Facing the World

“All right, I’ll come. I must go downstairs now.”

“I wonder what he wants to see me about?” said Joel, to himself.

Joel made a pretty shrewd guess, and resolved, by all means, to keep the appointment.

He was anxious to get his father out of the way, but John Fox was unusually deliberate in his motions. Finally, about half-past nine, he left the house for the village.

Presently his mother said: “Joel, if you’ll stay and mind the house, I’ll run over to Mrs. Bean’s and borrow some sugar.”

His mother put on her bonnet, and started across a field to her nearest neighbor’s.

“Now’s my time,” thought Joel. “Mam’s sure to get talkin’ with Mrs. Bean and stay half an hour or more.”

He ran up the garret stairs, and drew the bolt that held Harry captive.

“Joel, I want you to let me out of this place.”

“Oh, gracious!” exclaimed Joel, in apparent dismay. “Dad would give me the wu’st kind of a lickin’.”

“Would he know how I got out?” asked Harry.

“I don’t know. What are you willing to give?”

Harry saw that it was merely a matter of bargaining, and finally prevailed upon Joel to release him for a five-dollar bill.

“I want the money now,” said Joel.

“How do I know that you will do as you have agreed?”

“Give me the money, and I’ll tell you.”

Harry passed over the bank bill, and Joel said:

“Dad’s gone to the village, and mam’s gone over to Mrs. Bean’s. All you’ve got to do is to go downstairs, and walk out.”

Harry was by no means slow to take the hint.

“Good-by, Joel,” he said, extending his hand; “I won’t forget the favor you’ve done me.”

“I don’t know what dad’ll say. There’ll be an awful fuss. Just give me a box on the ear, won’t you?”

“What for?”

“I’ll tell dad you gave me an awful clip on the side of the head, and ran off, though I tried to stop you.”

“All right,” said Harry, laughing.

He gave Joel the required box on the ear, tripped him up, laying him gently on his back on the landing, and then, with a friendly “good-by,” he ran down the stairs, and before Mrs. Fox returned from her call was a mile away.

She found Joel wiping his eyes.

“What’s the matter, Joel?” she asked.

“That boy, Harry, called me upstairs, and got me to open the door. Then he gave me an almighty clip on the side of my head that almost stunned me, then he knocked me over, and ran out of the house as fast as he could run—my head aches awful!”

“The owdacious young ruffian!” ejaculated Mrs. Fox. “To beat my poor, dear Joel so! Never mind. Joel, dear, I’ll give you a piece of pie and some cake. As for that boy, he’ll be hung some day, I reckon!”

After eating the cake and pie, which were luxuries in that frugal household, Joel said he felt better. He went out behind the house, and taking out the five-dollar note, surveyed it with great satisfaction.

CHAPTER VI

AN EXCITING CHASE

When John Fox went to the village he usually stopped first at the tavern, and invested ten cents in a glass of whisky. Here he met two or three of his cronies.

“Folks say you’ve got a new boarder, Fox,” said Bill Latimer, as he laid down his glass on the counter.

“Yes,” answered Fox, complacently. “I’m his guardeen.”

“Folks say he got a pile of money for saving the train.”

“He got a pretty stiff sum,” answered Fox cautiously.

“Do you keep his money?”

“Yes.”

“Is he easy to manage?” asked John Blake.

“Well, some folks might find trouble with him,” said Fox, complacently. “The fact is, gentlemen, I don’t mind telling you that he’s been trying to buck agin’ his guardeen a’ready. Where do you think I left him?” continued Fox, chuckling.

“Where?”

“Up in the attic, locked up in his chamber. I’m goin’ to feed him on bread and water a while, just to show him what sort of a man John Fox is.”

A grin overspread the face of Eben Bond, who had just looked out of the front window.

“So you left him in the attic, hey?” he said, waggishly.

“Yes, I did. Do you mean to say I didn’t?”

“I’m willin’ to bet he isn’t there now.”

“You just tell me what you mean, Eben Bond!” said John Fox, provoked.

“I mean that I saw that boy of yours go by the tavern only two minutes since.”

“Where did he go? In what direction?” demanded Fox, eagerly.