"So you put the kibosh on our brown friend all by yourself, did you?" he asked.
"It wasn't much," was the diffident answer. "I know these Hindoos somewhat."
[Pg 18]
"You're the clear quill," said McGlory, "and I've got a different estimate of you. What do you think?" he added to Burton. "They had my pard down in the spud cellar, covered with ropes and gagged."
"Nice how-d'ye-do!" growled1 Burton. "What sort of a way is that to act, Bill Wily?" and he flashed a look of anger and contempt at the "barker."
"I've made a holy show of myself," mumbled3 Bill Wily. "That comes of gettin' confidential4 with these here chocolate-colored crooks5. They're no good."
"What do you think of yourself, hey?"
"Not much, Burton, an' that's a fact. I'm down and out, and just because I wanted to shake your show an' not have any trouble. What a lot of excitement over nothin' at all!"
"Fancy that!" remarked Twomley, mildly surprised. "I guess the man doesn't know the true state of affairs."
"He'll know everything before we're done with him," snapped Burton.
"You're not goin' to bear down too hard on me, are you, Burton?" pleaded Wily.
"Why shouldn't I?"
"What've I done?"
"I can't tell that till I hear what happened to Motor Matt. If these disgraceful proceedings6 get out, it will be a black eye for the show."
Boss Burton was a queer fish. He had always a high regard for carrying out every promise he made in his show "paper," and was also solicitous7 about the good name of the Big Consolidated8; at the same time, he had done a number of things which gave Matt a poor opinion of his character.
Matt, taking advantage of the opening afforded him, told what had happened after he had left Burton on the motor cycle. The rough treatment he had received brought scowls9 to the faces of McGlory and Burton.
"That Hindoo might have knifed you, and all on account of Wily there!" breathed the showman.
"But he didn't," returned Matt, "and that was on account of Wily, too. Keep that in mind, Burton."
"Your head, pard," said the cowboy solicitously10. "You've had a couple of good hard raps, and I'll bet that block of yours feels as big as a barrel."
"I'm like Twomley," smiled Matt, "and couldn't expect to come through such a tussle11 without a few marks. But it's nothing serious. Another thing, Burton," he added, turning to the showman, "just recollect12 that, if Wily wanted to, he could have used that thing Joe has in his hand. But he wouldn't, and he fought with Dhondaram rather than let him use it."
"Wily hadn't the nerve," commented Burton. "He's in the parlor13 class when it comes to strong-arm work. He's more of a shell worker and a confidence man."
"Don't be rough, Burton," begged Wily Bill.
"What've you got to say for yourself?"
"I'm blamed sorry things turned out like they did. That's all."
"Just how sorry are you? Sorry enough to make a clean breast of everything?"
"That depends on what'll happen to me. You let the ticket man off when he and Dhondaram tried to loot the Jackson proceeds. I didn't do half as much as him."
"Tell me what you've done, and then I'll tell you what I'm goin' to do," said Burton.
"I knew Ben Ali pretty well when he was with the show," returned Wily, "but he didn't put it up with me to help steal the ticket-wagon15 money. I'm not makin' such a terrible sight as spieler for that side-show outfit16, and when I get a letter in Kalamazoo, inclosin' another in Hindoostanee and askin' me to deliver same, what am I goin' to do? That letter contained a money order for ten dollars."
"And it was from Ben Ali?" asked Motor Matt.
Wily nodded.
"We got into Kalamazoo about three in the morning," proceeded Wily Bill, "and when I dropped off the train, Dhondaram stepped out from between a couple o' box cars——"
"It was the night we left Jackson that we had Dhondaram lashed2 and lying in the aisle17 of the sleeper18 on section two of the show train," interrupted Burton. "He got loose and skipped. I fired a shot at him, but he jumped off the train. How could he have done that and then shown up in Kalamazoo the morning we got there?"
The showman was trying to pick flaws in Wily's narrative19, but the "barker" was equal to the emergency.
"For the reason, Burton, that he didn't jump off the train. Dhondaram rode the platform, and now and then he dodged20 down on the bumpers22 when the train men came too close. As I say, he met me as I dropped off, and we had a bit of a chin together."
"Why didn't you grab him," demanded Burton, "and turn him over to me?"
"That's where I was lame14, I expect, but you forget I was a friend of Ben Ali's, and Dhondaram was also a friend. That made a sort of hitch23 between us. Then, too, Dhondaram told me he was expecting word from Ben Ali in my care. I hadn't received any word, and I told him so. Dhondaram said that I would get a letter, sooner or later, and that he'd like to meet me somewhere near Grand Rapids. That's when I told him about this house and gave him one of my keys to it."
"What have you got to do with this house?" queried24 Burton.
"I happen to own it," was the surprising answer. "It ain't worth much, an' it's been condemned25 by a railroad that intends runnin' a line of rails and ties right over the place where it stands. For that reason it's closed up.[Pg 19] I'm to get twelve hundred dollars for the property any day now. Why," and Wily Bill looked around, "when I was a kid I used to live here. When the folks died I rented the house an' took to roamin' around. It was a good place to meet Dhondaram and give him a letter if there was any come from Ben Ali. I wasn't expectin', though, to call here before night. The letter from Ben Ali reached me in Kalamazoo in the afternoon, at a time when Dhondaram must have been travelin' north."
"What did you do with your part of the letter?"
Wily's profession of repentance26 seemed to be sincere, and Burton and Matt were doing their utmost to find out everything he was able to tell. Dhondaram, sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, glared at Wily fixedly27 while he talked. The savage28 menace of the Hindoo's look, however, seemed to make not the slightest impression on the "barker."
"I tore up my part o' the letter, Burton," replied Wily. "Didn't think it best to carry it around. If I'd torn up Dhondaram's part, too, I guess I'd have been a whole lot better off."
"I guess you would," agreed the showman dryly. "What had Ben Ali to say to you?"
"He told me where he wanted Dhondaram to meet him. You see, Ben Ali's been busy, an' hasn't been payin' much attention to what's been goin' on in the show."
"By Jove," put in Twomley, "I should say he had been busy."
"Ben Ali didn't know Dhondaram had cooked his goose, so far as the show was concerned, in Jackson, the same day he joined on."
"Where did Ben Ali send his letter from?" inquired Matt.
"Lafayette."
"And where does he want to meet Dhondaram?"
"Five miles west of the Rapids, on the wagon road to Elgin. There's an openin' in the woods, somewhere there, and Ben Ali wants Dhondaram to join him at the place to-morrow morning. I don't know what's up, but I guess it's somethin' mighty29 important for the Hindoos."
"Does Ben Ali know about this house of yours?"
"Not a thing. I never told him. I guess I was foolish to jump off the car and run over here, but the ruction in the side show and the loss o' that Hindoostanee letter sure got me on the run. I thought mebby, if I couldn't dodge21 Motor Matt in the woods, I could get him somewhere and have a talk with him that would let me out. But things didn't come out as I wanted. I couldn't shake him in the timber, so I rushed for the house. Dhondaram was here, ahead o' schedule, an' he complicated matters a-considerable."
"Do you think," asked Matt, "that we could go to that place on the Elgin road and meet Ben Ali instead of letting Dhondaram do it?"
Twomley started, for he instantly caught Matt's idea. Dhondaram likewise showed much concern, and undoubtedly30 he surmised31 what was at the back of the young motorist's head.
"I don't think you could," replied Wily. "Ben Ali ain't nobody's fool, and he'll have the road watched to see that only the right party comes. If the wrong party comes, then Ben Ali, more'n likely, 'll fade out of the oak openin'. You can't get there any way by road without Ben Ali findin' out just who's after him. That's my notion."
"Suppose we should come in on him from both sides at once?" suggested Burton.
"Then he'd slide out between you. Oh, he's a slippery proposition, that boy!"
Twomley nodded affirmatively.
"He speaks the truth," he averred32. "A man who can do what Ben Ali has done is a rogue33 of the first water."
"There's a way to get at him," said Matt confidently. "Here, in a thickly populated country, that scoundrel can't have things his own way."
"He's takin' chances," put in Wily, "but that's his stock in trade—takin' chances an' throwin' in a little hypnotism now an' then. Why he's so particular about meetin' Dhondaram is what gets me."
"He needs money," said Burton sarcastically34, "and he has to run a few risks to get it."
"I've got a plan," said Matt, starting toward the door.
"What is it?" asked Burton and McGlory.
Matt turned around in the doorway35 and cast a suggestive glance at Wily and Dhondaram.
"I'll not go into it now," said he, "but it all depends on the truthfulness36 of Bill Wily. If Wily has given us a straight story, then the plan will work. If it does, then I shall insist that Wily be allowed to go free, without any punishment for what he has done. If the plan doesn't succeed, and Ben Ali is not out on the Elgin road to-morrow morning, I think Wily can be put through for the work he has done here in this old house."
"I'm willin' to leave it that way," said Wily, "providin' you're careful how you come onto Ben Ali, so as not to scare him away, an' providin' Boss Burton gives me his word to back up Motor Matt's."
"I'm in on the deal," declared Burton.
"Both Wily and Dhondaram will have to be left here under suitable guard until after the plan is executed," continued Matt.
"Count me in as one of the guard," spoke37 up Twomley, lighting38 a cigarette, "but send over some food and something to sit on. And," he finished, pointing to the weapon in the cowboy's hand, "Mr. McGlory might lend me that."
"McGlory will stay and help you with your guard duty," said Matt. "I'll have to hurry off now. I suppose[Pg 20] Ping and Carl are at the show grounds and are looking after the a?roplane?"
"Ping!" exclaimed McGlory, looking around. "Why, where the nation is he? He was the one who brought us here, and I haven't thought of him until this minute. But Carl's at the grounds, Matt. Anyhow, one of the canvasmen is on duty at the a?roplane's berth39."
"Don't fret40 about the machine," reassured41 Burton. "I'm going right back to the grounds and I'll look after it personally."
"Just a minute, gents," called Wily. "How did you fellows know we were under the floor."
"You walked in the soot," laughed Burton derisively42. "McGlory can tell you all about that."
Thereupon he and Motor Matt left the room. They passed the trap in the hall floor, and Matt observed that it was flush with the boards and difficult to locate for any one who did not know it was there.
"I guess the trouble I had here, Burton," remarked Matt, as he and the showman passed through the front door, "will turn out to be a pretty good thing, after all."
"Not for Ben Ali," returned Burton, "if he is caught and turned over to Twomley."
"I was thinking of Margaret Manners," said Matt.
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收听单词发音
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1
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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2
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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3
mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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4
confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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5
crooks
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| n.骗子( crook的名词复数 )；罪犯；弯曲部分；（牧羊人或主教用的）弯拐杖v.弯成钩形( crook的第三人称单数 ) | |
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6
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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7
solicitous
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| adj.热切的，挂念的 | |
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8
consolidated
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| a.联合的 | |
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9
scowls
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| 不悦之色，怒容( scowl的名词复数 ) | |
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10
solicitously
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| adv.热心地，热切地 | |
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11
tussle
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| n.&v.扭打，搏斗，争辩 | |
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12
recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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13
parlor
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| n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅 | |
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14
lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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15
wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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16
outfit
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| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
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17
aisle
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| n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道 | |
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18
sleeper
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| n.睡眠者，卧车，卧铺 | |
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19
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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20
dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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21
dodge
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| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
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22
bumpers
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| （汽车上的）保险杠，缓冲器( bumper的名词复数 ) | |
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23
hitch
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| v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉 | |
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24
queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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25
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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26
repentance
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| n.懊悔 | |
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27
fixedly
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| adv.固定地；不屈地，坚定不移地 | |
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28
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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29
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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30
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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31
surmised
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| v.臆测，推断( surmise的过去式和过去分词 )；揣测；猜想 | |
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32
averred
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| v.断言( aver的过去式和过去分词 )；证实；证明…属实；作为事实提出 | |
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33
rogue
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| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 | |
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34
sarcastically
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| adv.挖苦地，讽刺地 | |
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35
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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36
truthfulness
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| n. 符合实际 | |
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37
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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38
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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39
berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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40
fret
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| v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损 | |
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41
reassured
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| adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
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42
derisively
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| adv. 嘲笑地，嘲弄地 | |
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