CHAPTER X.
THE FELLOW IN THE LOCK-UP.
"You abominable wretch!" exclaimed Mrs. Boomsby, placing her armsakimbo, and looking at me with the utmost ferocity, so that between herand the snake I found there was little choice. "What are you a-doin' inmy house?"
"Getting out of it, Mrs. Boomsby," I replied, with the good-nature Ihad been nursing up-stairs for several minutes.
I wondered whether she knew anything about the snake. The bare thoughtwas enough to assure me that she did not. She would no more havepermitted the captain, or any other person, to bring the most harmlessreptile into the house, than she would have opened her sleepingapartment for the reception of the sea-serpent, in which both she andher husband believed as in the ocean itself.
"What are you a-doin' here? Can't you let us be here no more'n youcould in Michigan? Must you pursue us wherever we go?" demanded thelady, putting the matter in an entirely new light to me, for I believedI had always been able and willing to keep away from the Boomsbys.
"I was invited up-stairs to see you," I began.
"Don't tell me that! Do you think I live in the garret?"
"I thought we were going rather high up; but I supposed Captain Boomsbyknew where to find you," I replied, smiling as sweetly as though therewere no snakes in the Land of Flowers. "But it seems that your husbandlured me up there to make a prisoner of me. He locked me into thelittle room in the rear attic, which he had fitted up for me byscrewing boards over the window."
"Don't tell me such a ry-dicerlous story! I don't believe a word on't.Nobody ever could believe a word you say, Sandy Duddleton!"
"You know very well that I was up there; for I heard your husband tellyou so. You talked with him about it, and insisted upon seeing me. ButI don't wish to dispute about this matter with you, for I don't thinkyou understand all his plans," I replied, moving towards the head ofthe stairs, while she planted herself before me so as to prevent mygoing down.
"Don't talk to me, Sandy Duddleton!"
"I won't talk to you if you will get out of my way, and let me out ofthe house," I replied, trying to get by her.
"What be you go'n' to do with that stick?" she asked, as she placedherself in front of me.
But I saw that she had a reasonable respect for the stick, and she wasmilder than I had seen her twenty times before. I looked about me tosee if there was any other flight of stairs which would take me to thestreet, or to the back yard, which opened into a lane by the shore ofthe river. From the lower hall a door opened into the saloon; and thiswas the way by which I had come up. I stood in the hall with my back toa door, which I concluded must lead to the rear of the house. Withoutturning around, I opened this door.
"What be you a-doin'?" demanded Mrs. Boomsby, when she saw that she wasflanked; for a glance behind me revealed the back stairs. "ParkerBoomsby, come right up here, this minute!" she called down the frontstairs.
"I won't trouble the captain," I interposed. "I have a word to say toyou before I go, Mrs. Boomsby. I don't think you knew there was a snakeabout three feet long in the room where your husband made me aprisoner."
"A snake!" gasped the lady of the house, starting back with alarm. "Idon't believe a word on't!"
But she did believe it, whatever she said.
"Yes, a snake; and I have no doubt he is a poisonous one, put there tobite me, and make an end of me, so that the captain could getpossession of the steam-yacht!" I continued, rather vigorously, for Iwas afraid I should be interrupted by the coming of the captain.
"A snake in this house! a pizen one, too!" groaned Mrs. Boomsby.
"He was put in the closet; and when I opened the door he came out andmade a spring at me. I left him in that room."
"Didn't you kill him, Sandy Duddleton? You used to kill snakes."
"I didn't kill this one, though I struck at him. I broke through thedoor, and, for aught I know, the snake is following me down-stairs," Ireplied deliberately. "I think you will see him coming down on thestair-rail."
She did not wait to hear any more, but, with a tremendous scream,rushed by me, bolted into the front room, and closed and locked thedoor behind her. I certainly did not wish the reptile to bite her orher children; but I did not think there was much danger of the villaingetting out of the room through the opening I had made in the door.
The scream of the stout lady did not appear to move her husband, whowas probably used to this sort of thing. I had put her on her guard incase the snake did work his way out of the room and down the stairs. Ihad done my duty, and I walked leisurely down to the hall. The doorleading into the saloon was still wide open. The uses of this door weremany and various. I had been not a little surprised in some of theSouthern cities to notice that the drinking-saloons were all closed onSunday. In some of them not even a cigar could be bought at the hotelon that day.
Doubtless the law was as strict in Jacksonville as elsewhere; but I hadnoticed that every saloon had a side door for Sunday use. The frontdoor of the house was closed on other days; on Sunday it was left open,as an intimation that the saloon could be reached in that way. Ithought of this Sunday rum-selling as I noticed the arrangement of thedoors. Of course the police understood it.
I approached the door opening into the saloon, for I heard the voice ofmy former tyrant. I wanted to assure him that I was happy still, andthat he had better look out for the snake before he bit any of hisfamily.
"He never could get out of there in this world!" exclaimed CaptainBoomsby, as I was about to enter the saloon.
"Do you think so, Captain Boomsby?" I coolly asked, as I walked intothe room.
To my astonishment, the person to whom the Captain's remark appeared tobe addressed was Mr. Kirby Cornwood, whom I had left on board of theSylvania, asleep under the awning. The Floridian was evidently as muchastonished to see me as I was to see him.
"We were speaking of a fellow who was arrested last night," saidCornwood, with one of his blandest smiles. "I think he will get out ofthe lock-up in less than three days; but the keeper of this placeremarked that he would never get out in this world. Only a slightdifference of opinion."
"I tell you the fellow will never get out; he isn't smart enough in thefirst place, and the lock-up is stronger than you think for, Mr.--Idon't know's I know your name, though I cal'late I have seen yousomewhere afore," added Captain Boomsby.
"I reckon you have seen me here before," replied Cornwood, taking hiscard from his pocket and presenting it to the captain.
"I can't read it without my glasses," said the saloon-keeper, holdingthe card off at arm's length.
"My name is Kirby Cornwood," added the Floridian.
"Well, Mr. Corngood, do you----"
"My name is Cornwood," interposed the guide.
"I beg your parding, Mr. Cornwool."
"Cornwood," repeated the owner of that name, rather indignantly.
"All right, Mr. Cornwood. Do you want to bet sunthin' that man won'tgit out within three days?" continued Captain Boomsby.
"I don't care to bet on it; in fact I never bet," replied Mr. Cornwood,glancing at me, as though he expected me to approve this position,which I certainly did, though I said nothing.
"I will bet five dollars agin three the feller gits out in less thanthree days, Mr. Woodcorn," persisted Captain Boomsby.
I could not see what the captain was driving at, unless it was to vexthe Floridian by miscalling his name. I had known him to do the samething before. If my old tyrant had manifested some surprise at first atseeing me, he seemed to have got over it very quickly. I was very gladindeed to be satisfied that Cornwood had no knowledge of myimprisonment in the attic, as I supposed he had when I entered thesaloon. I had employed him, and was then paying him five dollars a dayfor doing nothing. I did not wish to believe that he was a friend of myancient enemy.
"Captain Boomsby, I had to break a hole through the door of the room inwhich you locked me, in order to get out," I said, as soon as I had anopportunity to get in a word.
; "Then you must pay for it, for the landlord will charge it to me," saidhe, promptly.
"I think not; and if it were not for the time it would take, I wouldcomplain of you at the police office. I don't know what kind of a snakeit was you put into the closet for my benefit; but I think you willfind him running about your house by this time," I replied. "I gaveMrs. Boomsby warning of the danger, and she has locked herself into herroom."
"What snake, Sandy Duddleton? What you talking about?" demanded thecaptain. But I could see that he was not a little disturbed by theinformation.
"You put a poisonous snake into the closet of that room where youlocked me in. You expected me to open the door of the closet, and lethim out. I did open the closet-door and let him out; but I did not givehim a chance to bite me," I continued, rehearsing the facts for thebenefit of Cornwood rather than my tyrant.
"What on airth are you talking about, Sandy? I don't know nothin' aboutno snake," protested Captain Boomsby.
"I think you know all about the snake, and that you put him there formy benefit. I have nothing further to say about the matter, except thatthe creature is still in your house, and that he will bite one of yourchildren as readily as he would me. I advise you to attend to thematter, and have him killed," I continued, moving toward the door.
"Stop a minute, Sandy," called my persecutor. "What sort of a snake wasit?"
"I don't know; I never saw one like it before."
"I guess I know sunthin' about it, arter all," said Captain Boomsby,with a troubled look. "I had a lodger in the house, and he had an atticroom. He had a lot of young alligators, rattlesnakes, lizards, andother critters; and I let him put 'em in that room. He screwed theboards over the winder so they couldn't git out. I cal'late this wasone of his snakes."
I had no doubt this story was all an invention, but I had no means ofshowing to the contrary. He begged me to go up-stairs, and help himkill the "varmint;" but I declined to do this, for I was not willingagain to make myself the victim of his treachery. The captain calledhis son Nicholas from the front shop, which was a cigar store, and toldhim to look out for the bar.
Before he could go up-stairs two black policemen entered the saloon,armed with sticks. Mrs. Boomsby had told them what the matter was, andthey had come in to kill the reptile. I left the premises, followed byCornwood.