CHAPTER VI.
LOSING THE BOX.
Matt had not dreamed of being pursued by horsemen. The Red Flierwould have no difficulty in running away from anything on hoofs, andcertainly she could leave these three riders behind providing she couldturn and get under headway before being overhauled.
Brisco, Spangler, and the other man were dangerously close before Mattgot the Red Flier turned the other way. Just back from the bend therewas a grassy hill, along the foot of which the road ran smoothly. Itwas an excellent place for speed, and Matt jumped from first to second,and from second to third with masterful quickness, considering the factthat he had to be careful about stripping the gear.
As the car leaped away, like a spirited horse under the spur, Briscowas alongside the tonneau. A scream from Eliza called the attention ofboth boys. Matt, of course, was busy with his driving and could notturn to see what was the matter. Carl, however, got on his knees in hisseat, face to the rear. What he saw brought an angry shout from hislips.
Brisco, leaning from his saddle, was reaching over the side of thetonneau. He had caught hold of the tin box, and Eliza, hanging to itwith both hands, was struggling to keep him from securing it.
"Leaf dot alone!" yelled Carl, floundering to get to the girl's aid;"dot pelongs to Modor Matt!"
Carl was excited, but it wasn't excitement alone that caused him tosay the box belonged to Matt. He knew Brisco was after a box he hadonce owned himself, and Carl had a hazy idea that if he said the boxbelonged to Matt it might be left alone.
The gathering speed of the car carried it away from Brisco; and, asBrisco's one hand was stronger than the girl's two, the box remainedwith him.
Carl got into the tonneau, head over heels and with a crash like thebreaking of a dozen windows--for he fell into the heap of uselessbottles. When he picked himself up, the three riders, with jeeringlaughs, had pointed their horses the other way.
"It's gone, Matt!" cried the girl wildly; "the box is gone! Briscosnatched it out of my hands!"
"Vat a luck it iss!" growled Carl, holding one hand to his face,where it had been cut by a piece of glass. "I got pack here so kevickas I couldt, Miss Eliza, aber dot Prisco feller was kevicker as me.Donnervetter! Matt, ve come oudt to look for dot poy und ve lose derpox! Dot vill be some nice t'ings to dell Legree."
"Oh," cried the girl, half-crying; "I shouldn't have come! Even if itwas all right for me to come I ought to have left the box at the hotel.Now we'll never be able to get our money from Brisco!"
Matt slowed down the car and took a look rearward. The three men wereout of sight beyond the turn.
"Don't worry about it, Eliza," said Matt. "If any one is to blame,I'm the one. There's something queer about that tin box. If it's sovaluable, why didn't Legree take care of it himself? Why did he trustit to you?"
"Before I had it," returned the girl, "Uncle Tom was carrying it. Helost it in the river, and had to jump in after it."
"More carelessness on Legree's part! Uncle Tom, as I figure it, isabout the most irresponsible member of your party, and yet Legreeallowed him to carry a box which, Brisco had said, was worth tenthousand dollars. It don't look reasonable to me."
"Dot's vat it don'd!" exclaimed Carl. "Aber Prisco vanted dot pox pootypad to go afder it like vat he dit. Meppy it vas vort' a lod to him,und nodding to Legree and der rest oof der parn-shtormers."
"Just because it _was_ valuable to Brisco is the very reason I shouldhave been more careful with it," went on the girl. "We might have madehim pay us what he owed us, and then we could all have gone back toDenver. Now--now----"
The girl began to cry.
"Say," wheedled Carl, "I vouldn't do dot. You don'd helup nodding novayoof you cry. Don'd fret aboudt der olt pox. Matt und me vill gif youder money to go py Tenver. Jeer oop a liddle."
"Take my word for it, Eliza," said Matt, as the girl lifted her headand got better control of her feelings, "that box isn't worth a wholelot or Legree wouldn't have taken chances with it like he did. I'msorry Brisco got away with it, of course, and I'm going to hurry backto Fairview and do something I ought to have done before--and that is,find an officer and put him on Brisco's track."
"Dot von't amoundt to nodding, Matt," said Carl, climbing back intothe front seat. "Prisco vill ged off der horse und indo der runaboudtund der officer mighdt as vell dry to ketch some shtreaks oof greasedlighdning."
"It may be, Carl," speculated Matt, "that the runabout has broken down.I don't believe Brisco and Spangler would be able to fix the machine ifanything very serious got the matter with it. Perhaps they had to leavethe car and take to horses."
"Vat's deir game, anyvay? Dot's vat I vant to know. Oof deir game vasto ged der pox, den it vas all ofer, und ve don'd haf nodding to domit Brisco und Spangler some more. Py shinks! Dot knocks us oudt oof at'ousand tollars, Matt."
"All Legree was keeping the box for," quavered the girl, "was so thatBrisco would follow us and try to get it. That would give us a chanceto make Brisco pay what he owed us."
"Legree ought to have hung onto the box himself," insisted Matt.
"Prisco iss too schlick for Legree," asserted Carl.
"I wish I understood what Brisco and Legree are up to," muttered Matt."There's more to this than appears on the surface."
"Yah, I bed you," agreed Carl, wagging his head. "Oof I knew as moochas I vould like, den I vould tell you all aboudt it, vich I don'd. Dendere iss Efa. His monkey-doodle pitzness makes der t'ing vorse."
A quarter of an hour later the Red Flier drew up in its old berthalongside the hotel. Eliza got out and ran hurriedly to tell Legreewhat had happened to the tin box.
"I'm sorry for Eliza," said Matt, climbing slowly over the brakes ashe got out of the car. "She's a nice girl, and it's too bad she hasto feel all cut up over the way the box was taken from her. I've gota notion that Legree is fooling them all--and you and me into thebargain, Carl."
"How you t'ink so, Matt?" asked Carl, opening his eyes wide.
"I don't know how he's doing it, or why he's doing it, but it's just ahunch I've got."
"How long ve going to shtay here?"
"I don't want to pull out until we learn something more about thisbusiness. There are parts of it that have a crooked look to me."
At that moment Legree issued from the hotel. He did not act at allexcited, although he must certainly have learned from Eliza what hadhappened.
"Eliza's been telling me what a time you've had," said he. "Theprincipal thing is that Brisco has left the car and got onto a horse.I was surprised to hear that. I can't imagine why a rascal, who's asbadly wanted as he is, should leave a swift automobile and take tohorseback."
"I should think, Mr. Legree," remarked Matt, "that you would be moreinterested in the loss of that box than in anything else."
"Not at all. In fact, I haven't thought so much of that box since thelot of us left Ash Fork. It was a good thing to hang onto, but itwasn't so terribly important. I've told Eliza not to feel bad over whathappened. I'd feel worse myself if the kid hadn't got away in thatrunabout, like he did."
All that Legree said merely made the whole situation darker for Matt.And for Carl, too. The Dutch boy stood blinking at Legree, and runninghis fingers through the tangle of tow he called his hair.
"You were keeping the box in the hope that Brisco would came after itand give you a chance at him, weren't you?" demanded Matt.
"Yes," answered Legree.
"Well, now that Brisco has got the box you can't expect him to comeafter it."
"Hardly," and Legree gave a short laugh. Noting the perplexity of thetwo boys, he went on: "You miss one point, Matt, in sizing up thissituation. We're not done with Brisco--not by a long chalk. It isn'tthe box, but what was in it, that Brisco is anxious to get."
"Wasn't there anything in the box?" queried Matt.
"No, and there hasn't been since we left Ash Fork. I opened the box onthe q. t. in that town and took out what it contained. That object isin my possession. I intend to stay
in this town, Matt, until Brisco iscaptured. I don't care anything about Spangler; Brisco is the man Iwant. If you've got time, you can stay and help me; and you can keepall you get for recovering the runabout for yourself."
"What will you get for your work?"
"Why, I'll send Brisco over the road. _The contents of that box will doit!_"
Matt and Carl were dumfounded. The situation was clearing a little, butnot much.