"I think that knife is worth about a thousand dollars," he said, with a great sigh; "and if Aunt Lizzie and Annie don't get their silverware and money back, why they can hold on to the jack-knife."
At this juncture2 it struck the lad as a very strange thing that the two ladies should sleep in one part of the house and leave their valuables in another. It would have been more consistent if they had kept the chest in their own sleeping apartment, but they were very peculiar3 in some respects, and there was no accounting4 for many things they did.
"Maybe they went in there!" suddenly exclaimed Fred, referring to the tramp and his friend. "They must have thought it likely there was something in their bed-room worth hunting for. I'll see."
He felt faint at heart at the thought that the good ladies had been molested5 while they lay unconscious in[Pg 57] bed, but he pushed his way through the house, candle in hand, with the real bravery which was a part of his nature.
His heart was throbbing6 rapidly when he reached the door of their apartment and softly raised the latch8.
But it was fastened from within, and when he listened he distinctly heard the low, gentle breathing of the good souls who had slumbered9 so quietly all through these exciting scenes.
"I am so thankful they haven't been disturbed," said Fred, making his way back to his own room, where he blew out his light, said his prayers and jumped into bed.
Despite the stirring experiences through which he had passed, and the chagrin11 he felt over his stupidity, Fred soon dropped into a sound slumber10, which lasted until the sun shone through the window.
Even then it was broken by the gentle voice of Aunt Lizzie, as she was sometimes called, sounding from the foot of the stairs.
Fred was dressed and down in a twinkling, and in the rushing, headlong, helter-skelter fashion of youngsters of his age, he told the story of the robbery that had been committed during the night.
The old ladies listened quietly, but the news was exciting, indeed, and when Aunt Lizzie, the mildest soul that ever lived, said:
"I hope you are mistaken, Fred; after breakfast we'll go up-stairs and see for ourselves."
"I shall see now," said her sister Annie, starting up the steps, followed by Fred and the other.
[Pg 58]
There they quickly learned the whole truth. Eight hundred and odd dollars were in the pocketbook, and the intrinsic worth of the silver tea service amounted to fully12 three times as much, while ten times that sum would not have persuaded the ladies to part with it.
They were thrown into dismay by the loss, which grew upon them as they reflected over it.
"Why didn't you call us?" asked the white-faced Aunt Lizzie.
"Why, what would you have done if I had called you?" asked Fred, in turn.
"We would have talked with them and shown them what a wicked thing they were doing, and reminded them how unlawful and wrong it is to pick a lock and steal things."
"Gracious alive! if I had undertaken to call you that first man would have shot me, and it was lucky he didn't see me when I swung out the back window; but they left something behind them which I'd rather have than all your silver," said Fred.
"What's that?"
He drew out the pocket-knife and showed it, looking so wistfully that they did not even take it from his hand, but told the gleeful lad to keep it for himself.
"You may be sure I will," was his comment as he stowed it away once more; "a boy don't get a chance at a knife like that more than once in a lifetime."
The old ladies, mild and sweet-tempered as they were, became so faint and weak as they fully realized their loss, that they could eat no breakfast at all, and only swallowed a cup of coffee.
[Pg 59]
Fred was affected13 in the same manner, but not to so great an extent. However, he was anxious to do all he could for the good ladies, and spending only a few minutes at the table he donned his hat and said he would go for Constable14 Archie Jackson.
The hired man, Michael Heyland, had arrived, and was at work out-doors, so there was no call for the boy to remain longer.
As Fred hastened down the lane, he was surprised to hear sounds of martial15 music, but when he caught sight of a gorgeous band and a number of square, box-like wagons16 with yellow animals painted on the outside, he recalled that this was the day of the circus, and his heart gave a great bound of delight.
"I wish Miss Annie and Lizzie hadn't lost their money and silver," he said, "for maybe I could have persuaded them to go to the circus with me, and I'm sure they would have enjoyed themselves."
Running forward, Fred perched himself on the fence until the last wagon17 rattled18 by, when he slipped to the ground and trotted19 behind it, feeling that delight which comes to all lads in looking upon the place where wild animals are known to be housed.
At every dwelling20 they passed the inmates21 hastened out, and the musicians increased the volume of their music until the air seemed to throb7 and pulsate22 with the stirring strains.
When the town of Tottenville was reached, the whole place was topsy-turvy. The men and wagons, with the tents and poles, had been on the ground several hours,[Pg 60] hard at work, and crowds had been watching them from the moment of their arrival.
As the rest of the vehicles gathered in a circle, which was to be enclosed by the canvas, the interest was of such an intense character that literally23 nothing else was seen or thought of by the countrymen and villagers.
There was no one who gaped24 with more open-mouthed wonder than Fred Sheldon, who forgot for the time the real business which had brought him to Tottenville. As usual, he had his trousers rolled high above his knees, and with his hands deep in his pockets, walked about with his straw hat flapping in the slight breeze, staring at everything relating to the menagerie and circus, and tasting beforehand the delights that awaited him in the afternoon, when he would be permitted to gaze until tired, if such a thing were possible.
"That's the cage that has the great African lion," said Fred to Jimmy Emery and Joe Hunt, who stood beside him; "just look at that picture where he's got a man in his jaws25, running off with him, and not caring a cent for the hunters firing at him."
"Them's Tottenhots," said Joe Hunt, who was glad of a chance of airing his knowledge of natural history; "they live in the upper part of Africa, on the Hang Ho river, close to London."
"My gracious," said Fred, with a laugh; "you've got Europe, Asia and Africa all mixed up, and the people are the Hottentots; there isn't anybody in the world with such a name as Tottenhots."
"Yes, there is, too; ain't we folks that live in Tottenville Tottenhots, smarty?"
[Pg 61]
"Let's ask that big boy there about them; he belongs to the show."
The young man to whom they alluded26 stood a short distance off, with a long whip in his hand, watching the operations of those who were erecting27 the canvas. He was quite red in the face, had a bushy head of hair almost of the same hue28, and was anything but attractive in appearance.
His trousers were tucked in his boot-tops; he wore a blue shirt, sombrero-like hat, and was smoking a strong briar-wood pipe, occasionally indulging in some remark in which there was a shocking amount of profanity.
The boys started toward him, and had nearly reached him when Jimmy Emery said in an excited undertone:
"Why, don't you see who he is? He's Bud Heyland."
"So he is. His father told me last spring he had gone off to join a circus, but I forgot all about it."
Bud Heyland was the son of Michael Heyland, the man who did the work for the sisters Perkinpine, and before he left was known as the bully29 of the neighborhood.
He was a year or two older than the oldest in school, and he played the tyrant30 among the other youngsters, whose life sometimes became a burden to them when he was near.
He generally punished two or three of the lads each day after school for some imaginary offense31. If they told the teacher, he would scold and threaten Bud, who would tell some outlandish falsehood, and then whip the boys again for telling tales.
[Pg 62]
If they appealed to Mr. McCurtis, the same programme was gone through as before; and as the original victims continued to be worsted, they finally gave it up as a losing business and bore their sorrows uncomplainingly.
Fred Sheldon tried several times to get up a confederation against the bully, with a view of bringing him to justice, but the others were too timid, and nothing came from it.
Bud was especially ugly in his actions toward Fred, who had no father to take the matter in hand, while Mr. Heyland himself simply smoked his pipe and grunted32 out that he couldn't do anything with Bud and had given him up long ago.
Finally Mr. McCurtis lost all patience, and summoning his energies he flogged the young scamp most thoroughly33 and then bundled him out of the door, forbidding him to come to school any more.
This suited Bud, who hurled34 several stones through the window, and then went home, stayed several days and finally went off with a circus, with one of whose drivers he had formed an acquaintance.
The boys were a little backward when they recognized Bud, but concluded he would be glad to see them, especially as they all intended to visit the menagerie during the afternoon.
"Halloo, Bud!" called out Fred, with a grin, as he and his two friends approached; "how are you?"
The boy, who was sixteen years old, turned about and looked at them for a minute, and then asked:
[Pg 63]
"Is that you, younkers? What'er you doin' here?"
"Oh, looking around a little. We're all coming this afternoon."
"You are, eh? Do you expect to crawl under the tent?"
"No, we're going to pay our way in; Jim and Joe didn't know whether they could come or not, but it's all fixed35 now."
"I watch outside with this cart-whip for boys that try to crawl under, and it's fun when I bring the lash36 down on 'em. Do you see?"
As he spoke37, Bud gave a flourish with the whip, whirling the lash about his head and causing it to snap like a firecracker.
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1
implement
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| n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行 | |
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2
juncture
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| n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头 | |
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3
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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4
accounting
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| n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表 | |
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5
molested
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| v.骚扰( molest的过去式和过去分词 )；干扰；调戏；猥亵 | |
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6
throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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7
throb
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| v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动 | |
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8
latch
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| n.门闩，窗闩；弹簧锁 | |
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9
slumbered
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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10
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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11
chagrin
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| n.懊恼；气愤；委屈 | |
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12
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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13
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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14
constable
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| n.(英国)警察，警官 | |
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15
martial
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| adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的 | |
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16
wagons
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| n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 )；铁路货车；小手推车 | |
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17
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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18
rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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19
trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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20
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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21
inmates
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| n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
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22
pulsate
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| v.有规律的跳动 | |
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23
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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24
gaped
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| v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的过去式和过去分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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25
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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26
alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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27
erecting
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| v.使直立，竖起( erect的现在分词 )；建立 | |
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28
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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29
bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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30
tyrant
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| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
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31
offense
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| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
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32
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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33
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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34
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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35
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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36
lash
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| v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛 | |
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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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