CHAPTER XII
RUFUS BLENT'S LITTLE WAYS
The crowd waded through the soft snow to the inn. It was a small place,patronized mainly by fishermen and hunters in the season. It was plain,from the breakfast they served to the Tingley party, that if theunexpected guests had to remain long, they would be starved to death.
"And all the 'big eats' over on the Island," wailed Heavy. "I could swimthere, I believe."
"I am afraid I could not allow you to do that," said Mrs. Tingley, shakingher head. "It would be too absurd. We'd better take the train home again."
"Never!" chorused Belle and her brothers. "We must get to Cliff Island insome way--by hook or by crook," added the girl, who had set her heart uponthis outing.
Ruth was rather serious this morning. She waited for a chance to speakwith Mrs. Tingley alone, and when it came, she blurted out what she wishedto say:
"Oh, Mrs. Tingley! I couldn't help hearing what that man said to you. Musthe discharge Jerry because Rufus Blent says so?"
"Why, my dear! Oh! I remember. You were the girl who befriended the boy inthe first place?"
"Yes, I did, Mrs. Tingley. And I hope you won't let your foreman turn himoff for nothing----"
"Oh! I can't interfere. It is my husband's business, of course."
"But let me tell you!" urged Ruth, and then she related all she knew aboutJerry Sheming, and all about the story of the old hunter who had lived somany years on Cliff Island.
"Mr. Tingley had a good deal of trouble over that squatter," said Belle'smother, slowly. "He was crazy."
"That might be. But Jerry isn't crazy."
"But they made some claim to owning a part of the island."
"And after the old man had lived there for fifty years, perhaps he thoughthe had a right to it."
"Why, my child, that sounds reasonable. But of course he didn't."
"Just the same," said Ruth, "he maybe had the box of money and papershidden on the island, as he said. That is what Jerry has been looking for.And I wager that man Blent is afraid he will find it."
"How romantic!" laughed Mrs. Tingley.
"But, do wait till Mr. Tingley comes and let him decide," begged Ruth.
"Surely. And I will tell Mr. Preston to refuse any of Blent's demands. Heis a queer old fellow, I know. And, come to think of it, he told us hewanted to make some investigations regarding the caves at the west end ofthe island. He wouldn't sell us the place without reserving in the deedthe rights to all mineral deposits and to treasure trove."
"What's 'treasure trove,' Mrs. Tingley?" asked Ruth, quickly.
"Why--that would mean anything valuable found upon the land which is notnaturally a part of it."
"Like a box of money, or papers?"
"Yes! I see. I declare, child, maybe the boy, Jerry, has told you thetruth!"
"I am sure he has. He seemed like a perfectly honest boy," declared Ruth,anxiously.
"I will see Mr. Preston again," spoke Mrs. Tingley, decisively.
The storm continued through the forenoon. But the boys and girls waitingfor transportation to Cliff Island had plenty of fun.
Behind the inn was an open field, and there they built a fort, the partybeing divided into opposing armies. Tom Cameron led one and Ann Hicks waschosen to head the other. Mercy could look at them from the windows, andurge the girls on in the fray.
The boys might throw straighter, but numbers told. The girls could divideand attack the boy defenders of the fortress on both flanks. They came inrosy and breathless at noon--to sit down to a most heart-breakingluncheon.
"Such an expanse of table and so little on it I never saw before,"grumbled Heavy, in a glum aside. "How long do you suppose we would existon these rations?"
"We're not dead yet," said Ruth, cheerfully, "so you needn't become a'gloom.'"
"Jen ought to live on past meals--like a camel existing on its hump,"declared Madge.
"I'm no camel," retorted the plump one, instantly. "And a meal tome--after it has been digested--is nothing more than a beautiful dream;and you can bet that I never gained my avoirdupois by dreaming!"
Mrs. Tingley beckoned to Ruth after dinner. Together they went into thegeneral room, where there was a huge fire of logs. Mr. Preston, theforeman, was there.
"I have been making inquiries," the lady explained to Ruth, "and I findthat this Rufus Blent has not a very enviable reputation. At least, he isconsidered, locally, a sharper."
"Is this the girl who is interested in Jerry?" asked the foreman. "Well!he ought to be all right if she sticks up for him."
"I believe his story is true," Ruth said, shaking her head.
"And if that's so, then the boss hasn't got a clear title to CliffIsland--eh?" returned the big foreman, smiling at her quizzically.
"That isn't Mr. Tingley's fault," cried Ruth, quickly.
"He'd be the one to suffer, however, if it should be proved that old PeteTilton had any vested right in the island," said Preston. "You can betBlent is sharp enough to have covered his tracks if he has done anythingfoxy. He was never caught yet in any legal tangle."
"Oh, I hope Mr. Tingley won't have trouble up here," declared Mrs.Tingley, quite disturbed.
Ruth felt rather embarrassed. As much as she was interested in JerrySheming, she did not like to think she was stirring up trouble for herschool-mate's father. Just then the outer door of the inn opened and a manentered, stamping the snow from his boots upon the wire mat.
"S-s-t!" said Preston, his eyes twinkling. "Here's Rufus Blent himself."
It seemed that Mrs. Tingley had never seen the real estate man and she wasquite as much interested as Ruth in making his acquaintance. They botheyed him with growing disapproval as the old man finished freeing hisfeet of the clinging snow and then charged at Preston from across the bigroom.
"I say! I say, you, Preston!" he snarled. "Have you done what I tol' you?Have you got that Jerry Sheming off the island? He'd never oughter beenlet to git on there ag'in. I've been away, or I'd heard of it before. Ishe off?"
"Not yet," replied Preston, smiling secretly.
"I wanter know why not? I won't have him snoopin' around there. It wasunderstood when I sold Tingley that island that I reserved sartainrights----"
"This here is Mis' Tingley," interposed Preston, turning the old man'sattention to the lady.
He was a brown, wrinkled old man, with sparse pepper-and-salt whiskers anda parrot-like nose. "Sharper" was written all over his hatchet features;but probably his provincialism and lack of book education had kept himfrom being a very dangerous villain.
"I wanter know!" exclaimed Rufus. "So you're Tingley's lady? Wal! do youtake charge here?"
"Oh, no," laughed Mrs. Tingley. "My husband will be up here Christmasmorning."
"Goin' to have Preston send that boy back to the mainland?"
"Oh, no, I shall not interfere. Mr. Tingley will attend to it when hecomes. I think that would be best."
"Nothin' of the kind!" cried Blent, his little eyes snapping. "That boy'sgot no business over there--snooping round."
"What are you afraid of, Rufus? What do you think he'll find?" queriedPreston, who was evidently not above aggravating the old fellow.
"Never you mind! Never you mind!" croaked Blent. "If you folks won'tdischarge him and put him off the island, I'll do it, myself."
"How can you, Mr. Blent?" asked Mrs. Tingley, feeling some disposition tocross swords with him.
"Never you mind. I'll do it. Goin' back to-day, of course, Preston; ain'tyou?"
"I'm hoping to get this crowd of young folk--and Mrs. Tingley--across tothe island. And I think the snow is going to stop soon."
"I'll go with you," declared Blent, promptly. "Don't you go till I see youagain, Preston. I gotter ketch 'Squire Keller fust."
He hurried out of the inn. Mrs. Tingley and Ruth looked at the foremanquestioningly. The girl cried:
"Oh! what will he do?"
"He's going to get a warrant for the boy," answered Preston, scowling.
"How can he? What has Jerry done?"
"That don't make no difference," said the woodsman. "Old Rufus just aboutruns the politics of this town. Keller will do what he says. Rufus willget the boy off the island by foul means if he can't by fair."