The Adventures of a Country Boy at a Country Fair Part 40

"I don't know for certain; but I stand willin' to give fifty dollars if the goods can be recovered, an' if my nephew would tell all he knows----"

"That will do, Mr. Hargreaves," the lawyer said, sharply. "Teddy is not under examination, and until he is we do not care to hear your opinion concerning him."

"I reckon I can tell what I want to, can't I, 'Squire?"

"You must confine yourself to this particular case. As to whether there is sufficient evidence to bind the prisoner over does not concern the charge against your nephew, at least not to the extent of your telling what you think."

"I thought, perhaps, if he heard me say I'd give fifty dollars to know where the goods were, an' knew I'd swear to it, he might confess, for he has shown himself to be powerful fond of a dollar."

"That appears to be a peculiarity of some of his relatives," Mr. Harvey said, dryly, and at this remark the spectators laughed heartily, while the old man growled:

"I didn't come here to be told that I was a miser; but it seems even men who call themselves gentlemen think sich things are all right."

"If you have no other evidence to give we will not detain you," the lawyer said, sharply; and as Uncle Nathan returned to his chair near the door the proprietor of the hotel at the Run was called upon to testify.

What he said was in favor of the prisoner rather than otherwise.

He swore to the fact that the prisoner spent the night on which the burglary was committed at his house; that he pretended to retire at an early hour, and started for Peach Bottom on the first stage.

Under Mr. Harvey's skillful cross-examination the landlord admitted that unless a man got out of the window he could not have left the house without the knowledge of the watchman, who kept the keys and remained in the office all night. It was also shown that Hazelton brought and carried away with him, so far as was known at the hotel, nothing but a small traveling satchel.

Then several people from the Run were called to prove that the fakir was really in the town on this particular Sunday, and the driver of the stage testified that the prisoner rode with him the entire distance to Peach Bottom. The landlord of the hotel where Hazelton boarded during the fair week, or so much of it as he was at liberty, swore to the fact that the prisoner had never brought any quant.i.ty of baggage to his house, and appeared to be very regular in his habits. So far as he (the landlord) knew, the fakir remained in his room nearly all the time, except while on the exhibition grounds.

This ended the testimony, and Mr. Harvey argued that there was really no evidence to connect the prisoner with the crime.

"That he conducted a game which could hardly be called honest is admitted," he said; "but it has nothing to do with the case. Prejudice should not be allowed to take the place of facts, and I insist that my client be released."

"I reckon there's sufficient ground for suspicion," the 'Squire replied, "an' I don't see any other way out of it. A jury must decide, an' I shall hold him in the sum of three thousand----"

At this moment the dignity of the court received a severe shock, as a most unseemly disturbance suddenly occurred at the door, and the 'Squire paused to learn who was so bold as to disturb the representative of the law at the very instant when he was delivering an opinion.

"It's n.o.body but a boy," Uncle Nathan replied as he held the door firmly closed, while the would-be visitor kicked so vigorously as to threaten the destruction of the panels.

"Bring him in here, an' we'll see whether such a row can be kicked up in a court of law with impunity."

"Better let me throw him into the street," Uncle Nathan snarled.

"Mr. Constable, bring that boy before me," the 'Squire said, sternly, and an instant later, to the consternation of all those who had seen him, the boy who was supposed to have been drowned two days before entered, looking decidedly the worse for having existed so long without water and soap.

"Why, it's Sam, an' he ain't dead!" Teddy cried as he rose to his feet.

"Of course I ain't; but it wouldn't been many days before I turned into a corpse if I hadn't got away from them thieves," the amateur detective replied.

"Who are you, an' what do you want here?" the 'Squire asked, sternly, as he rapped on the table for the spectators to remain silent.

"Why, I'm Sam Balderston, the feller who come to the fair to work for the Davis Boat an' Oar Company of Detroit, an' if what Long Jim told me was true, folks have been tryin' to find me in the creek."

"This is the boy who was reported to have been drowned on the day when those lads," here the lawyer pointed to Teddy and Dan, "claim to have seen two men carrying goods into an old barn on the marshes. I fancy he can give us information relative to the true burglars."

"You bet I can," and now that he was the central figure in the scene, all Sam's old a.s.surance returned. "If you mean the fellers what broke into Teddy's uncle's store, I can flash one of them up. The other come to the fair an' didn't get back, so Phil thought he was arrested."

"Who do you mean by the other fellow?" Mr. Harvey asked.

"Why, Long Jim, the same man what swindled Teddy out of his fifteen dollars at Waterville."

"Have you been with him since your disappearance?"

"Most of the time he hung around, an' then ag'in Phil was there."

"Who is Phil?"

"Long Jim's partner. They've got a slat of stuff what has been stole 'round here, an' I know where all of it is."

"Tell the 'Squire the whole story."

This was Sam's opportunity, and, in order to cover himself with glory, he slaughtered the truth in the most shocking manner.

"Well," he said, in a consequential way, "when Dan an' me an' Teddy saw the thieves carryin' stuff down to that old barn I wanted to rush in an'

arrest both; but the other fellows was scared an' come ash.o.r.e to talk with Hazelton so's he'd tell 'em what to do. Then I jes' made up my mind to carry on the job myself, an' went back."

"Where?" the 'Squire asked.

"To the barn to get the stuff. While I was diggin' it up the men come back, an' the minute they saw who was on their trail they got frightened."

"And who was on their trail?" the 'Squire interrupted.

"Why, me, of course. They rushed in, an' I had the awfullest row; but it was two to one, an' so I got the worst of it. They had to work mighty hard before gettin' me tired, an' then all the stuff was dug up an' put in the boat. My craft was upset an' sent adrift, so's to make it look as if I was dead, an' we went down the creek six or seven miles, where we hid in the woods. Phil came back here after more goods what had been stolen, an' they was goin' to skip the country, when there was a big row, an' Long Jim allowed he'd come to the fair once more. Phil was mad, an' got pretty drunk, an' after that I had my innings. I turned to an'

lashed him up same's I'd been; but we had an' awful fight. It takes more'n one man to git away with me."

"Where is this fellow now?" the 'Squire interrupted again.

"Down the creek, tied up so's he can't hardly breathe, an' he must be pretty near sober by this time."

"If he was very drunk I do not understand how he could have fought so hard."

"Well, he did; but I got the best of him, an' what's more, I know where all the stuff that's been stolen is hid."

"Mr. Constable, bring into court the prisoner who is charged with swindling, and let us see if this extraordinary boy can identify him,"

the 'Squire said, with an unusual amount of dignity.

"If it's Long Jim, you bet I can," Sam said, as he turned toward the spectators that they might have a good opportunity of seeing such a wonderful detective as he claimed to be.

Teddy and Dan could hardly control their impatience to speak privately with Sam. As a matter of course, they understood that he was embellishing the story, and both were eager to make him tell the exact truth.

Just at that moment, however, Sam had no time to spend on ordinary boys.

He had come out of a bad sc.r.a.pe with apparently flying colors, and intended to enjoy his triumph to the utmost before sinking back to his rightful plane.

The jail was near at hand, and Sam had not exhibited himself as much as he desired when Long Jim was brought in.