CHAPTER IV
THE DEFIANCE OF DOCK PHILLIPS
Remembering his promise, Tom called early for his chum. Carl lived in apretty little cottage with his mother, and three other children. Therewas Angus, a little chap of five, Dot just three, and Elsie well turnedseven.
Everybody liked to visit the Oskamp home, there was such an air ofcontentment and happiness about the entire family, despite the factthat they missed the presence of the one who had long been their guideand protector.
Tom was an especial favorite with the three youngsters, and they werealways ready for a romp with him when he came to spend an evening withhis chum. On this occasion however Tom did not get inside the house,for Carl was on the lookout and hurried out of the door as soon as heheard the gate shut.
"Hello! seems to me you're in a big hurry to-night," laughed Tom, whenhe saw the other slip out of the house and come down the path to meethim; "what's all the rush about, Carl?"
"Why, you see I knew we meant to drop in at Dock Phillips' place, andwe wouldn't want to be too late at the meeting if we happened to beheld up there," was the explanation Carl gave.
As they hurried along they talked together, and of course much of theirconversation was connected with this visit to Dock. Carl seemed hopefulof good results, but to tell the truth Tom had his doubts.
In the first place he was a better judge of human nature than his chum,and he knew that the Phillips boy was stubborn, as well as vicious. Ifhe were really guilty of having taken the paper he would be likely todeny it vehemently through thick and thin.
Knowing how apt Carl was to become discouraged if things went againsthim very strongly, Tom felt it was his duty to prepare the other fordisappointment.
"Even if Dock denies that he ever saw the paper, we mustn't letourselves feel that this is the end of it, you know, Carl," hestarted to say.
"I'll be terribly disappointed, though, Tom," admitted the other boy,with a sigh that told how he had lain awake much the last two nightstrying to solve the puzzle that seemed to have no answer.
"Oh! that would only be natural," his chum told him, cheerily; "but youknow if we expect to become scouts we must figure out what they woulddo under the same conditions, and act that way."
"That's right, Tom," agreed the other, bracing up. "Tell me what atrue-blue scout would figure out as his line of duty in case he ranup against a snag when his whole heart was set on doing a thing."
"He'd just remember that old motto we used to write in our copybooks atschool, and take it to heart--'if at first you don't succeed, try, tryagain!' And Carl, a scout would keep on trying right along. He'd sethis teeth together as firm as iron and say he'd solve that problem, orknow the reason why."
"Tom, you know how to brace a weak-kneed fellow up all right."
"But you're not that kind, Carl. Only in this case there's so much atstake you hardly do yourself justice. Remember how Grant went at it,and when he found that Lee met all of his tactics so cleverly he gothis back up and said he'd fight it out on that line if it took allsummer."
"I see what you mean, and I'm game enough to say the same thing!"declared the other, with a ring of resolution in his voice.
Tom felt wonderfully relieved. He knew that Carl was capable of greatthings if only he succeeded in conquering his one little failing ofseeing the gloomy side of passing events.
"Well, here we are at Dock's place. It's not a particularly lovely homefor any fellow, is it? But then his father is known to be a harddrinker, and the mother finds it a tough job to keep her family inclothes and food. My folks feel sorry for her, and do what they can attimes to help her out, though she's too proud to ask for assistance."
"Dock promises to be as bad as his father, I'm afraid, only so far hehasn't taken to drinking," remarked Carl.
"There's some hope for him if only he keeps away from that," venturedTom. "But let's knock on the door."
No sooner had his knuckles come in contact with the panel than therewas a furious barking within. Like most poor families the Phillipsevidently kept several dogs; indeed, Dock had always been a great loverof animals, and liked to be strutting along the main street of Lenoxwith a string of dogs tagging at his heels.
A harsh voice was heard scolding the dogs, who relapsed into agrumbling and whining state of obedience.
"That's Dock himself," said Carl. "They mind him all right, you see. Ihope he opens the door for us, and not his father."
Just then the Phillips door was drawn back.
"Hello! Carl, and you too Tom; what's up?"
Although Dock tried to say this with extreme indifference Tom saw thathe was more or less startled at seeing them. In fact he immediatelyslipped outside, and closed the door behind him, as though he did notwant his mother or any one else to overhear what might be said.
This action was positive evidence to the mind of Tom Chesney that Dockwas guilty. His fears caused him to act without thinking. At the sametime such evidence is never accepted in a court of law ascircumstantial.
If either of the two boys had ever called at the Phillips' house beforeit must have been on account of some errand, and at the request oftheir mothers. Dock might therefore be filled with curiosity to knowwhy he had been honored with a visit.
"We dropped around to have a few words with you, Dock," said Tom, whohad made arrangements with his chum to manage the little interview, andhad his plan of campaign all laid out in advance.
"Oh is that so?" sneered the other, now having had time to recover fromthe little shock which their sudden appearance had given him. "Well,here I am, so hurry up with what you've got to say. I came home latefrom the store and I'm not done my supper yet."
"We'll keep you only a few minutes at the most, Dock," continued Tom;"you take the orders for groceries for the store, don't you?"
"What, me? Why, course I do. Ain't you seen me a-goin' around with thatbob-tail racer of Old Culpepper's that could make a mile in seventeenminutes if you kept the whip a-waggin' over his back? What if I do takeorders; want to leave one with me for a commission, hey?"
Dock tried to throw all the sarcasm he could into his voice. He had anobject no doubt in doing this; which was to impress these two boys asto his contempt for them and their errand, whatever it might be.
"We came here in hopes that you might solve a little bit of a mysterythat's bothering Carl's mother, Dock," continued Tom.
It was pretty dark out there, as the night had settled down, and notmuch light escaped from the windows close by; still Tom thought he sawthe other boy move uneasily when he said this.
"That's a funny thing for you to say, Tom Chesney," grumbled the other."How'd I be able to help Mrs. Oskamp out, tell me? I ain't much of ahand to figger sums. That's why I hated school, and run away, so I hadto go to work. Now what you drivin' at anyhow? Just tell me that."
"Day before yesterday you called at Mrs. Oskamp's house, Dock, as youdo every morning, to take orders. You always make it about the sametime, I understand, which is close to a quarter after nine."
"Oh! I'm the promptest grocery clerk you ever saw!" boasted Dock,perhaps to hide a little confusion, and bolster up his nerve.
"After you had gone, or to make it positive at just a quarter to tenMrs. Oskamp, who had dressed to go out, missed something that was onthe table of the sitting room where you came for orders, and which shesays she knows was there when you first arrived!"
"What's this you're a-sayin', Tom Chesney? Want to make me out a thief,do you? Better go slow about that sort of talk, I tell you!" blusteredDock, aggressively. "Did Mrs. Oskamp see me take anything?"
"Oh! no, certainly not," continued Tom; "but she had to go upstairs toget a bill she wanted you to take back to the store for correction, andleft you alone in the room for a couple of minutes, that's all."
Tom was fishing for a "rise," as he would have put it himself, beingsomething of an angler; and he got it too. All unsuspicious of the trapthat had been spread for his unwary feet Dock gave a harsh laugh, andwent on
to say angrily:
"You have got the greatest nerve I ever heard about, Tom Chesney,a-comin' here right to my own home, and accusin' me of bein' a reg'larthief. I wouldn't take a thing for the world. Besides, what'd I wantwith a silly old scrap of paper, tell me?"
"Oh!" said Tom, quietly, "but I never mentioned what it was that wastaken. How do you happen to know then it was a paper, Dock?"
Carl gave a gasp of admiration for the clever work of his chum. As forDock, he hardly knew what to say immediately, though after he caughthis breath he managed to mutter:
"Why, there was some papers on the table, I remembered, and I justguessed you must be meanin' that. I tell you I ain't seen no paper, andyou can't prove it on me either. I defy you to; so there! Now just tellme what you're goin' to do about it."
He squared off as though he had a dim idea the two boys might want tolay hands on him and try to drag him around to the police headquarters.Of course this was the very last thing Tom and Carl would think ofattempting. Strategy alone could influence Dock to confess to thetruth.
"Oh! we don't mean to touch you, Dock," said Tom, hastily. "All wewanted to do was to ask you if you had seen that paper? If you deniedit we knew we would have to try and find it another way; because sooneror later the truth is bound to come out, you understand. We'd ratherhave you on our side than against us, Dock."
"But what would a feller like me want with your old paper?" snarled theboy, who may not have wholly liked the firm way in which Tom said thatin the end the real facts must be made known, just as if they meant toget some one accustomed to spying on people to watch him from that timeon.
"Nothing so far as it concerned you," replied Tom; "but it was ofconsiderable value to another. Your employer, Mr. Culpepper, might bewilling to pay a considerable sum to get possession of that same paper,because it bore his signature."
Dock gave a disagreeable laugh.
"What, that old miser pay any real money out? Huh, you don't know him.He squeezes every dollar till it squeals before he lets it go. He'dbargain for the difference of five cents. Nobody could do business withhim on the square. But I tell you I ain't seen no paper; and that's allI'm a-goin' to say 'bout it. I'm meanin' to let my dogs out for alittle air soon's I go back in the house, an' I hopes that you'll closethe gate after you when you skip!"
There was a veiled threat in his words, and as he proceeded toterminate the interview by passing inside Tom and Carl thought itgood policy to make use of the said gate, for they did not likethe manner in which the dogs growled and whined on the other sideof the barrier.
"He's a tough one, all right," Carl was saying as they walked ontogether, and heard the three dogs barking in the Phillips' yard.
"Yes," admitted his chum, "Dock's a hard customer, but not so verysmart when you come right down to it. He fell headlong into my trap,which is a very old one with lawyers who wish to coax a man to betrayhis guilt."
"You mean about saying it was a paper that had been lost?" said Carl."Yes, you fairly staggered him when you asked him how he knew that."
"There's no question about Dock's being the guilty one," asserted Tom."He gave himself away the worst kind then. The only thing we have to dois to try and get the truth from him. Sooner or later it's got to befound out."
"Yes," continued Carl, dejectedly, "but if he's handed that paper overto Mr. Culpepper in the meantime, even if we could prove that Dock tookit what good will that do? Once that paper is torn up, we could recovernothing."
"But I'm sure he hasn't made his bargain with old Amasa yet," Tomventured.
"Why do you believe that?" asked the other, eagerly.
"You heard what he said about the meanness of his employer, didn'tyou?" was what Tom replied. "Well, it proves that although Dock soundedMr. Culpepper about being in a position to give him the paper theyhaven't arrived at any satisfactory conclusion."
"You mean Dock wants more than Amasa is willing to pay, is that it,Tom?"
"It looks that way to me," the other boy assented; "and that sort ofdeadlock may keep on indefinitely. You see, Dock is half afraid tocarry the deal through, and will keep holding off. Perhaps he mayeven have put so high a price on his find, that every once in awhile they'll lock horns and call it a draw."
"I hope you've hit on the right solution," sighed Carl; "if it didn'tdo anything else it would give us a chance to think up some otherscheme for getting the truth out of Dock."
"Leave it to me, Carl; sooner or later we'll find a way to beat him athis own game. If he's got that paper hidden away somewhere we maydiscover his secret by following him. There are other ways too. It'sgoing to come out all right in the end, you take my word for it!"