Frank V. Webster

“ Dan reached the farm just as it was getting dawn. He put the mare in her stall, after watering and feeding her, and then crawled up into the hay-mow, hoping to get a little sleep before it would be time to start on his day’s work.
He must have slept quite soundly, for the sun was shining into the barn when he was awakened by hearing Mr. Savage exclaim:
“Wa’al, I wonder what keeps that lazy boy?” Then the farmer caught sight of the mare in her stall. “Why, he’s back! I wonder where’s he hidin’? Loafin’ again, that’s what he is!” ”

“ The animal caught sight of the lowered bars, and, a moment later had done just as Dan expected, run into the upper lot.
Then something else happened. The bull, who was up to all such tricks, saw a weak spot in the fence. At it he went, full tilt, and, a moment later was off down the road bellowing and kicking up a cloud of dust.
[19] “The bull has escaped!” cried Dan. “Oh, what shall I do? He may kill somebody before he’s caught! Mr. Savage will blame me!” and he started down the highway in pursuit of the ugly animal. ”

“ If you should run away in the meanwhile, whoever went on your bond would have to pay a thousand dollars.”
Dan naturally thought of his employer, who was quite wealthy. Certainly he was worth two thousand dollars.
“Will you go bail for me?” asked the boy, turning to Mr. Savage.
“What’s that?” inquired the farmer, as if he had not heard aright.
“Will you be my bondsman?”
“Your bondsman? Go yer bail fer a thousand dollars? Wa’al, I guess not much, Dan Hardy! You must think I’ve got money t’ throw away,” cried the miserly farmer. ”

“ The constables straightened up in their chairs at thus hearing themselves mentioned.
At that moment Mr. Harrison, the blacksmith, went over and took a seat beside Dan.
“Here!” exclaimed the Judge. “What are you doing? You have no right there.”
“I am here to look after the interest of the prisoner, Dan Hardy,” said Mr. Harrison firmly.
[118] “But you’re not a lawyer. You’re only a blacksmith.”
“I know it, Squire Perkfell, but one does not need to be a lawyer to represent a person in the court of a justice of the peace. Your law books will tell you that.” ”

“ There is nothing in this world like education, and the best use I can put some of my money to is to enable you to rise in life.”
“Oh, Mr. Harrison. I never expected this!”
“Nor did I expect my legacy. It is good luck for both of us.”
And so it proved. Dan acquitted himself well [200] at school, and if you should go to Hayden now you would find it quite a thriving town, with a large machine shop, of which Dan Hardy, no longer a farm boy, is the head, having succeeded to all Mr. Harrison’s interests when that good soldier became too old to take an active part. ”

“ As Dan was hurrying along a straight stretch of road, with the bull some distance ahead of him, he saw a man walking just in advance of the animal. The man had come across lots and emerged upon the highway without seeing the bull.
“I hope old Pullox (which was the bull’s name) doesn’t attack that man,” thought Dan. “Perhaps he’ll run right by.”
But this, evidently, was not what the bull was going to do. Dan could hear the animal give a bellow of rage, then it halted, pounded the ground [25] with its fore feet, and prepared to charge on the man. ”

“ The upper lot and south pasture belonging to Mr. Savage were some distance away from the farm, and on a road that was not much used. However, this road connected with the main highway, near the village, and Dan’s fear was that the bull would run into town, creating no end of damage.
“I wonder if I can catch him?” the boy thought. “He’s a swift animal. Oh, dear! I hope he doesn’t meet any girl or woman with a red dress, or there’ll be a terrible time. I wonder why bulls hate red so? ”

“ So he kept on, although as he walked along the grass by the roadside, he was almost sure he heard the footsteps of some one on the highway.
“Wa’al, why didn’t ye stay all night?” demanded Mrs. Savage very ungraciously when Dan, who was very tired, came in. He did not answer, and, as there was no further demand [41] made on him, except to see that the henhouse was locked, he went up to bed.
Hard work is a good thing in one way, for it brings refreshing sleep. When Dan awoke the next morning he felt much better, physically and mentally. ”

“ He was continually kept busy doing “chores” about the farm from early dawn until dark, and, even then he was not through, for Susan Savage, Peter’s wife, used to make Dan help with the housework,—drying the dishes, blackening the stove, and even doing the sweeping. She found out Dan could do these things, as he had often helped his mother.
“He’s almost as good as a hired girl,” Susan confided to her husband, “and it’s cheaper to have him than it is a girl.”
“Then make him work, Susan,” said Peter. “Work is good fer boys. ”

“ DAN’S ARREST
As soon as Dan had made up his mind what he was going to do,—that is go to the village and tell the constables what he had seen that night,—he hurried with his corn hoeing.
“I think I’ll change my clothes before I go,” he said to himself. “These aren’t fit to go to town in. My others are not much better, but they haven’t quite so many holes.”
Dan had to wear second-hand clothes, or garments made over from those cast aside by his employer, for Mrs. Savage was determined not to spend any money on the lad. ”

“ Didn’t I save him from goin’ t’ th’ poorhouse, an’ ain’t I fed an’ clothed him since?”
“If you have, he has more than earned what he got. Dan,” went on the aged veteran, “you need not go back to the farm unless you want to. Squire Perkfell will tell you that Mr. Savage has no legal claim on you.”
“I guess that’s right,” ventured the Justice though he rather disliked to side with the boy who had been a prisoner before him.
“All right then!” exclaimed the angry farmer, “go t’ th’ poorhouse! That’s th’ place fer ye! ”

“ What Dan had resolved upon was rather a rash thing, but he did not think so at the time. Boys, when they feel that they are in the right, often go ahead regardless of consequences. It was so in Dan’s case.
He had decided to get the books that belonged to him, and this was how he was going to do it. He knew they were in the attic room, and he also knew, from experience, that he could get into the room from the old apple tree, as he had done that day when the constables caught him as he was coming down. ”

“ I know Peter Savage, and he’s a hard man to work for. I wish I could help you, Dan, for the sake of your mother and father, who often did me good turns, but I can barely make a living for myself. Times are very hard. I had to walk five miles to-day to get the job of repairing this wagon. The man said if I’d come after it I could fix it for him, so I tramped after it, borrowed his horse and I’m taking the wagon to my shop. ”

“ I should think you’d be ashamed of yourself to harm one who never injured you!”
[172] “He set a bull after me once,” muttered Mr. Lee.
But the mention of the bull, and the memory of what had happened, set the crowd to laughing.
“There is no need of going into that old story now,” went on Mr. Harrison. “I have given you fair warning. You can talk about the robbery as much as you please, but any reference to Dan Hardy, as one of the robbers, must not be made.”
“No, it ain’t right,” put in Constable Wolff, coming into the store at that moment.
“Got any new evidence?” asked a man in the crowd. ”

“ Savage as soon as he gets back,” promised the hired man, but Dan felt that he would receive little consolation from [101] his mean employer, though the farmer could not refuse to testify in his favor.
“And I’ll tell Dr. Maxwell,” added Silas Martin, as he rode back to the house that had been robbed.
There was great excitement in the village when the two constables drove in, with Dan seated between them. The news of the robbery had spread like wildfire, and, to the eager inquiries that were met with on every side, the two officials told of Dan’s arrest.
“There he is! There’s the robber!” ”

“ As the boy went on with his work, after his employer had left him, he could not help thinking of the rather mysterious stranger, who had asked so many questions.
“I wonder what he wanted?” he said to himself. “Perhaps he was a new doctor, looking for a place to establish a practice. But I don’t believe Hayden is big enough for two doctors. Maybe, as Mr. Savage says, he’s a book agent. He seemed to have plenty of money. He figured out I get fifteen dollars a day. Land! if I got fifteen cents for myself I’d be lucky,” and Dan sighed. ”

“ Curious, but that Confederate bullet is as good as a barometer. I can tell for sure when it’s going to rain. When I can’t make a living blacksmithing any more I’m going to hire out as a weather prophet,” and the veteran laughed heartily at his misfortune.
The two chatted pleasantly during the ride, the blacksmith, at Dan’s request, relating some of his war experiences. In turn Mr. Harrison sought to draw from the boy something about his life at the Savage farm, but Dan was not the one to complain, even if he did have it hard. ”

“ When Mr. Harrison and Dan went home for dinner that noon, they received an unpleasant surprise. They met Truem Mellock near their cottage. Truem was a sort of village gossip, being a lazy, shiftless man, who did odd jobs enough to make a bare living, but who would stick at nothing long.
“I s’pose ye heard all about th’ robbery?” he said.
“I think we have, unless they have caught the burglars,” replied Mr. Harrison.
“No, they ain’t yet, but if Hank had his way, theer’d be an arrest made.”
“An arrest? What do you mean?”
“Wa’al, I ain’t tellin’ no secret when I say he suspects some one.” ”

“ Yet he rather welcomed the long walk to the south pasture to let the bull into the upper lot. The animal was a large one, and was well known about the countryside as a savage creature, somewhat like his owner.
“I hope he doesn’t get out,” thought Dan, as he neared the pasture. “I guess the best way would be to go in quietly, so he doesn’t catch sight of me, let down the bars leading into the upper lot, and then show myself. The bull will begin to run around as he always does, then he’ll notice that [18] the bars are down, and he’ll go just where I want him to.” ”

“ I intend to sell out my business as soon as I can, and start a small machine shop in the village. I think one is needed. Part of the property I inherited is near the river, and I can build a shop run by water power, which will be economical. I will hire several men, and if you wish, you can work for me.”
[141] “I should not ask anything better,” said Dan. “I did not like farm work, but I did it because there was nothing else to do. I am fond of machinery.” ”

“ He’s a queer man, but he seems to have plenty of money. But, if you’re going to Mr. Lee’s store, you’d better get out here. Sorry I can’t give you a ride back.”
“You’ve given me a good lift as it was,” said Dan, as he alighted with the molasses jug. The blacksmith turned off into another street, and, as Dan started for the general store, he saw the stranger waving his hand to some one. Turning to see who it was, Dan beheld a rather poorly [47] dressed individual join the man in front of the shoe store.
“Well, he evidently knows some one in the village,” thought Dan. ”

“ Savage, coming in from the barn. “Hey, Dan! Ain’t ye back at shellin’ corn yet? Land sakes! I never see sech a lazy boy!”
“Look a-here!” exclaimed Mrs. Savage. “This quarter’s a counterfeit,” and she quickly told the story of it.
“Land o’ Tunket!” cried Mr. Savage. “I’ve been swindled, that’s what I have. That was a slick feller, what was talkin’ t’ ye that day, Dan. It’s all your fault, too. Ef ye hadn’t been so ready t’ answer his questions he’d a gone on about his business, an’ I wouldn’t be out a quarter. It’s all your fault.” ”

“ All you would have to do would be to sign the paper.”
“Yes, an’ ef ye took a notion t’ skip out between now an’ th’ time of yer trial, I’d have t’ pay th’ thousand dollars.”
“But I promise I’ll not ‘skip out’ as you call it Mr. Savage.”
[131] “Wa’al, I ain’t takin’ th’ word of a thief!”
“Do you think I’m a thief?” asked Dan indignantly.
“Ain’t ye jest been found guilty?”
“No, he has not!” exclaimed Mr. Harrison. “Only a jury of twelve men has a right to say whether or not he is guilty. He is only held for trial.”
“Wa’al, I ain’t goin’ t’ risk no thousand dollars on him.” ”

“ Dan did not mind the walk so much this morning, as it would rest his back from the wearisome labor of turning the corn sheller. He got the molasses jug and started off, striking up a whistling chorus.
“Oh, let up on that!” exclaimed Mrs. Savage who was in no very good humor, because the bread had not “come up” properly. “Boys is always makin’ useless noises. Ye’ll walk faster ef ye don’t whistle, an’ I want that molasses t’ make a Johnny cake fer dinner.” ”

“ At the very worst there is only a suspicion against him, and a wicked and unjust suspicion it is.”
“Wa’al, I don’t say Dan robbed my store, but I’ve got my suspicions that he might know suthin’ of the gang that did.”
“That’s not so!” exclaimed Dan hotly, unable to control himself any longer.
“Easy, Dan,” counseled Mr. Harrison in a low voice. Then addressing the storekeeper he went on: “Now I want to warn you, Mr. Lee. I heard the rumors you were circulating about Dan, and if I hear any more I shall take legal means to stop you. ”

“ Lots of people look at the sign in a hurry, and think it says Pokeville.”
“I should think they’d make the letters big enough so people could read them easily,” remarked Dan.
“That’s what they ought to.”
“What’s the matter? Is the house afire?” demanded a woman sticking her head out beside that of the man.
[66] “No, no, Mandy. Every time there’s any excitement at night you think there’s a fire.”
“Well, the chimbley was on fire onct!”
“Yes, but it isn’t now. This is a boy inquiring his way to Pokeville. Some one is sick and he’s taking her some medicine.” ”

“ There is no other blacksmith in the village to whom people can go. Besides, I like to work.”
It would seem so, from the way the sturdy old man rained blow after blow on a glowing piece of iron, hammering it into shape, while the red sparks flew all around.
When the iron cooled he thrust it into the forge [144] fire, and, with bared arms he worked the bellows handle causing the flames and sparks to shoot up the chimney, and lighting the smithy with a yellow glow.
“Can’t I help at something?” asked Dan. ”