Far Past the Frontier

by James A. Braden

  CHAPTER IV.

  The Man Under the Bed.

  The Eagle tavern was a long, low structure and stood close beside thehighway, on the opposite side of which was the weather-beaten log andframe barn to which John had referred. Near the tavern was a well and anold-fashioned sweep towering above it. At the roadside there was amoss-covered log trough at which horses were watered. An air ofloneliness, such as is noticed about old, deserted houses, whosedoor-yards have grown up to rank weeds and briars, hung over the tavern,and the deep shadows cast by the setting sun heightened this effect.Little wonder is it that a feeling of depression came over the youngtravelers as they approached.

  No other houses were near the tavern and guests were evidently few. Theroad which passed it was not a main thoroughfare, and no stage-coach madethe Eagle a regular stopping-place. It may have been a handsome;much-frequented place at one time, but those days had long sincedeparted.

  Up to the watering-trough Ree drove, however, and unreined the horse,that it might drink.

  "It does look kind of creepy around here," he remarked in an undertone;"but put on a bold front, John, we are going to stay, just to prove toourselves that we are not afraid."

  "I would a great deal rather camp out," John frankly confessed, "but youare the captain, Ree. I can stand it if you can."

  A skulking fellow of about thirty years, none the handsomer for havinglost nearly all his front teeth, came to help put up their horse when theboys had made their wants known inside the tavern. No unusual thingoccurred, however, and the young travelers had shaken off the gloomyfeelings which the lonely place inspired by the time their supper wasready. As they were by themselves at the table, a man whom Ree had notseen before approached and took a chair nearby, tilting back against thewall and calmly surveying them.

  John kicked Ree's shins under the table. It was not, perhaps, a politeway of imparting the information that this was the fellow he had seenpeering out of the barn, but Ree understood perfectly.

  Having eyed the boys for a minute or two, the stranger said, in a gruff,indifferent tone:

  "Good evenin'."

  "Good evening, sir," spoke Ree, and John's voice repeated the words likean echo.

  "Traveled far?" growled the stranger.

  "Far enough for one day," Ree answered, little inclined to engage inconversation with the man, for the fellow's appearance was far fromfavorable. The sneaking glance of his eyes, his unshaved face and uncouthdress, half civilized, half barbarian, gave him an air of lawlessness,though except for these things he might have been considered handsome.

  For a minute the stranger did not speak, and John suppressed a laugh ashe saw with what cool unconcern Ree returned the fellow's stare wheneverhe looked at them.

  "Don't show off your smartness, bub," sharply spoke the man at last, ashe fully comprehended that Ree had purposely given him an evasive answer,"I asked a civil enough question."

  "And got a civil answer," Ree quickly replied.

  "I see you are emigrating," the stranger went on, trying to make hiscoarse voice sound friendly. "I just had in mind puttin' a flea in yourear. Because it is the wrong time of year to be goin' west, in the firstplace, and the woods are full of Indians and the roads alive withcutthroats, in the second place. If I was you young shavers I'd sell outand wait a year or two, or till next spring anyhow, before goin' anyfurther. I s'pose you have a lot of goods in your cart; goin' to do sometradin' with the Mingoes, maybe."

  John pricked up his ears at this reference to the nature of their cart'scontents, but waited for Ree to speak. This the latter did at once,respectfully but firmly.

  "We are much obliged for your advice and the interest you take in us, butwe expect to be able to take care of ourselves both on the road and inthe woods. Aren't you the man we saw in the barn as we were coming up?"

  The question was an experimental thrust. Ree wished to learn whether thefellow would give a reason for having spied upon them. The man looked athim searchingly before replying.

  "I never clapped eyes on you till you come into this room," he coollysaid, however. "What do you take me for? I was only goin' to tell youthat I know a man that will buy your outfit if you want to sell!"

  "Which we do not," said Ree with moderate emphasis.

  "You would find a little ready money mighty handy; I don't s'pose youhave any too much," the stranger replied with assumed carelessness.

  "Say; tell us what you are trying to get at, will you!" John spoke up,with a show of spirit.

  "Hold your horses, sonny!" the fellow growled. "You are almost too bigfor your breeches!"

  "Well what do you take us for! Maybe you have some more questions toask!" John exclaimed, and Ree smiled to see how heated he had become.

  The stranger relapsed into silence, and presently arose and strolledaway.

  Having finished their supper, the boys went into the general sitting-roomof the tavern, a long room in one end of which there was a bar, and satdown by themselves to talk. As their conversation flagged, Ree drew fromhis belt beneath his coat, the ivory handled knife Captain Bowen had beenat such pains to give them. In an idle, listless way he began stroppingthe blade on his boot-leg.

  A tall, lank man of fifty, with a thin, sharp face and nose, whom thelads had noticed sitting opposite them, reading a pamphlet of some kind,came nearer and seemed to take an unusual interest in the sharpening ofthe knife. His keen eyes watched every movement the blade made. Comingclose up, he quietly said:

  "If that ar ain't Cap. Bowen's knife over to Bruceville, he hes the mateto it! His'n is the only knife I ever see with a handle like that."

  "Do you know Captain Bowen?" asked Ree, and as the man said he did, andtold them who he was, both lads held out their hands which the newcomershook cordially. It was like meeting someone from home; for the lankyindividual was a peddler who had often visited at Captain Bowen's houseand knew many of their friends.

  As they talked further the peddler said, sinking his voice to anundertone, "I want yeow youngsters to hev some advice; it won't cost yenothin', an' it may save ye a heap of trouble. There's a bad 'un stayin'at this old tavern, an' he's likely to want yeow boys to pay fer his rum.Naow, he won't ask ye fer money, but be all-fired keerful that he don'tgit it from ye anyhow. Jes sleep with one eye open, an' hev a hick'ryclub handy t' yer bed."

  Ree told the peddler of their conversation with the stranger at thetable, and as he described the fellow, their new friend said:

  "He ar the one, an' him an' the hos'ler here are bad 'uns."

  As the hour grew late Ree and John went to the barn to see that theircart and horse had been properly cared for, and returning, wentimmediately to bed. For half an hour they lay awake talking of theirjourney. Their money was between them in the big four-poster and each hada pistol within reach. At last they said "Good night" to one another, andsettling themselves in comfortable positions, composed themselves tosleep.

  All had grown quiet about the old tavern. The ticking of the big clockdown stairs, and the baying of a hound off in the woods somewhere, werethe only sounds which reached the ears of the young emigrants. And thusthey forgot their travels and where they were, and the danger whichhovered near.

  It was sometime after midnight when Ree was suddenly awakened. He hadheard no sound, nor could he tell what had disturbed his slumber; but hehad instantly found himself, eyes wide open, every sense alert. Withoutthe slightest noise or movement he lay listening. A minute later he feltfor just an instant the touch of something cold against his skin.

  "A snake," was his first thought, and a little thrill of horror crossedhim as the idea of a reptile being in their bed, flashed over his brain.Again he felt the touch, cold and clammy against his side; and, intendingto grab the serpent, if such it was, and hurl it from the bed, with aquick movement of his arm he made a desperate grab. He caught and for butan instant held a human hand, large and coarse.

  "John!" Ree spoke the name with startled emphasis, and its owner rose upin bed like a flash.
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  "What? What is it?"

  "There is some one in this room! He has been reaching into the bed,trying to rob us."

  As he spoke Ree sprang out upon the floor. "And here's the window open!That shows where he came in. Get your pistol and be ready to fire if hetries to jump out. I am going to skirmish for the rascal!"

  Faint rays of moonlight made the room not entirely dark, but Ree couldsee no sign of the intruder as he stepped softly to the middle of thefloor. It was a useless action; for, as he was between the three darkwalls and the window in the outer wall, the robber could easily see himwithout being seen himself. It was a fault of Return Kingdom's that hedid not properly consider his own safety, and the wonder is that he didnot in this instance become the target for a bullet.

  "I'd better yell for help," suggested John.

  "You'd better not!" said Ree emphatically, peering into the dark corners."I cannot be mistaken, but if I should be--well we don't care to belaughed at."

  Not a sound was heard as both boys remained perfectly quiet. Then ontip-toe Ree went to all the corners of the room, his left handoutstretched before him while his right held a pistol ready for instantuse.

  "John, did you sneeze?" he demanded as a smothered "kerchoo" came fromthe direction of his friend.

  "He's under the bed, Ree! He's under the bed! Call help!" This was John'sanswer and his tone was sharp with excitement.

  In a trice Ree was at the foot of the bed and looking beneath it. A darkobject there moved slightly.

  "Come out of that!" Ree sternly demanded, and the click of his pistol ashe cocked the weapon sounded loud and clear. At the same moment theobject beneath the four-poster began to crawl and soon coming forth,stood erect--the stranger the boys had met at supper.

  "Oh, it's you, is it?" ejaculated Ree with an inflection of contempt inhis voice; but the next instant the intruder's hands were about histhroat.

  "Help! Help!" yelled John Jerome.

  Finding the young man he had seized, a much harder problem than he wasprepared to handle, and frightened by John's cries, the stranger gave Reea shove and sprang toward the window.

  "Help! Robbers!" yelled John again, and now the stranger had one leg outof the window. But he got no further. Ree seized him about the body; therobber seized him in turn, and his foot striking the ladder by which hehad climbed up, it went tumbling to the ground. With a frightful oath thefellow endeavored to throw Ree after it. For a second they both balancedon the window sill at the very verge of falling. Then John seized therobber's hair, and dealt him a blow with the butt of his pistol. Heraised the weapon to strike again, but Ree had now secured his releasefrom the villain's grasp and fired at him just as the fellow plunged tothe ground, leaving a bunch of his black hair quivering in John's hand.

  The bullet took effect, for the boys found blood on the ground beneaththe window next morning; but the robber dashed around a corner out ofrange at such speed that there was no opportunity to fire a second time.

  A pounding on the door told the youthful travelers that the house hadbeen aroused, and they lost no time in admitting the landlord,accompanied by the greatly excited peddler.

  "What's all the row about?" demanded the tavern-keeper, holding a lightedcandle over his shoulder.

  "I want to investigate before I say what it is _all_ about," Reeanswered, emphasizing the "all."

  "A pretty sort of a place, this is!" put in John indignantly. "We mighthave been murdered in our beds!"

  "How can I help it, boy? Just you keep your breeches on!"

  "I'll have to put them on first," John ejaculated, and forthwithproceeded to do so.

  Ree took the landlord's candle and turned back the bed clothing. He foundthe leather wallet containing their money, undisturbed, but as he pickedit up, he noticed a hole in the sheets and tick of the bed.

  "Look, here," he exclaimed, "here is where the row you complain of,began. The man who has just gone out of the window, evidently crawledunder the bed and having cut a hole through the tick, reached for ourwallet. His cold hand on my bare skin waked me up. The question is, howdid he know where the money was?"

  "The skunk!" exclaimed the peddler, eyeing the tavern-keeper sharply.

  "How should I know anything about it?" the landlord hotly responded. "Iain't responsible for there being robbers about, am I?"

  Ree had joined John in the task of dressing, while the proprietor of theestablishment sat on the bed, the least concerned of any, over what hadtaken place.

  "Haow should yeow know anythin' about it?" cried the peddler suddenlyturning toward the man. "Why, yeow ain't even asked who the thief was!Yeow wouldn't 'a come up stairs if I hadn't 'most dragged ye! It looksconsarned strange, that's what I say! An' yeow settin' there like astick, sayin', 'Haow kin I help it!'"

  The landlord winced and squirmed, and was glad enough to hurry downstairs when Ree said authoritatively: "Now let's have no further talkabout this matter, but get our breakfasts at once, if you please. It willsoon be daylight."

  "Ree Kingdom, you make me mad!" cried John Jerome, as the landlorddisappeared. "Why didn't you let me crack that old villain on the head?If I didn't know that you are the only one here who has kept cool, I'd bemad in earnest. If any of our goods have been disturbed, I'll show theold Tory!"

  Ree smiled at his friend's blustering tone, but the peddler slapped himon the back and told him he was a "reg-lar man-o'-war with flagsa-flyin'."

  The gray glimmer of dawn was in sight as the boys crossed the road to thebarn and by the light of the tallow candle in the old-time lantern,inspected their cart and horse. All was secure. Recognizing his youngmasters by the fine instinct some animals have, Jerry, their horse,whinnied loudly, as though saying he was all right but ready to move assoon as convenient. Hay and grain were given the faithful animal, and theboys went in to their own breakfast.

  The meal of potatoes and bacon was soon disposed of, the peddler sittingat the table with them. He was going in their direction for a mile or twoand would accompany the lads, he said.

  "We'll be glad to have you," Ree answered.

  "Whatever Ree Kingdom says, I say--only he always gets the words outfirst," said John. "I am like the old trapper who came hurrying up toGeneral Washington saying he could lick all the Redcoats on earth withone hand tied behind his back. But the war was all over then, though hedid not know it, and so he didn't get a chance to try. He meant well, yousee, but was a little behind hand."

  "That's a pert yarn," smiled the peddler, "an' there ain't nobody gladderthan I be tew see yeow so chipper; but I swan, lads, I only hope ye'll beas jolly as ye be naow, come six months--I only hope ye will be!"