CHAPTER IX.
ORDERED AWAY.
Matt remembered at once what Ferral had said about having been robbedwhile on his way to La Vita Place. Now that Ferral had recognized oneof the newcomers as the man who had made the treacherous assault onhim, a new light was thrown on that Lamy robbery. If the thief wasone of Sercomb's friends, it looked as though Sercomb must have had aguilty knowledge of the affair--perhaps had planned it.
Matt attempted to grab Ferral and pull him away, but Sercomb and theother two got ahead of him. The three laid hold of Ferral so roughlythat Matt immediately gave them his attention.
"Let up on that!" he cried, catching Sercomb and jerking him away justas he was about to strike Ferral with his clenched fist. "There's noneed of pounding Dick."
"I'll pound _you_ if you give me any of your lip!" answered Sercomb.
"The latch-string's out," answered Matt grimly. "Walk in."
At that moment Carl rolled out of the door.
"Vat's der rooction?" he tuned up, his eyes dancing over the squabble.
Carl was always as ready to fight as he was to eat, which is saying agood deal.
"Help me get Ferral away from that fellow, Carl," called Matt.
"On der chump!"
Carl landed right in the midst of the struggle, and in about half aminute he and Matt had separated Ferral from his antagonist. With aneat crack, straight from the shoulder, Matt disarmed a fellow who hadjerked a wrench out of the automobile. This put the last finishingtouch to the clash, and both sides drew apart, bunching together, andeach panting and glaring at the other.
"Dere iss only vone t'ing vat I can do on a embty shtomach, und dot'sfighdt," wheezed Carl, slapping his arms. "It don'd vas ofer so kevick?I got a pooty leedle kitney-punch vat I vould like to hant aroundt,only I don'd haf der dime."
"Take off your grappling-hooks, Matt," puffed Ferral, squirming to getout from under Matt's hands. "Dowse me if I've taken that crimp's fullmeasure, yet. The nerve of him, breezing right up here with my money inhis clothes!"
"Steady!" said Matt, closing down harder on Ferral and easily holdinghim. "This has gone far enough."
"I should say it had," spoke up Sercomb, showing a flash of temper."Pretty way for my friends to be treated! I won't stand for it."
"When you've got thieves for friends, Sercomb," cried Ferral, "you'reliable to have to stand for a good deal!"
"Hand him one for that, Joe!" urged one of the newcomers. "That's thefirst time I ever heard a thing like that batted up to Joe Mings, andhim not raising so much as a finger against the man that said it."
"We've got to think of Ralph, Harry," said Joe Mings. "This row makesit uncomfortable for him."
"Especially since the chap that's making such a holy show of himself ismy own cousin," remarked Sercomb, with bitter reproach.
"The more shame to you," flared Ferral, "to let the hound that robbedyour own cousin come here like he's done, and take his part. Keep youroffing, Joe Mings," he added, to the thief, "or I'll tie you into agranny's knot and heave you clean over your devil-wagon! Where's thatmoney? I need it, and I'm going to have it."
"I don't know what you're talking about," answered Mings. "You must bedippy! Why, I never saw you before until you rushed out and tried toclimb my neck."
"You two-tongued swab! Do you mean to stand up there and say youdidn't meet me in Lamy, tell me you were a Canadian in distress, andask me to go to your boarding-house with you and square a bill withyour landlady? And will you say you didn't land on me with a pair ofknuckle-dusters in a dark street and run off with my roll?"
"That's a pipe," asserted Joe Mings. "Somebody's doped you."
"Enough of this, Dick," said Sercomb. "Joe's a friend of mine. Allthese lads are friends, and all of them drivers of speed-cars. They'rehere by my invitation. As for you, you're not here by anybody'sinvitation----"
"Except Uncle Jack's," interposed Ferral grimly.
"Uncle Jack has cashed in, and he's not to be counted. This ranchbelongs to me, and you and your ruffianly friends will leave it. Yourfriends can't ever come back here--and neither can you until you learnhow to behave. Come on in, boys," he added to the others. "Grub's onthe table."
"Avast a minute!" called Ferral. "I'm ready to trip anchor and slantaway--having never liked you so you could notice, and liking you lessthan ever after this round--but I and my mates will have our chuckbefore we go. What's more, that shark will hand over my funds, or I'llcome back here with an officer and make him more trouble than he canget out of."
"He hasn't got your money," said Sercomb, "so he can't turn it over.What's more, you'll dust out of here _now_!"
"Oh, I will!" Ferral lurched for the door, and Matt and Carl followedhim. "You may have right and title to this bally old dugout, Sercomb,but you'll have a chance to show me that in court; and Uncle Jack maybe dead and gone, but that's something I'll find out for myself, andmake good and sure of it, at that. His money don't bother me, for I'vemy two hands and know the ropes of a trade, so I won't starve; butit's Uncle Jack himself I'm thinking of. As for you, you were always amixture of bear, bandicoot, and crocodile, and I wouldn't trust you thelength of a cable. I and my mates are going in and eat, and if you wantto avoid a smash, don't cross our hawser while we're doing it."
He turned from the door, and, followed by Matt and Carl, went into thesitting-room, where the table had been spread.
"Now we've got Sercomb's signals," said Ferral, dropping into a chairat the table, "and know where we all stand. What do you think of thisnew twist in the game, Matt?"
"Too bad it happened," answered Matt, as he and Carl likewise seatedthemselves. "We were just getting squared away to find out somethingworth while, Dick."
"I couldn't hold myself in, that's all. The idea of Sercomb having thatcrimp in tow! I'm a Fiji if I don't think my dear cousin put up thatLamy job with Mings."
"I'd thought of that, too. But why should he do it?"
"To knock the bottom out of my ditty-bag and keep me away from La VitaPlace. More belike, he'd a notion Mings would land me in a sick-bay.You remember Uncle Jack's room was all torn up when we first saw it?"
Matt nodded.
"Why was that?" Ferral went on. "Carpet torn away, sea-chest dumped allover the floor, everything in a raffle. Why was that?"
"What do you think was the cause of it?"
Ferral leaned across the table.
"Sercomb had been looking for Uncle Jack's will!" he declared. "Henever found Uncle Jack, and he never found the will. If he's got apiece of paper, it's one he's fixed up for himself."
"Mighty serious talk, old chap," said Matt gravely, "but I've ahunch you've got the right end of it, at that. But for this row, wemight have been on fairly good terms with Sercomb, and have used ourknowledge, in a quiet way, to discover what he's trying to do."
"Vell," remarked Carl, "he has rushed dot gang in here, und dot makesfour to dree. Meppy id vas pedder ve don'd shday. Aber I'd like tohang on, you bed you! Sooch a chance for some fighding I nefer foundtyet."
Then followed a brief interval of silence, during which the boys gavetheir whole attention to their food. Ferral was first to speak.
"You were going to set sail for Santa F? this morning, Matt."
"We could never pull out and leave you in this mess," answered Matt."Mr. Tomlinson has given us plenty of time to get to Santa F?."
"Sure, ve shday undil you vas pedder fixed to be jeerful, Verral," putin Carl. "Dot's der greadt t'ing in life, my poy, alvays to make someshmiles, no madder vich vay chumps der cat, und be jeerful."
"You're a pair of mates worth having," averred Ferral, with feeling."I don't know what I'd have done if it hadn't been for you. The veryfirst thing you haul me off a cliff wall. If you hadn't done that, bynow Sercomb would be having the run of the ship. I'll do something foryou some time, even if I have to travel around the world to do it. Justnow, though, I'd like to know what's become of Tippoo, Uncle Jack's_kitmagar_ and _khansa-man_."
"Va
t's dose?" inquired Carl.
"The Hindu foot-servant and steward," explained Ferral. "Uncle Jack wasin India for a while, and that's where he picked up Tippoo. Sercomb,when we first met him here, hinted that Tippoo may have handed UncleJack his come-up-with, but that was unjust. Tippoo would lay down hislife for Uncle Jack, and has been devoted to him for years."
A noise from the barn reached those in the sitting-room. A window ofthe room commanded a view of the barn. Matt, suddenly looking throughthe window, uttered an exclamation, sprang up, grabbed his hat, andrushed through the kitchen and out of the house.
"What's the bloming racket now?" cried Ferral, likewise getting to hisfeet.
"Look vonce!" answered Carl, pointing through the window. "Dere issa shance for more scrimmages! Led us fly some kites so ve don'd losenodding oof der seddo."
Through the window Ferral could see that the barn doors had been brokenopen, and that Sercomb and his three companions were around the RedFlier.
Knowing Matt's concern on account of the machine, Ferral lost not amoment in running through the kitchen and following Matt and Carl.
Motor Matt's Clue; or, The Phantom Auto Page 9
