Then Chamberlain set to work to tell his story. Placed, as it were,
face to face with the law, he realized that he was but poorly equipped
for carrying on actual proceedings, even though they might be against
Belial himself; but he made a good front and persuaded Squire Cady that
there was something to be done. The squire was visibly affected at the
mention of the old red house, and fell into a revery, looking off
toward the fields and tapping his spectacles on the desk.
"Hercules Thayer and I read Latin together when we were boys," he said,
turning to Chamberlain with a reminiscent smile on his old face. "And
he licked me for liking Hannibal better than Scipio." He laughed
heartily.
The faces of the old sometimes become like pictured parchments, and
seem to be lighted from within by a faint, steady gleam, almost more
beautiful than the fire of youth. As Chamberlain looked, he decided
once more, and finally, that he liked Squire Cady.
"But I got even with Hercules on Horace," the squire went on, chuckling
at his memories. "However," he sighed, as he turned toward his desk
again, "this isn't getting out that warrant for you. We don't want any
malefactors loose about Charlesport; but you'll have to be sure you
know what you're doing. Do you know the man--can you identify him?"
"I think I should know him; but in any case Miss Redmond at the old red
house can identify him."
"We don't want to arrest anybody till we're sure we know what we're
about--that's poor law," said Squire Cady, in a pedagogical and
squire-ish tone, as if Chamberlain were a mere boy. But the Englishman
didn't mind that.
"I think I can satisfy you that we've got the right man," he answered.
"If I find him and bring him to the old red house this afternoon, so
that Miss Redmond can identify him, will you have a sheriff ready to
serve the warrant?"
"Yes, I can do that."
"Very well, then, and thank you, sir," said Chamberlain, moving toward
the door. "And I'm keen on hearing how you got even with Mr. Thayer on
the Horace."
The light behind the squire's parchment face gleamed a moment.
"Come back, my boy, when you've done your duty by the law. Every
citizen should be a protector as well as a keeper of the law. So come
again; the latch-string is always out."
It was mid-morning before the details connected with the sheriff were
completed. By this time Chamberlain's heavy but sound temperament had
lifted itself to its task, gaining momentum as the hours went by. His
next step was to search out the Frenchman. The meager information
obtained the day before was to the effect that the marooned yacht-owner
had taken refuge in one of the shacks near the granite docks in the
upper part of the village. He had persuaded the caretaker of the
Sailors' Reading-room to lend him money with which to telegraph to New
York, as the telegraph operator had refused to trust him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account