CHAPTER IX.
"Why! why! why! what's the meaning of all this?" cried Mr. Himes, intones of mingled anger, amazement, and rebuke; "did you actually go tobed leaving this outside door open, Belindy?"
It was early in the morning, some two or three weeks after the eventsrelated in our last chapter, and the two had but just risen to beginthe new day.
"Me? Of course not!" returned the wife, in indignant surprise notunmingled with fright, running out, only half dressed as she was, tofind her husband standing on the kitchen hearth, gazing in open-mouthedastonishment at the wide-open door.
He turned angrily upon her. "You must have done it; you was the last togo to bed."
"Ketch me at it!" she said. "I'm too much afraid o' them burglars by agreat deal."
"Burglars!" he echoed, and rushed wildly into the adjoining room. Thelid of his strong-box was raised, papers were scattered about thefloor. He seemed unable to believe the evidence of his senses; herubbed his hand across his forehead, muttering, "I must be dreamin'.Nobody couldn't never have broke that lock, nor picked it neither,and--"
He stepped to the box and stooped over it for a moment; then,straightening himself, turned toward his wife a face from which everyvestige of color had fled.
"It's gone!" he gasped; "every cent of it!"
"How much?" she asked, trembling and distressed.
"All I had; the earnin's and savin's o' years and years o' hard work!"
"Why didn't you put it into the bank?"
"Because I was afeard o' them; banks breaks now and agin, and they'reoften robbed, too, by folks inside and out; nobody knows who's honestand who isn't. Oh, dear! oh, dear!"
He began picking up the papers and restoring them to their places,groaning and lamenting all the time, and even shedding tears.
"How quiet they must a done it all!" she said, shuddering, and glancingabout, half expecting to see a burglar. "I never heard a sound. Andthey must have been in our room to get the key!" she exclaimed, with afresh accession of fright at the thought.
"No, they wasn't!" he said, sharply. "Can't you see the lock's broke?"
At that she walked back to the kitchen, closed the outer door, startedthe fire, and put the kettle on to boil, her thoughts all the whilebusy with their loss and the manner in which the robbery had beeneffected. She knew no more of it than he did. Phelim had not confidedin her, and as yet she had no suspicion of his connection with the bandof housebreakers and thieves infesting the valley.
The old man was so full of grief and despair that he could not eat;leaving his breakfast almost untasted, and bidding his wife attend tothe outdoor work, which he usually did himself, he mounted his swiftesthorse and hastened to the nearest town to see what steps could be takentoward the recovery of his stolen property.
But as before, when committing similar acts of depredation, the wilyvillains had managed their work so adroitly that no clew to theiridentity could be found.
Weeks passed on without any new light being thrown upon the matter, andunder the grievous trial Mr. Himes grew constantly more morose,captious and niggardly toward his wife, till she declared that lifespent alone with him--and she seldom had any other companion--was anintolerable burden.
Then he took to absenting himself frequently, sometimes being gone allday long, never telling her whither he went or on what errand.
At length he announced his intention to sell his place and move into anadjoining State.
"What fer?" Belinda asked, in surprise and dismay. "You couldn't get anicer place, and you've always bragged on it so. I'd never have thoughtyou'd give it up."
"There's nothin' wrong with the place," he said, "but there's too manyburglars about. I sha'n't stay here to be robbed agin soon as I get alittle ahead."
"You'll stay on here till after harvest, won't you?"
"I tell you, I'm a goin' jest as soon's I kin sell out!" he snapped.
Spring had opened, and the farmers were very busy. Once Mr. Himes wouldhave been as much so as any, but now he seemed to feel that he hadsomething else to attend to of more importance than the cultivation ofhis land.
Miriam Heath, out in the fields one bright morning with SandyMcAllister and Barney Nolan, overseeing and directing their operationsthere, heard aloud "Halloo, Miss Heath!" and turning her head, saw Mr.Himes waving his hand to her from the road.
"I must see what he wants," she said to Sandy, whose attention had beenarrested by the call as well as her own. "I think you can go on verywell without me now." And turning her horse about, she rode up to thefence that separated the field from the road, and with a courteousgreeting to her caller, asked if he would go into the house.
"Well, yes; p'r'aps I might as well," he replied, "if you can sparetime fer a little business talk."
"I must always do that," she answered. "I was very sorry to hear, sometime ago, that you, too, had been robbed."
"Yes," he returned, with a heavy sigh; "and them rascals made a biggerhaul than they did here--got the savin's o' years. I hain't much leftbut the farm and the stock. I hope you've got your notes back, MissHeath. Fact is, I want that money awful bad now. I'd be glad if you'dpay the whole thing off, principal and interest, and take up yourmortgage."
"I wish I could, indeed," she said, leading the way into the house andgiving him a chair, "but it is utterly impossible. We have had no traceof the notes yet; and though we have used the closest economy, I havebut one hundred dollars for you now. I will give you a check on thePrairieville bank for it."
"Only a hundred! Why, that will leave fifty back of the interest duelast fall--six months ago!"
"I know it," she said, with a deeply troubled look; "but if you willonly have patience, I am sure we will pay it all in time."
"I don't want to be hard on ye, but, as I said afore, I do want thatmoney awful bad," he answered, with a scowl. "I mean to leave theState, and I'm tryin' to close things up so's to take all I have withme."
"Have we not always paid you the interest promptly up to last fall?"she asked.
"Yes, that's so."
"And can't you trust us to send it to you as fast as we can raise it?"
"Well, I reckon likely ye'd do it, but I'd a heap rather take it allwith me. I don't want to be hard on ye," he repeated, "and I shouldhate to foreclose; but I do want the money mighty bad."
Miriam's cheek had grown very pale. "Oh, Mr. Himes," she said, claspingher hands entreatingly, "you wouldn't do that? You couldn't have theheart to do it--to take all we have and turn us out of house and home?"
"I'd hate to do it, but every man must look to his own interests firstand foremost."
"Do you remember," she said, low and huskily, "that it was to save thecountry my father borrowed this money and mortgaged his farm to you?and he gave his life to the cause; my brother gave his health andstrength and the use of his arm; and what would your property be worthto-day if the country had gone to ruin?"
"Well, maybe not much," he acknowledged after a moment's cogitation,leaning forward with his eyes on the floor, his hat in his hands andhis elbows on his knees, "and I shouldn't like to distress ye. Give methe check for the hundred, and I'll wait a spell for the rest. You're agirl in a thousand, Miss Miriam, and I hope you'll pull through allright yet."
"Thank you," she said, a little tremulously; "if I do not, it shall notbe for lack of trying. Thank you for your forbearance, Mr. Himes. Youshall have all I can possibly save this year, and if the crops aregood, that will be all the interest and a large part of the principal.Indeed, if we recover the stolen notes I dare hope to pay off the wholethis year."
He went away with the comfortable feeling that he had shown himself amodel of generous forbearance, and was deserving of any amount of goodfortune in requital of it all.
"You can just pass that over to my credit, I don't care to draw it outto-day," he said, as he handed in the check at the bank.
As he was stepping into the street again, he felt a tap on hisshoulder, a voice asking
, at the same time,"How are you to-day, Mr.Himes?"
"Ah! good-day, colonel; how are you?" he returned, looking round.
"I want a little chat with you on business," said Bangs, offering hishand with an urbane smile. "Just step over to my office with me, won'tyou?"
"You hain't got on the track o' them thieves, hev ye?" queried Himes,half incredulously, half eagerly, as they walked on together. "But Is'pose there hain't no such good news."
"I wish I could say there was," was the gracious reply; "but they arecunning rogues, though we may promise ourselves that they're sure to becaught finally. No; it's another matter I want to speak of to-day. Juststep in and take a chair. I hear you were offering your farm for sale.Have you found a purchaser yet?"
Himes answered in the negative.
"Well, I have a little money to invest, and don't know but I might aswell put it into land."
Questions and answers followed--as to the size of the farm, buildingson it, quality of land, number of acres under cultivation, etc.
"Well, I must ride out and look at it before I can strike a bargainwith you," the lawyer said at length. "But haven't you some otherproperty for sale--railroad or other stock? mortgages?"
"Yes, sir; I have a mortgage that I'd like mightily to get the cashfor," returned Himes, catching at the suggestion with unmistakableavidity.
Bangs's eyes shone; he saw Miriam in his power. "On what property?" heasked, knowing full well what the answer would be.
"Lakeside--the Heaths' place. It's a nice one."
"Yes, I know it, and wouldn't mind having a claim on it. Firstmortgage? and what's the amount?"
"Yes, first--no other on it, fer's I know; and it's for two thousanddollars."
"Interest all paid up?"
Himes shook his head; then went on to tell exactly how matters stoodbetween the Heaths and himself.
"I'll take it, and pay every cent down. Have you it with you?"
"No; it's at home. I'll bring it in to-morrow; that'll be best, as I'llwant to put the money in bank for the present," returned Himes,meditatively. "I don't put no more in the way o' them burglars, yousee; guess they wouldn't find it as easy to break into the bank as intomy house. But--"
He stopped short, and seemed ill at ease.
"What now?" asked Bangs.
"Why, you see, I was just a thinkin' I wouldn't like them folks--theHeaths--to be foreclosed on and sold out. I kind o' promised MissMiriam to wait on 'em a bit, and she's a girl in--"
"You needn't be afraid to trust them to me," smiled Bangs, graciously."Why, to let you into a secret"--he leaned over and whispered the restinto the farmer's ear--"I expect to marry the girl."
"You do? Well, all I've got to say is, you'll get a mighty handsomewoman and a first-rate housekeeper and manager."
"I know all that better than anybody can tell it to me," returnedBangs, emphatically.
The Tragedy of Wild River Valley Page 9
