i remained in the back room long enough to assure myself that mrs. fishley did not intend to put a rude hand upon flora. i even ventured to hope that she was ashamed of herself, and would not repeat the dastardly act. i went to the barn to consider the situation. i felt just as though i had won the victory over my tyrants in the present battle; but i was confident that the conflict would be renewed at some more favorable time.
like all small-minded men, like all tyrants and oppressors, captain fishley was a revengeful person. he would wait till he caught me napping, and then spring some trap upon me. he would delay his vengeance till some circumstances conspired against me, and then come down upon me with the whole weight of his malignity. i determined to keep a [45]sharp lookout upon all his movements, and especially to avoid all cause of offence myself. i meant to keep myself as straight as i possibly could.
i had time only to run my course through my mind before the supper-bell was rung at the back door by mrs. fishley. should i go in to supper as usual, and meet the whole family, including ham? i answered this question in the affirmative, deciding that i would not sulk, or make any unnecessary trouble to any one. i went in, and took my seat as usual at the table, by the side of flora. it was a very solemn occasion, for hardly a word was spoken during the meal. if i had been ugly, i might have congratulated myself upon the sensation i had produced.
the head of the family sweetened his tea twice, and upset the milk-pitcher upon the table-cloth, which, under ordinary circumstances, would have brought forth some sharp criticisms from his wife; but mrs. fishley neglected to express her disapprobation of her spouse's carelessness, even in the mildest terms. all these things assured me that our host and hostess were busy thinking of the great event [46]of the afternoon. the captain looked morose and savage, and mrs. fishley looked as though a new burden, or a new grief, had been added to her heavy load of worldly cares.
i half suspected that captain fishley was not entirely satisfied with the conduct of either his wife or his son. it was even possible that he had spoken to them in disapprobation of their course; but i had no means of knowing. it seemed to me that otherwise father, mother, and son would have joined in a general jaw at me, as they had often done before. whatever good or evil had been wrought by my vigorous action, my appetite was not impaired. i ate a hearty supper, and then went into the store for the mail-bag, which was to be carried down to riverport.
"are you going after the mail, buck?" asked captain fishley, in an ugly, taunting tone, which assured me that he had not recovered from the shock.
"yes, sir."
"o, you are! i didn't know but you would give up work altogether," sneered he, apparently disappointed to find me no longer a rebel.[47]
"i told you i should do my work just as i always did. all i want is fair treatment for my sister and myself," i replied in the least offensive tones i could command.
"i expect my brother, squire fishley, will come up to-night," added the captain, more mildly. "you will go to the hotel in riverport for him, and bring him up. take a lantern with you; it will be dark to-night."
squire fishley had been a state senator, and the captain regarded him as one of the greatest men in wisconsin. i was rather pleased to have his company home on the lonely ride from riverport, and i confess that i was somewhat proud of making the acquaintance of the distinguished gentleman.
"don't be in a hurry, buck," said ham fishley, as i picked up the mail-bag.
i stopped and looked at him, for his tones were more conciliatory than i had heard him use within my remembrance. i actually flattered myself that i had conquered a peace.
"i want to ride with you as far as crofton's," he added. "i have been very busy getting ready, and [48]haven't had time to black my boots yet. it's a pretty stylish party i'm going to, and i want to look as scrumptious as any of them. will you black them for me? i'll be much obliged to you if you will."
"certainly i will, ham, when you ask me in that way, and glad to do it for you," i replied, without hesitating an instant.
i took the boots and went to work upon them. there was an unmistakable smile of triumph on his face as i did so; but i was perfectly satisfied that the triumph was mine, not his. doubtless those civil, polite words were an invention of the enemy, to win my compliance; and ham, forgetting that i had not rebelled against the work, but only the tyrannical style of his order, was weak enough to believe that he had conquered me. i made up my mind to review the circumstances, and explain my position to him, on the way to crofton's.
"hasn't that letter come yet, captain fishley?" asked an ancient maiden lady, who entered the store while i was polishing ham's boots.
"i haven't seen anything of it yet, miss larrabee," replied the postmaster.[49]
"dear me! what shall i do!" exclaimed the venerable spinster. "my brother, down in ohio, promised to send me forty dollars; and i want the money awfully. i was going down to see jim's folks, but i can't go, nor nothin', till that money comes. i hain't got nothin' to pay for goin' with, you see."
"i'm very sorry, miss larrabee. perhaps the letter will come in to-night's mail," added the captain.
"but the mail don't git in till nine or ten o'clock, and that's after bedtime. ethan writ me the money would be here by to-day, at the furthest. you don't suppose it's got lost—do you?"
"i think not. we've never lost anything in our office, leastwise not since i've been postmaster," answered captain fishley, who seemed to attribute the fact to his own superior management.
"it may come up to-night, as you say, and i will be down again in the morning to see about it," replied miss larrabee, as she left the store, hopeful that the money would arrive in season to enable her to depart the next day on her journey.
i finished blacking ham's boots, and he put them [50]on. he was going to a party at crofton's, and had already dressed himself as sprucely as the resources of torrentville would permit. he was seventeen years old, and somewhat inclined to be "fast." he was rather a good-looking fellow—an exceedingly good-looking fellow in his own estimation. being an only son, his father and mother were disposed to spoil him, though not even ham wholly escaped the sharp points and obliquities of his mother's temper. his father gave him what he believed to be a liberal allowance of spending money; but on this subject there was a disagreement between ham and the "old man."
the young man always wanted more money, and the old man thought he had enough. ham was pleasantly inclined towards some of the young ladies, and some of the young ladies were pleasantly inclined towards him. ham liked to take them out to ride, especially squire crofton's youngest daughter, in the stable-keeper's new buggy; but his father thought the light wagon, used as a pleasure vehicle by the family, was good enough even for elsie crofton. i had heard some sharp disputes between them on this subject.[51]
there was to be a party that evening at crofton's. ham was invited of course; i was not. ham was considered a young man. i was deemed a boy, not competent to go to parties yet. as long as flora could not go, i was content to stay at home with her.
i placed the mail-bag in the wagon, ham took his seat by my side, and i drove off. as the reader already knows my position in regard to my tyrants, i need not repeat what passed between ham and me. i told him i had made up my mind to do all the work i had been in the habit of doing, without grumbling, until october, but that i would not be treated like a dog any longer; i would take to the woods and live like a bear before i would stand it. my remarks were evidently very distasteful to my companion. he did not say much, and i was sorry to see that he was nursing his wrath against me. he regarded me as a being vastly inferior to himself, and the decided stand i had taken filled him with the same kind of indignation which a brutal teamster feels towards his contrary horse.
"hold on a minute, buck; i want to get a drink [52]of water," said ham, as we approached a spring by the roadside, half a mile before we reached crofton's.
i drew up the black horse, and he jumped out of the wagon. he did not drink more than a swallow; and i did not think he was very thirsty.
"go ahead!" said he, leaping into the rear of the wagon, behind the seat, where i had thrown the mail-bag.
he sat down on the end-board of the wagon, and though i thought it a little strange that he should take such an uncomfortable seat, especially when he had on his best clothes, i did not suspect any mischief. the first thing i knew after i had started the horse, the mail-bag came down upon my head with a force which made me see more stars than ever before twinkled in the firmament of my imagination. at the next instant, ham seized me by the collar of my coat with both hands, in such a way that i could not easily move.
"now, buck bradford, we'll settle this business. i'm going to know who's master, you or i," cried ham.
"all right, ham; you shall know in about two [53]minutes and a half," i replied, choking with wrath, as i hauled in the horse.
then commenced a struggle which it is impossible to describe. i do not myself know what i did, only that i thrashed, squirmed, and twisted till i found myself behind the seat with my antagonist; but he held on to my coat-collar as though his salvation depended upon the tenacity of his grip. finally i doubled myself up, and came out of my coat. in the twinkling of an eye, i sprang upon him, and tumbled him out of the wagon, into the dirt of the road. though he was a year older and two inches taller than i was, while he had been clerking it in the store, i had been nursing my muscles with the shovel and the hoe, the pitchfork and the axe; and i was the stronger and tougher of the two. i could do more, and bear more, than he. a fight depends as much upon the ability to endure injury as it does to inflict it.
the rough usage i had given ham was very disheartening to him; while i, with the exception of being a little shaky about the head from the blow of the mail-bag, was as fresh as ever.[54]
"have you found out who's master yet, ham?" i demanded, edging up to him.
he looked sheepish, and retreated a pace at every step i advanced. at this point, however, the black horse started, and i was obliged to abandon the field for a moment to attend to him, for the reins had fallen under his feet. i turned the horse around, and then i saw that my cowardly assailant had armed himself with a club.
