Brandon of the Engineers Part 24

Bethune grinned at d.i.c.k. "It's not an unusual notice in some of our smaller towns, and one must admit it's necessary. However, we want to get him into dry clothes."

Jake gave them some trouble, but they put him in a re-made bed and went back to the verandah, where Bethune sat down.

"Fuller has his good points, but I guess you find him something of a responsibility," he remarked.

"I do," said d.i.c.k, with feeling. "Still, this is the first time he has come home the worse for liquor. I'm rather worried about it, because it's a new trouble."

"And you had enough already?" Bethune suggested. "Well, though you're not very old yet, I think Miss Fuller did well to make you his guardian, and perhaps I'm to blame for his relapse, because I sent him to Santa Brigida. Francois was busy and there were a number of bills to pay for stores we bought in the town. I hope Fuller hasn't lost the money!"

d.i.c.k felt disturbed, but he said, "I don't think so. Jake's erratic, but he's surprised me by his prudence now and then."

Bethune left soon afterwards, and d.i.c.k went to bed, but got up again after an hour or two and began his work without seeing Jake. They did not meet during the day, and d.i.c.k went home to his evening meal uncertain what line to take. He had no real authority, and finding Jake languid and silent, decided to say nothing about his escapade. When the meal was finished, they left the hot room, as usual, for the verandah, and Jake dropped listlessly into a canvas chair.

"I allow you're more tactful than I thought," he remarked with a feeble smile. "Guess I was pretty drunk last night."

"It looked rather like it from your clothes and the upset in the house,"

d.i.c.k agreed.

Jake looked thoughtful. "Well," he said ingenuously, "I _have_ been on a jag before, but I really don't often indulge in that kind of thing, and don't remember drinking enough to knock me out. You see, Kenwardine's a fastidious fellow and sticks to wine. The sort he keeps is light."

"Then you got drunk at his house? I'd sooner have heard you were at the casino, where the Spaniards would have turned you out."

"You don't know the worst yet," Jake replied hesitatingly. "As I'm in a very tight place, I'd better 'fess up. Francois doesn't seem to have told you that I tried to draw my pay for some months ahead."

"Ah!" said d.i.c.k, remembering with uneasiness what he had learned from Bethune. "That sounds ominous. Did you----"

"Let me get it over," Jake interrupted. "Richter was there, besides a Spanish fellow, and a man called Black. We'd been playing cards, and I'd won a small pile when my luck began to turn. It wasn't long before I was cleaned out and heavily in debt. Kenwardine said I'd had enough and had better quit. I sometimes think you don't quite do the fellow justice."

"Never mind that," said d.i.c.k. "I suppose you didn't stop?"

"No; I took a drink that braced me up and soon afterwards thought I saw my chance. The cards looked pretty good, and I put up a big bluff and piled on all I had."

"But you had nothing; you'd lost what you began with."

Jake colored. "Bethune had given me a check to bearer."

"I was afraid of that," d.i.c.k said gravely. "But go on."

"I thought I'd bluff them, but Black and the Spaniard told me to play, though Kenwardine held back at first. Said they didn't want to take advantage of my rashness and I couldn't make good. Well, I saw how I could put it over, and it looked as if they couldn't stop me, until Black brought out a trump I didn't think he ought to have. After that I don't remember much, but imagine I turned on the fellow and made some trouble."

"Can you remember how the cards went?"

"No," said d.i.c.k awkwardly, "not now, and I may have been mistaken about the thing. I believe I fell over the table and they put me on a couch.

After a time, I saw there was n.o.body in the room, and thought I'd better get out." He paused and added with a flush: "I was afraid Miss Kenwardine might find me in the morning."

"You can't pay back the money you lost?"

"I can't. The check will show in the works' accounts and there'll sure be trouble if the old man hears of it."

d.i.c.k was silent for a few moments. It was curious that Jake had tried to defend Kenwardine; but this did not matter. The lad's anxiety and distress were plain.

"If you'll leave the thing entirely in my hands, I'll see what can be done," he said. "I'll have to tell Bethune."

"I'll do whatever you want, if you'll help me out," Jake answered eagerly, and after asking some questions about his losses, d.i.c.k went to Bethune's shack.

Bethune listened thoughtfully to what he had to say, and then remarked: "We'll take it for granted that you mean to see him through. Have you enough money?"

"No; that's why I came."

"You must get the check back, anyhow," said Bethune, who opened a drawer and took out a roll of paper currency. "Here's my pile, and it's at your service, but it won't go far enough."

"I think it will, with what I can add," said d.i.c.k, after counting the bills. "You see, I don't mean to pay the full amount."

Bethune looked at him and smiled. "Well, that's rather unusual, but if they made him drunk and the game was not quite straight! Have you got his promise not to play again?"

"I haven't. What I'm going to do will make it awkward, if not impossible.

Besides, he'll have no money. I'll stop what he owes out of his pay."

"A good plan! However, I won't lend you the money; I'll lend it Jake, which makes him responsible. But your pay's less than mine, and you'll have to economize for the next few months."

"That won't matter," d.i.c.k answered quietly. "I owe Fuller something, and I like the lad."

He went back to his shack and said to Jake, "We'll be able to clear off the debt, but you must ask no questions and agree to any arrangement I think it best to make."

"You're a good sort," Jake said with feeling; but d.i.c.k cut short his thanks and went off to bed.

Next morning he started for Santa Brigida, and when he reached Kenwardine's house met Clare on a balcony at the top of the outside stairs. Somewhat to his surprise, she stopped him with a sign, and then stood silent for a moment, looking disturbed.

"Mr. Brandon," she said hesitatingly, "I resented your trying to prevent Mr. Fuller coming here, but I now think it better that he should keep away. He's young and extravagant, and perhaps----"

"Yes," said d.i.c.k, who felt sympathetic, knowing what her admission must have cost. "I'm afraid he's also rather unsteady."

Clare looked at him with some color in her face. "I must be frank.

Something happened recently that showed me he oughtn't to come. I don't think I realized this before."

"Then you know what happened?"

"Not altogether," Clare replied. "But I learned enough to alarm and surprise me. You must understand that I didn't suspect----" She paused with signs of confusion and then resumed: "Of course, people of different kinds visit my father on business, and sometimes stay an hour or two afterwards, and he really can't be held responsible for them. The customs of the country force him to be friendly; you know in Santa Brigida one's office is something like an English club. Well, a man who doesn't come often began a game of cards and when Mr. Fuller----"

"Just so," said d.i.c.k as quietly as he could. "Jake's rash and not to be trusted when there are cards about; indeed, I expect he's a good deal to blame, but I'm now going to ask your father not to encourage his visits.

I've no doubt he'll see the reason for this."

"I'm sure he'll help you when he understands," Clare replied, and after giving d.i.c.k a grateful look moved away.

d.i.c.k went along the balcony, thinking hard. It was obvious that Clare had found the interview painful, though he had tried to make it easier for her. She had been alarmed, but he wondered whether she had given him the warning out of tenderness for Jake. It was probable that she really thought Kenwardine was not to blame, but it must have been hard to acknowledge that his house was a dangerous place for an extravagant lad.

Still, a girl might venture much when fighting for her lover. d.i.c.k frowned as he admitted this. Jake was a good fellow in spite of certain faults, but it was disturbing to think that Clare might be in love with him.

It was something of a relief when Kenwardine met him at the door of his room and took him in. d.i.c.k felt that tact was not so needful now, because the hospitality shown him was counterbalanced by the theft of the plans, and he held Kenwardine, not Clare, accountable for this. Kenwardine indicated a chair, and then sat down.