CHAPTER XIII
A QUEER PICNIC
And that was to be picnic day!
A queer holiday, indeed, with two girls taken from theclassroom--arrested!
Yes, that was what it amounted to, in spite of the jolly way Tavia andAlice trooped off, making "faces" and doing fancy "steps" back of thesquire.
Miss Ellis sat at her desk dazed, and stunned. She could not realize itall--a squire coming into her room--threatening her with dismissal, andtaking two girls off to the common police court for a "hearing."
She was not a woman given to showing her feelings, but this seemed morethan she could bear; tears came into her eyes, fell upon her books andthen she bowed her head--she had to cry! Dorothy was at her sideinstantly.
"Dear Miss Ellis," she murmured, "don't take it so seriously. It willbe all right. I'm sure those two girls are well able to take care ofthemselves, and I suspect Alice went more for mischief than foranything. Perhaps I had better run down to father's office, and tellhim about it; he will know exactly what to do."
The girls all looked on with sad faces. They had never before seen MissEllis cry in school. But she raised her head now, and seemed betterable to control her feelings.
"I think, Dorothy," she said, "it may be better to wait awhile.Something may happen to--save the girls from really going to hisoffice. We will try to study, and perhaps we may have our picnic yet."
But it was a difficult matter to apply minds to books that morning; toomuch had happened to be turned readily aside for mere school work. Suchwhispering had never been permitted before, although the girls did tryto be kind to Miss Ellis, she looked so sad and worried.
Meanwhile the two girls, Tavia and Alice, had been having their ownexperiences.
Upon reaching the street they stepped up along side the squire, so thatpersons in passing thought they were merely walking along to keep theaged man company.
But Ralph Willoby was not so easily misled.
He was just leaving the Bugle office as they came along, and heinstantly detected a "story."
"Come on," said Alice, "you can be our counsel. We are under arrest."
"No need," objected the squire, "I am well able to attend to this case."
"But your office is public," answered Ralph, "and I guess I'll go alongand see what happens."
"But I say I don't want any interference," and the squire raised hisvoice. "You newspaper scamps always get things wrong anyway."
"Probably because you do not give us a chance to get them right,"retorted Ralph. "This time we will try to stick to facts."
"Well, when I'm ready to give them out you can have them, but notbefore," insisted the angry squire.
"But I'm going along, just the same," declared Ralph, as Tavia steppedback to walk with him, so that the squire was obliged to go on withAlice, who really seemed to be enjoying the experience.
The office of the justice of the peace was a dingy, dirty little place.It had served Dalton for the small needs of a public office for someyears, Squire Sanders, of course, collecting a good income for itsyearly rental.
An old bench was stretched in front of the desk.
The girls sank down on this, making queer "faces" and comical gestures.
"My first offense!" sighed Alice, with mock sadness.
"Same here!" said Tavia in similar tone.
"Since you wish it," said Ralph to Alice, "I can act as counsel. Youknow I really am studying law, and there is nothing like taking casesfor experience."
"Now, no skylarking here," called out the squire, "I want to hear allabout that case, let me see--the case of--I've got it somewhere," andhe turned the soiled pages of the "records" over rather roughly,considering they were supposed to belong to the town of Dalton.
Tavia was biting her lips. She felt every moment the laugh would getthe better of her and get out on its own accord, but she tried bravelyto suppress it.
Ralph was whispering to Alice. Evidently he was pleased with theinformation she imparted, for he, too, smiled broadly as the squirecalled:
"Octavia Travers, step up to the bar!"
"What for?" asked Tavia saucily.
"To swear--take your oath--make your affidavit," called the squiresharply.
"What's the charge?" interrupted Ralph.
"'Sault an' batt'ry," snapped the squire.
"Who signed the warrant?" questioned Ralph further.
"See here young feller!" and the squire rapped his cane vigorously uponthe desk, "if you don't let me go on with this case I'll kick you out."
"Oh, no, you won't. I have as much right here as you have, and I intendto see that you do not, in any way, insult the young ladies!"
"You young scamp!" yelled the squire, making a dash for Ralph andbringing his cane down squarely on the young man's head, at which Aliceand Tavia screamed.
A moment later the men were scuffling on the floor.
"I'll teach you!" the squire kept yelling.
"Let me go!" shouted Ralph.
"Oh, we must get help!" screamed Alice. "Tavia, run quick, to theoffice next door. That man is crazy. He will kill Ralph," and, whileTavia ran to one side of the place, Alice hurried to the other, so thatall possible help would be called at once.
In a short time the little place was crowded. Some came to aid, andothers came to see what was wrong. Alice and Tavia stood by with verywhite faces. Alice had pulled the squire away from Ralph and the agedman finally had been subdued, that is two men had succeeded in keepinghim away from Ralph, but not until the young man had been considerablyinjured. The squire was still sputtering and those who tried to quiethim had a hard task of it. Every time they would let go his arms hewould throw them up with new energy, trying to get at Ralph again,until at last it was found necessary to go to the constables' desk; getout the only pair of handcuffs in Dalton, and put them on the wrists ofthe obstreperous official.
This, of course, was great fun for the boys who had gathered about, andwho had more than one grudge against Squire Sanders. Many a time he hadchased them off the coasting hill, he had often spoiled a good day'sswimming, and as for apples--a boy never knew when he was safe to"borrow" one from any orchard in Dalton.
But the tables were turned now--and the boys were glad of it. A tasteof his own medicine would do the aged man good, they declared.
Not being able to do more than shout and kick, Squire Sanders soon"gave out" and fell back sullenly in a chair near a window. Ralph'shead was bleeding.
"Oh, we must get Ralph to the drug store," insisted Alice. "Perhaps Dr.Gray will be there. He is hurt, I am sure," and she was almost intears, for indeed Ralph looked very much injured--his lip was cut, andgirls cannot well stand the sight of blood.
Ralph felt quite well able to walk, he declared, and assured the girls,laughingly, that their case and his would now likely "come up" togetherin the next term of court.
But just as Alice, Tavia, Ralph, and a few sympathizing friends wereready to leave the office Franklin MacAllister, president of theSelectmen of Dalton, and father of Alice, stepped into the place. Hehad heard of the disturbance, and having power to act in any suchemergency, he hurried to the scene.
"Well," he exclaimed, seeing his daughter there, "what in the world areyou doing here?"
"Oh, I made all the trouble," replied Alice, "that is, Tavia and I madeit. We were arrested--"
"Arrested!" repeated the father, incredulously.
"Yes, indeed we were. And Mr. Willoby only stepped in to help us whenhe got in trouble."
Mr. MacAllister talked earnestly to Ralph. Plainly both men were of thesame opinion--either Squire Sanders was crazy or he was too old andincompetent to hold office.
"What are we going to do with him, Mr. President?" asked one of the menwho had the unpleasant duty of standing by and keeping guard over thesquire.
"Bind him over to keep the peace," replied the president. "SquireSanders," he called, and thereat every one held his or her breath,"this is a sad predicament to find an officer in.
In fact theoccurrence is a disgrace to the town of Dalton."
The squire shifted uneasily in the chair. He had not spoken coherentlysince the struggle with Ralph, and was still in an ugly mood. At thesame time he understood who now addressed him; the president of theboard; the man who had authority to bring matters about so as todeprive him of the office he had held for years.
"Stand up!" called the president, and the squire shuffled awkwardly tohis feet.
"What have you to say in this matter? We have a quorum of the boardhere present and we may as well dispose of this case. There is alsoanother count pending against you. How did you come to let that manAnderson slip out of Dalton so easily--help him out in fact? Was hismoney better than that of the people of this town, who for years havebeen paying you for duties that you have never honestly performed?"
At the mention of Anderson, Squire Sanders' face turned from red to adeadly ashen.
"Look out," cautioned Ralph aside to the president, "he is old youknow, and might drop at any moment."
"Not a bit of it," went on Mr. MacAllister. "He is too tough for that.Speak up, Sanders. This is your last chance."
But the man never moved his lips. Sullen and beaten he sat there whileMr. MacAllister, recounted some of his misdeeds.
"You have disgraced your office," he declared, "but the most outrageousof your offenses was that of bringing into this office two innocentschoolgirls--doctoring up a charge against them, trying to force themto acknowledge they had taken part in an affair that they hadabsolutely nothing to do with--and all this you did for the paltry feethat goes with each case on your books. Now, Sanders, I have spoken tothe members of the board here present and the verdict in your caseis--that you leave Dalton inside of ten days. The penalty for contemptin the matter will be a public trial, and, no doubt, imprisonment."
It was a difficult matter to restrain the boys present. They wanted tocheer--to shout, but were not allowed to do so. Ralph had quiterecovered himself now, and so insisted on going alone to the drugstoreto have his slight wounds dressed if necessary. Two of the selectmenlooked after Sanders, releasing him of the handcuffs, and advising him"to make himself scarce" around Dalton, until the feeling against himhad quieted down some. All the defiance had left him now; he scarcelyraised his head as he crept out the back way to his rooms next door.
Upon hearing the school story in full Mr. MacAllister decided to takehis daughter and Tavia back to the school room himself, and set everything right with Miss Ellis and her pupils.
"You have had a rough time of it lately," he commented as he and thetwo girls made their way to the school.
"But Alice is a--a brick!" declared Tavia, in appreciation of herfriend's assistance. "She helped us splendidly."
"Glad to hear it," answered the father, "Alice is our tom-boy, but sheis true-blue, eh, Bob?" he said patting his daughter affectionately."You knew what I meant about the man Anderson, did you not, Tavia?" hewent on. "That was your 'special friend' I believe."
"Oh, I have met him," replied Tavia laughing, "but I think now thereason the old squire wanted to get me into this trouble was because hethought it might affect Dorothy Dale, as she is my special friend.Somehow the Burlock-Anderson affair seemed to be aimed at the Dales."
"Oh, yes, no doubt of it," answered Mr. MacAllister, "but we think weare on the track of settling the matter now."
Tavia felt she could scarcely wait to tell all this to Dorothy, for shehad been wondering what had become of the Anderson affair. Alice lookedproudly up at her father as they neared the school.
"They may think you have come to take someone else away," she saidlaughing. "This has been a queer picnic day."
"Don't worry about that," he answered. "You must have an extra goodtime to make up for your troubles and disappointment, I will see what Ican do for you."
Alice cast a meaning glance at Tavia. If her father undertook to giveDalton school a treat it would surely be something worth while, Alicewas sure, and so, with that bright prospect uppermost in her mind, sheled her father into the school room.