Tom Gordon could not be blamed for failing to note several suggestiveoccurrences during this memorable visit to Briggsville.
Seated on the porch of the hotel, while he was talking to the group ofyoung persons and acquaintances, were two strangers, whose dilapidateddress, frowzy heads, and surly faces, showed they belonged to thatpestiferous class of vagrants known as tramps. They sat apart, aftertaking a drink in the bar-room, and with scowling but interested lookslistened to the chatter going on around them. It did not take them long tocatch the drift of matters. They talked together in low tones, withfurtive glances at the young hero, and kept their places, with a fewmuttered remarks that no one else could catch, while Tom was inside.
When the smiling lad reappeared, his friends besieged him with inquiries.
"Did he give you the money, Tom? How much is it?"
Being a sturdy boy, Tom naturally did not wish to appear too much elatedover his good fortune.
"Yes," he replied, with an assumption of indifference; "he paid me thehundred dollars like a gentleman, and I've got it in my pocket."
"What are you going to do with so much money?" asked a mischievousacquaintance; "buy a farm, or go in partnership with Vanderbilt?"
"I'm going to give every cent of it to my mother," replied Tom, with acompression of his fine lips and a flash of his eye.
"That's right!" commented an elderly gentleman; "you couldn't put it intosafer hands, and I mean that for all of you youngsters."
It was at this juncture that the two tramps rose to their feet, andslouched down the road in the direction of Tom Gordon's home. In theflurry of the moment no one noticed their departure, which indeed mightnot have attracted attention at any time.
"You've got a loaded gun in your house?" was the inquiring remark of thesame gentleman.
"Yes, sir; we always keep one. I fired at the tiger with it, but I didn'thurt him much," remarked Tom with a laugh.
"Well, tigers aren't the only creatures you've got to look out for inthese times. There are plenty of people that would break into your houseand murder you and your mother and aunt for the sake of that money."
Tom blanched a little at these words, and one of the bystanders said,--
"I don't think we have such people about here, Uncle Jed."
"I hope not, but you can't be too careful; I've been robbed myself when Ihadn't any more thought of it than that boy there."
Had Tom Gordon been a few years older or younger he would have acteddifferently; that is to say he would have returned home without delay. Buthe did not wish to appear frightened by the words of the old gentleman;and, though he was eager to hurry home to his mother and aunt with thegood news, he remained talking with his friends and trying to act asthough he had forgotten about his great fortune, until the long summer dayended and twilight began closing in. Then when he started, he lookedaround to see whether any one was going in the same direction. He wouldhave been glad of company, but it so happened that he set out alone in thegathering gloom to walk the mile that must be passed before he could reachhis home.
"I wish Uncle Jed hadn't said what he did," he mused, when fairly beyondthe town, "it makes me feel kind of pokerish; why didn't I think to bringmy gun along? If the folks he talks about would rob our house they wouldstop me on the road and take the money from me."
He walked faster as the darkness increased, for the moon would not risefor some time to come, glanced often behind him, and essayed a timidwhistle. He soon ceased this, however, for it only increased hisuneasiness. Every minute or two he pressed one of his hands against hisbreast to make sure the precious package was there. Then he glanced backagain in the gloom, and started when he fancied he saw a man followinghim. But it was only fancy, and he increased his pace, wondering why themile seemed longer than he had ever known it before.
The rattle of a wagon caused him almost to leap from his feet.
"That's lucky!" he exclaimed; "I will get the man to let me ride, and thenno one will dare disturb me."
But it proved that the wagon was coming from the direction of his home, soit could not be turned to account. He watched it as it came nearer. An oldgentleman sat on the front seat of the open vehicle which was joltingalong at an easy rate. It was too dark to see the driver's featuresplainly, but Tom believed he knew him and called out a greeting. Theresponse showed he was right as to the identity of the individual.
Two-thirds of the way home came the most trying ordeal. The lad wasobliged to follow quite a stretch of road where there was woods on bothsides. This deepened the gloom, for the highway was so narrow that it wascompletely shadowed.
"If any robbers are waiting for me," he mused, "it will be in them woods."
He hesitated on the border of the shadows, meditating whether he couldnot reach home by some other course; but the forest, originally one thatcovered several hundred acres, was bisected by the highway, and the detourwould be long. Still he decided to try it, for, somehow or other, theconviction was strong with him that danger lurked among the shadows. Heturned about to retrace his steps for a short way, before leaving theroad, when he stopped short, hardly repressing a gasp of affright.
He saw the unmistakable outlines of a man in the gloom, only a shortdistance behind him. Afraid to meet him face to face, Tom turned back andresumed his walk along the highway.
"When I get along a little farther," was his thought, "I'll slip over thefence among the trees and dodge him."
He began walking fast, continually glancing over his shoulder. His alarmincreased upon discovering that the man had also quickened his footsteps,so that instead of holding his place, the pursuer, as he may beconsidered, was gaining.
The fact that not the slightest sound disturbed the stillness added to theoppression of the situation. The lad was on the point of breaking into arun, when the man, who was one of the tramps before referred to, calledout,--
"Hold on there, sonny! don't be in such a hurry."
This salutation was not calculated to soothe Tom's agitation, and withoutany reply he started on a loping trot, still keeping his attention to therear, and prepared to break into a dead run the moment it becamenecessary. He was fleet of foot, and believed he could make the fellowhustle.
"Didn't you hear me, sonny? If you don't want to get shot, stop!"
Tom had no wish to be shot, nor did he mean to have the company of therascal who was bent on intruding upon him.
"Catch me if you can," he muttered, breaking into a swifter pace; "I'mglad it's night so I'll have a chance to hide from you"--
"Hold on there! what's your hurry, younker?"
The boy almost sank to the ground, for this startling hail came not fromthe rear, but from the front. Stopping short, he saw a burly fellow,standing within ten feet of him in the middle of the road, so nigh indeed,that, despite the darkness, Tom had no earthly chance of eluding him, ashe might have done had he detected his presence a moment sooner.
Rallying with a supreme effort, he addressed the one nearest him.
"What do you want, that you stop me this way?"
"What do I want?" repeated the tramp with a chuckle, "that's good; why Iwant to make the acquaintance of a purty young man like you. What's yourname?"
"Tom Gordon," promptly replied the boy, seeing nothing to be gained byhiding his identity.
"I'm Count De Buffer, travelling incog. just now, 'cause you see I don'twant the Americans to make so much fuss over me; I have enough of that athome, where they're not such tuft hunters as here. Glad to know you, Tom,"added the tramp, extending his hand.
The boy with some hesitation accepted the grimy palm which almost crushedhis own.
"This is my friend Duke De Sassy," said the "count," as the other came up;"him and me have got tired of the frivolities of court life, and aremaking a tower through America studying its institutions, and doing thecountry."
"This ere young man didn't seem to care for my company," remarked the lastarrival; "for I called to him two or three times, but then, he couldn
'thave knowed that it was a real live dook he was treating that way, so Iforgive him."
"The truth is," added the count, "we're down on our luck just now, andwould like you to accommodate us with a trifle of a loan."
The tramps placed themselves while talking so as to forestall any attempton the part of the lad to break away.
"I haven't any money to lend you," sturdily answered Tom.
"Do you mean to say you have no funds in your exchequer?" continued thecount; "'cause if you haven't, of course we don't want anything to do withyou."
It flashed upon Tom that he had only to speak an untruth to free himselfof the presence of these miscreants. Would it be a sin for him to say hehad no money with him?
Only for an instant did the temptation linger. His mother had taught himthat a lie was never justifiable under any circumstances.
"I did not say I had no money," he said, "but that I had none to lendyou."
"Ah, that's a different matter. I'm afeard, Duke," he continued,addressing his companion, "that we shall be under the necessity of makinga forced loan; how does the proposition strike you?"
"I'm convinced we shall be reduced to that painful necessity. If I'm notmistook, this young gentleman was paid a hundred dollars this afternoonfor his bravery in throwing a royal Bengal tiger over his shoulder andbringing him back to the circus, from which erstwhile the animal strayed."
Poor Tom saw it was all up with him. These wretches must have known aboutthe reward from the moment he received it. They had planned the robbery,and he had walked straight into the trap set for him.
"Yes, I have a hundred dollars given to me for helping to catch the tiger;I was taking it home to my mother."
"That's a good boy," commented the count; "always think of your mother,for the market isn't overstocked with first-class mothers. But bear inmind, sonny, that we're only borering this for sixty days, and we'll giveyou ten per cent interest--that's our style of doing bus'ness, eh, Duke?"
"Well, if I must, I must," said Tom hopelessly, making a move of his handas if to draw the money from his trousers pocket.
"That's right, allers take things philosophically, and be ready to extenda helping hand to them as"--
The count had got thus far in his observations, when the boy darted to oneside, and made a desperate attempt to pass them and reach the fence on hisright.
He came very nigh succeeding too. In fact, he did get to the fence, andwas in the act of clambering over, when he was seized in the iron grip ofCount De Buffer, who was angered at the narrow escape of the youth makingoff with the funds.
"If you try anything like that agin, I'll kill you!" he said, choking andshaking the boy; "we mean bus'ness, young man, and don't you forget it!"
Tom still struggled furiously, and pulled so hard that all three movedseveral paces along the highway. Nor did he cease his resistance until hehad been struck several cruel blows.
"Now fork over them funds!" commanded the count, when the panting lad wasexhausted.
"I sha'n't do it!" was the sturdy reply.
"Very well; then we'll do it for you."
The lad made no resistance, and the tramps searched him thoroughly fromhead to foot. Not a penny was found on him.
"We ought to break your head for that trick," said the duke, "and if ithad done you any good we'd do so; but we understand it. You flung themoney away when you made a rush for the fence."
"If I did," was the defiant response of the boy, "all you've got to do isto find it again."
"We'll soon do that; hold him fast till I get it, and then we'll settlewith him."
The tousled scamp shuffled off to the side of the highway to search forthe package, which he was convinced had been thrown there at the timetheir prisoner made his dash for freedom.
"That'll prove bad bus'ness for you," growled the duke, who was thecustodian of Tom.
"Not any worse than if you had got it," replied the youth, who wasthoroughly roused by his brutal treatment. He had been struck severaltimes, but could not believe the ruffians would dare put him to death inrevenge for the loss of the money, that is, provided they did recover it.
"Haven't you found it, Dick?" called the duke, forgetting the title of hiscomrade.
"No, confound it! I don't know where to look for it."
"Where did you fling it?" demanded the duke of his captive.
"I shall not tell you; you may kill me first."
"Very well; take that!"
But Tom managed to dodge the blow, and, by a quick leap, freed himself ofthe grip of his captor. The next minute he was off like a deer.
Possibly the tramp might have overtaken him, had he made the effort; buthe chose to let him go while he joined his friend in hunting for themoney.
They kept up the search for hours, and were then, obliged to give it up.Afraid that the boy, who must have reached home long before, would bringfriends back, the tramps took their departure while the opportunity wastheirs, and were seen no more.
Tom Gordon did a brave thing. The moment he discovered he was not pursued,he hid himself at the side of the road, and waited till the scampsdeparted. Then, when the moon had risen, he stole back again, and,remembering quite well where he had thrown the package of money, found itwith little difficulty, and reaching home without further incident, toldhis stirring experience to his mother and aunt.
Chapter VII.