CHAPTER V
THE MESSENGER
FOR a moment Tom closed his eyes and waited for the words which he expected and feared to hear. His body was trembling and all his strength was required to prevent his teeth from chattering. If Benzeor should enter the room Tom knew that at once his predicament would be discovered, and in the present state of his foster father"s feelings he was aware that he could expect no mercy at his hands.
He heard no footstep, but he felt that the light of the candle was still shining upon his face and knew that Benzeor had not departed. At last, unable to bear the suspense longer, he opened his eyes, for he felt that he must see what was going on in the room. There stood Benzeor in the doorway holding the candle with one hand, and intently regarding the apparently sleeping boy before him.
"I"ll be down directly," said Tom drowsily, as if he were just awaking.
"I didn"t know it was time to get up. I"ll be with you in a minute."
"It isn"t time to get up," replied Benzeor slowly. "I"m just going to bed. I stopped to see if you were all right. Have you been asleep long?"
"I--I don"t know. Is there anything wrong?" Tom still kept the bedclothes drawn tightly about his face, and although he was feigning that he had been sleeping, he was in a state of terror. If Benzeor should approach the bed he well knew what would follow.
"No, there"s nothing wrong," replied Benzeor. "I just wanted to see if you were all right. It"s been a hard trip, and there"s much work to be done to-morrow."
Tom closed his eyes and did not continue the conversation, hoping that the man would feel satisfied and leave him to himself. Nor was he disappointed, for Benzeor soon withdrew and closed the door behind him.
Tom could hear him as he stumbled about in the adjoining room, preparing for bed. Frightened as the lad had been, he had not failed to notice the expression upon Benzeor"s face. It seemed to him that fear and recklessness were combined there, and that in the recent decision which the man had made, he had bidden farewell to everything good in his nature.
Benzeor had not been without his good qualities. Even then, in spite of his alarm, Tom recalled his rough kindnesses, and thought how much better in many ways his foster father had treated him than had some of the true fathers treated their own sons, for the times were rough and the one thing which was demanded of all the growing boys was implicit obedience to their elders. And this obedience had been ofttimes compelled by no gentle means. The use of the strap upon boys who were as large as their fathers was not unknown, and no one ever thought of resenting the harsh treatment. But Benzeor had seldom struck him. Tom almost wished that he had, for it would make the carrying out of the project he had already formed much easier.
Then, too, all the kindness he had received at the hands of Benzeor"s wife and of the girls came back to him. It was true that this had been largely of a negative character, but in times like these through which the troubled lad was then pa.s.sing, even that was not forgotten. He had toiled early and late, and knew that he had given more than a full equivalent for the scanty food and rough clothing he had received. But after all, Benzeor"s home had been all the home he had ever known, and he was not unmindful of the benefits he had received.
His soul now, however, was in a state of turmoil. The words he had overheard had proved conclusively that Benzeor was a changed man, and as Tom thought of the project which Fenton had presented, and into which his foster father had entered with apparent eagerness, his own indignation increased. The long waiting was past now, and the time for action, the time of which he had dreamed and thought so much of late, had come at last.
He removed the bed-clothing and sat up on the side of the bed, listening intently. Benzeor had ceased to move about in his room, and the sounds which now came indicated clearly that he was asleep. Against the little window the rain was still beating, and the darkness was so intense in the room that Tom could not distinguish any object.
For several minutes he continued in his position, undecided whether he had better make the attempt to depart from the house by the way of the stairs, or through the window in his room. If he should select the former, the stairs would be sure to creak under his feet; and then, too, there would be the bars which must be drawn from the door. There were too many possibilities of detection to make that method of departure the desirable one.
If he should go through the window, all he would have to do would be to drop upon the woodpile directly beneath,--a pile which Tom knew was there, for he himself had drawn and cut the wood only a few days before this time. He decided to use the window.
Stepping slowly and carefully, he approached and quietly raised the sash. As he looked out into the night, the farm buildings could be seen, and yonder was the road he was to seek.
Hesitating no longer, the resolute boy crawled through the open window, and then, clinging for a moment to the sash with his hands, dropped upon the woodpile below. There was a noise as the wood rolled from under him, but, quickly rising, he ran to the long lane which led out to the road, and then stopped to learn whether his departure had been discovered or not.
The silence was unbroken. The outlines of the rude little house stood out in the darkness, the rain was falling steadily, and the heavy clouds hung low over the earth. Not even the dog had been disturbed, and with a lighter heart Tom turned and ran down the lane and was soon in the road.
The mud was now thick and heavy, and he found his progress difficult.
But as he had not far to go, he ran steadily on, and soon came within sight of Little Peter"s house. There was no light to be seen within it, and he was not at all certain that his friend had returned.
He approached and stood beneath the window of the boy"s room, which, like his own, was over the kitchen. Then he gave the low whistle which they both had used as a "call." At first there was no response, and when he had given it two or three times he concluded that his friend had not returned from his work as the lookout in the tree by the mouth of the Navesink. Nothing then remained to be done but to rouse the family, for Tom was determined, and was well aware that what he planned to do must be done quickly.
Approaching the kitchen door he rapped loudly upon it. Twice had he repeated the summons before a window was raised, and some one looking out upon him called, "Who"s there? Is that you, Peter?"
"No, it"s not Peter. It"s Tom Coward, and I want to get in. I"ve got something to tell you."
"I"ll be down in a moment," said Peter"s mother, for Tom had recognized the voice as her"s.
Tom soon heard the heavy bars withdrawn, and in a brief time the door was opened, and then closed and carefully barred behind him.
"What"s wrong, Tom?" inquired the woman anxiously. "Has anything happened to Peter?"
"I don"t think so," replied Tom. "He was all right when I left him a few hours ago down by the Hook. But what I want to know now is whether you"ve had any word from his father?"
"Not a word, except that it"s reported the army"s on the march again.
Why do you ask?"
"I don"t know that I ought to tell you," replied Tom hesitatingly, "but the truth of the matter is that I happened to hear that he was coming home."
"You"ve heard something more than that, Tom Coward," said the woman now thoroughly alarmed. "I know you"ve heard more, or you wouldn"t have come over here at this time of night and in such a storm. What is it? What is it?"
Tom perceived that he had gone too far to retreat now, and so he began his story. He did not go into all the details, for as yet he did not desire to implicate Benzeor, at least in the eyes of all his neighbors.
"The way of it is this," began Tom hesitatingly. "I happened to be to-night where I overheard the talk between two men, and one of "em was Fenton, the pine robber."
Tom could perceive the expression of alarm which swept over the face of the woman, who was still standing before him. Apparently ignoring it, however, he went on. "It seems that both of the armies are on the march across Jersey, and that Washington has halted over by Hopewell. Somehow, Fenton had got word that your husband was coming home for a day, and he"s fixed up a plan to trap and take him."
"I haven"t heard a word," said the woman slowly. "When was he coming?"
"To-morrow."
"And Fenton knows of it?"
"Yes. And he knows something more, too, or at least he pretends to. I heard him say that you had some money hidden in an old sock, which you"d stored away in the garret."
Tom saw the woman start at his words, and knew then that Fenton"s statement had been correct, although he could not conjecture how the pine robber had received his information. Little Peter"s mother was a resolute woman, but even the stoutest heart might well be alarmed to hear that Fenton was aware of such possessions.
"Have you any idea when Little Peter will come home?"
"No. It"s too bad to keep him out in such a night. And we need him here now."
"I"ll wait till he comes," said Tom quietly. "There"s no danger to-night, but I want to see him, and I don"t think you"ll object to my staying, will you?"
"No," said the woman eagerly. "Oh, what times these are! My husband has been in the army more than a year, and the end hasn"t come yet. What will become of us? What shall we do? Tom," she added suddenly, "what was Fenton going to do with him if he caught him?"
"Take him and send him to New York. You know there"s a reward for every prisoner taken. But he hasn"t got him yet."
"No, that"s so; and what"s more he won"t either, if it can be prevented.
Have you told Benzeor about it? Hark! There"s some one at the door now!"
The woman was not mistaken, for a low tapping on the kitchen door could be distinctly heard. For a moment neither spoke, but they could not conceal their fears from each other. Just then a stronger gust of wind drove the rain with added force against the windows. The sound of the storm seemed to increase the fear of those within the house. Perhaps Fenton himself had even then come; or, as was more probable, Tom thought, his own departure had been discovered, and Benzeor had come for him. As between the two, Tom decidedly preferred to meet Fenton at that time.
Again the low rapping was heard, and Tom knew that some response must be made. "I"ll open the door. Maybe it"s Little Peter come back," he whispered.
"No, it isn"t Peter. He wouldn"t come in that way."