CHAPTER XXVIII.
JIM GIVES BAIL.
Upon Jim's reappearance in the cottage, Mrs. Harris installed him asnurse, and, herself, set about improvising a kitchen in the rear room.
Mr. Harris had been despatched to town for sundry articles, and, atnoon, we were served with a plentiful lunch, of which we partook inrather primitive fashion.
Not long after, while Jim and I were conversing out under the trees, andMr. Harris was discoursing to two Trafton ladies who had called toproffer service and sympathy, I saw Gerald Brown coming toward thecottage, and guessing that his real business was with me, whateverpretext he might present, I advanced to the gate and met him there.
He carried in his hand a telegraph envelope, which he proffered meostentatiously over the gate.
I opened it and read:
N. Y., etc., etc.
Will come to-night.
DENHAM.
Underneath this was written:
_They are wild in town; are about to arrest Jim Long for the shooting of Bethel._
Two pair of eyes, at least, were looking out from the cottage door andwindow.
I turned the message over, and resting it upon the gate post, wrote thefollowing:
_Don't lose sight of Dimber; telegraph to the Agency to ask if Blake has arrived. Tell them not to let him get out of reach. We may want him at any moment._
While I was writing this Gerry shifted his position, so that his facecould not be seen by the observers in the house, and said:
"Dimber is in it. He claims to have seen Long with his gun near Bethel'shouse last night. The gun has been found."
"Of course," I returned. "We will put a muzzle on friend Dimber veryshortly."
I refolded the message and returned it to Gerry, who touched his hat andturned back toward the village.
Going to the door of the cottage, I informed Mr. Harris and the ladiesthat the new operator had just brought the news we so much wished for,viz.: the coming of Bethel's uncle from New York by that night'sexpress. Then, sauntering back to my old place under the trees, Icommunicated to Jim the purport of the postscript written by Gerry.
He listened attentively, but with no sign of discomposure visible uponhis countenance.
"I've had time to think the matter over," he said, after a moment'ssilence, "and I think I shall pull through, but," with a waggish twinklein his eye, "I am puzzled to know why that young man going up the hillshould take so much interest in me, or was it Harris?"
"It was not Harris," returning his look with interest. "That young mangoing up the hill is Gerald Brown, of New York. He's the new nightoperator, and he will not fail to do his _duty_, in the office and outof it."
"Ah!" ejaculated Jim, turning his eyes once more toward the recedingform of Gerry.
I let my own gaze follow his and there, just coming into sight on thebrow of the hill, was a party of men.
It consisted of the constable, supported by several able-bodiedcitizens, and followed, of course, by a promiscuous rabble.
Jim gave vent to a low chuckle.
"See the idiots," he said, "coming like mountain bandits. No doubt theylook for fierce resistance. Don't let them think you are too muchinterested in the case."
"I won't," I said, briefly, for the men were hurrying down the hill. "Itwould not be politic, but I'll have you out of their clutches, Long,without a scratch, sure and soon."
I turned toward the house as I finished the sentence, and Jim arose andwent toward the gate; not the man of easy movements and courteous speechwho had been my companion for the past twenty-four hours, not Long, thegentleman, but "Long Jim," the loafer, awkward, slouching, uncouth ofmanner and speech.
As the crowd made a somewhat noisy approach, Jim leaned over the gateand motioned them to silence.
"Gentlemen," he said, seriously, "ye can't be any too still about thisplace, an' ye'd a' showed better gumption if ye hadn't paid yer respectsin a squad, as if ye was comin' to a hangin'. Somehow ye seem mightyfond o' waitin' on Dr. Bethel in a gang."
Acting upon a hint from me, Mr. Harris now went out, and in milderwords, but with much the same meaning, exhorted the visitors to quiet.
And then, casting a quick glance behind him, and a somewhat apprehensiveone toward Jim, the constable read his warrant. The two men inside thegate listened with astonished faces. Indeed, Jim's assumption ofamazement, viewed in the light of my knowledge concerning itsgenuineness, was ludicrous beyond description.
Mr. Harris began an earnest expostulation, and turned to beckon me tohis assistance, but Jim checked him by a gesture.
"We can't have any disputing here," he said, sharply. "Don't argy,parson; tain't wuth while."
Then he opened the gate and stepped suddenly out among them.
"I'll go with ye," he said, "for the sake of peace. But," glaring abouthim fiercely, "if it wan't fer makin' a disturbance, again the doctor'sorders, I'd take ye one at a time and thrash a little sense into ye.Come along, Mr. Constable; I'm goin' to 'pear' afore Jestice Summers,an' I'm goin' to walk right to the head o' this mob o' your'n, an' don'tye try to come none o' yer jailer dodges over me. Ye kin all walkbehind, an' welcome, but the first man as undertakes to lay a finger onme, or step along-side--somethin'll happen to him."
And Jim thrust his hands deep down in his pockets, walked coolly throughthe group, which divided to let him pass, and strode off up the hill.
"Goodness!" ejaculated the valorous officer of the law, "is--is there aman here that's got a pistol?"
"Goodness!" ejaculated the valorous officer of the law,"is--is there a man here that's got a pistol?"--page 332.]
No reply from his supporters.
I put my hand behind me and produced a small revolver.
"Take this," I said, proffering the weapon over the gate. "You hadbetter humor his whim, but if he attempts to escape, you know how tostop him."
He seized the protecting weapon, nodded his thanks, and hastened afterhis prisoner, followed by the entire body guard.
"My dear sir," said Mr. Harris, gravely, "I was sorry to see you dothat. You surely don't think Long guilty?"
I turned toward him, no longer trying to conceal my amusement.
"He is as innocent as you or I," I replied, "and the pistol is notloaded. One may as well retain the good will of the magnates of the law,Mr. Harris."
He smiled in his turn, and, wishing to avoid a discussion, in which Imust of necessity play a very hypocritical part, I turned back andentered the cottage to explain the situation to the ladies.
During that long, still afternoon, visitors came and went. LouiseBarnard, a little refreshed and very anxious returned and resumed herpost at the bedside. She was shocked and indignant at the news of JimLong's arrest; and she breathed a sigh of relief and gratification uponbeing told of the expected coming Dr. Denham. Late in the afternoon, Dr.Hess made a second visit, and when he returned to town Mr. Harrisaccompanied him, the two driving back in the doctor's gig.
It was very quiet. Mrs. Harris dozed in the easy-chair; Louise sat muteand statue-like by the bedside of her lover, and I, oppressed by thestillness, was leaning over the open window sill, wondering how it wasfaring with Jim Long, when the gate gave the faintest creak, and Ilifted my eyes to see the object of my mental inquiry coming toward me.
Uttering an exclamation which roused good Mrs. Harris and caused thewatcher in the inner room to turn her head, I hastened to meet him.
"Long," I exclaimed, "what lucky fate has brought you back?"
He glanced from me to the doorway, where Mrs. Harris was now standing,with an expectant look on her benevolent countenance, and replied,laconically:
"Bail."
"Good! I was thinking of that."
"Jim," broke in Mrs. Harris, eagerly, "who did it? We'll all bless hiskindness."
He advanced to the door, planted his right foot upon the lower step,rested his elbow on h
is knee, pushed his hat off his forehead, andgrinned benignly on us both.
"Then I'm the feller that'll walk off with the blessin'," he said, witha chuckle. "I went my own bail to the tune of five thousand dollars!"
Mrs. Harris gave a gasp of surprise. I seated myself on the corner ofthe step farthest from Jim, and, seeing that he was about to volunteer afurther explanation, remained silent.
At the same moment I observed what was unnoticed by the other two; MissBarnard had left her post and was standing behind Mrs. Harris.
"Ye see," continued Jim, giving me a sidelong glance, and then fixinghis eyes upon the hem of Mrs. Harris's apron, "Ye see, I had ter appearafore Jestice Summers. Now, the Jestice," with another sidelong glance,and an almost imperceptible gesture, "is a man an' a brother. I ain'tagoin' ter say anythin' agin' him. I s'pose he had to do his duty. Therewas some in that office that wanted ter see me put where I couldn't beso sassy, but I didn't mind them. The minit I got in my oar, I jesttalked right straight at the Jestice, an' I told him in short order thatef I was sure of bein' treated on the square, I'd jest waive anexamination. An' then I kind o' sighed, an' appealed to their feelin's,tellin' them that I hadn't no friends nor relations, but that may be, efthey gave me half a show, an' didn't set my bail too high, may be someone would go my security, an' give me a chance ter try ter clear myself.Wal! ef you could a looked around that office, ye'd a thought my chanceo' gittin security was slim. The Jestice called the time on me, an'allowed 'twould be fair ter give me bail. An' then 'Squire Brookhouse,an' one or two more, piped in with objections, until the Jestice put thebail up ter five thousand. Of course that wilted me right down.Everybody grinned or giggled, an' nobody didn't offer any moreobjections, an' the bizness was finished up. Then, when they had got tera place where there was no backin' out, I jest unbuttoned my coat an'vest, whipped off a belt I'd got fixed handy for the 'casion, an'counted five thousand dollars right down under their noses!"
Here he paused to lift his eyes to the face of Mrs. Harris, and to see,for the first time, his third auditor, who now came forward to grasp hishand, and utter rejoicings at his present liberty, and indignantdisapproval of the parties who had brought against him a charge whichshe unhesitatingly pronounced absurd and without reasonable foundation.
Next Jim's hand came into the cordial grasp of good Mrs. Harris, who wasmore voluble than Louise Barnard, and none the less sincere.
When, after a time, Jim and I found ourselves _tete-a-tete_ for amoment, I said:
"Long, I look on it as a fortunate thing that you were taken beforeJustice Summers."
"Well," said Jim, dryly, "all things considered, so do I."