CHAPTER XXII
THE MASKED MAN
For a few seconds the two young people remained looking alternately at oneanother, and then at the packet which they guessed contained thelong-expected and important papers. The red wax, with which the package wassealed, gleamed in the lamp-light, for one had been set aglow. It was darkearly on this night, as clouds overcast the sky.
"Yes, these must be the papers Mr. Argent is expecting," Jack said,musingly. "I wonder what I'd better do about them?"
"What is there to do?" asked Mrs. Blake.
"Well, I think I ought to take them to him. I feel all right now. Theeffects of that drug has passed off, and--"
"Nonsense!" exclaimed Jennie's mother; "you shall do nothing of the sort.No trip to Rainbow Ridge to-night!"
"But he may want them!" insisted Jack. "And I promised to bring themthrough for him. I think I must go."
"Please don't," pleaded Jennie. "We can lock the letters in the safe here,and you can take them the first thing in the morning. You know you weretold not to make a night trip unless it was absolutely necessary, and itisn't. There isn't anything here that must go through before morning," andshe rapidly sorted over the mail and express matter to prove what she said.
"And didn't Mr. Argent tell you not to take the risk of a night trip justfor these letters?" asked Mrs. Blake.
"Yes, he did, but--"
"Then don't go. In fact it would not be fair to him to risk taking themafter dark, when you know his enemies are after them. You have had a narrowescape this afternoon, you are weak, and--"
"Oh, I'm all right now!" insisted Jack. "I feel fine."
He certainly looked it. His health had enabled him to make a quick recoveryfrom the effects of the drug, the life he lived in the open air doing muchto help his system throw off the effects of the narcotic. Jack looked ableto make a night ride.
"You may feel fine," said Mrs. Blake, determined to carry her point, "butthere is no telling when there might be a reaction, and a return of thatdizzy feeling. If you fell off your pony in the dark, at some lonesomepoint of the mountain trail, you might not only suffer yourself, but itwould give Mr. Argent's enemies the very chance for which they arescheming."
"Well, that's so," Jack admitted. "I didn't think of that."
"Then you won't go?" asked Jennie.
"No, I think perhaps I'd better not But is there a good place here to keepthe package?"
"We have a safe," replied Mrs. Blake. "It isn't a very big one, and Isuppose a real burglar wouldn't have much trouble in opening it. But therearen't any burglars around here--there may be desperate men, but they'renot burglars. They can't work the combination. Besides, we'll be on thelookout and watch, and you'll stay here all night, Jack, of course."
"Oh yes, thank you, Aunt Matilda. I'll stay as long as I'm not going backto Rainbow Ridge. And if any attempt is made to rob the safe, well,there'll be some trouble," and Jack took out his weapon to make sure thatit was fully loaded.
"Oh!" Jennie exclaimed, "I wish you wouldn't do that."
"Do what?"
"Flourish that revolver so recklessly. It makes me nervous."
"I'm not reckless," said Jack. "And I've got to be sure it will go off if Ineed it."
"I hope you won't need it," said the girl in a low voice.
The matter of Jack's staying having been decided, he helped Jennie sort themail and express matter, so there would be no delay in the morning. For thepony express rider had determined to make an early start.
"I want to get those letters in the hands of Mr. Argent just as soon as Ican," he said. "Then the worry will be off my mind."
"And it is a worry," Jennie admitted. "Any one might think that to have amail route over these mountains wasn't very important, but things seem tohave crowded in on you lately."
"You haven't had it altogether easy yourself," said Jack, as he thought ofthe bogus inspector. "Ever since I took dad's place there has beensomething to worry you."
"Well, it isn't your fault, Jack," she said. "It just seems to be acombination of circumstances, all more or less connected with Mr. Argent'smine. But perhaps this is the end and from now on everything will go alongall right. I hope so!"
"So do I!" Jack declared. "Now I think I'll go over and have a look at thepony. I may have a bit of hard riding to do to-morrow, and I want him to bein good shape."
"Do you think they'll try again to-morrow to this package away from you?"asked Jennie, looking around the room apprehensively, as though some onemight be lurking in the shadows.
"There's no telling," Jack responded.
He was glad to get out in the air again for a little while. There was afresh breeze blowing from the west, cold and refreshing from the distantmountains, and the air cleared away from Jack's head the last lingeringfeeling caused by the drug.
"Well, Sunger, old boy, they didn't get us that time, did they?" he askedas he went into the stall and petted his faithful animal. "They didn't getus though they tried mighty hard. We gave them a run for their money allright, and we'll do it again if they make another try. How are you,anyhow?"
He talked to the pony as though the plucky little fellow were human. Andperhaps Sunger understood more than Jack gave him credit for doing.Certainly he had proved his intelligence that day.
Having seen that his mount, on which so much depended, was well bedded downand had enough food and water, Jack went back to the Blake home.
"And now for a pleasant evening," suggested Jennie. "We'll have a game ofcheckers, Jack. I think I can beat you this time, though you didn't give mehalf a chance the last time."
"I'll concede you two men," he said, smiling.
"No, indeed!" she exclaimed, half indignantly. "If I can't beat you evenlyI don't want to win at all. Just because I'm a girl you'll handicapyourself!"
"Oh well have it your own way," he agreed, smiling at her energetic words.
"Well, isn't this better than riding on the lonesome mountain trail,thinking every minute you're going to be held up?" asked Jennie, when onegame had been finished, Jack winning as usual.
"It certainly is!" he agreed, as he looked around the pleasant room. "Butthen, you know, business before pleasure."
"Not when it isn't absolutely necessary," remarked Mrs. Blake.
The living rooms of Jennie and her mother were upstairs, over the postoffice and the express department. There was a spare room that Jack usedwhen he remained over night with his relatives.
"But I think I'll not sleep there to-night," he said, when preparationswere being made for retiring.
"Why not?" asked Jennie.
"I want to be down here, near the safe," Jack replied, nodding toward thesteel box in which the Argent letters and some registered mail had beenplaced for security until morning. "I suppose nothing will happen," he wenton, "but I shall feel better if I am down here."
"But there is no place to sleep--no bed," objected Jennie.
"A blanket and the soft side of a board will do for me," Jack answered,with a laugh. "I've camped out and slept on the ground often enough not tomind one night of discomfort. Don't worry, I'll be comfortable enoughhere."
"We can bring down the old lounge if you insist on sleeping here," Mrs.Blake said.
"Well, I should like to, if you don't mind," Jack answered. And so it wasarranged. Jennie and her mother went up stairs, and Jack, withoutundressing, stretched out on the couch, pulling the blankets over him, forthe night was cool with the approach of fall.
Jack's improvised bedroom was in a part of the post office, and in the roomadjoining stood the safe, containing the valuable letters. By peering outof a nearby door Jack could have a glimpse of the strong box.
"Maybe I'll have my trouble for my pains," Jack reasoned, "but I'll worryless this way. I wonder if they'll really make any attempt to get in here?"
He hardly knew what to think. When he recalled the desperate chance Ryanhad taken to get possession of what he must have known was in the mailsack, Jack was sure th
e attempt would not easily be given up. But as theplotters had so far been successfully evaded and their tricks set atnaught, it might be that they would give up now.
"It's about six of one and half a dozen of the other," Jack mused, "and Ithink the odds are in my favor."
He did not feel sleepy. Perhaps the after-effects of the drug were such asto produce an abnormally active state of the brain, and the brain must bequiet to have sleep come. For a time Jack lay quietly on his couch. Then hehad an attack of the fidgets, and he tossed restlessly to and fro.
Up stairs all was quiet, and he hoped his aunt and cousin were sleeping incomfort. Now and then Jack assured himself that his revolver was ready tohis hand. As the hours were ticked off on the office clock, Jack becamemore and more nervous.
"Come, this won't do!" he told himself. "I won't be fit for much to-morrowif I don't get some sleep, and I may have a hard day of it. Guess I'll getup and have a drink of water. I've heard that's a good thing to do when onecan't sleep."
He tried to move about cautiously, so as not to disturb Jennie and hermother. But as often happens when one moves about in the dark, objects arestruck that one hardly knew were in the room. The things all seem to massthemselves under foot.
Jack banged into a table, and knocked over a chair.
"Oh!" screamed Jennie from the room above. "Mother! Jack! They've come!"
"It isn't anything--I just got up to get a drink," quickly explained Jack,wishing he had kept still. "Sorry to have disturbed you."
"I haven't been asleep," Jennie confessed, calling down the stairway."Isn't it nearly morning?"
"A little after twelve," Jack reported, striking a match and looking at hiswatch.
Going back to his couch he soon found himself sinking off into acomfortable doze. He really needed natural sleep after his experience thatday, and a little later he found it stealing over him. He turned on hisside, and, before he knew it, was oblivious to his surroundings.
How long he slept Jack did not know, but he awoke with a start, and he wasat once aware that his awakening had been caused by some sudden noise. Fora moment he was so confused that he could not think clearly, or recallwhere he was.
He passed his hand across his head, and this slight action seemed to makehis brain work. Then he sat up. He was at once aware that something unusualwas going on.
There was a dim light shining in through the room where the safe was. Andas Jack had left none burning, and as there were no street lights in GoldenCrossing, the express rider at once realized that some one had brought alight into the room since he had fallen asleep.
Jack was about to call out, thinking perhaps his aunt or cousin had comedown stairs, but he restrained himself.
"I'll just go and see who it is," he thought. A wild idea came to him. Hereached under his pillow and brought out his revolver.
"If it's any of the outlaws I'll be ready," he murmured.
Moving with the silence of a cat, Jack, who had taken off his shoes,tiptoed to the door between the two rooms. As he advanced he could hear asuccession of small noises. One was a sort of purring sound. Then came thetinkle of metal on metal--a faint sound that would not have been audiblebut for the deep silence over the place. Then Jack saw a flicker of thelight, as though some one or some object had come near enough to it toproduce a shadow.
Then, as Jack looked, he saw the outlines of a man's head, and the manseemed bent over, of stooping. Again came the tinkle of metal on metal.
All at once the truth flashed into Jack's mind.
"They're going to blow open the safe" was his thought. "It's the outlaws!I've caught 'em! They've drilled the safe and are going to blow it open!"
He managed, by going slowly, and trying each board with his foot advanced,to guard against a creak, finally to reach the door that opened into theroom where the safe stood.
And there, kneeling on the floor in front of the strong box, was a maskedman. He was in front of the safe, and a partly-opened dark lantern gavelight enough for Jack to see what was going on.
The safe was not open, but, as Jack looked, and as he was about to give thecommand: "Hands up!" he saw the masked man suddenly spring back and slide,on rubber-soled shoes, to a far corner.
There was a tiny curl of smoke near the door of the safe. Jack realized,too late, what it was--the fuse attached to a charge of nitroglycerine. Thesafe was about to be blown open.
And then, ere Jack could spring forward and tear loose the fuse, theexplosion came.
It was not loud, but the force of if blew Jack backward, knocking him down.His head hit on something and, for the moment, he lost consciousness.