The Jucklins Part 10

"Yo' supper is done an' ef you'll jest gib me room I'll fix de table,"

the woman remarked, taking the bread off the griddle.

"I hear them coming!" Alf whispered. I looked round and saw them at the fence. They had tied their horses in the woods. We stepped out from the shadow and held up our hands to enjoin care.

"I'll go first, and you boys follow me," said the General, c.o.c.king his pistol and letting the hammer down to see if it worked well.

"Oh, I reckon not," Lim Jucklin replied. "I'm older than you are and you know it. Come on, boys."

"Older!" the General exclaimed, with such force that we had to tell him to make less noise. "I am eight months older than you are, and you know it. Come on, boys."

Old Lim took hold of him. "This ain't altogether your picnic; the invertations come from my house, and----"

"What the devil difference does it make?" the deputy spoke up. "I'm the only officer present and I'll go first."

I thought that it was my time to act, and, telling them to follow me, I reached the door almost at a stride and threw my full weight against it.

The door flew off its hinges and fell on the floor broad-side, and the Aimes brothers, now seated at a table, were "covered" with guns and pistols before they had time to stir in their chairs. They appeared to be horror-stricken at seeing Alf and me, and in a moment their hands were in the air.

"Josh," the deputy commanded, "bring us a plow line. Never mind, you haven't time for that. Take off that bed cord."

The woman had squeezed herself into a corner, between a "cubbord" and the wall, but she came out and protested against the use of her bed cord. "Get that cord!" the deputy commanded. "Move that hand again, Scott Aimes, and I'll kill you. Here we are," he added, when the negro had tumbled off the bed-clothes and unfastened the cord. "Now cut it in four pieces."

"Fur de Lawd's sake!" the woman shouted, "you ain' gwine treat er pusson datter way, is you? Fust da cuts de banjo strings an' den yere come de law an' cuts de bed cawd. Laws er ma.s.sy whut got inter dis worl' no how."

"Keep quiet," said the deputy. "Here, big man, tie their wrists and don't be afraid of hurting them. I've had my eye on you gentlemen for some time. That's it, give it to them hard. Tie their ankles, too. But we have only four pieces of rope. Go now and get a plow-line, Josh."

We put back the table and the chairs and stood our prisoners in the center of the room, sullen and coa.r.s.e-featured brutes, and waited for the negro to come with the plow-line, and presently he appeared with a new gra.s.s rope. "That's just exactly what we want," said the deputy.

"Cut it in four pieces, and, big man," he continued, speaking to me, "I must again call on you. Tight around the shank and no feelings considered. That's it; you go at it in the right way--must have tied chickens for the market. I must really beg pardon of these gentlemen for not getting a warrant; we were pushed for time and, therefore, we are a trifle irregular, but my dear sirs, I promise you that you shall have a warrant just as soon as we get into Purdy. You should be satisfied with my admitting that I am irregular."

The General roared with a great laugh. "Your apology is of the finest feather, the most gracious down," said he, "but our friends must remember that in an irregularity often lie some of the most precious merits of this life."

"If we hadn't been huddled round this here table you wouldn't be havin'

sich fun," said Scott Aimes, quivering under my strong pull at the rope.

"We never did ask nothin' but a fair show, but we didn't git it this time, by a long shot."

"Silence, brute," the General commanded. "As low as you are, you should know better than to break in upon the high spirits of a gentleman. Oh, I have understood you all along. You were working your courage toward me.

Hush, don't you speak a word."

"Got them all strung?" the deputy asked, examining the ropes. "Good.

Now, Josh, you run over to my house as fast as you can and tell my wife that you want the two-horse wagon. And hitch it up and come back here as fast as you can. Go on; I'll pay you for everything."

"Thankee, sah, I'm gone. It loosens er ole pusson's feet, sah, ter know dat he gwine be paid. Hard times allus comin' down de big road, er kickin' up er dust."

"Are you going?" the deputy stormed. "Confound you; I'll put you in jail for selling whisky if you are not back here in fifteen minutes."

"Gone now!" exclaimed the negro, bounding from the door and striking a trot. "Gone!" we heard him repeat, as he leaped over the fence.

"Mr. Parker," said Scott Aimes, stretching his neck toward the officer, "I've jest got one favor to ask of you. Git that bottle over thar an'

give us fellers a drink. It was licker that got us into this here muss, an' you ought to let licker help us a little now."

"Old fellow used to keep a grocery over at Blue Lick," the deputy remarked, looking at me rather than at the prisoner, "and when a man's money was all gone he used to say: 'Lord love you, honey, I couldn't think of letting you take another drop; I'm so much interested in your welfare that I don't want to see you hurt yourself.' No, Scottfield"--and now he looked at the prisoner--"I am too much interested in you to see you throw yourself away. Don't be impatient.

'Just wait for the wagon,' says the old song."

The old General had sat down, but old Lim continued to stand there, his arms bare and his teeth hard-set. On his countenance lay the shadow of a regret, and I have thought that he was grieved at the spoiling of the fight that he thought should have taken place to reward him for the trouble of leaving home. The prisoners winced under his gaze, as his eyes leaped about from one to another. But he said not a word; just stood there, with his teeth hard-set.

Soon we heard the wagon, rumbling along the road that skirted the old field, and we began to set our prisoners near the door, picking them up and putting them down like upright sticks. The wagon drew up near the door, the woman held a light for us and we began our work of loading.

And I was glad when the deputy said that he no longer needed our a.s.sistance; I was afraid that he would ask me to drive to town with him.

"Well," he said, gathering up the lines and glancing back at his load, "a pretty good haul for these hard times. Whoa, wait a minute. Say, General, I suppose you have heard some talk of my candidacy for the office of sheriff, and I reckon you have seen to-night whether or not I am worthy of the trust. It's always well to put in a word in time, you know. I reckon I've got you all right, Alf, and, big man, wish you could vote with us this time. Well, I'll let you gentlemen know when you are wanted at court."

Old Lim and the General led their horses and walked with Alf and me; and we heard many a grunt and snort as we told of the burning of the school-house. Old Lim swore that I ought to have let Alf kill Scott Aimes, but the General sided with me. "That would have done no good, Lim," said he. "It's far better as we now have it. I am glad to see, Mr.

Hawes, that you have so much discretion, a most n.o.ble quality, sir. Now as to the loss of the house, that amounts to nothing. It ought to have been set afire long ago. And I'll tell you what shall be done: A new building shall be put up at once, not of logs, but of frame, and it shall be neatly painted to show people that we are keeping up with the times. Every neighborhood about us has a fine school-house; the old log huts have disappeared, and we are going to march right in the van, sir.

But I want to tell you right now that it was in those log school-houses that the greatest men in the nation have been taught; and when I see a pile of logs out in the woods I fancy that I can hear the cla.s.sics lowly hummed."

"Gentlemen," said old Lim, "if it was day time instead of night I would invite you to see some of the finest sport you ever run across, for I'm in the humor for it right now. But chickens have a prejudice agin fightin' at night. Many a time when I had trouble on my mind and couldn't sleep I've got up and tried to stir their blood, but they want to nod; that's what they want to do at night--nothin' but nod, unless you've got light enough, and then if you stir 'em up they'll git so mad that they'll go it smack to a finish."

"Talking about those chickens?" the General asked. "Confound them, they'd have no attraction for me if it were mid-day. But pardon me. I mean simply that I take no interest in such things."

Old Lim grunted. "Right here is where I git on my horse," said he. And he mounted and rode on ahead in moody silence.

I was now walking beside the General and Alf was just behind me. Several times the young man sighed distressfully and I knew that something heavy had fallen upon his mind. Presently he pulled at my coat and as I dropped back he took my place. "General, you said just now that Bill was right in not letting me shoot that fellow, Scott Aimes." He hesitated and was silent for a few moments, striding beside the General, and the General said nothing--was waiting for him to continue. "Said that I was wrong," Alf repeated, "and I reckon I was, but I hope you won't say anything about it--at home."

"Why not at home, sir? Hah, why not at home? 'Od zounds, can't a gentleman talk in his own house?"

Alf began to drop back. "What he means, General," said I, taking his place, "is that he has so much respect for you that he does not want you to think ill of him when you are alone, meditating in your own house."

"Ha, now, a fine whim, but it's a respectful whim and shall be honored, sir. I don't understand the young men of this day and generation, but I know what respect means. I don't know that I condemned you, Alf; I spoke for the most part of the discretion of your friend. Well, gentlemen, here is where I leave you."

He threw the bridle reins over the horse's neck and was preparing to mount, when Alf started forward as if to help him, but I clutched him so vigorously that he turned upon me and asked what I meant. "Keep still,"

I whispered. "I'll tell you after a while."

By this time the old gentleman was astride his horse. He took off his hat, bowed with the air of a cavalier, and, bidding us good-night, galloped off down the road. Then I told Alf why I had held him back, that I had almost insulted the old man by offering to a.s.sist him in mounting his horse; and Alf stood there actually trembling at the narrowness of his escape. I know that we should have been burned up had he been half so badly frightened while we were in the school-house.

The nights were shortened by the season's approach to the first of May.

It seemed a long time since the twilight had glimmered on the leaves, and it was past midnight when we reached home. Old Lim had put up his horse and was standing at the draw-bars, waiting for us.

"For a smart man," said he, "I reckon the General's got about as little sense as any human now alive. By jings, he's a crank; that's what's the matter with him; and the first thing he knows people will be keepin' out of his way."

A light flashed from the pa.s.sage and we saw Guinea and her mother standing on the log step, gazing toward us.

"It's all right!" the old man cried. "Go on to bed, and don't be standing around this time of night."

Alf and I, leaving the old man at the bars, went to the house. "Oh, I'm so glad you've all got back," said Mrs. Jucklin, striving to be calm, but whimpering. "Are you sure that you are all safe and sound?"

Guinea began to laugh. "Of course, they are, mother, don't you see?"

"But what's your father still standin' out yonder for? I jest know he's crippled. Limuel, are you hurt?" she cried.

"Yes, I am hurt, and by a man that prefers to be a crank. Said that he wouldn't care anything about 'em even if it was daylight."