“Not if I can help it,” Caven whispered back. “We must watch our chances.”
Half a mile was covered and they came out on the road. It was growing dark and there were signs of a storm in the air.
“It's going to rain,” said Joe, and he was right.
Joe was willing, and soon all were in the barn. It was now raining at a heavy rate and they were glad to be under shelter.
“With a barn there ought to be a house,” remarked our hero. “But I don't see any.”
It grew still darker, and the rain came down in perfect sheets. The roof of the barn leaked, and they had to move from one spot to another, to keep out of the drippings.
While this was going on Gaff Caven was working at the handkerchief that bound his wrists and soon had it loose. Pat Malone also liberated4 himself. Caven winked5 suggestively at his confederate.
“Watch me,” he whispered. “When I give the signal we'll knock 'em both down and run for it.”
“But the pistol—” began Malone.
“I'll take care of that.”
In moving around the old barn Caven spotted6 a club and moved close to it. Suddenly he snatched the weapon up and hit Bill Badger on the arm with it. The pistol flew into a corner and went off, sending a bullet into a board.
“Run!” yelled Caven, and leaped for the open doorway7. Malone came beside him, and both ran off through the rain as fast as their legs could carry them.
“Are you badly hurt?” he asked.
“He gave me a stiff crack on the arm,” growled the young westerner.
Joe ran for the corner and caught up the pistol. Then he leaped for the open doorway.
“Stop, both of you!” he called out. “Stop, or I'll fire!”
“Don't you dare!” shrieked9 Pat Malone, and ran faster than ever, behind the nearest of the trees. Joe aimed the weapon, but before he could pull the trigger both of the bad men were out of sight.
“Go after them, if you want to,” said Bill Badger. “I'll go too.”
Both now left the barn and made after Caven and Malone. Once they caught sight of the rascals12, moving in the direction of the railroad tracks.
“They are going to catch a train if they can!” cried our hero. “I hear one coming.”
“It's a freight most likely,” was Bill Badger's answer.
He was right, and soon the long line of freight cars hove into sight around a bend and on an upgrade. Far in the distance they beheld13 Caven and Malone scooting for the train with all speed.
“They are going to make it,” sighed Joe. “Too bad!”
They continued to run, but before they could get anywhere near the tracks they saw Caven leap for the train and get between two of the cars. Then Malone got aboard also, and the freight train passed out of sight through the cut.
“That ends the chase,” said Joe, halting. “They were slick to get away.”
“If we only knew where they would get off we could send word ahead,” suggested his companion.
“Well, we don't know, and after this they will probably keep their eyes wide open and keep out of sight as much as possible. Anyway, I don't think they'll bother Mr. Vane any more.”
“It's not likely. I'm a witness to what they were up to,” answered the young westerner.
Both Joe and Bill Badger were soaked from the rain and resolved to strike out for the nearest farmhouse14 or village. They kept along the railroad tracks, and presently came to a shanty15 where there was a track-walker.
“How far to the nearest village?” asked our hero.
“Half a mile.”
“Thank you.”
“How is it you are out here in the rain?” went on the track-walker.
“We got off our train and it went off without us.”
“Oh, I see. Too bad.”
Again our hero and his companion hurried on, and soon came in sight of a small village. They inquired their way to a tavern16, and there dried their clothing and procured17 a good, hot meal, which made both feel much better.
“I am going to send a telegram to Mr. Vane,” said Joe, and did so without further delay. He was careful of the satchel18 and did not leave it out of his sight.
They found they could get a train for the West that evening at seven o'clock and at the proper time hurried to the depot19.
“I'm glad I met you,” said Joe, to his newly-made friend. “Now, what do you think I owe you for what you did?”
“Oh, yes, I do.”
“Well then, you can pay the extra expense, and let that fill the bill.”
“I'll certainly do that,” said Joe, promptly.
As they rode along Bill Badger told something of himself and of the mine his father owned, and then Joe told something of his own story.
“Did you say your name is Joe Bodley?” asked the young westerner, with deep interest.
“Yes.”
“And you are looking for a man by the name of William A. Bodley?”
“I am.”
“It seems to me I know a man by that name, although the miners all call him Bill Bodley.”
“Where is this Bill Bodley?”
“Out in Montana somewhere. He worked for my father once, about three years ago. He was rather a strange man, about fifty years old. He had white hair and a white beard, and acted as if he had great trouble on his mind.”
“You do not know where he is now?”
“No, but perhaps my father knows.”
“Then I'm going to see your father as soon as I can,” said Joe, decidedly.
“Mind you, I don't say that this Bill Bodley is the man you are after, Joe. I don't want to raise any false hopes.”
“Did you ever hear where the man came from?”
“I think he told somebody that he once owned a farm in Kansas or Iowa.”
“This William A. Bodley once owned a farm at Millville, Iowa.”
“Is that so! Then he may be the same man after all. To tell the truth, he looked a little bit like you.”
“Was he a good man?” asked Joe, eagerly.
“Yes, indeed. But some of the men poked21 fun at him because he was so silent and strange at times. I liked him and so did father. He left us to go prospecting22 in the mountains.”
Thus the talk ran on for half an hour, when the train came to a sudden halt.
“Are we at a station?” asked Bill Badger.
“I don't know,” said Joe.
Both looked out of the window but could see nothing except hills and forests.
“We are in the foothills,” said the young westerner. “Something must be wrong on the tracks.”
“More fallen trees perhaps.”
They left the car with some others and soon learned that there had been a freight collision ahead and that half a dozen freight cars had been smashed to splinters.
“Do you think it can be the freight that Caven and Malone boarded?” came from our hero, on hearing this news.
“It might be,” answered Bill Badger. “Let us take a look. Our train won't move for hours now.”
They walked to the scene of the wreck24. One of the cars had been burnt up but the conflagration25 was now under control and a wrecking26 crew was already at work clearing the tracks so that they might be used.
“Anybody hurt?” asked Joe of a train hand.
“Yes, two men killed. They were riding between the cars.”
“Tramps?”
“They didn't look like tramps. But they hadn't any right to ride on the freight.”
“Where are they?”
“Over in the shanty yonder.”
With a queer sensation in his heart Joe walked to the little building, accompanied by Bill Badger. A curious crowd was around and they had to force their way to the front.
One look was enough. Gaff Caven and Pat Malone lay there, cold in death. They had paid the penalty of their crimes on earth and gone to the final judgment27.
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1
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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2
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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badger
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| v.一再烦扰，一再要求，纠缠 | |
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liberated
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| a.无拘束的，放纵的 | |
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5
winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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7
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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8
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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9
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10
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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11
grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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12
rascals
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| 流氓( rascal的名词复数 )； 无赖； （开玩笑说法）淘气的人（尤指小孩）； 恶作剧的人 | |
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13
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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14
farmhouse
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| n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房） | |
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shanty
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| n.小屋，棚屋；船工号子 | |
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16
tavern
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| n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店 | |
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17
procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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satchel
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| n.(皮或帆布的)书包 | |
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depot
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| n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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poked
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| v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交 | |
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22
prospecting
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| n.探矿 | |
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23
landslide
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| n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利 | |
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24
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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conflagration
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| n.建筑物或森林大火 | |
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26
wrecking
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| 破坏 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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