"What are you going to do with it?" asked John Ellison.
Young Joe grinned. "Going to give it to Witham," he said.
In preparation for this act of generosity, Young Joe proceeded to carve upon one side of the pumpkin a huge, grinning face. Having finished which, with due satisfaction to artistic details, he stood off and admired his own handiwork.
"Looks a little like Witham," he said. "Only it looks better-natured than he does."
"You"d better let Witham alone," said George Warren, a.s.suming the patronizing tone of an elder brother. "He"s in a bad humour these days."
"Not going to do any harm," replied Young Joe. "Going to put it up on the flag-pole, eh Tim? Come along with us?"
"Why, if it"s got to be done," said Henry Burns, speaking with the utmost gravity, "I suppose we might as well go along and see that it"s done right and shipshape;" and he arose from his chair. So, too, the others, save John Ellison.
"You fellows go ahead," he said, "and then come back. I don"t feel like playing a joke on Witham. I"m too much in earnest about him."
"That"s so," returned Henry Burns. "I don"t blame you. We"ll be back in no time."
They went down the hill, soon after, carrying the pumpkin between them by turns. They cut across the field on the hill slope, crossed the old bridge over the brook, and went on up the road toward the Half Way House.
"Look out for Bess Thornton," said Jim Ellison, who had accompanied them. "She and the old woman are here now for the winter, keeping house for Witham."
"She won"t let on, if she comes out," said Tim.
But they saw nothing of her. Tired out with her day"s work, the girl had gone to bed and was soundly sleeping.
They arrived presently at a little plot of gra.s.s in front of the inn, from the centre of which there rose up a lofty flag-pole. It had been erected by some former proprietor, for the patriotic purpose of flying the American flag; but, to Colonel Witham"s thrifty mind, it had offered an excellent vantage for displaying a dingy banner, with the advertis.e.m.e.nt of the Half Way House lettered thereon. This fluttered now in a mournful way, half way up the mast, as though it were a sign of mourning for the quality of food and lodging one might expect at the hands of Colonel Witham.
A dim light shone in the two front office windows of the inn, but the shades were drawn so that they could not see within. Other than the lamplight, there seemed to be a flickering, uncertain, intermittent gleam, or variation of the light, indicating probably a fire in the open hearth.
The boys waited now for a moment, till Henry Burns, who had volunteered, went quietly up toward the hotel, to reconnoitre. He came back presently, saying that there was a side window, shaded only by a blind, half-closed on the outside, through which he had been able to make out old Granny Thornton and Colonel Witham seated by the fire.
"Run up the pumpkin," he said; "I"ll go back there again and keep watch.
If Witham starts to come out, I"ll whistle, and we"ll cut and run."
He went back to the window, and took up his place there.
"Cracky!" exclaimed Young Joe; "who"s going to shin that pole? It"s a high one. Wish I hadn"t eaten that last piece of pie. How about you, Tim?"
"I can do it," a.s.serted Tim, stoutly.
"Nonsense!" exclaimed Harvey. "There"s the halyards. What more do you want? You cut a hole through the pumpkin, George, clear through the middle, so we can pa.s.s an end of the rope, and I"ll see that it goes up, and stays."
The pumpkin being duly pierced, one free end of the halyard was pa.s.sed through the hole. Then Harvey proceeded to tie a running knot, through which he pa.s.sed the other free end of rope. They took hold with a will, and hoisted. Quickly, the golden pumpkin was borne aloft; when it brought up at the top of the pole, the running knot drew tight, and the pumpkin was fast--with the difficulty presenting itself to whomever should seek to get it down, that the harder one pulled on the loose end of rope, the tighter he would draw the knot that held the thing high in air.
Now it shone forth in the darkness like an evil sort of beacon, its silly grotesque face grinning like a true hobgoblin of Hallowe"en; for, having scooped out its pulp and seeds, they had set a candle therein and lighted it just before they sent it aloft.
"Great, isn"t it?" chuckled Young Joe. "Now let"s get Henry Burns, and give Colonel Witham notice." But, strangely enough, Henry Burns did not respond to their whistles, low at first, then repeated with louder insistence.
"That"s funny," said George Warren. "Wait here a minute and I"ll go and get him." But, to his surprise, when he had approached the corner of the inn, where he could see Henry Burns, still crouching by the half-opened blind, the latter youth turned for a moment and motioned energetically for him to keep away.
"Come on," whispered George Warren, "the thing"s up; we want to get Witham out to see it."
But Henry Burns only turned again and uttered a warning "sh-h-h," then resumed his place at the window.
George Warren crept up, softly.
It was not surprising that Henry Burns had been interested by what he saw in the old room of the inn, and by what he at length came to hear.
At first glance, there was Colonel Witham, fat and red-faced, strangely aroused, evidently labouring under some excitement, addressing himself vigorously to the old woman who sat close by. His heavy fist came down, now and then, with a thump on the arm of the chair in which he sat; and each time this happened poor old Granny Thornton jumped nervously as though she had been struck a blow. Her thin, peaked face was drawn and anxious; her eyes were fixed and staring; and she shook as though her feeble old frame would collapse.
Henry Burns, surprised at this queer pantomine, gazed for a moment, unable to hear what was being said. Then, the voice of Colonel Witham, raised to a high pitch, could be clearly distinguished. What he said surprised Henry Burns still more.
"I tell you I"ll have her," cried Colonel Witham; "you"ve got to give her to me. What are you afraid of? I won"t starve her. Where"ll she go when you die, if you don"t? Let her go to the poorhouse, will you?"
And he added, heartlessly, "You can"t live much longer; don"t you know that?"
Old Granny Thornton, half lifting herself from her chair, shook her head and made a reply to Colonel Witham, which Henry Burns could not hear.
But what she said was perhaps indicated by Colonel Witham"s reply.
"Yes, I do like her," he said. "She"s a flyaway and up to tricks, but I"ll take that out of her. I"ll bring her up better than you could. I need her to help take care of the place."
Again the woman appeared to remonstrate. She pointed a bony finger at Colonel Witham and spoke excitedly. Colonel Witham"s face flushed with anger.
"I tell you you"ve got to give her to me," he cried. "I"ll swear you put her in my charge. I"ll take her. It"s that, or I"ll pack you both off to the poorhouse. I"ll make out the papers for you to sign. You"ll do it; you"ve got to."
Old Granny Thornton sprang from her chair with a vigour excited by her agitation. She clutched an arm of the chair with one hand, while she raised the other impressively, like a witness swearing to an oath in court. And now, her voice keyed high with excitement, these words fell upon the ears of Henry Burns:
"You"ll never get her, Dan Witham. You can"t have her. She"s been here too long already. She"s going back, now. I can"t give her away, because--because she"s not mine to give. She"s not mine, I tell you.
She"s not mine!"
Then, her strength exhausted by the utterance, she sank back once more into her seat.
Colonel Witham, his face blank with amazement, sought now to rouse her once more. He arose and grasped her by an arm. He shook her.
"Whose is she, then, if she"s not yours?" he asked. "Whom does she belong to?"
What answer Granny Thornton made--if any--to this inquiry, was lost to Henry Burns; for, at this moment, George Warren, stealing to the window, tripped over a running vine and fell with a crash, amid a row of milk pans that Henry Burns had carefully avoided.
Henry Burns got one fleeting glimpse of the two by the fire springing up in alarm, as he and George Warren fled from the spot. A moment more, the others had joined them in flight, whooping and yelling to bring Colonel Witham to the door.
Looking back, as they ran, they saw presently a square patch of light against the dark background of the house, where Colonel Witham had thrown wide the front door; and, in the light that streamed forth from within, the figure of the colonel stood disclosed in full relief. He was gesticulating wildly, with angry gaze directed toward the grinning face of the pumpkin.
Colonel Witham strode down from the piazza and walked rapidly to the foot of the flag-staff. He seized the one end of the halyards that dangled within reach, and jerked hard upon it, endeavouring to shake the pumpkin from its lofty position. But it was of no avail. Every tug upon the rope served only to tighten the knot. The colonel glared helplessly for a moment, and then returned into the inn.
Again he emerged, bearing something in his hand, which he raised and aimed directly at the gleaming face. A report rang out. The echoes of the sound of Colonel Witham"s shotgun startled the crows in all the nests around. But the pumpkin stayed. The shot had only buried itself within its soft sh.e.l.l. The colonel would not give up so easily, however.
Again and again he fired, hoping to shatter the pumpkin, or to sever the rope that held it.
Presently a shot extinguished the light within; and it was no longer an easy mark to see. Breathing vengeance upon all the boys for miles around, Colonel Witham finally gave it up, and retired, vanquished, to the inn, to await another day. The pumpkin was still aloft.
"Say, Henry," asked George Warren, as they started off up the hill again, "what did you see in there, anyway? What did you want me to keep away for?"