The Adventures of a Country Boy at a Country Fair

by Charles King

  CHAPTER XXIII.

  _A SECOND ARREST._

  When the fight began Teddy's first thought was that it had beenprearranged by some one who wanted to do him an injury without takingthe chances of being arrested on a charge of malicious mischief.

  Tim believed it to be a scheme for robbing the money box, and while thecombatants were struggling close around him he emptied the contents intohis trousers pockets, regardless of the chance blows received meanwhile.

  That both were wrong in their conjectures could be told later, as thefight assumed the proportions of a small riot, and the battle ground wassoon shifted to an open space in front of the exhibition buildings.

  It was nothing more than a causeless row such as is often witnessed atfairs where intoxicating beverages are sold, and which start fromcomparatively nothing, illustrating the proverb: "See what a great firea little spark can kindle."

  "This is goin' to knock our hundred dollars in the head," Tim said,ruefully, as he began to gather up the scattered stock when thecombatants had surged to and fro until they were some distance from thewrecked cane-board. "It'll take an hour to straighten things out, an'all that time will be the same as lost."

  "It might be worse," Teddy replied, philosophically, "and, besides, weshouldn't be able to do any business while that row is going on. If youhadn't thought of the money it might have been lost, for there were somany close around me that I couldn't get at the box."

  "Oh, if you want to pick somethin' good out of the trouble, I'll help.This will give us a chance to shorten the board so the stock won't lookquite so small."

  The young fakirs were ready for business in considerably less time thanthey had fancied would be the case. Nearly every one on the grounds wasattracted by the riot, and among those who came to the scene of theconflict was Dan.

  Instead of watching the struggling, yelling throng, he helped Teddy andTim restore the booth to order, and with such aid as the assistant couldgive the work was done very quickly.

  Before the spectators had quieted down sufficiently to turn theirattention to sport once more everything was ready for business, and whenthe constables had taken the ringleaders in the fight away, money beganonce more to roll into Teddy's coffers.

  Before Dan returned to his own work he heard of all that had occurredsince morning, and his comments on Uncle Nathan's behavior were moreforcible than polite.

  "He's an old fool what oughter be rode on a rail till he can't see, an'I'm goin' over to the Run before I start for home jest to give theduffer a piece of my mind."

  "I don't believe that would do either you or him any good," Teddyreplied, laughingly.

  "I don't know what effect it'll have on him; but I'll feel a mightysight better. He shows himself to be the worst swindler on the groundswhen he tries to scare you into givin' him half you've made, for that'swhat his talk means."

  "If he don't do any worse than threaten I won't say a word; but he's somad there's no knowin' what'll happen."

  "The lawyer will see that you pull through all right; but if troubleshould come, be sure to send for me. I'll manage to get off somehow."

  With this assurance Dan hurried back to the exhibition buildings, andTeddy was free to assist Tim in waiting upon the customers.

  During the remainder of the afternoon the young fakirs had quite as muchas they could attend to, and then, just as trade had so fallen off thatTim could wait upon the customers alone with the aid of the assistant,Teddy received a call from Mr. Harvey, the lawyer.

  "Come here behind the booth where we can talk without being overheard,"he said, peremptorily, and the boy obeyed at once, asking before theattorney had time to speak:

  "Do you know if Uncle Nathan is goin' to do anything?"

  "He is certainly trying very hard, and in case he should succeed ingetting a warrant, you will demand of the officer who serves it to betaken directly to Deacon Jones. Mr. Reaves and I have just had a talkwith him, and in our absence he will render such assistance as you mayrequire."

  "That sounds as if you believed Uncle Nathan would be able to do as hethreatened."

  "It is well to be prepared for any emergency, since no man can sayexactly what may happen. During the night two constables will go to thebarn on the marshes where you saw the burglars carry some of the goods,although I do not think any good is liable to result from the visit, forthe men have probably been frightened away by this time. Enough may befound, however, to prove the truth of your story, and that will besufficient to give the thick-headed authorities an inkling that theirjudgment as to who the burglars are is not infallible."

  "Have you seen Mr. Hazelton yet?"

  "No; but I shall call on him before going home. The best thing whichcould happen now for all concerned would be the arrest of the man youcall Long Jim, and to that end both you and Dan must keep a sharplookout, for it is barely possible he may be bold enough to come on thegrounds again."

  "But what could we do in case we did see him?"

  "Follow him quietly until you meet a constable, and then insist that hebe arrested for swindling you out of fifteen dollars. There is notsufficient proof to connect him with the robbery here or at the Run; butI will take care that he is held long enough as a common swindler toenable us to sift the other matter. Let me see, you said Dan was withyou at the time of the transaction in Waterville?"

  "No; it was poor Sam, and now that he is dead I'm the only one who sawLong Jim there. Do you know if they have found Sam's body?"

  "I think not; men have been dragging the creek all day, and theprobabilities now are that some time will elapse before it can berecovered. I want you to be very careful during the remainder of to-dayand to-night. Go to the tent where you sleep before dark, and do notventure outside under any provocation, no matter what message may bebrought."

  "What do you mean?" Teddy asked, in surprise.

  "Nothing particular; I am only taking precautions, that is all. I shallbe here to-morrow, and will see you then."

  The lawyer turned to go, and had just passed out from behind the end ofthe booth when Teddy seized his arm, pulling him back very suddenly."There's Long Jim now!" he whispered, excitedly. "See! That man overthere by the striking machine!"

  It was indeed the burglar whose partner had warned him against visitingthe fair, or even showing himself in the vicinity during the daytime. Itcould be plainly seen that he was decidedly under the influence ofliquor, and he swaggered to and fro as if in his drunken brain was theidea that no one would dare cause him trouble.

  "Are you certain there is no mistake?" the lawyer asked, as he watchedthe man.

  "I'd be able to recognize him anywhere, no matter how he was dressed,an' so would Dan, for Sam an' me pointed him out two or three times."

  "Then the hardest portion of our work is finished. I shall have himarrested on the charge of swindling you, and can arrange it without theformality of first getting a warrant. It is now more necessary than everthat you should remain where I can find you readily at any hour of theday or night."

  "Except when I go for supper, I'll be here or in the tent," Teddyreplied, and then there was no further opportunity for conversation.

  Long Jim had started leisurely, and on anything rather than a straightcourse, toward the grand stand, and Mr. Harvey followed so near that hecould have placed his hand on the burglar's shoulder.

  Teddy watched until the two were lost to view amid the throng, and thensaid to himself, with a sigh:

  "I'll bet the lawyer can't find a constable, an' that Long Jim getsclear somehow. But what I don't understand is how he dares to comehere."

  He would have run down to tell Dan of the startling news had it not beenfor Mr. Harvey's injunction to remain in the places designated, and hewas so nervous that only with the greatest difficulty could he wait uponan impatient customer.

  An hour passed, and nothing had been heard from either the lawyer or theburglar.

  The visitors remained later on this day than usual; but the tardy oneswere departing
, and it was with a decided sense of relief that Teddybegan to pack up his stock for the night. Dan arrived before the workwas finished, and his excitement was great when he learned of what hadhappened.

  "Can't we go somewhere to find out if the man was arrested?" he asked,eagerly.

  "I promised to be on hand in case the lawyer should want me."

  "Then we'll get the stuff to the tent, go to supper, an' afterward I'llsnoop 'round to hear the news."

  All hands worked rapidly, and in ten minutes the three boys were at theboarding-house, eating as if each moment were of the utmost importance,when they overheard a conversation between two men at the next tablewhich caused them no slight degree of relief and pleasure:

  "Who was that drunken fellow Constable Ford lugged off this evening?"one of the men asked, and the other replied:

  "A man who swindled a boy over at Waterville out of fifteen dollars."

  "I didn't see any boy in the crowd."

  "He wasn't there. Lawyer Harvey recognized the fellow, and insisted onhis arrest, sayin' that the 'Squire already knew about the case."

  "I thought at first it might be some one who had been robbing the storesaround here."

  "Oh, the burglar has been caught already, an' laid in jail sinceyesterday."

  "But he was only arrested on suspicion."

  "There'll be proof enough to convict him, I reckon, an' if there isn'the ought to be sent to jail for six months because of what he has doneon the grounds."

  Then the conversation was changed to a subject in which the boys had nointerest, and Dan whispered to Teddy:

  "That settles Long Jim, an' now if your lawyer is as smart as he appearsto be it won't take long to show that Hazelton didn't have anything todo with the burglar tryin' to get me in jail," Teddy replied, with asigh.

  "Of course it will. Things are turning out all right after all, an' ifpoor Sam hadn't been drowned we'd have a reg'lar celebration to-night."