"Who is Alf Reesling?"
"Ain"t you heerd of him in Boston? Why, every temperance lecturer that comes here says he"s the biggest drunkard in the world. I supposed his reputation had got to Boston by this time. He"s been sober only once in twenty-five years."
"Is it possible?"
"That was when his wife died. He said he felt so good it wasn"t necessary to get drunk. Well, I"ll tell you all about it when I come back. Don"t worry no more, Rosalie. I"ll find out who"s back of this business an" then we"ll know all about you. It"s a long lane that has no turn."
"Them prisoners must be mighty near starved to death by this time, Anderson," warned Mrs. Crow.
"Doggone, that"s so!" he cried, and hustled out into the night.
The calaboose was almost totally dark--quite so, had it not been for the single lamp that burned in the office where the body of the old woman was lying. Two or three timid citizens stood afar off, in front of Thompson"s feed yard, looking with awe upon the dungeon keep. Anderson"s footsteps grew slower and more halting as they approached the entrance to the forbidding square of black. The snow creaked resoundingly under his heels and the chill wind nipped his m.u.f.fless ears with a spitefulness that annoyed. In fact, he became so incensed, that he set his basket down and slapped his ears vigorously for some minutes before resuming his slow progress. He hated the thought of going in where the dead woman lay.
Suddenly he made up his mind that a confession from the men would be worthless unless he had ear witnesses to substantiate it in court.
Without further deliberation, he retraced his steps hurriedly to Lamson"s store, where, after half an hour"s conversation on the topics of the day, he deputised the entire crowd to accompany him to the jail.
"Where"s Bud?" he demanded sharply.
"Home in bed, poor child," said old Mr. Borton.
"Well, doggone his ornery hide, why ain"t he here to--" began Anderson, but checked himself in time to prevent the crowd from seeing that he expected Bud to act as leader in the expedition. "I wanted him to jot down notes," he subst.i.tuted. Editor Squires volunteered to act as secretary, prompter, interpreter, and everything else that his scoffing tongue could utter.
"Well, go ahead, then," said Anderson, pushing him forward. Harry led the party down the dark street with more rapidity than seemed necessary; few in the crowd could keep pace with him. A majority fell hopelessly behind, in fact.
Straight into the office walked Harry, closely followed by Blootch and the marshal. Maude, looking like a monument of sheets, still occupied the centre of the floor. Without a word, the party filed past the gruesome, silent thing and into the jail corridor. It was as dark as Erebus in the barred section of the prison; a cold draft of air flew into the faces of the visitors.
"Come here, you fellers!" called Anderson bravely into the darkness; but there was no response from the prisoners.
For the very good reason that some hours earlier they had calmly removed a window from its moorings and by this time were much too far away to answer questions.
CHAPTER XXIV
The Flight of the Kidnapers
Searching parties were organised and sent out to scour the country, late as it was. Swift riders gave the alarm along every roadway, and the station agent telegraphed the news into every section of the land. At Boggs City, the sheriff, berating Anderson Crow for a fool and Tinkletown for an open-air lunatic asylum, sent his deputies down to a.s.sist in the pursuit. The marshal himself undertook to lead each separate and distinct posse. He was so overwhelmed by the magnitude of his misfortune that it is no wonder his brain whirled widely enough to encompa.s.s the whole enterprise.
Be it said to the credit of Tinkletown, her citizens made every reasonable effort to recapture the men. The few hundred able-bodied men of the town rallied to the support of their marshal and the law, and there was not one who refused to turn out in the cold night air for a sweeping search of the woods and fields.
Rosalie, who had been awakened early in the evening by Mr. Crow"s noisy preparations for the pursuit, came downstairs, and instantly lost all desire to sleep. Bonner was lying on a couch in the "sitting-room,"
which now served as a temporary bedchamber.
"If you"ll just hand me those revolvers, Mr. Crow," said he, indicating the two big automatics he had taken from Davy and Bill, "I"ll stand guard over the house as best I can while you"re away."
"Stand guard? What fer? n.o.body"s goin" to steal the house."
"We should not forget that these same rascals may take it into their heads to double on their tracks and try to carry Miss Gray away again.
With her in their possession they"ll receive their pay; without her their work will have been for nothing. It is a desperate crowd, and they may think the plan at least worth trying."
Rosalie"s grateful, beaming glance sent a quiver that was not of pain through Bonner"s frame.
"Don"t worry about that," said the marshal. "We"ll have "em shot to pieces inside of an hour an" a half."
"Anderson, I want you to be very careful with that horse pistol," said his wife nervously. "It ain"t been shot off sence the war, an" like as not it"ll kill you from behind."
"Gosh blast it, Eva!" roared Anderson, "don"t you suppose I know which end to shoot with?" And away he rushed in great dudgeon.
Edna Crow sat at the front window, keeping watch for hours. She reported to the other members of the household as each scurrying band of searchers pa.s.sed the place. Bonner commanded Rosalie to keep away from the windows, fearing a shot from the outside. From time to time Roscoe replenished the big blaze in the fireplace. It was cosey in the old-fashioned sitting-room, even though the strain upon its occupants was trying in the extreme.
Great excitement came to them when the figure of a man was seen to drop to the walk near the front gate. At first it was feared that one of the bandits, injured by pursuers, had fallen to die, but the mournful calls for help that soon came from the sidewalk were more or less rea.s.suring.
The prostrate figure had a queer habit from time to time of raising itself high enough to peer between the pickets of the fence, and each succeeding shout seemed more vigorous than the others. Finally they became impatient, and then full of wrath. It was evident that the stranger resented the inhospitality of the house.
"Who are you?" called Edna, opening the window ever so slightly.
Whereupon the man at the gate sank to the ground and groaned with splendid misery.
"It"s me," he replied.
"Who"s me?"
""Rast--"Rast Little. I think I"m dyin"."
There was a hurried consultation indoors, and then Roscoe bravely ventured out to the sidewalk.
"Are you shot, "Rast?" he asked in trembling tones.
"No; I"m just wounded. Is Rosalie in there?"
"Yep. She"s--"
"I guess I"ll go in, then. Dern it! It"s a long walk from our house over here. I guess I"ll stay all night. If I don"t get better to-morrow I"ll have to stay longer. I ought to be nursed, too."
"Rosalie"s playin" nurse fer Mr. Bonner," volunteered Roscoe, still blocking the gate through which "Rast was trying to wedge himself.
"Mr. who?"
"Bonner."
"Well," said "Rast after a moment"s consideration, "he ought to be moved to a hospital. Lemme lean on you, Roscoe. I can"t hardly walk, my arm hurts so."
Mr. Little, with his bandages and his hobble, had joined in the expedition, and was not to be deterred until faintness overcame him and he dropped by the wayside. He was taken in and given a warm chair before the fire. One long look at Bonner and the newcomer lapsed into a stubborn pout. He groaned occasionally and made much ado over his condition, but sourly resented any approach at sympathy. Finally he fell asleep in the chair, his last speech being to the effect that he was going home early in the morning if he had to drag himself every foot of the way. Plainly, "Rast had forgotten Miss Banks in the sudden revival of affection for Rosalie Gray. The course of true love did not run smoothly in Tinkletown.
The searchers straggled in empty handed. Early morning found most of them asleep at their homes, tucked away by thankful wives, and with the promises of late breakfasts. The next day business was slow in a.s.serting its claim upon public attention. Masculine Tinkletown dozed while femininity chattered to its heart"s content. There was much to talk about and more to antic.i.p.ate. The officials in all counties contiguous had out their dragnets, and word was expected at any time that the fugitives had fallen into their hands.
But not that day, nor the next, nor any day, in fact, did news come of their capture, so Tinkletown was obliged to settle back into a state of tranquility. Some little interest was aroused when the town board ordered the calaboose repaired, and there was a ripple of excitement attached to the funeral of the only kidnaper in captivity. It was necessary to postpone the oyster supper at the Methodist Church, but there was some consolation in the knowledge that it would soon be summer-time and the benighted Africans would not need the money for winter clothes. The reception at the minister"s house was a fizzle. He was warned in time, however, and it was his own fault that he received no more than a jug of vinegar, two loaves of bread and a pound of honey as the result of his expectations. It was the first time that a "pound"
party had proven a losing enterprise.