"S-s-h-h! for the land sakes! Speechmakin" must be as bad as the rum habit, when a feller"s got it chronic as you have. No, it didn"t make much difference to me whether you came or not. But, honest, you"ve got to be a kind of Bunker Hill monument to the folks back home. They kneel down at your foundations and look up at you, and tell each other how many foot high you are, and what it cost to build you, and how you stand for patriotism and purity, till--well, _I_ couldn"t see you tumble down without givin" you a chance. I couldn"t; "twould be like blowin" up a church."
The purple had left the Atkins face, but the speechmaking habit is not likely to be broken.
"Cyrus Whittaker," he stammered, "have you been drinking? Your language to me is abominable. Why I permit myself to remain here and listen to such--"
"If you"ll keep still I"ll tell you why. And, if I was you, I wouldn"t be too anxious to find out. This everlastin" cold don"t make me over "n"
above good-tempered, and when I think of what you"ve done to that little girl, or what you tried to do, I have to hold myself down tight, TIGHT, and don"t you forget it! Now, you keep quiet and listen. It"ll be best for you, Heman. Your cards ain"t under the table any longer. I"ve seen your hand, and I know why you"ve been playin" it. I know the whole game.
I"ve been West, and Everdean and I have had a talk."
Mr. Atkins had again risen from the chair. Now he fell heavily back into it. His lips moved as if he meant to speak, but he did not. At the mention of the Everdean name he made a queer, choking sound in his throat.
"I know the whole business, Heman," went on the captain. "I know why you was so knocked over when you learned who Bos"n was, the night of the party. I know why you took up with that blackguard, Thomas, and why you"ve spent your good money hirin" lawyers for him. I know about the mine. I know the whole thing from first to last. Shall I tell you? Do you want to hear it?"
The great man did not answer. A drop of perspiration shone on his high forehead, and the veins of his big, white hands stood out as he clutched the arms of his chair. The monument was tottering on its base.
"It"s a dirty mess, the whole of it," continued Captain Cy. "And yet, I can see--I suppose I can see some excuse for you at the beginnin". When old man Everdean and his crowd bought you and John Thayer out, "way back there in "54, after John died, and all the money was put into your hands, I cal"late you was honest then. I wouldn"t wonder if you MEANT to hand over the thirty-seven thousand five hundred dollars to your partner"s widow. But "twas harder and more risky to send money East in them days than "tis now, and so you waited, thinkin" maybe that you"d fetch it to Emily when you come yourself. But you didn"t come home for some years; you went tradin" down along the Feejees and around that way.
That"s how I reasoned it out these last few days on the train. I give you credit for bein" honest first along.
"But never mind whether you was or not, you haven"t been since. You never paid over a cent of that poor feller"s money--honest money, that belonged to his heirs, and belongs to "em now. You"ve hung onto it, stole it, used it for yours. And Emily worked and scratched for a livin"
and died poor. And Mary, she died, after bein" abused and deserted by that cussed husband of hers. And you thought you was safe, I cal"late.
And then Bos"n turns up right in your own town, right acrost the road from you! By the big dipper! it"s enough to make a feller believe that the Almighty does take a hand in straightenin" out such things, when us humans bungle "em--it is so!
"Course I ain"t sure, Heman, what you meant to do when you found that the child you"d stole that money from was goin" to be under your face and eyes till you or she died. I cal"late you was afraid I"d find somethin" out, wan"t you? I presume likely you thought that I, not havin" quite the reverence for you that the rest of the Bayporters have, might be sharp enough or lucky enough to smell a rat. Perhaps you suspicioned that I knew the Everdeans. Anyhow, you wanted to get the child as fur out of your sight and out of my hands as you could--ain"t that so? And when her dad turned up, you thought you saw your chance.
Heman, you answer me this: Ain"t it part of your bargain with Thomas that when he gets his little girl, he shall take her and clear out, away off somewheres, for good? Ain"t it, now--what?"
The monument was swaying, was swinging from side to side, but it did not quite fall--not then. The congressman"s cheeks hung flabby, his forehead was wet, and he shook from head to foot; but he clenched his jaws and made one last attempt at defiance.
"I--I don"t know what you mean," he declared. "You--you seem to be accusing me of something. Of stealing, I believe. Do you understand who I am? I have some influence and reputation, and it is dangerous to--to try to frighten me. Proofs are required in law, and--"
"S-s-h-h! You know I"ve got the proofs. They were easy enough to get, once I happened on the track of "em. Lord sakes, Heman, I ain"t a fool!
What"s the use of your pretendin" to be one? There"s the deed out in "Frisco, with yours and John"s name on it. There"s the records to prove the sale. There"s the receipt for the seventy-five thousand signed by you, on behalf of yourself and your partner"s widow. There"s old man Everdean alive and competent to testify. There"s John Thayer"s will on file over to Orham. Proofs! Why, you THIEF! if it"s proofs you want, I"ve got enough to send you to state"s prison for the rest of your life.
Don"t you dare say "proofs" to me again! Heman Atkins, you owe me, as Bos"n"s guardian, thirty-seven thousand five hundred dollars, with interest since 1854. What you goin" to do about it?"
Here was one ray, a feeble ray, of light.
"You"re not her guardian," cried Atkins. "The courts have thrown you out. And your appeal won"t stand, either. If any money is due, it belongs to her father. She isn"t of age! No, sir! her father--"
Captain Cy"s patience had been giving way. Now he lost it altogether. He strode across the room and shook his forefinger in his victim"s face.
"So!" he cried. "That"s your tack, is it? By the big dipper! You GO to her father--just you go to him and tell him! Just hint to him that you owe his daughter thirty-odd thousand dollars, and see what he"ll do. Good heavens above! he was ready to sell her out to me for fifty dollars" wuth of sand bank in Orham. Almost ready, he was, till you offered a higher price to him to fight. Why, he"ll have your hide nailed up on the barn door! If you don"t pay him every red copper, down on the nail, he"ll wring you dry. And then he"ll blackmail you forever and ever, amen! Unless, of course, _I_ go home and stop the blackmail by printing my story in the Breeze. I"ve a precious good mind to do it. By the Almighty, I WILL do it! unless you come off that high horse of yours and talk like a man."
And then the monument fell, fell prostrate, with a sickly, pitiful crash. If we of Bayport could have seen our congressman then! The great man, great no longer, broke down completely. He cried like a baby. It was all true--all true. He had not meant to steal, at first. He had been led into using the money in his business. Then he had meant to send it to the heirs, but he didn"t know their whereabouts. Captain Cy smiled at this excuse. And now he couldn"t pay--he COULDN"T. He had hardly that sum in the world. He had lost money in stocks, his property in the South had gone to the bad! He would be ruined. He would have to go to prison.
He was getting to be an old man. And there was Alicia, his daughter!
Think of her! Think of the disgrace! And so on, over and over, with the one recurring burden--what was the captain going to do? what was he going to do? It was a miserable, dreadful exhibition, and Captain Cy could feel no pride in his triumph.
"There! there!" he said at last. "Stop it, man; stop it, for goodness sakes! Pull yourself together. I guess we can fix it up somehow. I ain"t goin" to be too hard on you. If it wan"t for your meanness in bein"
willin" to let Bos"n suffer her life long with that drunken beast of a dad of hers, I"d feel almost like tellin" you to get up and forget it.
But THAT"S got to be stopped. Now, you listen to me."
Heman listened. He was on his knees beside the bed, his face buried in his arms, and his gray hair, the leonine Atkins hair, which he was wont to toss backward in the heated periods of his eloquence, tumbled and draggled. Captain Cy looked down at him.
"This whole business about Bos"n must be stopped," he said, "and stopped right off. You tell your lawyers to drop the case. Her dad is only hangin" around because you pay him to. He don"t want her; he don"t care what becomes of her. If you pay him enough, he"ll go, won"t he? and not come back?"
The congressman raised his head.
"Why, yes," he faltered; "I think he will. Yes, I think I could arrange that. But, Cyrus--"
The captain held up his hand.
"I intend to look out for Bos"n," he said. "She cares for me more"n anyone else in the world. She"s as much to me as my own child ever could be, and I"ll see that she is happy and provided for. I"m religious enough to believe she was sent to me, and I intend to stick to my trust.
As for the money--"
"Yes, yes! The money?"
"Well, I won"t be too hard on you that way, either. We"ll talk that over later on. Maybe we can arrange for you to pay it a little at a time. You can sign a paper showin" that you owe it, and we"ll fix the payin" to suit all hands. "Tain"t as if the child was in want. I"ve got some money of my own, and what"s mine"s hers. I think we needn"t worry about the money part."
"G.o.d bless you, Cyrus! I--"
"Yes, all right. I"m sure your askin" for the blessin" "ll be a great help. Now, you do your part, and I"ll do mine. No one knows of this business but me. I didn"t tell Everdean a word. He don"t know why I hustled out there and back, nor why I asked so many questions. And he ain"t the kind to pry into what don"t concern him. So you"re pretty safe, I cal"late. Now, if you don"t mind, I wish you"d run along home.
I"m--I"m used up, sort of."
Mr. Atkins arose from his knees. Even then, broken as he was--he looked ten years older than when he entered the room--he could hardly believe what he had just heard.
"You mean," he faltered, "Cyrus, do you mean that--that you"re not going to reveal this--this--"
"That I"m not goin" to tell on you? Yup; that"s what I mean. You get rid of Thomas and squelch that law case, and I"ll keep mum. You can trust me for that."
"But--but, Cyrus, the people at home? Your story in the Breeze? You"re not--"
"No, they needn"t know, either. It"ll be between you and me."
"G.o.d bless you! I"ll never forget--"
"That"s right. You mustn"t. Forgettin" is the one thing you mustn"t do.
And, see here, you"re boss of the political fleet in Bayport; you steer the school committee now. Phoebe Dawes ain"t too popular with that committee; I"d see that she was popularized."
"Yes, yes; she shall be. She shall not be disturbed. Is there anything else I can do?"
"Why, yes, I guess there is. Speakin" of popularity made me think of it.
That harbor appropriation had better go through."
A very faint tinge of color came into the congressman"s chalky face. He hesitated in his reply.
"I--I don"t know about that, Cyrus," he said. "The bill will probably be voted on in a few days. It is made up and--"
"Then I"d strain a p"int and make it over. I"d work real hard on it. I"m sorry about that sugar river, but I cal"late Bayport "ll have to come first. Yes, it"ll have to, Heman; it sartin will."
The reference to the "sugar river" was the final straw. Evidently this man knew everything.