the next morning, long before the sun showed himself above the tree-tops, the evans family were all astir. they always rose at an early hour, and it was probably more from the force of habit than for any other reason, for, with the exception of mrs. evans, none of them did any work until after they had eaten breakfast. even the chores were left until the male members of the family had broken their fast, for godfrey declared that it was not healthy, in that climate, to breathe too much of the early morning air, it was so laden with miasma and the seeds of fever and ague; but he did not seem to think it at all injurious if inhaled through the fumes of tobacco smoke, and while seated on the bench beside the cabin door. that bench served godfrey in lieu of an easy-chair. when he was not hunting in the woods or loafing at the landing, he was always to be found there, smoking and thinking.
[pg 126]on the morning of this particular day, godfrey arose from his “shake down” with the air of a lord, and astonished two members of his family and alarmed another, by giving them all a hearty greeting. when he had dressed himself he filled his pipe, and walking out of the door with a slow and dignified step, stood with his hands on his hips, looking about him as if he were monarch of all he surveyed. mrs. evans said to herself that that was the way he used to act in the good old days; while dan communed thus with himself:
“if me an’ pop had been out a diggin’ fur that thar bar’l last night, an’ had done found it, i should know that that was what ails him this mornin’; but seein’ we didn’t dig fur the bar’l, i don’t know what’s the matter of him. he don’t walk with that big leg, an’ sling on all them extry frills, fur nothin’, an’ i’m afeared he’s smelled out somethin’. if he has——”
dan did not say what he should do, but he shook his head in the most threatening manner, and having drawn on his clothes, clapped his hat on his head, and hurried out of the door. his father looked at him as he disappeared around the corner of the cabin, but made no sign beyond looking in at the door to[pg 127] satisfy himself that the rawhide was hanging in its accustomed place.
in a few minutes dan returned and confronted his sire. his face wore a fierce frown, and he looked mad enough for almost anything. he began operations by jumping up and knocking his heels together, coming down with a jar and with his feet spread out as if he were bracing himself for a shock of some kind. this is an indispensable prelude to all games of fisticuffs in the south and west. no backwoods pugilist ever thinks of going into a fight without thus preparing himself for it. sometimes a few indian yells, given with all the power of the lungs, help matters wonderfully. dan went through the performance just to show his father how angry he was, and to give him some idea of the damage he would do if he only possessed the power. godfrey looked pleasantly at him, and seated himself on the bench.
“give me them six dollars an’ six bits, dog-gone my buttons,” sputtered dan, who could hardly speak plainly enough to be understood. then he seemed to regain control of his tongue, and without giving his father a chance to reply, went on: “i knowed yesterday that ye was up to something,” said he,[pg 128] “an’ i knowed this mornin’ when i first seed ye a struttin’ about, that ye’d been an’ done some mean trick. you’ve been a pokin’ into my things. you’ve got my money an’ my powder an’ lead, an’ i want ’em. the money’s mine, an’ i——”
“it’s your’n, is it?” exclaimed godfrey. “whar did ye get it, an’ how come ye by it?”
“didn’t i tell ye i got three an’ a half fur that hind quarter of beef?”
“yes, but whar did ye get the rest?”
“didn’t ye tell me it didn’t make no odds to ye whar i got it so long as i did get it?” asked dan.
“that was yesterday,” answered godfrey. “it didn’t make no odds to me yesterday, but it’s to-morrer now, an’ it makes a heap of odds. it’s my bounden duty to find out whar ye got it an’ how ye came by it, kase mebbe it wasn’t honest.”
“whoop!” yelled dan, jumping up and knocking his heels together in the excess of his rage. “honest! it’s a heap honester nor it is to go arter dark into a man’s tater-patch an’ dig up the bar’l o’ money he’s got kivered up thar. now, ole man, i’ll tell ye what’s the gospel truth about that thar bar’l,” added dan, a bright idea striking him. “if ye’ll give my money back to me, i won’t say nothing[pg 129] about it; but if ye don’t, i’ll go straight to the gen’ral——”
“whoop!” shouted godfrey, in his turn.
as the word left his lips he jumped up from the bench and made a furious rush toward his son, but did not succeed in laying hands upon him. the place where dan was standing became suddenly vacant, and a moment afterward a very scared face looked at godfrey between the rails of the fence that surrounded the cabin.
“yes, i will,” repeated dan, who felt comparatively safe now. “i’ll go straight to the gen’ral an’ tell him what ye’re up to, an’ then what’ll become of yer bar’l with the eighty thousand into it?”
“an’ what’ll become of yer shiny hats an’ boots, an’ yer circus hosses, an’ yer guns that break in two in the middle?” retorted godfrey, as soon as his rage would allow him to speak.
“i don’t care,” replied dan, “i want my six dollars and six bits fust; an’ if i don’t get ’em, i’ll knock all yer ’rangements higher nor the moon. i will, i don’t care if i don’t sleep in the house fur a month arter it.”
“ye’ll never sleep in my house again if ye do that,” said godfrey. “but, dannie, thar ain’t no[pg 130] use in me an’ you fightin’ over these few greenbacks, when thar’s eighty thousand dollars in gold and silver to be had fur the diggin’.”
“i don’t want to fight nuther, but i want my money,” said dan.
“now, dannie, be a good boy an’ let yer poor ole pop take keer on it fur ye.”
“no, i won’t.”
“kase i’m the oldest an’ know the most, ye know, an’ it’s the properest thing to do.”
but dan only shook his head decidedly, and retreated as his father approached the fence. godfrey continued to argue the matter, but he could make no impression upon dan, whose only reply was, “give me my money;” and his father was finally forced to the conclusion that he must either do it, or have all his hopes of possessing that bar’l of gold blasted. he was well enough acquainted with dan to know that he never made idle threats, and he saw that he must compromise in some way, and that too, if possible, without any loss to his dignity.
“now, dannie,” said he, “i hope ye see that yer pop is a heap smarter nor ye be, don’t yer?”
“give me them six dollars an’ six bits,” replied dan.
[pg 131]“no, ye can’t have ’em—bar’l or no bar’l, that’s flat—till ye tell me whar ye got ’em. i’m yer pop, an’ it’s my bounden duty to know how ye come by ’em.”
dan hesitated. if he complied with his father’s demand, he might whistle for the other five dollars which don gordon still owed david—or, rather, which he would owe him as soon as the pointer was field-broken. if he refused to comply, he would lose six dollars and seventy-five cents, and that was a small fortune to him. no matter what he decided to do, he had a fine prospect of losing money, unless—
“yes, pop,” he replied suddenly, trying hard to conceal the excitement occasioned by a lucky thought that just then occurred to him, “i know yer a heap smarter nor i be, an’ i’ll be a good son to ye, an’ never try to fool ye no more.”
“that’s a good boy, dannie,” said his father, thrusting his hand through the fence in the hope that dan would lay his own within it. “put it thar, my lad.”
dan came a step nearer to the fence, but his actions indicated that he had no desire to shake hands with his father. on the contrary, he kept safely out of his reach.
[pg 132]“no, i’ll never fool ye no more,” said he, “honor bright. an’ will ye promise, honor bright, to give me the money, all of it, when i tell ye whar i got it?”
“in course i will.”
“say honor bright.”
his father said it, placing his hand in his pocket at the same time to show that he was ready to keep his word, and dan continued:
“silas jones give it to me. i made five dollars outen him choppin’ wood.”
“that’s the way to get rich, my boy,” said godfrey. “allers do sich little chores when ye can get ’em to do, an’ hold fast to the money, an’ some day ye’ll be wuth yer thousands.”
“now hand it out here,” said dan.
“yes, i’ll hand it out, but not now. i must fust ax silas about it. i’ll have business down to the landin’ some time to-day, i reckon, an’ arter i ax silas, i’ll give ye the money.”
“he owes me ten dollars more,” cried dan, greatly alarmed, and hoping that his father would catch at the bait thus thrown out.
“i’m glad to hear it,” was the reply. “yer rich already, dannie, and won’t need none of the bar’l[pg 133] when we find it. but if he give ye five dollars an’ owes ye ten more, ye must a made—” here godfrey stopped and counted his fingers—“ye must a made fifteen outen him choppin’ wood. didn’t ye promise ye wouldn’t never try to fool me no more?”
“wal, come nigher to the fence,” said dan, growing desperate and sinking his voice almost to a whisper, so that those in the cabin might not hear his words, “an’ i’ll tell ye this time, honor bright. ye know the ten dollars dave was goin’ to get fur breakin’ that pinter pup, don’t ye? wal, i jest slipped up thar an’ axed mr. bert would he lend dave five of it now to get mam a new dress with, an’ he said yes, he would. that’s whar the money came from, pop, sure’s you live.”
godfrey was satisfied of it; and while he secretly admired the boy’s shrewdness, he reproached himself for not being smart enough to take advantage of the opening, and thus securing the ten dollars for his own use. without a word more he pulled out dan’s money and gave it to him, then walked back to the bench, picked up his pipe, and went off into a brown study. he never came out of it until he was called to breakfast, and even then he hardly aroused himself sufficiently to know what was going on around[pg 134] him. having satisfied his appetite, he took down his rifle and left the cabin. as soon as he was out of sight, dan arose, put on his hunting equipments and also disappeared, leaving david and his mother to themselves.
godfrey made his way toward general gordon’s house, and on the way stopped at the barn, where the hostler was at work hitching the grays to the family carriage. by a little skilful questioning he learned that the general and his boys were going down to the landing to meet some visitors, who were coming from cincinnati on the emma deane; and this piece of information caused a slight change in the programme he had laid out before leaving home. he had come over there on purpose to see don gordon, and secure the balance of the money he had promised david for breaking the pointer. but he wanted to see him privately, and believing that his object could be better attained by waiting a while, he decided to postpone the interview until the gordons reached the landing. the sooner he obtained possession of the money the better, godfrey told himself, as he looked out of one of the stable windows. there was dan coming up the road, and his father knew instinctively what it was that brought him in that direction so[pg 135] early in the morning. dan, however, did not go near the barn, for he had seen his father stop there. he kept on toward the landing, and when he was out of sight, godfrey shouldered his rifle and followed him.
we have already seen how godfrey operated when he thought the proper time had arrived. watching his opportunity he secured an interview with don gordon before dan did, and had no trouble at all in inducing him to hand over five dollars of david’s money to him. godfrey was in ecstacies. he shut his fingers tight about the bill and hurried away as if he feared that don might repent and want the money back after he had time to think about what he had done. before he had made half a dozen steps he was confronted by his son dan, whose face wore an expression that godfrey did not like to see there. he knew as well what was passing in the boy’s mind as he did five minutes afterward when dan told him of a determination he had formed.
“why, hallo, dannie!” exclaimed godfrey, as if the meeting was most unexpected. “what brung ye down here so ’arly? i’ve got that other five dollars fur ye.”
“o, ye have, have ye?” said dan.
[pg 136]“yes. ye see, i thought mebbe ye wouldn’t like to ax fur this one, seein’ as how ye axed fur the fust, so i done tuk the trouble to do it myself. now, dannie, i’ll borrer half of it from ye, an’ pay ye back when we find that bar’l—to-night mebbe!”
dan drew a long breath of relief. this was a piece of generosity he had not looked for, and he hastened to assure his father that he was entirely satisfied with the proposition, adding:
“do ye know what i’d a done if ye’d cheated me outen them five dollars? wal, i’d a went straight to the gen’ral an’ told him about that thar bar’l—yes, i would!”
this was just what godfrey was afraid of, and the only thing that led him to divide his ill-gotten gains with dan. there was a dangerous light in his eyes, but controlling himself he answered, very good-naturedly:
“wal, ye see i didn’t mean to cheat ye, don’t ye? now go an’ git the bill broke over to silas jones’. i’d go myself, but if i do, he’ll want me to pay what i owe him, an’ i ain’t ready to do that yet. he can wait till we find that bar’l.”
dan took the bill and went away, revolving in his mind a dozen wild schemes for securing undisputed[pg 137] possession of the whole of it. godfrey watched him until he disappeared in the store, and then leaned on his rifle and went off into another brown study.
“the ongrateful an’ ondutiful scamp!” thought he. “he’s got the upper hand agin me, that boy has, an’ i’ve got to give him half them five dollars, or have my plans busted. i wish now i hadn’t told him about that bar’l. i’d go an’ dig fur it myself o’nights, only its kinder lonesome bein’ all by myself in the dark. folks do say that all sort of critters an’ strange things is abroad arter night, an’ as i’ve seed ’em an’ felt ’em myself, i’m jest a trifle——”
godfrey finished the sentence by shrugging his shoulders. he would not have acknowledged, even to himself, that he was afraid, but that was the plain english of it. he would hardly go to the wood-pile alone after dark. it was true that he had seen some strange things which he could not account for, and which frightened him almost out of his wits. he had seen figures flitting along the road in front of him when he returned home from the landing after dark, and on two or three occasions, something with great eyes of fire had glared at him from a fence corner behind the general’s barn, and compelled him to leave the road and go around through the fields to[pg 138] reach his house. on other occasions he had been suddenly and mysteriously tripped up when there was not a human being within sight of him, and his hat had been dashed from his head by invisible hands.
all these things, however, could have been satisfactorily explained, if godfrey had only possessed the courage to inquire into them. if he had caught one of the figures which ran along the road before him and disappeared in so bewildering a fashion, he would have found that it was not a spirit, but a human being—a night prowler who had designs upon the general’s smoke-house. if he had walked up to the eyes of fire that glared so savagely at him, he would have discovered that they were simply holes in a pumpkin, which had been scooped out to admit a lighted candle, and he would have seen don gordon lying on the ground at a little distance convulsed with laughter. the invisible hands which knocked off his hat and pulled his feet out from under him so unexpectedly, would, upon investigation, have proved to be strong cords stretched from one side of the lane to the other, managed by the same spirit of mischief who had placed the lighted candle in the hollow pumpkin, and who had put them there for the purpose[pg 139] of entertaining himself at the expense of a crowd of darkies, who were expected to pass along the lane on their way home from protracted meeting.
all these things happened during the previous autumn, but godfrey had not forgotten them. don had then just returned from school; and the life he led on his father’s plantation was so monotonous, that he sometimes thought he could not exist much longer unless something happened to cheer him up a little. as nothing happened of its own accord, don went to work to create opportunities to let off some of his surplus energy in a good hearty laugh; and to further this end, he made use of some of the numerous schoolboy devices he learned while at the academy. you will know how well he succeeded when we tell you that in less than a week after he began operations, the story got abroad that the general’s lane was haunted, and there was not a negro in the neighborhood who could be hired to pass through there after dark. godfrey evans himself would not do it. he always took to the fields.
we do not say that don passed his leisure hours in the most profitable manner, for we know he did not. we are only telling the story of his life, and telling it as it happened not so very long ago. that[pg 140] don himself knew that he might be better employed, was proved by the fact that he did all this alone, not even taking bert into his confidence. he little thought then that his love of mischief would one day be the means of getting him into a scrape the like of which he had never dreamed of, but such was the fact; and we must hasten on to tell how it was brought about.
