"Hold on, Freddy, I won't hurt you, though you deserve a good horsewhipping on account of the mean way you cheated me out of the reward for capturing the lion; but I have a little business with you."
Wondering what all this could mean Fred stood still while the red-faced young man approached, though our hero wished as fervently3 that he was somewhere else as he did when he found himself face to face with the lion in the lane.
"Jake sent me," added Bud in his most persuasive4 manner, and with a strong effort to win the confidence of the boy, who was somewhat reassured5 by the last words.
"What does Mr. Kincade want?" asked Fred.
"Why, he told me to hurry after you and say that he had made a mistake in paying you that money."
"I guess he didn't make any mistake," replied the surprised boy.
[Pg 120]
"Yes, he did; it's twenty dollars short."
"That don't make any difference; I tell you there was a mistake and he sent me to correct it."
"Why didn't you come over to Squire Jones' office, then, and fix it?"
"I didn't know you was there."
Fred knew this was untrue, for Bud sat on the porch and watched him as he walked across the street with the squire.
"Well, if you are so sure of it, then you can give me the twenty dollars and it will be all right."
"I want you to take out the money and count it here before me."
"I sha'n't do it."
"I guess you will; you've got to."
"But I can't."
"What's the reason you can't?"
"I haven't got the money with me."
"You haven't!" exclaimed Bud, in dismay. "Where is it?"
"Locked up in Squire Jones' safe."
The bully was thunderstruck, and gave expression to some exclamations7 too forcible to be recorded.
It was evident that he was unprepared for such news, and he seemed to be eager to apply his cruel whip to the little fellow toward whom he felt such unreasonable8 hatred9.
"I've got a settlement to make with you, any way," he said, advancing threateningly toward him.
[Pg 121]
"What have I done," asked Fred, backing away from him, "that you should take every chance you can get, Bud, to hurt me?"
"What have you done?" repeated the bully, "you've done a good deal, as you know well enough."
But at this juncture10, when poor Fred thought there was no escape for him, Bud Heyland, very curiously11, changed his mind.
"I'll let you off this time," said he, "but it won't do for you to try any more of your tricks. When I come to think, it was ten dollars that the money was short. Here is a twenty-dollar bill. I want you to get it changed and give me the ten dollars to-morrow."
Fred Sheldon was bewildered by this unexpected turn to the interview, but he took the bill mechanically, and promised to do as he was told.
"There's another thing I want to say to you," added Bud, stopping as he was on the point of moving away: "You must not answer any questions that may be asked you about the bill."
The wondering expression of the lad showed that he failed to take in the full meaning of this warning, and Bud added, impatiently.
"Don't tell anybody I gave it to you. Say you found it in the road if they want to know where you got it; that's all. Do you understand?"
Fred began to comprehend, and he resolved on the instant that he would not tell a falsehood to save himself from a score of whippings at the hands of this evil boy, who would not have given the caution had he not possessed12 good reasons for doing so.
[Pg 122]
Bud Heyland repeated the last warning, word for word, as first uttered, and then, striding by the affrighted Fred, continued in the direction of Tottenville, while the younger boy was glad enough to go homeward.
The sun had not set yet when he reached the house where he was born, and he hurried through with his work and set out for the old brick dwelling13, which had been the scene of so many stirring incidents within the last few days.
He was anxious to see his mother, who had been away several days. He felt that she ought to know of his great good fortune, that she might rejoice with him.
"If she doesn't get there by to-morrow or next day I'll have to go after her," he said to himself, "for I'll burst if I have to hold this news much longer. And won't she be glad? It's hard work for us to get along on our pension, and I can see she has to deny herself a good many things so that I can go to school. I thought I would be happy when I got the money, and so I am, but it is more on her account than on my own—halloo!"
It seemed as if the lane leading to the old brick mansion14 was destined15 to play a very important part in the history of the lad, for he had reached the very spot where he met the lion the night before, when a man suddenly stepped out from behind one of the trees and stood for a moment, with the setting sun shining full on his back, his figure looking as if it were stamped in ink against the flaming horizon beyond.
As Fred stared at him, he held up his right hand and[Pg 123] crooked16 his finger for him to approach, just as he did when sitting on the porch of the village hotel, for it was Cyrus Sutton.
The boy was not pleased, by any means, to meet him in such a place, for he had felt suspicious of him ever since he saw him sitting in such familiar converse17 with Bud Heyland and Jacob Kincade.
Nevertheless, our hero walked boldly toward him, and with a faint "Good-evening, sir," waited to hear what he had to say.
"Your name is Frederick Sheldon, I believe?"
"You met Bud Heyland in the woods over yonder, didn't you?"
"Yes, sir; how could you know it?"
"I saw him going in that direction, and I saw you come out the path; what more natural than that I should conclude you had met? He gave you a twenty-dollar bill to get changed, didn't he?"
"He did, sir," was the answer of the amazed boy, who wondered how it was this person could have learned so much, unless he got the news from Bud Heyland himself.
"Let me see the money."
Fred did not like this peremptory19 way of being addressed by a person whom he had never seen until that afternoon, but he drew the bill from his pocket.
As he did so he brought several other articles with it, among them his new knife, which dropped to the[Pg 124] ground. He quickly picked them up, and shoved them hurriedly out of sight.
Mr. Sutton did not seem to notice this trifling20 mishap21, but his eyes were bent22 on the crumpled23 bill which was handed to him.
As soon as he got it in his hands he turned his back toward the setting sun, and placing himself in the line of some of the horizontal rays which found their way between the trees he carefully studied the paper.
He stood full a minute without moving, and then merely said, "Ahem!" as though he were clearing his throat. Then he carefully doubled up the piece of national currency, and opening his pocket-book placed it in it.
"Are you going to keep that?" asked Fred. "It isn't yours."
"He wanted you to get it changed, didn't he?"
"Yes, sir; but he didn't want me to give it away."
"Of course not, of course not; excuse me, but I only wanted to change the bill for you. Here you are."
Thereupon he handed four five-dollar bills to Fred, who accepted them gladly enough, though still wondering at the peculiar24 actions of the man.
"One word," he added. "Bud told you not to answer any questions when you got the bill changed. I haven't asked you any, but he will have some to ask himself, which he will be very anxious you should answer. Take my advice, and don't let him know a single thing."
"I won't," said Fred, giving his promise before he thought.
[Pg 125]
"Very well, don't forget it; he will be on the lookout25 for you to-morrow, and when you see him, hand him his ten dollars and keep the rest for yourself, and then end the interview. Good evening, my son."
"Good evening," and Fred was moving on, when Mr. Cyrus Sutton said:
"Hold on a minute," at the same time crooking26 his forefinger27 in a way peculiar to himself; "I understand you were in the house there the other night, when it was robbed by a tramp."
"I was, sir; the whole village knows that."
"You were lucky enough to get away while it was going on, though you were deceived by the man whom you met here in the lane."
The lad assured him he was correct, as he seemed to be in every supposition which he made.
"Do you think you would know either of those men if you met them again?"
The question was a startling one, not from the words themselves, but from the peculiar manner in which it was asked.
Cyrus Sutton bent forward, thrusting his face almost in that of the boy and dropping his voice to a deep guttural bass28 as he fixed29 his eyes on those of Fred.
The latter looked up and said:
"The voice of the man I met in the lane sounded just like yours. Are you the man?"
It surely was a stranger question than that to which the lad had made answer, and Sutton, throwing back his head, laughed as if he would sink to the earth from excess of mirth.
[Pg 126]
"Well, that's the greatest joke of the season. Am I the other tramp that led you on such a wild-goose chase? Well, I should say not."
Nevertheless Fred Sheldon felt absolutely sure that this was the man he accused him of being.
Mr. Sutton, with a few jesting remarks, bade the boy good-evening, and the latter hastened on to the brick mansion, where he busied himself for a half hour in doing up a few chores that Michael, the hired man, had left for him.
When these were finished, he went into the house, with a good appetite for his supper, which was awaiting him.
The old ladies were greatly pleased to learn he had been paid such a large sum for capturing the lion, and they did not regret the fright they had suffered, since it resulted in such substantial good for their favorite.
"Now, if you could only find our silverware," said Aunt Annie, "what a nice sum you would earn!"
"But I'm afraid we shall never see the silver again," observed Miss Lizzie, with a deep sigh.
"Wasn't there some money taken, too?"
"Yes; several hundred dollars. But we don't mind that, for we can get along without it; but the silverware, you know, has been in the family for more than two centuries."
"You haven't owned it all that time, have you?"
"My goodness! How old do you suppose we are?" asked the amused old lady.
[Pg 127]
"I never thought, but it would be a good thing to get the money, too, wouldn't it? Has Archie Jackson been here to-day?"
"Yes. He says that the officer he sent for doesn't come, and so he's going to be a detective himself."
"A detective," repeated Fred to himself. "That's a man, I believe, that goes prying31 around after thieves and bad people, and is pretty smart in making himself look like other folks."
"Yes," said Aunt Lizzie, "he went all over the house again, and climbed out on top of the porch, and was crawling around there, 'looking for signs,' as he called them. I don't know how he made out, but he must have been careless, for he slipped off and came down on his head and shoulders, and when we ran out to help him up, said some awful bad words, and went limping down the lane."
"He don't know how to climb," said Fred, as he disposed of his usual supply of gingerbread; "it takes a boy like me to climb, a man is always sure to get in trouble."
"Archibald seems to be very unfortunate," said Aunt Annie mildly, and with a meek32 smile on her face, "for just before he fell off the roof of the porch, he came bumping all the way down-stairs and said the bad man had put oil on them, so as to make him slip to the bottom. I am quite anxious about him, but I hope no bones were broken."
"I saw that his hand was swelled33 up too," said the sister, "and when I inquired about it he said he caught[Pg 128] it in the crack of the door, playing with his little boy, though I don't see how that could make such a hurt as his was. But there has been some one else here."
"Who was that?" asked Fred, excitedly.
"A very nice, gentlemanly person, though he wasn't dressed in very fine clothes. His name was—let me see, circus-circum—no——"
"Cyrus Sutton?"
"That's it—yes, that's his name."
"What was he after?" demanded Fred, indignantly.
"He said he was staying in the village a little while, and, having heard about our loss, he came out to make inquiries34."
"I would like to know what business he had to do that," said the boy, who was sure the old ladies were altogether too credulous35 and kind to strangers who presented themselves at their doors.
"Why, Frederick, it was a great favor for him to show such an interest in our affairs."
"Yes; so it was in them other two chaps, I s'pose; this ain't the first time Mr. Cyrus Sutton has been in your house."
"What do you mean, Frederick?"
"I mean this," answered Fred, wheeling his chair about and slapping his hand several times upon the table, by way of emphasis, "that Mr. Cyrus Sutton, as he calls himself, is the man I met in the lane the other night, and who climbed into the window and helped the other fellow carry off your plate and money; there!"
[Pg 129]
"Impossible! You must be mistaken!"
"I know it, and I told him so, too!"
"You did! Didn't he kill you?"
"Not that I know of," laughed Fred. "I don't feel very dead, anyway; but though he had on whiskers the other night as the other one did, I knew his voice."
Young Sheldon did not think it best to say anything about the suspicion he had formed against Bud Heyland, for that was coming so near home that it would doubtless cause immediate37 trouble.
Nor did he tell how he was sure, only a short time before, that Jacob Kincade was the partner of Bud in the theft, but that the latter, who handed him the two hundred dollars, was relieved from all suspicion, at least so far as the lad himself was concerned.
"Have you told Archibald of this?" asked Aunt Lizzie, when Fred had repeated his declaration several times.
"What's the use of telling him? He would start in such a hurry to arrest him that he would tumble over something and break his neck. Then, he'd get the reward, too, and I wouldn't have any of it."
"We will see that you have justice," said Miss Lizzie, assuringly; "you deserve it for what you have already done."
"I don't want it, and I won't have it until I can earn it, that's certain. I must go to school to-morrow, and I brought over two of my books to study my lessons. I had mother's permission to stay home to go to the circus, but I was out to-day, and I s'pose Mr. McCurtis[Pg 130] will give me a good whipping for it to-morrow. Anyway, I'll wear my trousers down, instead of rolling 'em up, till I learn how the land lies."
This seemed a prudent38 conclusion, and as the ladies were anxious that their favorite should keep up with his classes they busied themselves with their household duties while the lad applied39 himself with might and main to his mental work.
At the end of half an hour he had mastered it, and asked the ladies if there was anything he could do for them.
"I forgot to tell Michael," said Aunt Annie, "before he went home, that we want some groceries from the store, and I would like him to give the order before coming here in the morning."
"I'll take the order to him if you will write it out."
Thanking him for his courtesy, the order was prepared, and, tucking it in his pocket, Fred Sheldon started down the road on a trot41 to the home of Michael Heyland, the hired man.
"I wonder whether Bud is there?" he said to himself, as he approached the humble42 house. "I don't s'pose he'll bother me, but he'll want to know about that money as soon as he sees me."
Without any hesitation43 the lad knocked at the door and was bidden to enter. As he did so he saw that Mrs. Heyland was the only one at home.
"Michael has gone to the village," said the lady of the house, in explanation; "but I'm expecting him home[Pg 131] in the course of an hour or so, and perhaps you had better wait."
"I guess there isn't any need of it. Aunt Annie wants him to take an order to the store to-morrow morning before he comes up to the house, and I can leave it with you."
"Yes; here it is," said Fred, laying the piece of folded paper on the stand beside the Bible and a copy of the Tottenville Weekly Illuminator44.
The lad had no particular excuse for staying longer, but he was anxious to ask several questions before going back, and he was in doubt as to how he should go about it.
But when he was invited to sit down he did so, and asked, in the most natural manner:
"Where is Bud?"
"He's down to the village, too."
"When will he be home?"
"That's a hard question to answer, and I don't think Bud himself could tell you if he tried. You know he's been traveling so long with the circus and has so many friends in the village that they are all glad to see him and won't let him come home. Bud was always a good boy, and I don't wonder that everybody thinks so much of him."
Fred Sheldon indulged in a little smile for his own amusement, but he took care that the doting45 mother did not notice it.
"Michael was always hard on Bud, but he sees how[Pg 132] great his mistake was, and when he rode by on the big wagon46, cracking his whip, he felt as proud of him as I did."
"Is Bud going to be home long?"
"He got leave of absence for a few days, because the boy isn't feeling very well. They've worked him too hard altogether. You observed how pale-looking he is?"
Fred could not say that he had noticed any alarming paleness about the young man, but he did not deny the assertion of the mother.
"Does Bud like it with the circus?"
"Oh, yes, and they just dote on him. Bud tells me that Colonel Bandman, the owner of the circus and menagerie, has told him that if he keeps on doing so well he's going to take him in as partner next year."
"Mrs. Heyland, why do you call him Bud?"
"He was such a sweet baby that we nick-named him 'Birdy,' and it has stuck by him since. When he went to school he was called Budman, that being a cunning fancy of the darling boy, but his right name is Nathaniel Higgens, though most people don't know it."
Fred Sheldon had got the information he was seeking.
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1
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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fervently
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| adv.热烈地，热情地，强烈地 | |
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persuasive
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| adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的 | |
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5
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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6
squire
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| n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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7
exclamations
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| n.呼喊( exclamation的名词复数 )；感叹；感叹语；感叹词 | |
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8
unreasonable
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| adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的 | |
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9
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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10
juncture
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| n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头 | |
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11
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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12
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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14
mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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15
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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16
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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converse
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| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
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18
surmise
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| v./n.猜想，推测 | |
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19
peremptory
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| adj.紧急的，专横的，断然的 | |
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trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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mishap
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| n.不幸的事，不幸；灾祸 | |
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22
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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23
crumpled
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| adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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24
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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25
lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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crooking
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| n.弯曲（木材等的缺陷）v.弯成钩形( crook的现在分词 ) | |
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27
forefinger
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| n.食指 | |
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28
bass
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| n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴 | |
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29
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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30
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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31
prying
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| adj.爱打听的v.打听，刺探（他人的私事）( pry的现在分词 )；撬开 | |
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32
meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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33
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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35
credulous
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| adj.轻信的，易信的 | |
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36
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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37
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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39
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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40
writ
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| n.命令状，书面命令 | |
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41
trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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42
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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43
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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44
illuminator
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| n.照明者 | |
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45
doting
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| adj.溺爱的，宠爱的 | |
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46
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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