The day pa.s.sed in a continual wrangle. Madam Imbert could hardly get away from Mrs. Maroney long enough to eat her meals. Mrs. Maroney and Josh. dealt exclusively in brandy. Toward evening Josh. proclaimed his intention of "raising" the money, and starting with it that night for the West. He would hide himself until Maroney got out of jail, when he would return and deliver the money over to him. Josh. was sublime in the purity and philanthropy of his motives. He did not want a cent of the money; not he! but he could not consent to see his brother-in-law swindled while he stood by and calmly looked on, without making an effort in his behalf. No! this he could not do. To his own serious inconvenience, he would voluntarily tear himself from his family, impose upon himself the task of becoming the watch-dog of Nat."s treasure, and for a time lose himself in the wilderness of the West. Madam Imbert thought _his_ would be a clear case of "Though lost to sight, to memory _dear_," but did not say so.
Mrs. Maroney rather took the wind out of his sails by saying: "Don"t you dare to "raise" the money until I tell you to! I am in no hurry to have it moved; the cellar has proved a safe hiding place so far, and I see no reason why it should not so remain. You will please remember that it belongs to Nat. and me. I am able to take care of it, so you may just let it alone."
Josh. said no more, but mentally washing his hands of the whole transaction, started for Stemples"s. He found Rivers and Barclay there, but said nothing about what had happened, further than that he was having trouble at home.
In the evening Mrs. Maroney received a letter from her husband, stating that the book-peddler would call the next day.
The next day was to be an eventful one for me. By noon I should know the fate of my enterprise. I had no doubts about what the results would be, but I should then have the proofs in hand to show my employers that the confidence they had bestowed upon me had not been misplaced; that the theory I had advanced and worked upon was the correct one; that my profession, which had been dragged down by unprincipled adventurers until the term "detective" was synonymous with rogue, was, when properly attended to and honestly conducted, one of the most useful and indispensable adjuncts to the preservation of the lives and property of the people. The Divine administers consolation to the soul; the physician strives to relieve the pains of the body; while the detective cleanses society from its impurities, makes crime hideous by dragging it to light, when it would otherwise thrive in darkness, and generally improves mankind by proving that wrong acts, no matter how skilfully covered up, are sure to be found out, and their perpetrators punished.
The great preventive of crime, is the fear of detection.
There are quacks in other professions as well as in mine, and people should lay the blame where it belongs, upon the quacks, and not upon the profession.
In the evening I received a letter from Madam Imbert, telling me of the difficulties in the way of White"s receiving the money. She was full of hope, and said she thought she could manage to make Mrs. Maroney give up the money; but if all else failed she would take the money herself. It was often offered to her by Mrs. Maroney, and Josh. had said he had no objections to her receiving it. She would make arrangements so that if White did not get the money, she would. The money would be in Philadelphia the next evening if she had to walk in with it herself.
The recovery of forty or fifty thousand dollars, to-day, is considered a small operation; but in 1859, before the war, the amount was looked upon as perfectly enormous.
I showed Madam Imbert"s letter to the Vice-President. He was greatly pleased to find success so near at hand, and agreed to make a little trip with me in the morning.
White was with me, in Philadelphia, and I made all my arrangements for the following day"s work. I was up bright and early the next morning.
The sun rose in a cloudless sky, and the weather promised to be fine. It would most likely be excessively hot by noon, but the morning was fresh and balmy. White, in his character of a book-peddler, was to go into Jenkintown on foot, so as to give the impression that he had walked out from the city. Shanks was to drive him to within about two miles of Jenkintown, where White was to get out and walk in, while Shanks would drive back and wait for him at the Rising Sun, a tavern on the road. The Vice-President and I drove over from Chestnut Hill, put up our team at the Rising Sun, and took up our position as near the probable scene of action as was prudent.
Early in the morning, just as day began to dawn, Rivers came in and reported the condition of affairs. He had watched c.o.x"s through the night, but aside from high words there had been no demonstration. I sent a note to Madam Imbert by him, with instructions to deliver it to her as soon as she was up. I told her to be sure and do as she said she would--get the money to-day at all hazards--by storm, if necessary, as I did not like to trust c.o.x another day.
_CHAPTER XXIX._
At Jenkintown there was no lull in the fight. The battle was going on gloriously. Breakfast at c.o.x"s was a meagre meal, even the children were neglected, as all the grown portion of the household were on the lookout for the book-peddler.
"Sister Ann! Sister Ann! do you see any one coming?" was the cry.
Every once in a while one of them would go to the gate and look anxiously down the road, in the direction of Philadelphia. Mrs. Maroney was impatiently awaiting the arrival of Madam Imbert. She did not have to wait long, as the Madam came down immediately after breakfast. Her commanding figure and decided expression made her appear like a general giving orders. She was perfectly calm, while all the rest were so excited that they did not know what to do or say. She controlled the position.
Mrs. Maroney had not slept any and was still unable to decide upon her action. She strolled out with the Madam a short distance, thinking to find relief in a quiet chat. She said she was filled with doubts and fears. She was afraid to trust Josh., and he might go off at any moment with the packages. Madam Imbert told her that there was only one thing to be done, and that was to give up the packages to White as her husband ordered.
"Are you sure," said she, "that the letter is in your husband"s handwriting?"
Mrs. Maroney looked at her in a startled manner and pulled the letter from its hiding place in the bosom of her dress. She scanned it over carefully and said:
"Yes, it is Nat."s writing."
"Then there is nothing to do but to give it up. If my husband ordered me I would gladly give up all I have in this world to please him."
They remained away from the house for some time, and when they returned it was nearly noon. On looking down the street they discovered a book-peddler slowly toiling along from the direction of Philadelphia and evidently bending his steps towards c.o.x"s. As Mrs. Maroney saw him coming along sweltering in the sun and bending under the weight of his load of books, she gave an involuntary start, and Madam Imbert, on whose arm she leaned, felt that she was trembling with excitement. c.o.x stood beside his wife in the door-way with his teeth clinched. His wife looked unutterable things, but neither uttered a word.
Madam Imbert and Mrs. Maroney went into the yard and stood leaning over the gate, watching the peddler, who was rapidly drawing near. He arrived at the gate at the appointed time.
"Do you wish to buy any books?" asked he, at the same time handing Mrs.
Maroney a novel to look at, which he opened so as to disclose a note. He spoke to her in a low tone and said:
"I am from prison," then glancing at the note, "I think that is for you."
She took the novel, and, holding it open as if reading it, scanned the contents of the note:
"MY DEAREST WIFE: This is the book-peddler. You will want to buy books from him. Buy what you want. Give him the packages for me. He is honest.
"All is well. NAT."
When she had read the note she stood looking at it, apparently unable to speak. Madam Imbert looked at her, and as she began to fear that some of the neighbors might notice the long stay of the peddler, said:
"Have you no message for the man? Time is precious!"
"Yes," she answered, looking up as from a trance.
Madam Imbert spoke in a low tone:
"Tell him to meet you down the lane."
"Yes," said she, "I will meet you down the lane at two o"clock and take some books from you."
The peddler left a few novels and walked off. Mrs. Maroney and Madam Imbert walked into the house. Now was the time for Madam Imbert to show her power.
"Come, Mrs. Maroney, be quick! You must act at once! Get the money for the book-peddler, quick!"
Mrs. Maroney seemed to act mechanically. Madam Imbert"s strong will had a.s.serted a power over her that she could not resist. They went into the cellar accompanied by Josh. and his wife.
"Dig the money up," commanded Mrs. Maroney still in the same mechanical tone.
Josh. hesitated.
"Give me the spade!" said Madam Imbert. "Show me where the money is secreted!"
Then, turning to Josh. and his wife, she said:
"_You are fools!_ You would not only ruin Mrs. Maroney, but yourselves.
Maroney knows best what is for his interest."
Mrs. Maroney pointed out the spot where the money was buried. The Madam struck the spade into the ground.
"Stop, I"ll do it!" said Josh.; "if you are bound to make a beggar of yourself it is no fault of mine."
The money was about eighteen inches under the level of the cellar floor, wrapped up in a piece of oil skin. It was soon unearthed and taken up stairs. Mrs. Maroney said:
"I will go and get the buggy, or--no! Josh.! you go to Stemples"s and get his team; tell him it is for me."