"Oh! I see, you want me to be the one to take chances; is that it, Bristles?" he demanded.
"Well, I didn"t think you"d mind doing a little more for a poor fellow, as you"ve been such a help already to me, Fred; and then, she won"t accuse you of wanting to do anything wrong like she might me. Fact is,"
he went on eagerly, so as to better carry his point, "she once said she kind of liked your looks, after you"d been in there with me. I sure believe you made a hit with Aunt Alicia; because, as a rule, she doesn"t care much for boys, you know."
"Hold on, Bristles," said Fred, laughingly; "that won"t wash a bit.
You"re giving me some taffy now, just to make me agree to visit your aunt. But, honest, I don"t care to take the chances. My reputation is pretty good up to now; but it might go to flinders if anyone said I was taking things that did not belong to me."
"But, good gracious! Fred, she wouldn"t have any reason to accuse you!"
Bristles burst out, very much disappointed because his pet scheme promised to meet with a hitch so early in its development.
"You forget one thing?" said Fred, soberly.
"Perhaps I have, because, you see, I"m all excited; and it isn"t apt to leave a fellow in decent trim for thinking. But what was it I forgot, Fred; tell me that?"
"Why, perhaps one or two of the balance of those opals might take a notion to disappear about the same time I dropped in to see your aunt, without any invitation to do it. And in that case she"d just naturally think you"d put me up to keeping the queer business going. I"d hate to have her think that of me, and much worse send word to my father and mother that I was a thief!"
"I should say so," declared Bristles, gloomily. "Bad enough to have her say that I was; and that"s all in the family, you see. I never once thought of that, believe me, Fred. Wouldn"t have asked you to take such chances, if I had. "Course it wouldn"t be fair, and I"m a selfish feller for hinting at it."
"I don"t think so, Bristles," Fred went on, consolingly. "It looked good to you, because you never thought of the chances of another raid being made on your aunt"s opals. But perhaps you might have your mother go over and see Miss Alicia. She could mention what you thought, and even if the old lady did pretend to scoff at the idea, it would put a flea in her ear, so perhaps she"d keep an eye on Black Joe."
"I"ll think about it, Fred. I don"t fancy dragging my mother into the game if it can be helped. I"d like to lift the lid myself, and then have the laugh on Aunt Alicia. Some day, perhaps, she"ll be sorry she thought so mean of me, and wouldn"t listen to my defense. You wait and see. I"m going to get at the bottom of this thing if it takes me all summer."
"Well, General Grant got there in the end, and let"s hope you"ll be as lucky, old fellow," said Fred, cheerfully. "Anyhow, that was a bright thought about Black Joe; and it would be a jolly story to tell if it did turn out that way."
"Why, right now you more"n half believe it yourself, Fred!" cried Bristles.
"It"s worth thinking about," was the noncommittal answer Fred made.
"Oh! by the way," his visitor suddenly exclaimed, "while I was on my way over here I met Corney, who said he"d heard the Mechanicsburg fellows got their boat last night."
"Good for that," remarked Fred, with satisfaction. "Now both crews can get busy, and whip themselves in shape for that big race later on. I expect we"ll do much better next time. Colon wasn"t himself at all, after being nearly drowned only the day before. But he"ll come around all right; and when he"s in trim there isn"t a huskier fellow in the Riverport school."
"We practice again this afternoon, don"t we?" asked Bristles.
"That was the programme last night, Brad told us," replied Fred.
"Well, I only hope I get relief from this cloud that"s hangin" over my head all the time," Bristles went on, sighing again. "It"s just like the toothache, Fred; you suffer, and know it means goin" to the dentist"s chair; but how you hate to go and get her yanked out! But once you make up your mind, and the job"s done, how glad you feel you went; eh? Well, some bright day, I"m hoping, I"ll feel just as happy as if I"d had a tooth drawn," and Fred was compelled to smile at the homely way his chum ill.u.s.trated the condition of his feelings, though he understood just how Bristles felt.
CHAPTER XIII
A CALL FOR HELP
"I hope you take a notion to get your mother to go around there some time to-day," Fred went on to say, as his visitor got up to leave.
"Perhaps I might," Bristles admitted; though he shook his head as if the idea did not wholly appeal to him.
"She could smooth things over a whole lot, you see," Fred continued; "and then, if by some luck, another of the little gems has disappeared since your aunt sent that note over, your mother would be able to show Aunty how unjust she had been when she hinted that you"d taken the others."
"Yes, it looks that way, Fred; and I"m obliged to you for giving me the hint," said Bristles. "But I want to think this over again. I"m going back home and stay there the whole morning, doing some high and lofty work with my head. What"s the use of having brains if you can"t make "em work for you. So-long, Fred. You"re sure the handy boy when it comes to making a feller see things in a new light. But I still believe it"s old Black Joe, the little villain!"
After he had gone, the matter was often in Fred"s mind, and he really began to grow quite excited while thinking about it.
"It may be stretching things a whole lot to believe a bird could be so smart as to take those stones," he said to himself, seriously; "but anyhow, the opportunity was there before Black Joe, if he wanted to try it. I remember that when the old lady showed me those opals, and told me how they were taken from a mine in Mexico where she had sunk a heap of money, she put them back on the cabinet shelf, and they were just lying in a little bowl with some other curiosities she had. Yes, Black Joe could fly up there, and pick out what he wanted, sure enough."
Somehow the thought was still strong in Fred"s mind when, later in the morning, he started out to go over to see what Sid Wells might be doing. And it even took him out of his way, so that instead of making his usual short cut across lots to his chum"s house, he pa.s.sed along the street where Miss Muster (the boys called her Miss Mustard on account of her peppery temper) lived.
He even turned his head while pa.s.sing, and looked in toward the rather expensive building (for a small place like Riverport) where the old maid lived alone with her colored "mammy" and her several pets.
He could see the big bulldog that was chained to his kennel, placed under the windows of the room the maiden lady slept in. Yes, Beauty was asleep on the top of his box then, curled up as if not "caring whether school kept or not."
"Boy! boy, come over here! I want you!"
Fred at first thought that it was the talking bird calling to him in this way, for he had heard Black Joe rattle along just like an educated poll parrot. Then he recognized the shrill tones of Miss Muster; and at the same moment caught sight of the maiden lady.
She was standing on her broad porch, and beckoning to him.
Being close to the gate, he pressed the latch, and pa.s.sed through into the yard, where there were a great many flowers. Possibly Fred felt a queer little thrill as he walked toward the porch, where Miss Muster awaited him. He remembered the proposal Bristles had made, and which he had seen fit to turn down.
The old lady was peering at him through her gla.s.ses.
"Oh! you are the boy who was in here with my--er--nephew that time?"
she remarked; and at first Fred thought she was about to say she had no use for anyone who would keep company with Bristles, but she did not, much to his relief.
"Yes, ma"am, I remember being in here with Bris--er--Andy Carpenter, once," Fred remarked. "And you were kind enough to show me a lot of mighty interesting things, too, Miss Muster. What can I do for you this morning, ma"am?"
The sharp face softened a little, and the faintest shadow of a smile crept over the old maid"s features.
"Let me see, what"s your name?" she asked.
"Fred Fenton, ma"am. We have not been in Riverport much more than a year. I think my mother said she met you a while ago, down in the grocery, and had a nice talk with you."
"I remember, and a fine little lady Mrs. Fenton is, to be sure. If she is your mother, boy, you"ve good cause to be satisfied. And I wouldn"t say that about many women, either. But I was just wanting a little a.s.sistance, and called to the first person who happened to be pa.s.sing along the street. My old servant is laid up to-day with an attack of lumbago; and the gardener is off on an errand that will take him two hours. Could you give me a few minutes of your time, Fred?"
"Why, yes, ma"am, sure I can. I was only going over to look up a chum, and talk about the chances we have in a boat race that is going to come off soon. What do you want me to do, Miss Muster?"
She looked at him again, with that suspicious gleam in her eyes.
Somehow, Fred could not help feeling a little indignant. Because she chose to think the worst of her poor innocent nephew was no reason why Miss Muster should believe ill of every fellow.
He was almost tempted to say what he thought, and free his mind.
Perhaps, then, she might understand that even a boy has feelings, and can suffer mentally, as well as bodily.
But on second thought Fred wisely kept his peace. There might be a better way to teach the old maid a needed lesson than by sharp talk, which would only serve to make her feel more bitter toward "upstart boys" in general.
Evidently Miss Muster must have gained a favorable impression from her survey of the lad, whom she had called inside.