Amateur Fireman

by William Henry Giles Kingston

  CHAPTER VI.

  AN OBSTINATE DETECTIVE.

  Dan was in a fine temper when Seth finally released his hold, and afterunderstanding that it would be useless to pursue the fugitive he turnedupon his partner savagely.

  "A nice kind of a chump you are! Let a feller burn your house down, an'then pay him fifteen cents for doin' it! After that, when I make up mymind to give him the dose he needs, you turn against me to help him! Is'pose that's what you call bein' a chum of mine?"

  "That's exactly what it is, Dan," Seth replied soothingly. "After you'vecooled off a bit you'll be glad I didn't let you pitch into a feller whowouldn't raise his hands."

  "He didn't 'cause he don't dare."

  "If a feller had any spunk about him he would dare to do all he couldwhile somebody else was thumpin' him. Jip feels bad for what he did tous, an' would stand still to let you pound him; but it couldn't havedone you any good, Dan. You don't want to get the name of bein' abruiser."

  "I'd be willin' to take 'most any kind of a name rather'n let JipCollins off without so much as turnin' a hair on his head!"

  "That's the way you feel jest now 'cause you're off your base; but waita couple of hours, an' then you'll talk different."

  "I won't if I live to be twice as gray-headed as ever Methuselah was,for it's a downright shame to let him go with money in his pockets aftertryin' to kill us."

  "He was hungry."

  "It would do him solid good to starve to death."

  "He turned in the alarm, an' if he hadn't done that we'd been burned todeath."

  "I notice he didn't do it till the fire got a mighty good start, an'then I reckon it was only 'cause he grew scared. If you're so 'fraid ofgettin' your name up for fightin', you might er stood still and let mehave a whack at him. I don't see how that could have hindered yourslippin' into the Department. I wouldn't be quite so mad if you hadn'tgiven him the money."

  "He was hungry, Dan, an' I'd do that much for the biggest duffer in thetown."

  Dan made no reply to this remark; but with his hands plunged deep in hispockets walked swiftly away in the direction of City Hall as if his onedesire was to be free from his partner.

  Seth was not minded to let him go while in a temper, but at the sametime he knew full well that it would be useless to attempt to stop himwith words, therefore he followed without further remark, biding histime until the proper moment should come when the "soft answer" could begiven.

  Without looking to the right or the left Dan continued on, much as ifbent on running away from his partner, until ten minutes had elapsed,when he halted suddenly, wheeled about and addressed Seth with his usualfriendly manner:

  "There's Sam Barney over by that alley!"

  Glancing in the direction indicated by Dan's outstretched finger, Sethsaw the would-be detective moving cautiously along, looking stealthilyaround, and otherwise behaving as if he had suddenly taken leave of hissenses.

  "Do you s'pose he's countin' on findin' Jip Collins in that fool way?"

  "I reckon he thinks he's doin' the detective act in great shape," Danreplied with a laugh, all traces of ill-humor having vanished. "He saysa feller in his line of business has to keep his eyes open every minute,an' sneakin' along in that style is what he 'most likely calls bein'wide awake."

  Sam had arrived at the corner of the alley, and instead of walkingboldly in to make a search, was standing where he might be partiallyscreened by the building, craning his head forward for a single glance,and then drawing it back suddenly, repeating these movements about everythirty seconds with great regularity.

  Dan gave full rein to his mirth, for this method of playing thedetective seemed to him very comical; but Seth checked him whenever hislaughter became boisterous.

  "If he sees us pokin' fun at him we won't be able to make any kind of atrade, an' I don't want to stir the feller up till things are fixed."

  "What things?"

  "I want him to promise that he won't go prowlin' 'round the town afterJip Collins."

  "See here, Seth, are you countin' on keepin' that racket up?"

  "If you mean am I goin' to give Jip a lift by tryin' to keep thatimitation detective quiet, I'll say 'yes.' We both have got good reasonto be mighty ugly because he burned us out; but it's all over now, an'he's sorry. Let's give him one more show--you an' I--an' if he goeswrong after this I won't say a word against your doin' whatever youlike."

  The lines on Dan's face hardened as if he was determined nothing shouldturn him from his purpose of punishing Jip in such manner as he believedthe latter's misdemeanors warranted; but after one glance at hispartner the anger vanished.

  "Go ahead, Seth, an' fix it up to suit you; I'll do what I can thistime, even if it does rub against the grain. It ain't because I'mfeelin' sorry for Jip; but jest to please you."

  "So long as you do what I ask it don't make very much difference whetherit's for Jip or me, an' you won't be sorry, old man. Now we'll tackleSam, an' see if we can make him behave himself for a spell."

  "I reckon you'll find that a mighty hard job. He's stuck on thedetective business as bad as you are on gettin' into the Department, an'this is the kind of a case he don't get a whack at very often. I s'posehe thinks that catchin' Jip would put him way up on the top notch."

  Seth did not spend any time arguing the matter with his partner; butcalled loudly to the would-be detective:

  "Hi! Sam! Come over here a minute!"

  Master Barney pretended not to have heard the summons, although thewords rang out clear and distinct above the noises of the street; butcontinued his grotesque manner of reconnoitering the alley, and againSeth shouted:

  "Come over here, Sam! There's no need of your bobbin' 'round in thatstyle, 'cause nobody is in the alley except a couple of little kids,who wouldn't be very much frightened if you walked right up on 'em."

  This time Sam turned, affected to be greatly surprised at seeing theseacquaintances, and then crossed the street, apparently in an ill-temper.

  "Don't you know any better'n to break up what a feller's fixin'?" heasked angrily as he stood before Seth and Dan. "I was doin' some mightyfine work, an' you've spoiled it all by yellin' so loud. Now the folksin there know I'm 'round, an' won't so much as show theirselves."

  "Do you reckon they believe you're a detective?" Dan asked, trying invain to check his mirth.

  "Of course I do!" Sam replied hotly. "Folks have heard of me beforethis, an' it stands me in hand to keep out of sight all I can."

  "Who did you think was in the alley?" Seth asked.

  "I'm lookin' for more'n one in this town, an' counted on finishin' uptwo or three little jobs in the detective line before I lighted out tonab Jip Collins."

  "Do you know where he is?" and Seth appeared disturbed.

  "What kind of a detective do you allow I am if I don't know that? I'vegot it all figgered out, an' most likely I'll take a spin over toPhiladelphy to-night. If I do, you'll see him in court to-morrowmornin'."

  "Oh, has he gone over there?" Dan asked with a great show of interest,pursing his mouth into shape for whistling to prevent an outburst oflaughter.

  "That's about the size of it; but he needn't think he can run away fromme."

  "Look here, Sam," and now Seth spoke in a serious tone; "Jip didn't tryto hurt anybody but Dan an' me, an' we don't want you to bother him.We're willin' to give him a fair show, 'cause he'll take a big turnafter this."

  "I can't help what you want," the detective replied obstinately. "When Iknow that a feller has been burnin' up houses it's my business to runhim in, an' I'm goin' to do it."

  "What is it to you, so long as we're satisfied?" Dan asked sharply.

  "See here, ain't I a detective?"

  "I ain't so certain of that," Master Roberts cried promptly.

  "I guess other people know it if you don't, 'cause I've had more'n onecase in this town. Now, so long as that is my business I'm bound to takeup anythin' I hear about, an'----"

  "Other detectives don't do that; they wait t
ill the chief sends 'em out,or somebody hires 'em."

  Dan's reply staggered Sam for an instant; but he soon bethought himselfof what seemed to be the proper answer, and replied:

  "That would be all right if I was on the force; but so long as I ain'tit stands me in hand to work my way along, same's Seth's tryin' to do inthe Fire Department. If I can catch Jip Collins and send him up theriver, it'll be a big feather in my cap."

  "Would you be willin' to send a feller to jail so's you might get aheadin the business?" Seth asked reproachfully.

  "Course I would."

  "Ain't there anythin' we can do to stop you from tryin' to run Jipdown?"

  "You might talk till you was black in the face, an' then I wouldn't letup."

  Understanding that it was useless to hold any further converse with thisobstinate detective in the hope of turning him from his purpose, Sethmotioned to Dan, and set off down-town without a word to Sam by way ofadieu.

  "I'll be in Philadelphy to-night, an' to-morrow mornin' Jip Collins willbe in the lock-up!" Master Barney shouted vindictively, and, glancingback, Dan saw him approaching the alley once more with cautious steps,as if it were beneath his dignity as an officer of the law to move inany other fashion.

  "It'll be all right if he goes to Philadelphy," Dan said sagely; "butI'm mightily afraid he won't get money enough to buy a ticket on thecars."

  "I don't believe he ever thought of goin' there till we talked with him,an' then only said it to let us believe he knew where Jip was. Sam ain'tany kind of a detective; but he can make a lot of trouble for Jip."

  Seth was disturbed in mind because of the possibilities that MasterBarney would work mischief for Jip Collins, and Dan shared in suchforebodings, although in a much less degree.

  The two were walking on in silence, each trying to devise some planwhereby it would be possible to divert the amateur detective from hispurpose, when they suddenly came face to face with Bill Dean.

  "Hello, where are you fellers goin'?"

  "To work."

  "Kind-er late this mornin', eh?"

  "Yes; but we'll make up for it by pluggin' in all the harder after webegin."

  Bill hesitated an instant as if hardly daring to say that which was inhis mind, and then asked in a meaning tone:

  "Seen anybody in partic'lar this mornin'?"

  "Yes, we saw Jip, an' then run across Sam Barney," Seth replied.

  "I suppose Sam still holds to it that he'll pull Jip in?"

  "Yes, an' he counted on findin' him in Philadelphy, 'cordin' to histalk."

  "Look here, Seth, you've got good reason to make it hot for Jip afterall he's----"

  "I wouldn't do a thing to hurt him, an' stand ready to give him a liftif he needs it."

  "You're straight as a die, Seth Bartlett, an' I'll bet you won't besorry for lettin' up on him, for I'm thinkin' Jip will run differentafter this."

  "I hope so; but he ain't out of the woods till somebody sets down on SamBarney. We've been tryin' to make him stop; but he won't, 'cause hethinks it'll give him a big name if he arrests Jip. He's up by Sweeney'sAlley bobbin' round like a jumpin'-jack."

  "Say!" Dan cried, as a sudden and what seemed like a happy thought cameinto his mind. "Sam says Jip is in Philadelphy; now, s'posen all handschipped in enough to buy a ticket for him to go there? He'd never getback, 'cause he don't earn a dollar in a month, an' Jip wouldn't bebothered."

  This plan appealed strongly to both Seth and Dan, and the latter askedas to the probable cost of such a scheme.

  This was a question neither of the boys could answer, and after somethought Master Dean agreed to make the necessary inquiries withoutdelay.

  "Dan an' me will ante up a nickel apiece to get rid of him, an' in caseyou don't have to pay too much, the other fellers who wouldn't want tosee Jip sent to jail ought'er put in the balance."

  Master Dean was quite as eager to aid Jip as was Seth, and withoutwaiting to discuss the matter further started off on his errand ofmercy.

  Then the partners were at liberty to set about the work of the day; butit was now so late that they could not expect to earn very much money.

  "We'll come out mighty slim for supper, I'm thinkin'," Dan said grimly."You've got to knock off in time to meet 'Lish Davis at three o'clock,an' the trade in evenin' papers won't be much more'n begun by then."

  "You needn't go up with me if you don't want to--I can meet you afterthe day's work is over."

  "But I do want to go; I wouldn't miss knowin' what the driver has got tosay, not if I went without supper an' breakfast too."

  "I could tell you all about it."

  "Yes; but I want to hear for myself," Dan replied decidedly, and thusthe matter was concluded.

  Seth worked industriously once he was in that section of the city wherecertain rights he claimed were respected by his brother artisans, andalthough the majority of the fraternity were fully occupied indiscussing the question of what Sam Barney might succeed in doing, herefused to spend any idle time, however much interest he felt in thematter.

  Dan also attended strictly to business, regardless of the manytemptations to remain idle, and at two o'clock in the afternoon thepartners had earned as much as would suffice to provide them with foodduring at least two days; but the question of lodgings yet remained tobe settled.

  "We'll go up now to see what Mr. Davis wants, an' then we must hustlefor lodgin's. There'll be no more hangin' 'round Ninety-four's houseafter dark, 'cause it looks too much as if we was beggin'," Seth said ashe met Dan, who reported that it wouldn't pay to buy another stock ofpapers that day.

  Master Roberts made no reply to this remark.

  He secretly hoped that it might be possible for them to sleep in theengine-house one more night at least, and believed Seth was foolishlysensitive about the matter.

  According to his views on the subject, there was no good reason why theyshould not go even so far as to ask the firemen for a shelter, moreparticularly since they appeared to be so well disposed toward Seth.

  The two boys arrived in the vicinity of the engine-house ten minutesbefore the time set, and Seth insisted that they should not presentthemselves until the hour named, consequently both lounged around nearby until the clock struck three, when they marched boldly up to the opendoor.

  The driver was on the lower floor as if awaiting their arrival, andgreeted Seth in a manner both familiar and kind:

  "So you've come, have you, Amateur? I was beginning to think you'dstruck a business rush, and I shouldn't see you before to-morrow."

  "You said we was to come at three o'clock, so I waited 'round tillthen."

  "Afraid to get here ahead of time, eh?"

  "I thought it was best to do as you told us, though we've been loafin'outside for ten minutes."

  Mr. Davis chuckled audibly, as if in the statement was something verycomical, and not until after several seconds had elapsed did he speak,when it was to ask:

  "Well, what have you two kids done about finding a place where you cansleep?"

  "We're goin' to hustle lively after we leave here. We had to earn alittle money first, an' it was pretty late when we got down-town, so wecouldn't do any huntin'; but you can make certain some place will flashup before dark."

  "I wouldn't wonder if it did, Amateur, I wouldn't wonder if it did. Whatmade you late in getting down-town? I thought you left here earlierthan usual."

  "So we did, sir; but we met Jip Collins, an'----"

  "The kid who started the fire in the lumber-yard?"

  "Yes, sir, an' he's mighty sorry for what he did."

  Then Seth repeated what had been said by the repentant boy, and gave adetailed account of the interview with Sam Barney, all of which appearedwonderfully amusing, not only to 'Lish Davis, but to all the men on thefloor.

  "And are you allowing to adopt this 'ere kid who is setting himself upas a firebug?" the driver asked when Seth had concluded the story.

  "I'd like to give him one more show, for I don't believe he'll go wrongagain,
an' if we can get Sam Barney so far away that he can't come back,it may be done."

  "But what about us? We're bound to give up all such information as wemay happen to run across, and it's a serious matter to keep a closetongue on anything of that kind."

  "Have you _got_ to get Jip arrested?" Seth asked in alarm.

  "It's our duty, and I ain't so certain that he's reformed."

  "But you never can know till he's been given a chance, an' it would bemighty tough if he had to have it put down against him when he grows up,that he's been in jail."

  "I grant you all that, Amateur, yet the law says man or boy must pay thepenalty for arson, and it wouldn't be fair to make an exception in hiscase."

  "What do you mean by arson?"

  "That's the name given to the crime of setting fires, and when the trickis played in the night, in a building where people are living, it coststhe criminal a good many years of his life."

  'Lish Davis was speaking very seriously now, and Seth literally trembledwith apprehension for Jip.

  "Ain't there anything I can do to help the poor feller out of thescrape?" he asked in a tone which told that the tears were very near hiseyelids.

  "That's what I can't say right on the spur of the minute; but I'll thinkthe matter over, and it may be we'll see a way out if you're dead surehe won't try any more such games."

  "I don't believe he will, 'cause he's feelin' mighty bad, an' promisesto be straight after this."

  "I've thought all along that he ought'er be sent up for startin' thefire," Dan said with an air of exceeding wisdom; "but Seth has beenmakin' such a row about givin' him another chance that I had to hold mytongue."

  "I wouldn't be surprised if the amateur was nearer in the right than youare, Daniel, though the officers of the law may look at the matter in adifferent light. However, the young reprobate hasn't been caught yet,even if that keen-eyed detective of yours is on his track, and we'lldrop the subject for a spell. What I wanted to see the amateur about waslodgings."

  Dan's eyes sparkled, for he felt certain they were to be given quartersin the engine-house, and Seth looked really distressed.

  "What's the matter?" 'Lish Davis asked in surprise as he noted theexpression on the boy's face. "It don't seem to strike you right becauseI'm thinking of where you'll find a shelter."

  "I'm 'fraid it'll seem like as if Dan an' I were beggin' for a bed. Wecan find one after a spell, an' it wouldn't be any new thing if weknocked around the streets a few nights."

  "Now, don't distress yourself on the score of begging," the driver saidwith a hearty laugh. "I've come to know how thin-skinned you are on thatpoint, and ain't counting on giving either of you the value of a pin.But it so happens that a friend of mine lives in the next block, andhe's got a room in his attic that he's just dying to let. I was tellinghim about you kids, and he'll make what I call a fair trade."

  "Do you mean that we're to hire a reg'lar room?" Seth asked in surprise.

  "Why not, if it comes cheap enough? Now, this 'ere place I'm speaking ofain't very swell, and I don't allow he could let it to any but boys likeyou. He'll give a lease of it, with bed and such furniture thrown in ashis wife can scare up, for fifty cents a week. By blacking Ben Dunton'sand my boots five mornings a week you'll have the price earned, andit'll pay a heap better than skinning 'round the streets, likely to bemoved on by a policeman a dozen times 'twixt sunset and sunrise."

  Seth looked suspiciously at 'Lish Davis.

  The possibility of hiring a "reg'lar room" at such a low price had neverbefore entered his mind, and he feared there might be something inregard to the transaction which was being kept a secret from him.

  "Now, then, Amateur, what are you staring at? Do you think I'd give youany fairy story about the place? You'd better have a look at it beforethinking it's a very big bargain," and the driver leaned back in hischair laughing heartily, although Seth could not understand what had soexcited his mirth.

  "We'll be mighty glad to get lodgin's at that price," Dan said promptly,and Mr. Davis handed him a card, on the back of which was written anaddress, saying as he did so:

  "Go to that place, and ask to see the room 'Lish Davis was talkingabout. If it suits you, take it, and if it don't there's been no greatharm done."

  "You're mighty good to think of us in this way," Seth said, feelingalmost ashamed because of his previous mistrust.

  "Yes, I reckon I am; but we'll hope it don't spoil me," and again thedriver gave way to his mirth.