CHAPTER XVI.
MORE TROUBLE FOR THE "UNCLE TOMMERS."
The disappearance of Motor Matt and the Red Flier made Carl Pretzelnot only bewildered but furiously angry. He was angry at Brisco andbewildered to account for the way he had pulled off his night raid.
"Oof dot feller inchures a hair oof Modor Matt's headt," wheezed Carl,shaking his fist in the air, "I vill camp by his drail, py chimineddy!I vill go on some var-paths! I vill make him be sorry for vat he dit,yah, so helup me!"
Leaving Carl to rant and vow vengeance, Legree rushed over to therailroad-station and sent a message. The message, owing to financialembarrassment on the part of Legree, had to go collect.
"LEM NUGENT, Ash Fork.
"Come at once to Fairview. Important developments regarding your automobile. MOTOR MATT."
Legree signed the message with Matt's name because he knew thecattleman wouldn't know anything about a man named Legree; and he alsofelt sure that Motor Matt's name would secure the cattleman's instantattention.
On his way back to the hotel he inquired for the sheriff. Fairview wastoo small to have a sheriff, but the town had a deputy sheriff. Thedeputy, however, was just then attending his father's golden-wedding,in Flagstaff, the marshal had gone with him, and the town was withoutan officer.
As if this was not sufficiently discouraging, when Legree got back tothe hotel he found a very disquieting state of affairs.
The Uncle Tommers had been chased out of the hostelry by O'Grady andPing Pong, his Chinese cook. They were gathered in a forlorn group infront, and Carl Pretzel was with them.
"Mistah O'Grady, sah," Uncle Tom was saying with all the dignity hecould work up, "Ah's de official mascot ob Motah Matt. While Ah's beenstayin' in yo' 'stablishment, Ah's been mascottin' fo' him. He willcome back, yo' ma'k what Ah say. Gib us ouah breakfus en yo' sho gitsyo' money!"
"Begorry, yez have got into me f'r all yez are goin' to," yelled theproprietor. "It's a passel av thramps yez are, iv'ry wan av yez! Av th'marshal was in town, Oi'd have yez all in th' cooler. Get out, befureOi sic th' dog on yez! Scatther!"
"What's the matter here?" demanded Legree, pushing to the front.
"Py chincher," flared Carl, "dot Irish feller t'inks ve vas vorkin'some shkin games on him. He vas grazier as a pedpug, und he von't gifus some preakfast."
"En we's all hongry es sin," piped Uncle Tom plaintively. "Ah beenmascottin' fo' Motah Matt twell Ah's dat fagged Ah dunno whut Ah'sabout, no, sah."
"I tried to get him to take my ring, Legree," put in Eliza, "but hewon't. He says we're only a lot of dead beats, and never intend to payhim."
"Ah tole him," spoke up Topsy, "dat Ah'd wuk in his kitchum fo' deprice ob a breakfus, an' he wouldn' hab it. Ah's honest, dat's whut Ahis. Ah nebber stole a cent fum anybody en mah life."
"See here, O'Grady," remarked Legree, "Motor Matt has money and he hasoffered to pay our expenses while we're stopping with you. I'll havemoney myself in a few days, and then I'll pay you. You're not takingany chances on this crowd."
"Faith, an' yez are roight about thot," scowled O'Grady. "Oi'm takin'no more chances wid yez. Motor Matt! Why, he run aff lasht noight!Sure, he did! He shneaked away so he wouldn't have t' pay me f'r yerkape. Oi'm keen enough t' see thot!"
"Py shinks," whooped Carl, dancing around and waving his fists, "don'dyou say dod some more. I can lick der feller vat says somet'ingsaboudt Modor Matt like dot. Ven he say he pay, he mean vot he say, undhe do it, too. Yah, you bed you! Modor Matt vas my bard, und he don'dvas leafing a bard in der lurch like vat you say."
"Av Motor Matt is yer pard," said O'Grady, "bedad but it's sthrange yezhaven't money. Git out, Oi say! Oi'm done wid yez."
"I tell you," went on Legree, "I'll have money myself in a few days."
"Yez can't make me belave any cock-an'-bull shtory like thot. Niveragain will Oi take in anny wan widout baggage. Shoo! Clear out befureOi git violent."
In O'Grady's present temper there was no reasoning with him, so Legreemarshaled his comrades and led them off to a neighboring wood-pile,where they all sat down disconsolately.
"Ah's been accustomed tuh bettah treatment," mourned Uncle Tom. "Ah'sgot de bigges' notion dat evah was tuh put a hoodoo on dat hotel. Ahcould do hit, but Ah restrains mahse'f till Ah gits odahs fum MotahMatt."
"Go 'long wif sich talk!" cried Topsy, out of patience. "'Peahs lak yo'done put dat hoodoo on de rest ob us. Nuffin' ain't gone right sence weleft dat 'ar Brockville place."
"There'll be some one here from Ash Fork before long, who, maybe, willhelp us," said Legree. "Just be as patient as you can, friends, andwe'll hope for the best."
"All de patience in de worl', Mistah Legree," answered Uncle Tom,"'doan' fill a pusson's stummick. Mah goodness, Ah didun' know Ah wasso pesterin' hongry."
"I tell you somet'ing," said Carl, "oof I knowed vich vay Modor Mattvas, I vould go und findt him. I vas madt as some vet hens ofer dispitzness. Here ve vas, hung oop on a vood-pile mit nodding to eat, undnot knowing vere Modor Matt vent mit himseluf. Chonny Hartluck isshanging aroundt mit us."
Leaving his disconsolate friends, Legree went back to therailroad-station. There he waited for four hours for the local trainfrom Ash Fork. He was rewarded, however, by seeing a big man get offthe train, stop on the platform, and look around expectantly.
Legree walked up to the arriving passenger.
"Mr. Nugent?" he asked.
"You've hit it," replied the cattleman, staring the stranded actor upand down with an unfavoring eye.
"Ah! Well, sir, my name's Legree. I suppose you're looking for MotorMatt?"
"Another bull's-eye for you. I came here on a telegram from MotorMatt saying that there had been important developments concerning myautomobile that was stolen from me near Ash Fork. Where's Motor Matt?"
"He is unavoidably absent just now," answered Legree, "but I amconfidently expecting him to appear at any moment. To be frank withyou, sir, I sent that telegram and signed Motor Matt's name to it."
The cattleman became indignant.
"You're pretty fresh, seems to me!" said he. "What business had youdoing a thing like that?"
"Because I wanted you here. Your car was in town yesterday. One of thethieves brought it in for a supply of gasoline and oil. Motor Matt andI tried to capture the thief, but he got away from us and took the carwith him."
"Who are you, if you haven't any objection to answerin' a straightquestion?" demanded the cattleman.
"Step into the waiting-room with me for a few moments," replied Legree,"and I'll explain."
They went into the waiting-room and were gone possibly five minutes.When they came out on the platform once more, Nugent seemed to havedeveloped a vast amount of confidence in Legree.
"Why didn't you tell Motor Matt what you've told me?" asked thecattleman.
"I wasn't telling anybody that, Mr. Nugent," answered Legree, "andI wouldn't be telling you now if I hadn't wanted to fix things withO'Grady so that I and my friends can continue to remain at his hotel."
"I know O'Grady," said Nugent. "Come along with me and I'll fix thingsup for you."
They went to the hotel at once. O'Grady, tilted back against the wallin front, was smoking a pipe and keeping a sharp eye on the wood-pile.
Uncle Tom, with a red bandanna over his face, was leaning back againstthe wood and was apparently asleep. All the rest were hoveringlistlessly about, waiting patiently for something to happen.
The sight of Lem Nugent, who was known throughout all that part of thecountry, wrought a great change in O'Grady. The cattleman and the actorwere approaching together, and seemed to be on cordial terms.
"O'Grady," said Nugent, after he had exchanged greetings with theproprietor, "this gentleman is a friend of mine, and his friends aremy friends, understand? Take them all in and give them the best you'vegot. And don't bleed me, you shyster. I'll stand the damage, but Iwon't be robbed."
"Whativer yez say goes wid me, Lem," said
O'Grady. "Come on, all avyez," he cried, standing up and motioning toward the wood-pile. "Oi'llhave th' Chink put a male on th' table f'r yez to wanst."
Uncle Tom may have been asleep, but he heard those welcome words andwas up like a shot.
"Ah was mascottin fo' dat very t'ing," he admitted, as he ran towardthe hotel. "Layin' back dar wid mah bandannah ober mah face, Ah waswukin' lak er hiahed man, yassuh. Now, den, yo' Topsy, yo' see what Ahkin do when Ah lays mahse'f out!"
Just as they were starting into the hotel, a shout from Carl broughtthem all to a halt and an about-face.
"Hoop-a-la!" yelled Carl, dancing around and throwing his cap in theair. "Look vonce ad vat's coming! Vat dit I say? Here vas a drain oofcars, mit Modor Matt pringing dem in. Ach, himmel, I peen so habby as Ican't dell! Modor Matt iss coming!"
Under the startled eyes of those in front of the hotel two cars couldbe seen coming along the road. The Red Flier, with Matt and threepassengers, was in the lead, and towing behind was the runabout.
"My car, by thunder!" shouted Nugent, starting for the road.
"And Spangler is with Motor Matt," cried the amazed Legree, "andBrisco, and the kid! How in blazes do you think that happened?"
A disgusted look crossed Uncle Tom's face.
"How yo' t'ink dat happened!" he muttered sarcastically; "en mea-mascottin' fo' Motah Matt all de time!"