CHAPTER IV
HEINRICH AND PERCY
"Bob!" exclaimed Mrs. Cook as her son arrived home that afternoon. "Whathave you been doing to get that black eye?"
Bob related the story of his fight with Frank Wernberg. He did not tellher of the threat Frank had made against him and his "whole family,"however, for he had no desire to cause any alarm. His mother listenedwith a troubled countenance.
"Oh, Bob," she said. "I wish you wouldn't fight like that."
"But he insulted the United States, and father too," Bob insisted.
"I know," she admitted. "Still I hate fighting so. One boy in the familyis enough to worry about."
"Where is Harold?" exclaimed Bob.
"Down at the armory," said Mrs. Cook. "I wish it was all over."
"I wonder if I can go down and see him," said Bob eagerly.
"Perhaps," said his mother. "I don't know." She turned away and Bobhurried out of the house and turned his steps towards the garage. Hisplan was to get his bicycle and ride down to the armory. He entered thegarage just in time to see Heinrich, the chauffeur, stuffing a large rollof bills into his pocket.
"Whew, Heinie!" he exclaimed. "Where did you get all the money?"
Heinrich seemed much embarrassed at being thus interrupted and coloredviolently. "Golly," said Bob, "I never saw so much money in all my life."
"Dot's not so much," said Heinrich. "Besides it iss mine."
"I didn't say it wasn't," laughed Bob.
Heinrich Muller was the Cooks' chauffeur. He was a German, as his nameimplies, but he had been in the United States for over twenty years andhad originally come into the employ of the Cook family as a coachman.Then when the automobile had taken the place of the horse to such a largeextent he had been converted into a chauffeur.
He was a mild mannered, quiet little man, and had always been a primefavorite with the children of the neighborhood. He could do wonderfulthings with a jackknife and the whistles, canes, swords and other toys hehad made for the Cook children had often filled their friends with envy.He wore thick glasses with gold rims and was very bow-legged. He alwayssaid that his legs were crooked because he had ridden horseback so muchwhen he was a young German cavalry trooper.
He was a skillful man with horses, and had never liked an automobilehalf as much. He loved all animals and they seemed to love him too. Atthe present time his pets consisted of a small woolly dog, an angoracat, a parrot, and an alligator. The last named pet he kept in an oldwash tub, half full of water, and called him Percy. He used to talk toall his pets as if they were human beings, Percy included, and manypeople had ventured the opinion that his brain was not quite as good asit should be.
"A little bit cracked, but harmless and faithful," was the way Bob'sfather described him.
Bob had never seen Heinrich so upset as he was that afternoon. He put therolls of bills in his pocket and looked at Bob fiercely through his thickglass spectacles. His watery blue eyes looked almost ferocious.
"What do you want here?" he demanded.
"My bicycle," said Bob.
"It iss got a puncture," said Heinrich.
"Oh, Heinrich," Bob exclaimed. "Why didn't you fix it?"
"I had no time so far."
"I need a new one anyway," said Bob, looking at his wheel where it restedagainst the wall of the garage. "This one is six years old."
"It iss one bunch of junk," said Heinrich.
"Right you are," laughed Bob. "I tell you what, Heinrich; you've got alot of money now, why don't you buy me a new one for my birthday?"
"Dot iss my money," said Heinrich insistently.
"Of course it is," exclaimed Bob. "You don't suppose I thought for amoment that you stole it, do you?"
Heinrich glanced at him questioningly. "Come and see Percy," he said,apparently very anxious to change the subject.
"What has he done lately?" asked Bob.
"He iss grown."
They approached the tub where the alligator was kept. "I can't see thathe has grown much," exclaimed Bob. "He looks about the same to me."
"He iss now two feet and one inches long," said Heinrich proudly. "Hedoes not grow fast though."
"I wish my bicycle was fixed," sighed Bob. "I wanted to ride down tothe armory."
"Harold iss in the army," said Heinrich.
"I know it," said Bob. "I wish I was too."
"You want to fight?" Heinrich asked.
"Of course I do. Don't you? You're an American citizen, aren'tyou, Heinie?"
"Yes, indeed," said Heinrich quickly. "For twelve years I been one."
"You're all right," exclaimed Bob heartily. "If all Germans were as loyalas you I wouldn't have this black eye right now."
"A German hit you?"
"He ought not to be a German, but he is," said Bob bitterly.
"Who was it?"
"I won't tell you. What's the use?"
"It was Frank Wernberg," said Heinrich.
Bob looked curiously at the chauffeur. "How do you know?" he demanded.
"Was it him?"
"Yes, but how could you find it out so soon?"
"Mebbe I guess," said Heinrich.
"Probably you did," laughed Bob. "What do you know about the Wernbergsanyway, Heinie?"
"Nothing," said Heinrich quickly and he acted as though he had madea mistake. "Look at Percy," he exclaimed. "He iss going down intothe water."
The alligator slipped slowly off the rock where he had been dozing. Heslid quietly into the water and remained floating there all its fourfeet standing straight out.
"He iss cute," said Heinrich proudly.
Bob had never considered an alligator as being cute, but he did think"Percy" was interesting. Little did he dream how much more interested hewould be in the small animal before many days had passed.