Beautiful Joe [83]
him, turned into the lane
leading to the house. There was an old red gate at the end of it, and he stopped
in front of it, and waited for father to get out. Then he passed through, and
instead of going up to the house, turned around, and stood with his head toward
the road.
"Father never said a word, but he was doing a lot of thinking. He went into the
house, and found the old man sitting over the fire, rubbing his hands, and half-
crying about 'the few poor dollars,' that he said he had had stolen from him.
Father had never seen him before, but he knew he had the name of being half
silly, and question him as much as he liked, he could make nothing of him. The
daughter said that they had gone to bed at dark the night her father was robbed.
She slept up stairs, and he down below. About ten o'clock she heard him scream,
and running down stairs, she found him sitting up in bed, and the window wide
open. He said a man had sprung in upon him, stuffed the bedclothes into his
mouth, and dragging his box from under the bed, had made off with it. She ran to
the door and looked out, but there was no one to be seen. It was dark, and
snowing a little, so no traces of footsteps were to be perceived in the morning.
"Father found that the neighbors were dropping in to bear the old man company,
so he drove on to Sudbury, and then returned home. When he got back, he said
Jacobs was hanging about the stable in a nervous kind of a way, and said he
wanted to speak to him. Father said very good, but put the horse in first.
Jacobs unhitched, and father sat on one of the stable benches and watched him
till he came lounging along with a straw in his mouth, and said he'd made up his
mind to go West, and he'd like to set off at once.
"Father said again, very good, but first he had a little account to settle with
him, and he took out of his pocket a paper, where he had jotted down, as far as
he could, every quart of oats, and every bag of grain, and every quarter of a
dollar of market money that Jacobs had defrauded him of. Father said the fellow
turned all the colors of the rainbow, for he thought he had covered up his
tracks so cleverly that he would never be found out. Then father said, 'Sit
down, Jacobs, for I have got to have a long talk with you.' He had him there
about an hour, and when he finished, the fellow was completely broken down.
Father told him that there were just two courses in life for a young man to
take; and he had gotten on the wrong one. He was a young, smart fellow, and if
he turned right around now, there was a chance for him. If he didn't there was
nothing but the State's prison ahead of him, for he needn't think he was going
to gull and cheat all the world, and never be found out. Father said he'd give
him all the help in his power, if he had his word that he'd try to be an honest
man. Then he tore up the paper, and laid there was an end of his indebtedness to
him.
"Jacobs is only a young fellow, twenty-three or thereabout, and father says he
sobbed like a baby. Then, without looking at him, father gave in account of his
afternoon's drive, just as if he was talking to himself. He said that Pacer
never to his knowledge had been on that road before, and yet he seemed perfectly
familiar with it, and that he stopped and turned already to leave again quickly,
instead of going up to the door, and how he looked over his shoulder and started
on a run down the lane, the minute father's foot was in the cutter again. In the
course of his remarks, father mentioned the fact that on Monday, the evening
that the robbery was committed, Jacobs had borrowed Pacer to go to the Junction,
but had come in with the horse steaming, and looking as if he had been driven a
much longer distance than that. Father said that when he got done, Jacobs had
sunk down all in a heap on the stable floor with his hands over his face. Father
left him to have it out with himself, and went to the house.
"The next morning, Jacobs looked just the same as usual,
leading to the house. There was an old red gate at the end of it, and he stopped
in front of it, and waited for father to get out. Then he passed through, and
instead of going up to the house, turned around, and stood with his head toward
the road.
"Father never said a word, but he was doing a lot of thinking. He went into the
house, and found the old man sitting over the fire, rubbing his hands, and half-
crying about 'the few poor dollars,' that he said he had had stolen from him.
Father had never seen him before, but he knew he had the name of being half
silly, and question him as much as he liked, he could make nothing of him. The
daughter said that they had gone to bed at dark the night her father was robbed.
She slept up stairs, and he down below. About ten o'clock she heard him scream,
and running down stairs, she found him sitting up in bed, and the window wide
open. He said a man had sprung in upon him, stuffed the bedclothes into his
mouth, and dragging his box from under the bed, had made off with it. She ran to
the door and looked out, but there was no one to be seen. It was dark, and
snowing a little, so no traces of footsteps were to be perceived in the morning.
"Father found that the neighbors were dropping in to bear the old man company,
so he drove on to Sudbury, and then returned home. When he got back, he said
Jacobs was hanging about the stable in a nervous kind of a way, and said he
wanted to speak to him. Father said very good, but put the horse in first.
Jacobs unhitched, and father sat on one of the stable benches and watched him
till he came lounging along with a straw in his mouth, and said he'd made up his
mind to go West, and he'd like to set off at once.
"Father said again, very good, but first he had a little account to settle with
him, and he took out of his pocket a paper, where he had jotted down, as far as
he could, every quart of oats, and every bag of grain, and every quarter of a
dollar of market money that Jacobs had defrauded him of. Father said the fellow
turned all the colors of the rainbow, for he thought he had covered up his
tracks so cleverly that he would never be found out. Then father said, 'Sit
down, Jacobs, for I have got to have a long talk with you.' He had him there
about an hour, and when he finished, the fellow was completely broken down.
Father told him that there were just two courses in life for a young man to
take; and he had gotten on the wrong one. He was a young, smart fellow, and if
he turned right around now, there was a chance for him. If he didn't there was
nothing but the State's prison ahead of him, for he needn't think he was going
to gull and cheat all the world, and never be found out. Father said he'd give
him all the help in his power, if he had his word that he'd try to be an honest
man. Then he tore up the paper, and laid there was an end of his indebtedness to
him.
"Jacobs is only a young fellow, twenty-three or thereabout, and father says he
sobbed like a baby. Then, without looking at him, father gave in account of his
afternoon's drive, just as if he was talking to himself. He said that Pacer
never to his knowledge had been on that road before, and yet he seemed perfectly
familiar with it, and that he stopped and turned already to leave again quickly,
instead of going up to the door, and how he looked over his shoulder and started
on a run down the lane, the minute father's foot was in the cutter again. In the
course of his remarks, father mentioned the fact that on Monday, the evening
that the robbery was committed, Jacobs had borrowed Pacer to go to the Junction,
but had come in with the horse steaming, and looking as if he had been driven a
much longer distance than that. Father said that when he got done, Jacobs had
sunk down all in a heap on the stable floor with his hands over his face. Father
left him to have it out with himself, and went to the house.
"The next morning, Jacobs looked just the same as usual,