceand aid her into her own special rocking-chair. The moment she wasseated, however, she begged him to go on with the letter.
“We have now in our possession (Fred read on), a full and complete typewritten confession of the crime, in which Barrows took the entire guilt upon his own shoulders. Before the man passed away, we had this typewritten document read to him in his presence and sworn to before a notary. The document is secure in our private safe, and it can be made public at any time you choose. Although, most unfortunately, this confession comes too late to do your misjudged son any good, it, nevertheless, must give you no small degree of satisfaction and happiness. If you desire, Mr. Gates will come to you personally with the confession and place it in your possession, it seeming unwise to us to trust in the slightest degree to the uncertainty of the mails.
Permit us, my dear sir, to offer you and your good wife our most heartfelt congratulations.
Sincerely yours, HENRY D. JORLEMON.”
The excitement and joy produced by the reading of this astounding letterwas unbounded. Amid tears and laughter the members of the little familyembraced one another again and again, and finally, when a littlecalmness had come upon them, they knelt while Andrew Sage offered up aprayer of thanksgiving which came from the deepest chamber of hisoverflowing heart.
The moment the prayer was ended Fred leaped to his feet, kissed hismother, turned to his father and cried:
“You tell her, father. I’m going back into the village. I’m going totake this letter. You tell her the wonderful truth.”
The door slammed behind him, and away he went as fast as his legs couldcarry him. And thus it happened that the parents of the young man whohad been falsely convicted of a crime were alone together when oldAndrew Sage broke the marvelous tidings that Clarence Sage lived and waseven then in that town.
Racing into the village in search of Piper, Fred was just in time to seeSheriff Pickle and a large body of men conducting toward the lockup twotattered and battered men, the associates of the wounded burglar, whohad been captured only after a hot pursuit and a desperate fight.
The morning train had brought into Oakdale a slim, smooth-faced, quietman in dark clothes, who had seemed greatly interested in the story ofthe attempted bank robbery. This man was also on hand when Pickleappeared with the prisoners, and with an air of authority he forced hisway through the posse until he almost touched one of the captives, whomhe surveyed with no small amount of satisfaction.
“Hello, Wilson,” he said. “You seem to have made a bad mess of thisjob.”
“Here! here!” cried the deputy sheriff, attempting to thrust thestranger back. “None of that! Keep away! What do you mean, men, byallowing anyone to approach the prisoners this fashion?”
“Keep your clothes on, my friend,” advised the stranger, giving Pickle alook in which disdain and amusement seemed mingled. “You’ll get yourshare of the reward for capturing Gentleman Jim, but I’ll take him backto York State.”
“Who are you?”
“My name is Burke Sheldon, and I’m a detective.” Saying which, heflipped open his coat and displayed a badge that caused Mr. Pickle togasp and touch his hat with a sudden show of great respect. “I waspretty close on this man’s heels. His pals are likewise wanted. See thatyou hold them tight and fast, officer, until I secure the neededrequisition papers.”
Now Sleuth Piper had not been far away when the new captives arrived,and, crowding close in the throng that surrounded the posse, he heardthe words of Detective Sheldon.
“Great scissors!” he muttered, aghast. “Is _that_ Gentleman Jim?”
Fred Sage had followed Sleuth into the thick of the crowd, and heproceeded to lay a hand on the shoulder of the bewildered boy.
“_That’s_ Gentleman Jim,” he palpitated exultantly. “Now you see what ablunder you made. Luckily, you promised to keep still until these menwere caught.”
“It don’t seem possible!” muttered Piper sorrowfully. “I don’t see how Icould have missed fire in my deduction.”
“Come with me a minute,” urged Fred. “I’ve got something to show you. Iwant to prove to you that my brother told the truth when he declared hisinnocence.”
Seemingly dazed and crushed, Sleuth permitted Fred to drag him from thecrowd, and when he had read the letter from Jorlemon and Gates he was avery sick-looking chap indeed. For some moments he stood with his handssunk deep in his pockets, his head drooping and his eyes fixed upon theground. Presently, kicking weakly at some pebbles, he began to speak.
“I had that five hundred dollars pretty well spent,” he said. “I’dbought everything with it from a new pair of skates to an automobile.And now I don’t get a red cent!”
Then, as Fred was about to say something bitter and cutting, Piperbraced up suddenly.
“Look here, old man,” he exclaimed, with an air of sincerity that surelyseemed genuine, “for all of my confidence that I had that money as goodas nailed, I’ve been feeling pretty rotten. I don’t suppose you believeme, but it’s a fact. I?
??ve been mighty sorry about the whole businesssince you talked to me a while ago at the bridge. Now, even though I’velost the five hundred, I’m feeling better. Say, Fred, you must be readyto blow up with joy. Just think of it! Your brother is alive, and he’sinnocent. You have the proof. Old fellow, I congratulate you.”
“Thanks,” returned Fred, a bit coldly. “I’m glad you have the decency tosay that much.”
“There’s only one hope left for me now,” said Sleuth. “The bank is outtwenty thousand dollars in securities, and I believe I can put my handon the thief. Anyhow, that will be a feather in my cap.”
* * * * *
At eleven o’clock that forenoon, while the officials of the bank were inconsultation in the directors’ room, the door-man appeared and statedthat there was a boy outside who insisted that he could tell who hadrobbed the institution.
“It’s one of the boys who helped catch the wounded burglar,” he said.“His name is Piper.”
“Admit him,” directed Urian Eliot.
Sleuth entered, bearing himself well. His eyes roved swiftly over theassembled officials until they rested upon Lucius Timmick, who sathuddled on a chair at one side of the great oak table.
“What is this you claim, my boy?” asked Mr. Eliot. “Do you pretend tosay that you know who robbed the bank?”
“Yes, sir,” answered Sleuth positively, “I’m dead certain I can pointout the man. He’s in this very room.”
While the electrified assemblage gasped over this statement, there camea sudden disturbance outside the door, which was violently flung open toadmit Captain Quinn, who was threatening with his cane the door-man asthe latter tried to collar him.
“Keep away, you swab!” roared the old sailor. “I tell you I’ve gotbusiness in here. Put your hands on me and I’ll mop the deck with you!”
“He—he would come in, gentlemen,” said the door-man, seeking to excusehimself for the interruption.
“You bet I would!” rasped Quinn. “And if I’d had a marlin-spike insteadof this cane, I’d busted your head when you tried to put your dirtyhooks on me! I guess I’ve got something that belongs aboard this herecraft. I caught my monkey, Jocko, hiding it in my bunk. I reckon thelittle rat must have come in here through the busted winder and swipedthe stuff, and I suppose in the excitement nobody saw him. Here it is.”
He pulled a thick package from his pocket and flung it down upon thetable. Timmick, leaping from his chair, seized the package and took onelook at it. Then he uttered a joyful shout.
“The missing securities!” he cried. “Here they are! That lets me out.”
It likewise let Sleuth Piper out. At any rate, in the midst of theconfusion attendant upon the return of the securities Sleuth slippedthrough the open door and made all possible haste to leave the bank.
Some time later Rod Grant found Piper leaning on the railing of thebridge and gazing gloomily down at the icy waters of the river. Sleuthdid not even look around when Rod slapped him on the shoulder, crying:
“What are you thinking about, you great detective—jumping into thedrink? Going to commit suicide?”
“I will admit,” answered Piper in a doleful voice, “that such blackthoughts have percolated through that empty chamber where up to thepresent date I’ve supposed my brains were located.”
“What’s the matter?” persisted Grant. “Why, you’re one of the heroes ofthe hour. You and Hooker caught one of the burglars——”
“After he had tumbled into a gully and bumped himself as helpless as adead flounder,” returned Sleuth, with unspeakable self-scorn. “A greatpiece of work, that! Hook may feel chesty over it, but not I. Leave me,Rodney—leave me to my sorrow. Let me suffer alone and in silence.”
* * * * *
Thus the Great Oakdale Mystery was cleared up to the satisfaction ofall, for in time even Sleuth Piper professed to be rejoiced, and hisprofession was accepted as genuine by Fred Sage, whose own greathappiness would not permit him to hold hard feelings toward anyone.
Clarence Sage, cleared of any suspicion of complicity in the attemptedrobbery of the Oakdale bank, soon went to Rutledge, where Jorlemon andGates took up his case, and, with the aid of the dead cashier’sconfession, quickly obtained for Clarence the governor’s pardon.
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Transcriber’s note:
Punctuation has been standardized. Minor spelling and typographic errors have been corrected silently, except as noted below.
On page 66, "reëntered" was changed to "reentered", as other uses of the word "enter" does not use the diacritic e.
On page 273, "ring" was changed to "bring". The original text was: Then we had to ring him into the business
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