CHAPTER XXV
FROM RANCH TO RICHES
Bob asked many questions about his father on the ride to Red Top,learning that he had died from pneumonia; that his mother had died soonafter Bob was born, and that it had been his father's dying request thathe be sent to New York, where he could grow up and receive the educationhe himself had been denied. But their arrival at Red Top put an end totheir conversation and they turned to the matter at hand.
As the citizens saw Bob's pursuers return captives they were amazed, andwhen they learned the reason they expressed in no uncertain terms theiranger at having been made to chase an innocent boy.
At the jail, the forged deed and other papers that were to be used instealing John Ford's ranch away from him were found on the prisoners andwere filed away to be used against them at the trial.
To one or two of his firm friends, the ranchman introduced Bob, andsincere were their expressions of delight both at meeting him and inknowing that he was to come into his own. Ford, however, swore them tosilence, for there were some of the townsfolk who had supported Dardusin his lawsuit, and neither the ranchman nor Bob wished a word of hispresence to leak out till they had perfected their plans for bringingthe dishonest guardian to book.
"But your boys know it, John, and so do the prisoners," asserted one ofthese friends.
"My boys won't talk about it," declared the ranchman. "I'll see to that.If the prisoners do, you all can say the story is absurd, probablyanother of their plots to steal another ranch."
This decided, the grizzled plainsman summoned his cowboys, explained thesituation briefly, and offered them a year's wages for their silence,which they promised when Bob added his entreaties.
But to prevent any possible miscarriage of their plans, Bob wrote hisdiscoveries to Mr. Nichols, mailing the letter before he left Red Top.These details attended to, Ford borrowed a horse for Bob, and they setout for the home ranch, which they reached in due course.
Leaving Merry Dick on Bob's station, Ford and Bob rode on to Fairfax,where they held a long consultation with the station agent, at which itwas decided that Bob and the ranchman should both go on to New York toobtain restitution from Len Dardus. And, with much hurrying, theyprepared to leave Fairfax the next night.
Thomas asked and obtained permission from Mr. Nichols for the east-boundlimited to stop at the way-station, and when Higgins and the others sawthe ranchman and Bob on the platform, they were consumed with curiosity.
"Kidnappin' John?" asked Higgins of Bob.
But no satisfaction did he receive, the boy replying:
"My sentiments about answering questions haven't changed since the firstmorning we met, Mr. Higgins."
And while the others were laughing at their crony's discomfiture, thetrain arrived and the two travelers boarded it, with the well wishes ofthe agent ringing in their ears.
At Kansas City Mr. Nichols joined them, saying he had decided to go onto New York, where they would meet Mr. Perkins, both being determined tobring Bob into his own.
A happy party they made, Bob recounting his experiences, Ford adding hisdry comments, and Mr. Nichols enjoying the boy's development andmanliness.
As they were rehearsing the story for the twentieth time, Mr. Nicholsasked:
"Have you learned, Bob, who the man with the scar is?"
"What sort of a scar?" demanded the ranchman, before the boy couldanswer. And as Bob described it, he exclaimed:
"That's Knuckles, your father's old foreman!"
"Good. I'll find him and take him back with me," returned Bob; "that is,if things come out right."
"Don't worry about that," smiled Mr. Nichols knowingly. And when theyarrived in New York and met Mr. Perkins, these words were explained, forBob's patrons had set detectives at work and had learned all there wasto be learned about Len Dardus, even to the banks in which he kept hismoney, and how much he had.
After holding a consultation and marshaling their evidence, it wasdecided to call in two members of the city detective force, and upontheir arrival, the party set out for the grocery store where Bob hadpassed so many unhappy days.
No one was about when the six men entered, and, leaving Bob alone, theothers withdrew to the corners of the store where the shadowspractically hid them.
The proprietor had heard the footsteps, however, and shuffled from hisprivate office.
No farther did he get than the threshold before he saw and recognizedBob.
"You!" he gasped, turning pale. "What do you want here?"
"I want the money you have stolen from me, Len Dardus! I want myfather's ranch in Red Top back. I want you to say you lied when you saidmy father was crazy when he died!"
The tone in which the boy spoke was cold and bitter. Yet, instead ofterrifying the storekeeper, it caused him to laugh as he exclaimed: "Youcan't blackmail me, you ungrateful young wretch! Get out of here, beforeI call the police! I steal your money, indeed! Insanity seems to run inthe Chester family!"
"Do you think so, Len Dardus?" demanded the ranchman, suddenly emergingfrom the shadow.
"John Ford!" gasped the storekeeper, his bravado deserting him at thesight of this friend of Bob's father.
"Yes; John Ford," retorted the ranchman in a voice that cut like steel."You remember when you won your lawsuit with that will you forged? Itold you I should trap you some day. _That day has come!_"
At these words, the others stepped forth.
From one to another, Dardus looked, then demanded in a terrified voice:
"What--what do you want?"
"We want justice for Bob Chester," said Mr. Perkins.
"We want you to give him every cent you have in bank except the fivehundred dollars you had when Horace Chester died. We want you to signthis paper admitting that you forged the will bequeathing you the ranchin Red Top. We want you to acknowledge you lied when you told Bob hisfather was insane."
"And if I refuse?"
"You go to jail, and we take the money and ranch."
"But I have no money," whimpered Dardus.
"Lying won't help you. We know every cent you have in bank and where itis. Here's the confession, sign it first."
Glancing from one to another, the storekeeper seemed to seek an avenueof escape.
"Officers, if this man does not sign this paper within two minutes,arrest him," exclaimed Mr. Perkins.
Quickly the detectives moved one to either side of Len Dardus.
"All right, I'll sign," he moaned, sinking into a chair.
And, after reading the words admitting his guilt, he affixed his name.
"Now, tell Bob you lied to him about his father."
"Horace--Chester--was--not--insane."
"Good, I am glad you are reasonable. Now, come with us in our automobileand withdraw the money you have in the banks."
Realizing resistance was vain, Dardus obeyed.
At each bank the boy's benefactors compared their private notes with theamounts the storekeeper withdrew, and, when the task was ended, Bob hadfifty thousand dollars in addition to the ranch.
As they emerged from the last bank, however, they did not take thestorekeeper into their car, but left him standing on the steps, thepicture of woe.
"Now, we'll have a good dinner," announced Mr. Nichols.
During the meal the men who had been so kind to Bob asked him what heintended to do.
"Go back to the ranch and live with John Ford," was the boy's readyreply.
"Yes. We're going into partnership," added the grizzled plainsman.
"And whenever you want a rest or some hunting, there'll be two ranchesat your disposal," chimed in Bob, to the railroad magnates.
Before the boy returned to the West, he gave a hundred-dollar bill toNellie Porter, the waitress who had befriended him, and he also foundKnuckles, who was overjoyed to resume his position as foreman of theChester ranch.
The firm of Ford & Chester prospered. Many times did Mr. Perkins and Mr.Nichols, as well as Jack Foster, the reporter, visit the partn
ers,continuing to exercise a kindly interest in their welfare, andespecially the welfare of Bob Chester.
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes:
Punctuation normalized.
Varied capitalization on "the limited/the Limited" retained.
Page 80, "flee-bitten" changed to "flea-bitten."
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