CHAPTER XXXI.
MR. JONES BUYS THE OUTFIT.
THE Americans came tumbling out of their tents just as Mr. Bruce, withhis companions, rode into camp.
"No questions, no questions, until we have had something to eat,"protested the lawyer good-humoredly, as our little party crowded aroundhim. "We haven't had a bite to eat since yesterday noon. Just fill usup with something hot and tasty and we'll talk on anything you name.I am not going to say another word on an empty stomach, except to thesheriff here, and that only to tell him that I've got an order from thejudge revoking that warrant he's got for all of you fellows, and thathe might as well trot right back to town."
"Not before breakfast," protested the officer vigorously.
"As these boys' counsel, I advise them not to feed either you or yourmen," said the lawyer, with twinkling eyes. "They ought to punish youby sitting you in the corner and letting you watch the rest of us eat."
"That would be inhuman," declared the sheriff. "Um, man, just smellthose fish frying and that coffee steaming."
At this moment Chris announced breakfast and all filed in to wherethe little negro had the table filled with fried fish, quail, ham andeggs, potatoes, hot corn bread and coffee. Silence reigned supreme asthe hungry lawyer and his companions attacked the savory food. When atlast they had satisfied their gnawing appetites the lawyer turned tothe sheriff. "You can run along home now," he said. "Here's that paperI spoke about to show that everything's all right and proper. You canleave the boys with me now."
"I'm not sure but that I ought to take charge of their pocketbooks forthem if you are going to remain here," said the sheriff, with a laugh.
"I'll promise that their pockets will be fuller when I leave them thanthey are now," said Mr. Bruce.
"All right, I'll go then," agreed the sheriff, with a grin. "So long,boys, and the best of luck to you."
"That's a true-blue old chap," remarked the lawyer, as the sheriffdeparted. "We joke pretty rough with each other sometimes, but I likehim and I think he likes me."
"He is good and kind," Charley agreed. "Do you feel able to talkbusiness now?"
Mr. Bruce lit a cigar and puffed in dreamy content for a few minutesbefore replying.
"You know my friend Mr. Jones here, I believe?" he said, with an airywave of the hand toward the little man whose face at that momentlooked as though he had just taken a dose of castor oil.
"We have seen him before," said Charley coldly.
"Mr. Jones is a remarkable man, a very remarkable man," said thelawyer, and the lad thought he could detect a mocking note in Mr.Bruce's voice as he continued. "Like many other remarkable men,however, Mr. Jones has not until the present time been able to gratifyhis greatest desire and ambition. Is that not correct, Jones?"
"Go on. You're doing the talking," said the little man grimly.
"That's so, I am," said Mr. Bruce, with the air of one who had justbeen informed of a startling fact. "You're a man of unusual observationand intelligence, Jones. Well, gentlemen, even in childhood Mr. Jonesgave evidence of what was to be his ruling passion in life. Beforehe had reached the age of five, he nearly lost a finger in trying todiscover how his mother's clothes-wringer worked. Your mother did havea clothes-wringer, didn't she, Jones?"
"That was before the clothes-wringers came into use," growled thelittle man testily. "Can't you come to the point?"
"Dear me, so it was," agreed the lawyer. "I have got my facts all mixedsome way. Well, at the age of six, Mr. Jones was licked by his fatherfor taking the family lawn-mower to pieces to discover what made it cutgrass."
"We didn't have any lawn or lawn-mower," declared the little man mildly.
"At the age of seven Mr. Jones used to sit for hours by the railroadtrack wondering what made the locomotive's wheels go round. At tenhe ruined a bicycle, a present from an uncle, by taking it to piecestrying to discover why it would keep upright when moving but would falldown when stationary."
The boys grinned, and the little man squirmed uneasily in his seat.
"Gentlemen, you have no doubt discovered by now what Mr. Jones' rulingpassion was, and is, namely, an almost overwhelming love of machinery.I have not sketched out his entire life, but I have not the slightestdoubt that this passion displayed so early in life grew with thepassing years until it became a mania. I believe that, when Mr. Jonescame to own an automobile, the happiest hours of his life were thosespent under the machine with a monkey-wrench in his hand and hisclothes covered with grease."
"Can't you come to the point?" demanded the little man irritably.
"In just a minute, Jones," said the lawyer gently. "Now, gentlemen, Ihave related all this to show you how natural it was when Mr. Jonesfirst laid eyes on your magnificent machine he became possessed of thedesire to own it. His whole heart and every fiber of his being yearnedto possess that marvel of cog-wheels, levers, and power. The desiregrew so upon him that he could not sleep at nights, and at last he cameto me and begged me to see if you would not sell out to him. I warnedhim that you loved your work, and that nothing but a very high pricewould tempt you to give it up, but that has not diminished his ardor,and so I brought him out here to see what could be done in the matter."
The lads' hearts beat high with hope. Here was a way out of theirdifficulties they had never dreamed of. They managed to keep theirdelight out of their faces, however, for they realized that the lawyerwas playing a deep game, which they did not understand.
"I am afraid that you will set an unreasonable price on your outfit,"said Mr. Bruce, "so I suggest if you will entertain a proposition tosell, that you let me conduct the negotiations. I would hate to haveMr. Jones pay more for the machine than it is worth to him."
The little man winced visibly and shifted uneasily in his chair.
"We would sell, if we could get a proper price," Charley said slowly."We are willing to leave the matter in your hands."
"Good," said the lawyer. "Now we can get down to business. Let's see;the machine cost $12,000 laid down at Jupiter, I believe."
"I'll buy it for that," said the little man promptly, while our chumsheld their breath.
"Not so fast," said the lawyer. "I'm not setting a price yet. I'm justfiguring up things. Twelve thousand dollars was the price at Jupiter,but it cost a lot more to set it up and get it on the ground to work;then, there's the camp outfit, mules, truck, etc. The whole thingshould be worth at least $18,000."
"I'll take it at that," said Mr. Jones quickly.
"Don't be so hasty," reproved the lawyer. "I am not half through myfiguring yet. I believe the lads here have done a lot of work whichthey haven't been paid for yet."
"About $2,000 worth," Charley said; "then there is $1,700 coming onwork that Murphy did."
"That makes $3,700," said the lawyer with satisfaction.
"It's highway robbery!" exclaimed the little man excitedly.
"We haven't counted in the good will of the business yet, nor themental anguish my clients have suffered from troubles caused by enemiesto this road-building. I think $25,000 would be a fair selling price."
"It's blackmail!" shouted the little man. "It's nothing but pureblackmail."
"Oh, no," said Mr. Bruce calmly. "You know you don't have to buy unlessyou want to. But I haven't finished yet. The buyer would have to keepon all the present crew, if they wish to stay. The sick ones wouldhave to be well cared for, and their wages go on just the same as ifthey were at work. He would have to rebuild all the bridges destroyedbetween here and Jupiter, and, lastly, he would have to pay to WillieJohn, the Seminole, whose son was killed while working for the company,the sum of $5.00 a week for life. That's my proposition for my clients.Of course, if you do not want to accept it, Mr. Jones, you do not haveto do so."
For a few minutes silence reigned in the tent. Then the little man,with a groan, pulled out his checkbook. "I give up," he said. "You'vegot me where I can't do otherwise."
"Sensible man," approved the lawyer. "Now, gentlemen, will you pleasecall i
n your engineers and teamster? I've got some papers I want allhands to sign." The rest of the Americans were quickly assembled in thetent, and the paper signed, after which Mr. Jones handed the lawyer acheck for $25,000 and received the papers in exchange.
"Do you know, Mr. Jones," said the lawyer, as he held the check inhis hand, "this road building could have been stopped long ago if itsenemies had been smart enough to do one little thing?"
"What was that?" inquired the little man, with a display of interest.
"Pull up and destroy the surveyors' stakes," said Mr. Bruce, smiling.
Chagrin swept over the little man's face. "I guess I am beginning toget old and feeble-minded," he said humbly.
"Not too old but to be watched, and carefully, too," said the lawyer."Gentlemen, I think Mr. Jones would like to retire and rest up a bit,after his hard ride. If you could place a tent at his disposal, itwould be a great favor. I would suggest that a few men be placed aroundthe tent until one of you can ride in and get this check cashed."
"Think I would stop payment on it?" growled Mr. Jones.
"You might, you know," said the lawyer quietly.
So Mr. Jones was escorted to a tent, and a guard of Spaniards placedaround it.
Walter offered to ride in on the little man's pony to get the checkcashed and the money placed to their credit in the bank. Charley wouldhave liked to have made the trip himself, but his arm was paining himso intensely that he decided to remain behind. Soon after breakfastWalter rode away on his errand.
"I am thoroughly bewildered," Charley said to Mr. Bruce. "I don't seehow you forced Jones to buy us out at such an enormous price, and I donot see any solution of our mystery. It is still a mystery."
"Same here," agreed Captain Westfield. "I must own up, I am as curiousas a woman about it."
"I am willing to explain now," said Mr. Bruce, with a smile. "It's avery simple affair, after all."
CHAPTER XXXII.
THE MYSTERY SOLVED.
MR. BRUCE paused before beginning his story. "I take it that you arewell satisfied with the settlement you have made with Jones?" he asked.
"More than satisfied--delighted," said Charley, at which sentimentCaptain Westfield nodded his head vigorously.
"Very well," said the lawyer. "I am glad of that, for I must confess Ihave carried things with a pretty high hand in this matter. I am almostafraid to tell you the whole truth now, for you may condemn me for thesettlement I have made of your affairs after I tell you everything, butI have acted for what I thought was your best interests all the waythrough."
"We believe that," said Charley simply. "But for you we would have lostout completely. We would not ask for particulars if it were not thatthe mystery of the whole business still puzzles us."
"And yet it's a simple thing," said the lawyer. "You gave me nearly allthe clews to it that day you called at my office in Palm Beach. Youtold me of all the efforts that had been made to hold up your work. Youtold me about the man Jones, and what the agent at Jupiter had toldyou about his getting cipher telegrams from the state capital andNew York, and you also showed me a newspaper clipping, telling of theefforts of a big company to get free from the State of Florida a biggrant of land between Indiantown and the jungle. Why, your mystery wasnearly all solved in just what you told me that day."
"I don't see how," said Charley bewildered.
"The connection was plain enough," said Mr. Bruce, with a smile. "Itwas a big New York company that wanted to get the land for nothing.Jones was getting mysterious messages from New York and from the statecapital. You were almost certain that Jones was the one back of allyour troubles. Well, the deductions from all those facts were simpleenough. Jones was evidently the agent for the New York company. Joneswas not trying to kill any of you or to break up the machine. He wassimply trying to hold up and delay the building of the road. Why did hewant to hold up your work, you will ask. Well, the answer is containedin that newspaper clipping. The legislature will not meet until nextmonth, when they will likely give the land grant to the company. Theinference was plain, Jones' company wanted to have the road built, butnot before they got the land from the state."
"But why?" persisted Charley, still puzzled.
"That's the question that puzzled me," smiled the lawyer. "It was whatbrought me out here the first time to look over the ground, and I foundthat you were carrying the answer around without knowing it. You werelike Jones was about the surveyors' stakes. It was such a little thingthat you never thought it of any importance."
"Go on," said Charley, still mystified.
"Those bits of rock you had in your game bag were phosphate at thehighest grade," said the lawyer, with a smile. "The company was askingthe state to give them millions of dollars' worth of phosphate fornothing, trusting to the state's ignorance of the value of the land."
"I see," said Charley excitedly, "they wanted to hold the machine backfrom digging through that land until they got the grant from the state.They reasoned that, when the shovel began to throw out that stuff,someone would be sure to recognize it, and the news would leak out,destroying their chances of getting millions of dollars for nothing."
"That's about the size of it," Mr. Bruce admitted.
"But I still don't see how you made Jones buy our machine at such anenormous price," said the lad.
"I am rather proud of that stroke," admitted the lawyer. "Perhaps mymethod was not entirely ethical, but, as a lawyer, I owed a duty toyou, my clients, before any abstract duty to the state. Once I got thelay of things, I began to study out how I could turn my discoveries toyour advantage. Of course, I could have made public the discovery ofthe phosphate and the grant would not be made, but that would not repayyou fellows for your losses. So I hit upon a scheme which was simplebut effective. Do you remember I had you all sign some papers the firsttime I came out here?"
"Yes," said Charley, "and I have often wondered what they were."
"Each one has a homestead entry on 160 acres of that phosphate land.The whole of them just about covered the land for which the company wasasking a grant. I got those entries all filed in the state land office,and that put an end to the grant question, and it brought Jones to myoffice almost foaming at the mouth, and ready to make almost any kindof terms. That is how I was able to make him buy your machine at a bigprice and assume your indebtedness. The papers you all signed to-daywere a bill of sale and the relinquishment of your homestead claims.They leave the phosphate land open to grant again, if the state seesfit."
"It looks to me," observed Captain Westfield, "that we have given upmillions of dollars to secure thousands."
"That's one way of looking at it," replied the lawyer dryly. "But letus see the other side. If you held that land you would have to liveon it for four years before the state would give you title to it. Youwould have to build a railroad to the coast to get your phosphate outto market, and you would have to finish up the county road you arebuilding, which would be a losing proposition from now on. In otherwords, it would take four years of your time, and about $300,000 ofcapital before you would get anything out of the phosphate."
"You're right," Charley agreed. "The homesteads would have just beenwhite elephants on our hands. There is one feature about our settlementwith Jones, however, that does not seem exactly right to me. The lawought to punish him for the killing of that Indian boy."
"That was the independent act of the gunmen, not Jones' act," said thelawyer. "Jones gave them orders not to hurt any of you, but just tofrighten you off the job. He was away in town when the shooting wasdone. Of course, he is responsible, in a way, for the gunmen were hisagents. He brought them out here. But how can it be proved against him?The gunmen are all dead, and, while we know Jones was responsible foryour troubles, we would have a hard job proving it, for he has kept inthe dark and covered up his tracks pretty well."
"You're right," the lad admitted, "and I for one am well satisfied withthe way you have handled things. You have done the wisest thing allthe way through. W
e are lucky to get out of the business so well off."
"You certainly are," agreed Mr. Bruce decidedly. "There is one thing Ihave not told you about yet, which will make you still gladder that youare out of the business."
"What is it?" Captain Westfield asked.
"The county's road fund is exhausted," replied the lawyer. "You wouldhave had to wait until the taxes are collected next year before youcould have gotten any money for your road work."
"Whew!" Charley whistled. "Then Jones has bought $3,700 worth of baddebts?"
The lawyer chuckled. "Yes, and he knows it. He's a pretty sore man justnow. But you needn't waste any sympathy on him. His company is a richone and can afford to wait a year for their road money. The road willbenefit them more than anyone else, anyway. Well, that's all the story,gentlemen, and, if you don't mind, I will lie down and rest a while. Iam not used to horseback riding, and I'm just one big ache now. Jonesand I are going to stay out here with you until your chum gets back. Iwant to do a little hunting while I'm waiting, and I would like to geta look at that old Spanish fort you told me about."
"We can go out there to-morrow, and hunt on the way," Charley said, ashe showed Mr. Bruce to his own tent. "I will send Willie John out toIndiantown to-day, and have him bring back ponies for all hands. Wewill make a general holiday and party of it."
Early next morning they all started out on the proposed trip. Even Mr.Jones was released from his tent and permitted to accompany the party.All carried guns and supplies, and Charley also carried a lantern and asupply of candles, for he was determined to search closely the hole inwhich Walter had found the gold and jewels.
Two days later the party returned, tired but happy, their ponies loadedwith game. Charley also bore a second cylinder the same as the oneWalter had found.
Soon after they arrived Walter rode into camp with the happy news thatthe check was cashed and the money placed to their credit in the bank.
The next morning our little party packed up their belongings and bidgood-by to the engineers and Spaniards, who had decided to stick bythe job. To each of the Spaniards they gave a $10 bill, and to theengineers $20 each as a parting gift out of the abundance they hadmade. Both the laborers and engineers were sorry to see them go, and,for their part, the boys and the captain disliked the parting, for theyhad grown quite attached to their willing helpers.
"Drop us a line once in a while," Charley told them, in parting. "Wemay get into some business again where we will need men, and I do notknow where we could get better ones."
Mr. Jones had granted them the use of the mules and wagon with theteamster to bring the rig back, and with their things stowed in thewagon our little party took their departure for Jupiter. As Mr. Brucehad ridden out on one of the mules he accompanied them back in thewagon.
"We are coming out of this business in fine shape," Charley said, withsatisfaction. "When the jewelry is disposed of we will have over $7,000apiece."
"Where are you going from here?" Mr. Bruce inquired; "and what are yourplans for the future?"
The chums looked blankly at each other. "Why, we haven't even decidedwhere we are going," Walter gasped.
"Back to our old camping-place on the point for me," said CaptainWestfield decidedly. "I'm sick for a breath of sweet, salt air oncemore. While we are resting up we can decide what we are going to donext." And so it was agreed.
At Jupiter our little party bid good-by to Mr. Bruce and Mr. Jones,who returned to Palm Beach on the first train. Before parting, Mr.Bruce drew Charley to one side. "I am going to always regard you andyour chum as my mascots," he said. "I am ashamed to confess it, butyours was the first and only case I have had since I was admitted tothe bar. It is always hard for a young lawyer to get a start, and it isespecially so in this state. You have broken the ice for me, and nowMr. Jones has retained me as counsel for his company, at a salary of$3,000 per year."
"Good," said Charley heartily. "I congratulate Jones on having senseenough to know that he could not get a better attorney."
The friendly station agent was delighted to see the little partyback again, and pleased to learn that they had done so well in theirunpromising venture. As he had just been granted a short vacation, theboys invited him to camp out with them for a while, an invitation whichhe was quick to accept.
And now all five of them are camped on that sand point again, fishing,swimming, boating, getting oysters and clams, hunting turtle eggs, andhaving a good time generally. They are having lots of fun, but, asCaptain Westfield remarked the other day: "I'll bet it won't be twoweeks before you lads will get tired of this, and will want to get outand look for more trouble," to which Chris sighed:
"Golly, I hopes not. Dis nigger is sho' enjoying dis sunshine andfishin'."
THE END.
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes:
Original text did not have a Table of Contents. One was created by thetranscriber to aid the reader.
Obvious punctuation repaired.
Page 12, "Okechobee" changed to "Okeechobee" (lays the great lakeOkeechobee)
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