CHAPTER XV HERCULES' STORY
When Sherry and the boys returned from their fruitless chase Hercules hadregained consciousness, and was telling Nyoda in a shaking voice that hefelt better, but he was still too weak to sit up.
"Mah time's come, Mis' 'Lizbeth," he said mournfully. "I'se a goner."
"Nonsense," said Nyoda brightly. "You'll be up and around in the morning.The doctor that gave you this medicine said you'd have these spells oncein a while, but the heart drops would always bring you round all right."
"I'se a-goin' dis time," he repeated. "I'se had a token. Dreamed aboutrunnin' water las' night, an' dat's a sure sign. _Ain't_ no surer signden dat anywhere, Mis' 'Lizbeth."
"Nonsense," said Nyoda again. "You shouldn't believe in signs. Tell uswhat happened to-night and that'll make you feel better."
"Mis' 'Lizbeth," said the old man solemnly, "I'se goin' ter tell de wholething. I wasn't goin' ter say nothin' a-tall, but gon' ter die, like Iam, I'se skeered ter go an' not tell you-all."
He took a sip from the tumbler at his hand and cleared his throat.
"Mis' 'Lizbeth," he began, "dat weren't no burglar dat git inter de housedat night. You jus' lissen till I tell you de whole bizness. Dat dayyou-all find dem footprints on de stairs I mos' had a fit, 'case I knowedsomebody'd got in th'u de secrut passidge."
"But you said you didn't know anything about a secret passage," saidNyoda, in surprise.
"Mis' 'Lizbeth," said Hercules deprecatingly, evidently urged on to openconfession by the knowledge that death had him by the coat tail, "I_said_ dat, but it weren't true. Ole Marse Jasper, he say once if I evertell about dat secrut passidge de debbel'd come in th'u it an' carry meoff, an' I'se bin skeered even ter say secrut passidge.
"Dere weren't nobody livin' dat knew about dat secrut passidge, an' whenI sees dem footprints I reckons it mus' be de debbel himself. Butyestidday I sees a man hangin' roun' behin' de barn, an' I axs him whathe wants, an' he sticks up two fingers an' makes a sign dat I uster knowyeahs ago. I looks at de man agin, an' I says, 'Foh de Lawd, am de deadcome ter life?' 'Case it's Marse Jasper's ole frien', Tad Phillips."
A sharp exclamation of astonishment went around the circle of listeners.
"He's an ole man, an' his hair's nearly white, but I see it were MarseTad, all right.
"'I hearn you-all was dead,' I says ter him, but Marse Tad, he say no,people all thought he's dead an' he let 'em think so, 'case he cain'tnever meet up wif his ole frien's no more. You see, Mis' 'Lizbeth," hethrew in an explanation, "Marsh Tad he gave some sick folks poisoninstead of medicine, an' dey die, an' he go 'way, outen de country, an'bimeby de papers say he's dead an' his wife's dead. But dey ain't; it's amistake, but he don' tell nobody, an' bimeby he come back, him an' hiswife. Dey take another name, an' dey goes to a town whar nobody knows'em. Bimeby a baby girl gits born an' his wife she dies.
"Marse Tad he ain't never bin himself since he gave dem folks dat poison;he cain't fergit it a-tall. It pester him so he cain't work, an' hecain't sleep, an' he cain't never laugh no more. He give up bein' adoctor 'case he say he cain't trust himself no more. He get so low in hismind when his wife die dat he think he'll die too, an' he sends de babyaway to some folks dat wants one.
"But he don't die; he jest worry along, but he's powerful low in his mindall de time. He think all de time 'bout dem people he poisoned. Fin'llyhe say he'll go 'way agin; he'll go back ter South America. But before hegoes, he gits ter thinkin' he'd like ter see his chile once. He fin's outdat de people he sent her to ain't never got her; dat she's with somebodyelse, in a place called Millvale, in dis very state. He go to Millvale,an' he look in th'u de winder, an' he see her. She's the livin' image ofhis dead wife, light hair an' dark eyes an' all.
"He never let her know he's her father, 'case he feel so terrible 'boutdem folks he poisoned dat he thinks he ain't no good, a-tall, an' mustn'tspeak to her. But he's so wild to see her dat he hang aroun' in dat town,workin' odd jobs, an' at night lookin' in de window where she sits.
"Den suddenly de folks she's wif up an' move away, an' he cain't see herno more. He jest cain't stand it. He finds out dat dey come here toOakwood, an' he comes too. But he don't know which house she live in andhe cain't find her. He gets to wanderin' around, and one night he comesto de ole big house he uster live in, way up on Main Street Hill. It'sall dark and tumble down, and he thinks he'll just go in once and lookaround. He goes in, and inside he hears a voice singin'. It sounds jestlike his wife's voice. She were a beautiful singer, Mis' 'Lizbeth--deVirginia nightingale, folks uster call her. He stands dere in dat dark,empty house, lissenin' ter dat voice and he thinks it's his wife'ssperrit singin' ter him. She's singin' a song she uster sing when shewere young, somethin' about larks."
Katherine made a convulsive movement, and her heart began to poundstrangely.
"Den he say a lady come in de front door and he gits scairt and runsout."
Katherine's head began to whirl, and she kept silence with an effort.
"He stand around outside for a while and bimeby an autermobile comesalong and de folks carries a girl out of de house and takes her away. Hesees de girl when dey's bringin' her out, and he knows she's his. Hewatches where dat autermobile goes and it comes here."
The old man paused for a minute and looked around at the group at hisbedside, all hanging spellbound upon his words.
"Mis' 'Lizbeth," he said dramatically, "little Missy Sylvia am TadPhillips' little girl!"
When the sensation caused by his surprising story had subsided, Herculescontinued:
"He jest have ter see her before he go 'way, and he remember about desecrut passidge th'u de hill dat he and Marse Jasper uster play in. Hecome th'u in de night an get inter de house, but he cain't find her. Hesee dere's people sleepin' in all de spare rooms dat uster be empty, andhe cain't go lookin' round. He left dem footprints on de stairs, Mis''Lizbeth; it ain't blood; it's paint. Dey's a ole jar of paint down derein de passidge, and he knocks it over and it breaks and he steps inter depaint."
"But Hercules," interrupted Sherry, "how did he get into the passage fromthe outside? The way is blocked."
"Dere's another way ter git out," replied Hercules, "before you come tode doah down dere. I disremember jest how it is, but it comes up th'u defloah of dat little summerhouse down de hillside. De boys fixed it upafter de other way was blocked.
"When I find Marse Tad out behind de barn he's feelin' sick, and Ibrought him in and put him in my bed."
A light flashed through Nyoda's mind. "Was that what you wanted the hotcoffee for yesterday?" she asked.
"Yessum," replied Hercules meekly. Then he continued:
"Marse Tad he wanter see little missy so bad I promise ter help him. Whenyou-all gives me dat invite to de party and says I gotter wear a mask Ifixes it up wif Marse Tad to put on de maskrade suit after I get it andgo in and see little missy. While he's inside I stays outside. Den all ofa sudden out come Missy Camphor Girl and sees me and screeches dat shejest left me inside. I got so scairt I jest nat'chly collapsed. Dat'sall."
"Your friend Tad ran out through the secret passage and disappeared,"said Sherry.
"He's gone on de train by dis time," said Hercules, his voice gettingweak again. "He was goin' on de ten-ten. He's goin' ter sail Noo Year'sDay."
"Whew!" whistled Sherry. "What a drama has been going on right under ourvery noses, and we knowing nothing about it! Sylvia the child of UncleJasper's old friend! And by what a narrow chance we came upon her!"
Into this excitement came Migwan, who had been in the house with Sylvia.
"Sylvia's sick," she said in a troubled voice to Nyoda. "Her head is hotand her hands are like ice, and she's been coughing hard for the lasthalf hour. She couldn't hold her head up for another minute, and I puther to bed."
"I was afraid she was going to be sick," said Nyoda. "She been coughingoff and on all day long, and her cheeks were so bright to-night, itseemed to me she looked f
everish. I'm afraid the excitement of the partywas too much for her. Don't anyone breathe a word of what Hercules hastold us just now, she must be kept quiet."
They all promised.
In the moment when they stood looking at Hercules and waiting for Nyodato start back to the house, Slim suddenly thought of something.
"If it wasn't a thief that came in, why did he take your blanket?" heasked.
Hercules answered, addressing himself to Nyoda. "Marse Tad didn't takedat blanket, Mis' 'Lizbeth. _I_ took dat blanket. But I didn't steal it.I jest borried it. Borried it to wrap around Marse Tad. I couldn't askyou-all fer one, 'case you-all knew I had plenty, and I was skeered you'dbe gettin' 'spicious. I saw you-all puttin' dat ole blanket away in datdrawer a long time ago, and I thought you-all never used it and wouldnever know if it was gone fer a day. It ain't hurt a might, Mis''Lizbeth, dere it is, over in de corner. How's you-all know it was gone?"he asked, in comical amazement.
Nyoda explained, and soothed his agitation about the blanket in a fewwords.
The strain of telling his story had worn him out and he lay back andbegan to gasp feebly.
"Everybody go back to the house," commanded Nyoda, "and let Herculesrest."
"I'se a-goin' dis time," murmured the old man. "I'se goin' ter Abram'sbosom. Swing low, sweet chariot, comin' fer to carry me home!"
"Nonsense!" said Nyoda, "you'll be all right in the morning," but shecalled Sherry back and asked him to stay with Hercules the rest of thenight.
Then she went back to the house and found Sylvia burning with fever andtoo hoarse to speak. She applied the usual remedies for a hard cold androse from bed to see how she was every hour throughout the night. Morningbrought no improvement, however, and with a worried look on her faceNyoda went downstairs and telephoned the doctor.