CHAPTER VIII.
DOGS IN THE MANGER.
David would not have been as happy as he was if he had known all thatwas going on in the settlement. As it happened, his father andbrother were not the only ones he had to fear. These two had an eyeon the money he expected to earn by trapping the quails, and forthat reason they were not disposed to interfere with him until hiswork was all done and he had reaped the reward of it; but therewere two others who had suddenly made up their minds that it wasunsportsmanlike to trap birds and that it should not be done if theycould prevent it. They were Lester Brigham and his particular friendand crony--almost the only one he had in the settlement, in fact--BobOwens.
Bob lived about two miles from General Gordon's, and might have madeone of the select little company of fellows with whom Don and Bertdelighted to associate, if he had been so inclined. But he was muchlike Dan Evans in a good many respects, and had been guilty of somany mean actions that he had driven almost all his friends away fromhim. He rode over to the General's about twice each week, and whilehe was there he was treated as civilly and kindly as every othervisitor was: but the brothers never returned his visits, and wouldhave been much better satisfied if Bob had stayed at home.
These two boys, Lester and Bob, were determined that David should notearn the hundred and fifty dollars if they could help it, and theyknew that by annoying him in every possible way, they would annoyDon and Bert, too: and that was really what they wanted to do. Whatreason had they for wishing to annoy Don and Bert? No good reason.Did you ever see a youth who was popular among his fellows, and whowas liked by almost everybody, both old and young, who did not haveat least one enemy in some sneaking boy, who would gladly injure himby every means in his power? Lester and Bob were jealous of Don andBert, that was the secret of the matter; and more than that, theywere disappointed applicants for the very contract which Don hadsecured for David.
Bob regularly borrowed and read the "_Rod and Gun_," and when his eyefell upon the advertisement calling for fifty dozen live quails, hethought he saw a chance to make a goodly sum of pocket money, andhurried off to lay the matter before his friend Lester, proposingthat they should go into partnership and divide the profits. Ofcourse Lester entered heartily into the scheme. He knew nothing aboutbuilding and setting traps, but Bob did, and when they had discussedthe matter and calculated their chances for success, they told eachother that in two weeks' time the required number of birds would beon their way up the river. That very day Bob addressed a letter tothe advertiser, and as soon as it was sent off he and Lester went towork on the traps.
It is hardly necessary to say that they lived in a fever ofexcitement and suspense after that, and anxiously awaited an answerfrom the gentleman who wanted the quails. The mail was brought in bythe carrier from the county seat, on Wednesday and Friday afternoons,and Bob and Lester made it a point to be on hand when the letterswere distributed. One Wednesday, about two weeks after the letterapplying for the order was mailed, Bob went down to the post-officealone, and the first person he met there was Bert Gordon. They leanedagainst the counter and talked while the mail was being put into theboxes, and when the pigeon-hole was opened, the postmaster handedeach of them a good-sized bundle of letters and papers, whichthey began to stow away in their pockets, glancing hastily at theaddresses as they did so. It happened that each of them found aletter in his bundle, which attracted his attention, and, as if movedby a common impulse, they walked toward opposite ends of the counterto read them.
The letter Bert found was addressed to Don; but he was pretty certainhe could tell where it came from, and knowing that his brotherwouldn't care--there were no secrets between them, now--he opened andread it. He was entirely satisfied with its contents, but the otherboy was not so well satisfied with the contents of his. When Bertpicked up his riding-whip and turned to leave the store, he saw Bobleaning against the counter, mechanically folding his letter, whilehis eyes were fastened upon the floor, at which he was scowlingsavagely.
"What's the matter?" asked Bert. "No bad news, I hope."
"Well, it is bad news," replied Bob, so snappishly, that Bert wassorry that he had spoken to him at all. "You see, I found anadvertisement in one of your father's papers, asking for live quails.I wrote to the man that I could furnish them, and I have justreceived an answer from him, stating that he has already sentthe order to another party, and one who lives in my immediateneighborhood. What's the matter with you?" exclaimed Bob, as Bertbroke out into a cheery laugh.
"When did you write to him?" asked Bert.
"On the very day I borrowed the paper."
"Well, Don was just three days ahead of you. I've got the order in mypocket."
"What do you and Don want to go into the trapping business for?"asked Bob, with ill-concealed disgust. "You don't need the money."
"Neither do you," replied Bert.
"Yes, I do. I intended to buy a new shot-gun with it. I am almost theonly decent fellow in the settlement who doesn't own a breech-loader.I have racked my brain for months, to think up some way to earn moneyenough to get one, and when I am just about to accomplish my object,you and Don have to jump up and rob me of the chance. The man tellsme that he would be glad to give me the contract, if he hadn't givenit to you. I've a good notion to slap you over."
"It isn't for us," replied Bert. "It is for Dave Evans; and I thinkyou will acknowledge that he needs the money if anybody does."
"Dave Evans!" sneered Bob.
"Yes; and he needs clothes and food more than you need a newshot-gun."
"I guess I know what I want and how much I want it," retorted Bob."I'm to be shoved aside to give place to that lazy ragamuffin, am I?If I don't make you wish that you had kept your nose out of mybusiness, I'm a Dutchman."
Bert did not wait to hear all of this speech. Seeing that Bob wasgetting angrier every minute, and that his rage was likely to get thebetter of him, he drew on his gloves, mounted his pony and set outfor home. Bob followed a quarter of a mile or so in his rear, andonce or twice he whipped up his horse and closed in on Bert as if hehad made up his mind to carry out his threat of slapping him over.But every time he did so a sturdy, broad-shouldered figure, with aface that looked wonderfully like Don Gordon's, seemed to comebetween him and the unconscious object of his pursuit, and thenBob would rein in his horse and let Bert get farther ahead of him.Presently Bob came to a road running at right angles with the onehe was following, and there he stopped, for he saw Lester Brighamapproaching at a full gallop. The latter was by his side in a fewseconds, and his first question was:--
"Been to the post-office?"
"I have, and there's the letter on which I built so many hopes,"replied Bob, handing out the document which he had crumpled into alittle round ball. "We were too late. The order has been given tothat meddlesome fellow, Don."
Lester looked first at his companion, then at Bert, who was nowalmost out of sight, and began to gather up his reins.
"You'd better not do it, unless you want to feel the weight of hisbrother's arm," said Bob, who seemed to read the thoughts that werepassing through Lester's mind. "I gave him a good going-over, andtold him I had a notion to knock him down."
"Why didn't you do it?" exclaimed Lester. "I'd have backed youagainst Don or anybody else."
"Haw! haw!" laughed Bob. "I shall want _good_ backing before Iwillingly raise a row in that quarter, I tell you."
"What do you mean by that?" demanded Lester.
"O, I was just joking, of course. But what's to be done about thisbusiness? Don got the contract for Dave Evans, and I want to know ifwe are to be kicked out of the way to make room for him."
Lester did not reply at once. He did not feel very highly flatteredby the low estimate Bob seemed to put upon him as a "backer" in caseof trouble with Don Gordon, and while he was trying to make up hismind whether he ought to let it pass or get sulky over it, he wasunfolding and smoothing out the letter he held in his hand. When hehad made himself master of its contents, he said:--
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"You come over and stay with me to-night, and we'll put our headstogether and see what we can make of this. I must go down to thestore now, and I'll meet you here in half an hour. That will giveyou time enough to go home and speak to your folks."
Bob spent the night at Lester's house, and it was during the longconversation they had before they went to sleep, that they made uptheir minds that it was a mean piece of business to trap quails, andthat nobody but a miserable pot-hunter would do it. They adopted thedog-in-the-manger policy at once. If they could not trap the birds,nobody should; and that was about all they could decide on just then.
The next morning after breakfast they mounted their horses and rodein company, until they came to the lane that led to Bob's home andthere they parted, Lester directing his course down the main roadtoward the cabin in which David Evans lived. He met David in theroad, as we know, and laid down the law to him in pretty stronglanguage; but strange enough the latter could not be coaxed orfrightened into promising that he would give up his chance ofearning a hundred and fifty dollars.
Lester was in a towering passion when he rode away after hisconversation with David. Lashing his horse into a run, he turned intothe first road he came to, and after a two-mile gallop, drew rein infront of the double log-house in which Bob Owens lived. There was anempty wagon-shed on the opposite side of the road, and there he foundBob, standing with his hands in his pockets, and gazing ruefullyat the pile of traps upon which he and Lester had worked soindustriously, and which he had hoped would bring them in a nicelittle sum of spending money.
"Well, did you see him?" asked Bob, as his friend rode up to the shedand swung himself out of the saddle.
"I did," was the reply, "and he was as defiant as you please. He wasdownright insolent."
"These white trash are as impudent as the niggers," said Bob, "and noone who has the least respect for himself will have anything to dowith them. I used to think that Don Gordon was something of anaristocrat, but now I know better."
"I wish I had given him a good cowhiding," continued Lester, who didnot think it worth while to state that he had been on the point ofattempting that very thing, but had thought better of it when he sawhow resolutely David stood his ground. "But never mind. We'll geteven with him. We'll touch his pocket, and that will hurt him worsethan a whipping. It will hurt the Gordons, too."
"Then he wouldn't promise to give up the idea of catching themquails? I am sorry, for if we could only frighten him off the track,we would write to that man up North telling him that the party withwhom he made his contract wasn't able to fill it, but we could catchall the birds he wants in two weeks."
"That's a good idea--a splendid idea!" exclaimed Lester; "and perhapswe'll do it any how, if the plan I have thought of doesn't provesuccessful."
Lester then went on to repeat the conversation he had had with David,as nearly as he could recall it, and wound up by saying:--
"I told him that we were going to start a Sportsman's Club among thefellows, and that after we got fairly going, our first hard workshould be to break up this practice of trapping birds. Of course thatwasn't true--I just happened to think of it while I was talking tohim--but why can't we make it true? If all the boys will join in withus, I'd like to see him do any trapping this winter."
"But who can we get to go in with us?"
"We'll ask Don and Bert the first thing."
"Nary time," exclaimed Bob, quickly. "If they are the sort you'regoing to get to join your club, you may just count me out. I don'tlike them."
"You like them just as well as I do; but we have an object to gain,and we mustn't allow our personal feelings to stand in our way."
"Do you suppose Don would join such a club after getting Dave thejob?"
"Perhaps he would. He likes to be first in everything, doesn't he?"
"I should say so," replied Bob, in great disgust. "I never saw afellow try to shove himself ahead as that Don Gordon does."
"Well, we'll flatter him by offering to make him President of theclub; and we'll promise to make Bert Vice or Secretary."
"I'll not vote for either of them."
"Yes, you will. We want to get them on our side; for if they promiseto go in with us every boy in the settlement will do the same."
"That's what makes me so mad every time I think of those Gordons,"exclaimed Bob, spitefully throwing down a stick which he had beencutting with his knife. "Every fellow about here, except you and me,is ready to hang on to their coat tails and do just what they do. Onewould think by the way they act that they belonged to some royalfamily. They don't notice me at all. They've had a crowd of boysin that shooting-box of theirs every spring and fall since I canremember, and I have never had an invitation to go there yet. Theytake along a nigger to cook for them, and have a high old timeshooting over their decoys; but the first thing they know they'llfind that shanty missing some fine morning. I'll set fire to it."
"Don't say that out loud," said Lester, quickly, at the same timeextending his hand to his companion, as if to show that what he hadsaid met his own views exactly. "Don't so much as hint it to a livingperson. We'll give them a chance to make friends with us if they wantto, and if they don't, let them take the consequences. But we cantalk about that some other time. What do you say to getting up aSportsman's Club?"
Bob did not know what to say, for he had never heard of such a thinguntil he became acquainted with Lester. The latter explained theobjects of such organizations as well as he could, and after somedebate they crossed over to the house, intending to go into Bob'sroom and draw up a constitution for the government of the proposedsociety. On the way Bob suddenly thought of something.
"You and I want to earn this money, don't we?" said he. "That's whatwe're working for, isn't it? Well, now, if we put a stop to trapping,how are we going to do it?"
"This is the way we're going to do it: we'll drive Dave Evans off thetrack first. When that is done, we'll tell that man up North that weare the only one's here who can fill his order. Then we'll go quietlyto work and catch our birds, saying nothing to nobody about it, andwhen we have trapped all we want, we'll ship them off."
"But somebody will see us when we are putting them on the boat."
"No matter for that. The mischief will be done, and we'll see how Donand Dave will help themselves. We can afford to be indifferent tothem when we have seventy-five dollars apiece in our pockets, can'twe?"
"Lester, you're a brick!" exclaimed Bob. "I never could have thoughtup such a plot. I'll have my gun after all."
"Of course you will."
"And what will become of the club?"
"We don't care what becomes of it. Having served our purpose, it cango to smash and welcome. Now will you vote for Don and Bert?"
"I'll be only too glad to get the chance. But you'll have to managethe thing, Lester."
"I'll do that. All I ask of you is to talk the matter up among theboys, that is, if Don and Bert agree to join us, and put in your votewhen the time comes."
The two friends spent the best part of the day in Bob's room, drawingup the constitution that was to govern their society. Lester, who didall the writing, had never seen a document of the kind, and havingnothing to guide him he made rather poor work of it. He had read afew extracts from game laws, and remembered that Greek and Latinnames were used therein. He could recall some of these names, and heput them in as they occurred to him, and talked about them so glibly,and appeared to be so thoroughly posted in natural history thatBob was greatly astonished. Of course there was a clause in theinstrument prohibiting pot-hunting and the snaring of birds, and thatwas as strong as language could make it. The work being done at lastto the satisfaction of both the boys, Lester mounted his horse andgalloped away in the direction of Don Gordon's home.