the appearance of the constable was a sufficient explanation of the misfortune which had befallen me. the man with him was a stranger to me. the mail boy had delivered his message to captain fishley, and the constable had been sent down to riverport to arrest me; but not finding me there, and probably learning from the hotel-keeper where i had gone, he lay in wait for me at the ford.
the officer and his companion were unnecessarily rough and insulting to me, i thought; but when i consider the exceedingly bad reputation which i had made, i am not much surprised. i was dragged out of the boat, my legs soused into the water, and my elaborate toilet—made in view of the fact that i was to face miss emily goodridge during the excursion—was badly deranged.[280]
of course emily and flora screamed when i was pulled out of the boat; but i could hardly help laughing, in spite of my mishap, when i saw sim gwynn standing on the seat of the boat so as to exhibit his bow legs to the best advantage, with the stupid stare of wonder and terror on his face. the boat was floating down the river with the current, bearing my companions away from me.
"row back to the hotel, sim, and tell my brother i have been taken up," i shouted.
"hookie!" responded sim.
before i could say any more, my savage captors, with as much parade and violence as though i had been a grizzly bear, dragged me to the wagon in the road, in which sat captain fishley. i was satisfied that sim, after he recovered his senses, would be able to conduct the boat in safety to the hotel, and i did not worry about my companions.
"well, buck bradford," said my old tyrant, "you are caught at last."
"yes, i am caught at last," i replied; for i had resolved to put a cheerful face upon the matter.
"what have you done with the money you stole from the letter?" he demanded, gruffly.[281]
"i didn't steal any money from the letter. you will have to ask ham fishley what has become of that money."
"he seems to be dressed better than he was. i suppose he laid it out for fine clothes," added the constable.
"do you persist in saying that ham fishley robbed the mail?" said the captain, angrily.
"i do; and i think i shall be able to prove it, too."
"you see, the fellow is a black-hearted scoundrel," said the postmaster, turning to the man who was a stranger to me, and who, i afterwards learned, was a post-office agent or detective. "this boy has been in my family for several years, but he tries to screen himself by laying his crime to my son."
"have you got any money about you?" asked the constable.
"i have," i replied.
"search him," added the captain, eagerly.
"you needn't be so savage about it," said i, when the constable came at me as though i had been a royal bengal tiger, with dangerous claws and teeth. "i'll submit without any pounding."[282]
i turned out my pockets. i had bought a new porte-monnaie in new orleans, and all my funds were in it. my old one, which contained the burnt envelope, was in my carpet-bag at the hotel, so that i had no motive for concealing anything. the officer opened the porte-monnaie, and counted fifty-one dollars in bills, which he took from it. the trip down the river had cost me about seventy dollars, but the proceeds of the raft and its furniture had added twenty-five dollars to my exchequer. as my brother had paid all my expenses on the journey up the river, i had only spent a few dollars, mostly for the hotel boat.
"here is more money than was taken from the letter," said the constable.
"that only proves that he has robbed the mail more than once," replied captain fishley.
the post-office agent opened his eyes, and seemed to me to look incredulous.
"has this boy had anything to do with the mail during the last two months?" asked he.
"not that i know of," replied the postmaster.
the agent nodded his head, and did not seem to [283]be quite satisfied. i surmised that ham had been robbing other letters.
"where have you been for two months?" asked the agent, turning to me.
"i have been to new orleans," i answered.
"you haven't been about here, then?"
"no, sir."
"put him in the wagon, and we will drive home," said captain fishley.
the post-office agent took me in charge, and he was not so rude and rough as the constable. he placed me on the back seat of the wagon, and sat beside me himself. all three of my companions plied me with questions on the way, and i told them all about my trip to new orleans on the raft.
"is clarence in riverport?" asked captain fishley, much astonished, and i thought troubled also.
"he is."
"what did you come back here for, after you had robbed the mail?" he demanded.
"i came back to prove that i didn't rob the mail."
"i guess you can't prove that."[284]
"i guess i can."
"how long has clarence been in riverport?"
"three days."
"why don't he come up to torrentville and see the folks?"
"he's coming. we were waiting in riverport to see a gentleman first," i answered.
after i had told my story, they ceased questioning me, and i had an opportunity to consider my position. ham fishley would not be glad to see me. it would be more convenient for him not to have any examination into the circumstances attending the robbing of the mail. from one or two remarks of the post-office agent, i had come to the conclusion that other letters than miss larrabee's were missing. besides, the demeanor of this man towards me was so considerate after i told my story, that i was confident he had his doubts in regard to my guilt.
captain fishley drove up to the door of the store, and i was told to get out. i obeyed, and went into the store. there i saw ham fishley. i fancied that he looked pale, and that his lip quivered when he saw me.[285]
"got back—have you, buck?" said he, with a ghastly grin.
"yes, i've got back," i replied, with becoming dignity.
"they say the way of the transgressor is hard," he added.
"i think you will find it so, ham, before this business is finished."
"you still lay it to me," he added, angrily.
mrs. fishley, hearing of my arrival, hastened into the shop to see me.
"so, you monster, you! you have come back—have you?" she began, in the same refreshing, snarling tones which had so often enlivened my existence in the past.
"i have come back, mrs. fishley; or rather i have been brought back," i replied, pleasantly; for i felt that i could afford to be good-natured.
"yes, mother; and he still sticks to it that i robbed the mail—that i did!" added ham, with the same sickly grin.
"i should like to know!" exclaimed she, placing her arms a-kimbo, and staring me full in the face.[286] "i should like to know! haven't we done enough for you, buck bradford, that you want to use us in this way? how du'st you run away, and take flora with you? you will make her as bad as yourself byme-by."
"i hope not," i replied, smiling.
"she went all the way to new orleans with him on a raft, and so did that sim gwynn," interposed the captain.
"well, there's no end of wonders with bad boys. but where's flora now?" asked mrs. fishley.
"she's at the hotel in riverport, with clarence and his wife."
my female tyrant wanted to know all about it, and i told her; but i will omit the torrent of snapping, snarling, and abuse she poured out upon me for my base ingratitude to her who had always treated me like a son. by this time the news had begun to circulate in the village that "the mail robber" had been caught, and men, women, and children came to see the awful monster. it was an awkward and uncomfortable situation for me; but i consoled myself by anticipating the triumphant [287]acquittal which awaited me. when the people had gazed at me to their satisfaction, the constable conducted me to the jail. i did not shudder, as i supposed i should, when i was cast into the lonely cell, for i knew i was innocent.
i had been there but a couple of hours, when the door was opened, and clarence came in. sim had succeeded in navigating the boat back to the hotel, and the story of my mishap had been told by flora.
"the steamer arrived just before i left," said my brother. "a gentleman came to the hotel inquiring for you. who was he, buck?"
"he will tell you himself, if he chooses. i suppose he is the person i wish to see."
"buck, i have had my doubts from the beginning; but i feel more confident now that you are innocent," he added, taking me by the hand, and exhibiting much emotion. "i have given bail for your appearance before the magistrate in the morning, and you may come with me now."
"i just as lief stay here as not; i am innocent," i replied.
"i have been talking with the post-office detective, [288]who appears to be a very fair man. he says a valuable letter, which failed to reach its owner, has been traced to this office since you went away. of course you could not have taken that."
"nor the other."
we left the jail and went to the hotel in torrentville, where we met the detective. i gave him some information in regard to ham fishley's habits, and he called in the keeper of the livery stable connected with the hotel. this man assured him that ham had paid him over thirty dollars within two months for the use of his best team. i suggested that he should visit crofton's, and ascertain what presents miss elsie had received from her lover, for this was the relation my young tyrant sustained to her, in spite of his and her tender age. he was not quite willing to ask her himself, but he purposed to find out by some means. i was very sure that ham's father had not given him thirty dollars for horse hire within two months.
i did not sleep much that night, i was so nervous and excited. early the next morning i went down to riverport with clarence. as we drove by [289]the post-office i saw captain fishley and the senator come out of the house. i felt safe then. how flora hugged me when i met her! how she wept when i told her i had been put in jail! and how glad emily was to see me!
we breakfasted with our friends, and as my examination before the magistrate was to take place at ten o'clock, the whole party started for torrentville immediately. sim gwynn had some doubts about going up to torrentville, and said "hookie" with more than usual emphasis, when the thing was proposed to him; but mr. goodridge promised to save him from barkspear's wrath, and he consented to go.
at ten o'clock our entire party, seven in number, entered the office of squire ward, where the preliminary examination was to take place.
