CHAPTER VII.
MARCY SPEAKS HIS MIND.
"Julius also knew that those Union men--I don't know any other name togive to those who turned the tables on the robbers--were out there inthe garden, and he told them to hurry up," continued Marcy. "Now, wherewere you at the time?"
"Marse Marcy," said Morris, recovering himself with an effort, "you hadbest sell that niggah, kase if you don't Ise bound to kill him."
"You will be careful not to touch him," said Mrs. Gray. "It is not yourplace to discipline any one."
"But, missus, you don't know that niggah," began Morris.
"We know that he was brave enough to send those men to our rescue, whileyou were too badly frightened to do anything to help us," said Marcy.
"I couldn't be two places," protested Morris. "I was in the stablelooking out for the hosses. There's whar I belong."
"Did you see them when they took their prisoners away? And was that poorfellow who was knocked down by the chandelier very badly injured?"inquired Mrs. Gray.
"Pore fellow!" repeated the coachman. "No, he wasn't bad hurt. They jestchuck him in the hoss trough and he come back to his right mind mightyquick."
"I hope they did not abuse him?"
"No, missus; dey didn't 'buse him at all. They jest say 'Come alonghere! We fix you.' And that's all they done."
"And you did not see what became of him and the others?"
Morris replied that he watched the rescuers and their prisoners from thestable door until they disappeared in the darkness, and that was all heknew about them. And we may add that that was all any one in that houseever knew about them. Although Marcy Gray afterward became acquaintedwith all the men who had taken an active part in this night's work, anddaily mingled with them, he never learned what they did with theircaptives. Indeed he never inquired, for he was afraid that he might hearsomething unpleasant if he did.
"If you have told all you have on your mind you can go back to bed,"said Marcy, after a little pause.
"That's all," answered Morris. "I wish you a very good evening, sar--youand the missus." And he passed into the hall, closing the door behindhim. Marcy waited until he heard the outer door shut, and then he walkedover and took a look at the fallen chandelier.
"Wouldn't Beardsley be hopping if he knew that one of his own negroeshad upset his plans?" said he. "I really believe he would be the deathof that girl Nancy. Julius is wide awake, but I do wish he would notkeep so much to himself, and that I could place more dependence on whathe says."
"But you do not mean to put him to work?" said his mother.
"Oh, no; and the rascal knows it. He would not stay in the field twominutes without some one to watch him, and he is of use about the house.Now, go and get some sleep, mother, and I will see that things aresecure."
Once more Marcy made the rounds of the building, and this time he didnot find things just as they ought to be. He found how the robbers hadeffected an entrance. They had cut a hole through the side door so thatthey could reach in and turn the key in the lock and draw back the bolt.Probably Morris was hiding in the stable when they did it, too badlyfrightened to give the alarm; but the robbers would not have done theirwork entirely undisturbed if Bose had not been dead on his mat aroundthe corner.
"If Morris and Julius knew this thing was going to happen, I do notunderstand why they did not warn us," said Mrs. Gray, when Marcy cameback to the sitting-room.
"Because they are darkies, and darkies never do what they ought,"answered Marcy. "They did not want us to be frightened until the timecame, and so they stayed awake and watched while we slept. Good-night."
When Marcy went up to his room he took his pillows from the floor, andput them on the bed where they belonged. He pushed his revolvers underthem, smiling grimly when he thought of the little use they had been tohim when their services were really needed, turned down the lamp, andwas about to throw himself upon his couch, without removing his clothes,when he heard something that had startled him once before--the noisemade by a pebble striking against his window. That was the way in whichSailor Jack attracted his attention on the night he came up fromNewbern, after piloting that Northern blockade runner safely into port;but who could this person be? The dread of danger, that was uppermost inhis mind when he stepped to the window and opened it, gave way toindignation when he looked out and saw the boy Julius standing on theground below.
"Look here, you imp of darkness," he exclaimed.
"Hursh, honey, hursh!" said Julius, in an excited whisper. "Go fru dehall, and look out de oder side."
"What's out there?" asked Marcy, in the same low whisper.
"Nuffin. But you go and look."
Marcy put down the window and went, knowing that it would be a waste oftime to question such a fellow as Julius. When he stepped into the hallhe was alarmed to see that it was lighted up so brightly by a glarewhich came through the wide, high window at the other end that he coulddistinguish the figures on the wall-paper. He reached the window in twojumps, stood there about two seconds looking toward two different pointsof the compass, and then faced about, and ran down the stairs.
"Mother, mother!" he exclaimed, as he rapped on her bedroom door. "Getup and tell me what to do. Here's the mischief to pay. Beardsley's houseis in flames."
"O Marcy!" was all Mrs. Gray could say in reply.
"Yes. And there's a little blaze just beginning to show above the treesin the direction of Colonel Shelby's," continued Marcy.
"This is a dreadful state of affairs," said his mother.
"I believe you; but Aleck Webster told the truth, and those Union menare bricks. Jack will be tickled to death when he hears of it."
"I hope he isn't heathen enough to rejoice over any one's misfortune.But how can I tell you what to do? What do you want to do?"
"I want to know if you will be afraid to remain here with the girlswhile I run over there," answered Marcy.
"Certainly not. Take every one on the place, and save what you can. But,Marcy, you cannot do any work with only one hand."
"No matter. I can show my good will. I don't expect to have a chance tosave anything. The house has been burning so long that the roof is aboutready to tumble in. Good-by."
Marcy buttoned his coat to keep it from falling off as he ran, caughthis cap from the rack as he hurried through the hall, and opened thefront door to find Julius waiting for him at the foot of the steps.
"Wake up everybody!" commanded Marcy. "Tell the girls to go into thehouse to keep their mistress company, and bring the men over to thefire. Hurry up, now!"
Marcy ran on in the direction of the gate, and, as soon as he was out ofsight, Julius whirled around and seated himself on the lower step. Hesat there about five minutes, and then rose and sauntered off toward theroad.
"What for I want wake up everybody?" said he to himself. "I jes aintgoing take no men ober to de fire to holp save de cap'n's things, whende cap'n done sick de robbers on us. Luf him take keer on he own things;dat's what I say."
Marcy was right when he told his mother that he would not be in seasonto assist in saving the captain's property. The roof of the house fellin about the time he reached the road, and when he ran into the yard hecould do no more than follow the example of Beardsley's frightenedhousehold, and stand by and look on while the fire burned itself out. Hecaught one glimpse of the captain's grown-up daughter standing besidethe few things that had been saved, but she straightway hid herselfamong the negroes, and gave him no opportunity to speak to her. Helooked toward Colonel Shelby's plantation, and saw that his house, too,was so far gone that there was no possible chance of saving it. This wasthe important thing that Captain Beardsley forgot, and of which we spokea short time ago. He forgot the band to which Aleck Webster belonged, orperhaps he would have contrived some way to make them believe that theman Kelsey, and not himself, was to blame for the raid that had thatnight been made upon Mrs. Gray's house.
"Aleck and his friends must have had the strongest kind of evidence, orthey n
ever would have done such work as this," thought Marcy, as heturned his steps homeward after satisfying himself that there wasnothing he could do at the fire. "I wish I knew what that evidence is,and how all this is going to end. I wish from the bottom of my heartthat the fanatics who are responsible for this state of affairs could bein my place for a few days."
"I hope you asked the captain's daughter to come over here," said Mrs.Gray, when her son entered the room in which she was sitting.
"Well, I didn't," was the reply. "I meant to, but she didn't give me achance to say a word to her. Let her go and bunk with Mrs. Brown, andthen there will be two congenial spirits together."
By this time it was getting well on toward morning, and sleep beingquite out of the question, Marcy and his mother sat up and talked untilbreakfast was announced. The burden of their conversation, and theinquiry which they propounded to each other in various forms, was: Whatshould they say to their neighbors regarding the events of the night?Should they tell the story of the attempted robbery, when questionedabout it, or not? There were many living in the settlement who had notbeen taken into Beardsley's confidence, who did not know that the Unionmen were banded together for mutual protection, and some of them wereConfederate soldiers; and what would these be likely to do if theylearned that there was a little civil war in progress among theirneighbors? The situation was an embarrassing one, and Marcy and hismother did not know how to manage it.
"I am a-going to trust to luck to help me out," said the boy, who hadbeen gazing steadily into his cup of coffee as if he there hoped to findan answer to the question that had been under discussion for the lasttwo hours. "I don't believe there will be anything done, one way or theother, until the battle that is going to be fought at Roanoke Island isdecided."
"Why, Marcy?" said Mrs. Gray, in surprise. "What direct influence can agreat battle have on our private affairs?"
"I thought you wouldn't fall in with my notions, but I think I amright," replied Marcy. "If the rebels win, look out for breakers. Thispart of the State will be overrun with soldiers, who will shoot or driveout every one who is suspected of being friendly to the old flag, andsuch fellows as Beardsley and Shelby and Allison will be out in fullforce to hie them on. If the Federals win, as I hope they may, andoccupy the Island and Plymouth and other points about here, ourstay-at-home rebels will crawl into their holes, and you will not hear acheep from them."
"But all that is in the future," said Mrs. Gray.
"And what we want to know is how to conduct ourselves to-day," addedMarcy. "I know that, and, as I said before. I am going to trust to luck.I can tell better what to say after I have mingled for a few minuteswith the crowd I shall meet at the post-office."
"Do any of the Union men ever go there?" inquired Mrs. Gray.
"I have seen Webster there once or twice, but as to the rest, I cannotsay; for I do not know them."
"I shouldn't think they would go there for fear of being arrested."
"Who is there to arrest them?"
"I don't know; but I suppose the postmaster could bring a squad ofsoldiers from Plymouth, could he not?"
"Yes, but he would have to bring another squad to watch his house andstore after the one that made the arrest went away," answered Marcy. "Ifthe Nashville people attempt to manage this thing themselves, I amafraid their town will go up in smoke."
Going to the post-office, on this particular morning, was one of thehardest tasks the boy had ever set for himself. He wished he could hitupon some good excuse for sending Morris in his place, and indeed theold fellow offered to go when he brought up Marcy's horse, adding:
"I'm jubus that they will ask you a heap of questions that you won'twant to answer. They won't say nothing to Morris, kase a pore niggahnever knows nothing."
"I've got to face them some time, and it might as well be to-day as nextweek," replied Marcy, slipping into the coachman's hand one of the goldpieces that Julius had given him the night before. "Let Julius entirelyalone, and the next time you hear of any plans being laid against us,don't keep us in ignorance. Come to us at once, so that we may know whatwe have to expect."
"Thank you kindly, sar," said Morris, taking off his hat. "I'll bearthat in mind; but you see, Marse Marcy, I didn't want for to pester youand your maw. I was on the watch."
"But you were frightened to death, and that little imp Julius was theone who helped us," thought Marcy, as he swung himself into the saddle,with the coachman's assistance, and rode away. "Well, I was frightenedmyself, but I couldn't run and hide."
When Marcy came to Beardsley's gate, he thought it would be a neighborlyact for him to ride in and ask if there was anything he could do for thecaptain's daughter; but she was not to be seen. Marcy afterward learnedthat she had taken up her abode with Mrs. Brown, with whom she intendedto remain until her father could come home and make other arrangementsfor her comfort. There were a few negroes sauntering around in theneighborhood of the smoking ruins, and among them was the girl Nancy,who looked at him now and then with an expression on her face that wouldhave endangered her life if her master could have seen and understoodit. The boy was glad to turn about and ride away from the scene, for itwas one that had a depressing effect upon him.
"Beardsley brought it upon his own head," was what he told himself overand over again, but without finding any consolation in the thought. "Itis bound to make him worse than he was before--it would make me worse ifI were in his place--and nobody knows what he will spring on us next."
As Marcy had expected, his arrival at the hitching-rack in front of thepost-office was the signal for which Tom Allison, Mark Goodwin, and afew others like them had been waiting. They opened the door and ranacross the street in a body, highly excited of course, and all talkingat once.
"What happened out your way last night?" was the first question he couldunderstand.
"Fire," was the reply. "Didn't you see it?"
"You're right, I did," said Tom.
"Then why didn't you come out?" inquired Marcy. "I didn't see you or anyother white man about there."
"I'll bet you didn't," exclaimed Goodwin. "When two houses owned byprominent men, and standing a mile and a half apart, get on fire almostat the same moment in the dead hour of night----"
"And while their owners are absent from home," chimed in Tom.
"And while their owners are away from home on business," added Mark, "itmeans something, doesn't it? We stayed pretty close about ourhearth-stones, I bet you, for we didn't know how soon our own buildingsmight get a-going. Where were you when it happened?"
"I was at home, where you were," replied Marcy.
"And wasn't your house set too?"
Marcy said it was not; or if it was he hadn't found it out.
"That's mighty strange," remarked one of the group who had not spokenbefore.
"What is strange?" demanded Marcy. "Explain yourself."
"Why, if there was a band of marauders about, as every one seems tothink," said the boy----
"Well, there was," interrupted Marcy. "They came to our house, and madepreparations to hang me up by the neck, when the----"
"Oh, get out!" exclaimed Allison and Goodwin in concert.
Marcy had pushed his hat on the back of his head and squared himself totell the story of his adventure; but when these words fell upon his ear,he put his hands into his pockets and started for the post-office.
"Hold on," cried Tom, catching at his arm. "Don't go off that way. Tellus all about it."
"I will, if you will ride home with me so that I can prove my story,"said Marcy. "When you see the chandelier that was pulled out of itsplace in the ceiling by the rope----"
"Were you hanging to the rope when it pulled out?" exclaimed theimpatient boys.
"No. If I had been I would have a broken head now. One of the robbersput his weight upon the rope to see if it would hold me up, when thething came down on his head and knocked him senseless."
"Well now, I am beat! Did they go off without getting any money?"in
quired Tom, who would not have asked the question if he had been in acalmer mood.
"They certainly did. They never took a cent."
"And they didn't fire your house afterward?"
"Not that we know of. Our house is standing this morning."
"Who were the robbers?"
"That's a conundrum to give up," replied Marcy. "All I know is that theywere white men who had made a bungling attempt to disguise themselves asnegroes; but they did not put black enough on their hands and faces."
Tom Allison looked at his friend Mark, and when he moved away Markfollowed him. As soon as they were beyond ear-shot of the rest of thegroup, Tom said:
"Let's shake those fellows, and wait for a chance to speak to Marcyalone. What do you think you make of the situation just as it stands?"
"I don't make anything of it," answered Mark. "I can't see through it,and I don't believe Marcy told the truth."
"I do. In the first place he is not given to lying, and besides he askedus to go home with him. He wouldn't have done that if he had beentelling us a funny story. I believe Beardsley sent those robbers to Mrs.Gray's house and then took himself off so that he could say he wasn't athome when the robbery was committed, just as Marcy and Jack could saythey were not at home when their overseer was abducted."
"There may be something in that," said Mark reflectively. "But thecaptain made a mighty poor selection when he took men who permittedthemselves to be scared away by the breaking down of a chandelier. Abrave lot of fellows they were."
"But perhaps that wasn't what frightened them away," said Tom. "How doyou account for the burning of Beardsley's house and Shelby's, whileGray's was allowed to stand?"
"I don't account for it. It is quite beyond me."
"You don't think those robbers set the buildings on fire?"
"It isn't likely, when they were in Beardsley's employ. Still they mighthave done it to revenge themselves for the loss of the money theyexpected to find in Mrs. Gray's house."
"They might, but I don't believe they did. Have you forgotten what wasin the letter Beardsley received while he was in Newbern?"
"By gracious, Tom! You don't think----"
"Yes, I do. They said they would jump on him if he didn't stoppersecuting Union people, and they have done it. The men who wrote thatletter were the men who burned those houses."
"Tom, you frighten me. I'll tell you what's a fact, old fellow: You andI made a big mistake in calling on that old gossip Mrs. Brown. We didn'tget a thing out of her beyond what we knew when we went there, and I'mgoing to keep clear of that shanty of hers in future. It may be yourfather's turn next, or mine."
"That is what I am afraid of," said Tom honestly. "And that is thereason I want to hang around and see Marcy alone--to ask if he sawanything of those Union men last night."
Marcy remained in the post-office for nearly half an hour, for he wassurrounded by an excited and anxious group there, and plied with thesame questions he had been called on to answer outside; but about thetime that Allison and his companion were becoming so impatient that theywere on the point of going in after him, he came out with his mail inhis hand, and, what was a comfort to them, he came alone.
"Are you two going to ride out with me?" said Marcy, when he reached thehitching-rack, where they were waiting for him.
"We may go out some day, but not for proof," replied Tom. "What would bethe use, when we know that you told us nothing but the truth? But,Marcy, you don't mean to say that those robbers were frightened fromtheir work by the simple breaking down of the chandelier?"
"Oh, no; they had better reasons than that for letting us alone,"replied the boy, who knew that he might as well tell the whole storyhimself as to leave them to hear it from somebody else. "A moment or soafter the chandelier came down on the head of one of the robbers, aparty of armed and masked men came into the room and rescued us."
It was right in the point of Tom Allison's tongue to say to Mark,"Didn't I tell you so?" but he caught his breath in time, and tried tolook surprised. "Who were they?" he managed to ask.
"Didn't I say they were all masked?" inquired Marcy.
"Well, they said something, didn't they."
"They spoke about half a dozen words."
"And didn't you recognize their voices?"
"I did not. Let Mark put his handkerchief over his mouth and speak toyou, and see if you can recognize his voice."
"But haven't you an idea who they were?"
"You know as much about them as I do," answered Marcy; and he knew bythe expression of astonishment that came upon Tom's face that he had hitthe nail squarely on the head.
"How do you explain the burning of those two houses?" inquired Mark.
"In the same way that I explain the raid that was made upon our house.The men who were responsible for one were responsible for the other."
"You don't mean to say that the robbers did it!" exclaimed Tom.
"I mean to say that they were the cause of it. If you won't ride with meI shall have to say good-by."
"What do you think now?" asked Tom, as he and Mark stood watchingMarcy's filly spatter the mud along the road.
"I hate to say what I think," was Mark's reply. "I'm sorry to say it,but it is a fact that that villain holds every dollar's worth ofproperty in this county between his thumb and finger."
"Well, he shall not hold it there forty-eight hours longer," saidAllison savagely.
"How are you going to help it?"
"By writing a note to the commanding officers at Plymouth and Roanoke,and telling them what sort of a fix we are in," replied Tom.
"Don't you do it!" cried Mark. "Don't think of it, for if you do youwill see worse times here than you ever dreamed of. If you are nothanged to one of the trees on the common you will be driven out of thecountry."
Wait a few minutes, and we will tell you whether or not Mark Goodwin hadreason to be frightened at Tom's reckless words.