Budd Boyd's Triumph; or, The Boy-Firm of Fox Island

by John Kendrick Bangs

  CHAPTER X.--BUDD'S STORY.

  Said he, "My father's name is Henry Boyd, and my mother's, Mary Boyd,and my home until last March was in Boston, Mass. Father and mother hadbeen brought up in the western part of that State, and were marriedthere, but soon after my birth they removed to Boston, and fatherentered the store of N. B. Johnson, the wholesale dry goods dealer onSumner Street."

  "He's the man who has spent the last summer or two on Hope Island,"interrupted Judd, "and the one Bagsley called old Johnson."

  "Yes," assented Budd; "though I did not know, until he alluded to itto-night, that it was down this way that Mr. Johnson spent his summers.

  "To go on with my story, however. Father slowly worked his way up fromone position to another until he was Mr. Johnson's confidential clerk,and held that position until last fall. Of course his salary was acomfortable one, and we lived nicely out in the Roxbury suburbs. I waskept constantly in school, and as I seemed interested in my studiesfather determined that I should have a college education, and with thataim in view I last September entered the Boston Latin School.

  "How little we know what is before us," continued Budd after a momentarypause. "Had anyone then told me what I was to pass through in less thana year I should have thought it simply impossible. In order to have youunderstand what is to follow I must, however, go back a little in myexplanation.

  "When I was about twelve years old, mother began to show signs of adecline. She had had a fever, and never fully recovered. Still, as shewas able to be around most of the time and direct our one servant in thecare of the house, I, at least, thought but little about it. Not sowith father, however. Always thoughtful of others rather than ofhimself, he watched mother with an ever-increasing anxiety until a yearago last spring. Mother then contracted a severe cold, and it was soononly too apparent that she had entered the first stages of a quickconsumption.

  "All that summer she grew worse, and last October she was so feeble herphysician declared that the only hope of saving her life was to take herimmediately to a warmer climate for the winter. Father determined thatthis should be done, but how he was to accomplish it he did not know.Mother was too feeble to go without him and a woman attendant. The falldrive at the store had begun, and father could not well be spared.Then, too, there was the expense that would necessarily follow. Thiswas an important item; for though father had always had good pay, hehad, on account of his heavy expenses, saved scarcely anything.

  "Father spoke to Mr. Johnson about a leave of absence, and hereluctantly consented that father should be gone long enough to takemother to Florida and arrange for her comfort there. The woman who wastaking care of her consented to go and stay there with her; and much asfather and mother hated to be separated, this seemed the only thing thatcould be done. Father had about two hundred dollars on hand, and deemedthis enough to meet the expenses of taking mother down to Deland, theplace where they had decided to go. He then intended to send mothermoney each month, or as it should be needed.

  "So our house was given up. The goods were stored. A boarding-placewas secured for me, and on the first of the next week father and motherwere to start. I shall never forget that last evening we all spenttogether," and Budd's voice grew husky. "It was at a friend's of thefamily, where mother had been temporarily removed while the householdgoods were being packed and stored. We were alone in mother's room, andit almost seems as if mother knew she should never see me again, exceptfor the brief moment I should say good-by to her at the depot thefollowing morning. So she told me her last wishes, and gave me herblessing.

  "While we sat there a knock came at the door, and mother's nurseentered.

  "'Here, Mr. Boyd,' she said, 'is a letter for you. It has just been leftat the door.'

  "Father took it, and noticing the firm-name on the corner of theenvelope, tore it open with some misgiving. It proved, however, to be agreat cause for rejoicing to us all, and no one dreamed that it wasotherwise than authentic. Written on the regular firm note-paper, andwith the firm-heading, it ran:

  BOSTON, Mass., Oct. 15, 18--.

  MR. HENRY BOYD:

  _Dear Sir_--Possibly my reluctance to allow you a leave of absence mayhave led you to believe I do not sympathize with you in your wife'sillness; but as a proof that I do, and also as a token of myappreciation of your long and faithful service, I inclose a check forfive hundred ($500) dollars. Trusting you will return to us at theearliest possible moment, and that your wife's sojourn in a warmerclimate may completely restore her to health,

  I remain, yours truly, N. B. JOHNSON.

  "Now, father had seen more or less of Mr. Johnson's writing every dayfor years, and the quaint, cramped penmanship of the letter, with thefamiliar signature at the close, seemed identically those that were alsoupon the check. That was the regular firm-check also, and the numberand perforation were in strict accordance with the firm-usages, andtherefore father, with a grateful heart, wrote a note of thanks, andgave it to me to mail to Mr. Johnson as I went back to myboarding-place. With joyful hearts, too--joyful in spite of mother'sfeebleness--father and mother set out at an early hour the next morningfor the South. They had taken this unexpected generosity of Mr. Johnsonas a good omen, and neither had any suspicion that a cloud was gatheringabove their heads that would soon mean death to one and an incarcerationin prison-walls for the other.

  "In New York father was known, and he thought it wiser to cash his checkthere than wait until he got farther South; so the next morning hedelayed one train, and at the opening of the bank where he wasacquainted presented his check for payment. The money was handed himwithout any hesitation, and two hours later he, with his little party,had resumed the journey.

  "At Richmond, Charleston and Jacksonville they made brief stops, thatmother might rest, and it was not until the following week that theyarrived at their destination. Imagine, now, father's surprise, when heregistered at the hotel in Deland, to have an officer immediately stepforward and arrest him for forgery and theft. As soon as fatherrecovered his composure he demanded a full explanation of the outrage,and at whose instigation the charges had been made. He was completelyoverwhelmed when told that it was Mr. Johnson, and that he was chargednot only with the forging of the check, but also with taking a thousanddollars in cash from the office safe.

  "Father sent for a lawyer and consulted with him, hoping to arrange theaffair in some way so that mother would have no knowledge of it, andhaving arranged for her comfort, he would then return to Boston and facethe charges, sure that he could prove them false. But father was astranger. No one was ready to offer bail for him, and the officerclamored for his immediate requisition. There seemed but onealternative. Mother must be told, and father return immediately toBoston.

  "When mother was told, the shock seemed to give her new strength, andshe declared she would not leave father while he was in trouble. Thewhole party started on their return, therefore, with the officer. InNew York mother was taken with a hemorrhage, brought on, the doctorssaid, by excitement and overdoing, and in six hours she was a corpse.

  "I saw the account of father's arrest in that morning's paper, and a fewhours later got a telegram from father announcing mother's death, andthat night met him at the depot and took charge of the corpse, while theofficer took father to jail.

  "The weeks that followed I cannot tell you of," continued Budd, after aparoxysm of sobs. "Mother was buried, and father's trial came. Somefriends had rallied about him, good counsel was secured, and we hopedconfidently for his acquittal. Father told his story just as it was,but Mr. Johnson declared he never either wrote the letter or sent thecheck; and Bagsley, who had been an under-clerk in the office, and hadsucceeded to father's position, produced bits of paper that he declaredhe had found hid in the office, on which there had evidently beenconstant practice to imitate the firm-name. This testimony, togetherwith the known facts that father needed the money, and was the onlyclerk in the office that at that time had access to the safe andcheck
-book, convicted him. His story, and the drawing of the check andthe sending of it to the house, were declared to be simply plans on hispart to cover his crimes in mother's and his friends' eyes, and accountto them for the extra money he possessed, until he got safely out of theState. The thousand dollars that had disappeared from the safe he wassupposed to have concealed. At the end, those who had claimed to befriends deserted him, and Mr. Johnson was openly complimented on thepromptness with which he had acted. The Judge who presided at the trialseemed to have caught the popular belief, for he, when pronouncing thesentences, said:

  "'Had the prisoner confessed his guilt and thrown himself upon the mercyof the Court, he might have received the Court's clemency, since theywere his first offenses. His obdurateness, however, compels me to makethe sentences correspondingly harsh. I therefore sentence him on thefirst charge to seven years, and on the second charge to five years, athard labor in the State's prison; the second sentence to begin when thefirst has ended.'

  "It was last January when this took place. From that time I knew not ahappy hour until I left the city. Our former friends refused to receiveme at their homes; school-mates treated me coldly or met me with sneers;even the lady with whom I boarded told me I must leave. I at lengthdetermined to seek a home where I was not known.

  "The lawyer who had defended father at his trial seemed friendly, and tohim I went. From him I learned that father had returned to Mr. Johnsonthe five hundred dollars he had got on the forged check, and that he hadtold Mr. Johnson if he ever lived to get out of prison he should pay theother thousand. 'You believe I have taken it,' he had said, 'and I willnot allow myself to rest until you at least are convinced that I havenot a cent that belongs to you.' The lawyer also added that father'sown money had paid the expenses South and return, and also mother'sfuneral expenses, but that he had received no compensation for hisservices.

  "Through him I therefore disposed of all the household goods, sellingeven my own, father's and mother's watches; in fact, everything thatwould sell. After paying the lawyer in full, and all other bills, Ifound I had five hundred and four dollars and seventy-five cents.

  "I took five hundred of this and went to Mr. Johnson's office. He wasnot in, and I sat down to await his coming. Bagsley was at the deskfather had occupied so long, and he scowled darkly at me. I had alwaysfelt that he could tell all about the forged check and the thousanddollars if he were willing to do so, and I fixed my eyes steadily uponhim. He grew uneasy at my fixed gaze, and evidently would have spokento me had not the presence of the other clerks prevented.

  "Mr. Johnson soon came in, and though he seemed annoyed to see me, didnot refuse my request to see him privately. Once in his inner office, Itook out the money I had brought and handed it to him.

  "'I pay this money, Mr. Johnson,' I said, 'not because father ever tooka dollar from you, but because you believe he did. This five hundredmakes an even thousand. The other five hundred I will pay as soon as Ican earn it. Will you give me a receipt for this?'"

  Without a word he filled out the receipt, but on handing it to me hesaid, not unkindly:

  "'Will you tell me who did take it? If I knew I had wronged your fatherI would not leave a stone unturned until I had made him full amends.'

  "'Of course I have my suspicions,' I replied, 'but it is another thingto prove them.'

  "'Do you mean Bagsley?' he asked, lowering his voice and tappingthoughtfully on the desk with his fingers.

  "'Mr. Johnson,' I suddenly cried, a light flashing in upon my mind, 'didyou, the morning father started South, get a note from him thanking youfor the check?' and as he shook his head in reply, I went on: 'Well, thenight before, I mailed one to you. Who opened your mail that morning?'

  "'Bagsley,' he replied; 'but how did he get access to the safe, and whatcould have been his motive in so cruelly wronging your father, ifguilty?'

  "'I don't know any more than you,' I answered, turning to go. As I laidmy hand upon the office door it opened, and Bagsley appeared. By thelook of rage on his face as he glanced at me I knew he had beenlistening to our conversation. He walked over to Mr. Johnson with ahandful of papers he wanted him to sign, and I departed.

  "Going back to the place where I was stopping, I remained all night, andearly the next morning took my pack and started out of the city. I hadso little money I had decided to walk to Providence, looking for workall the way. Barely had I turned the first street corner when I raninto Bagsley. He at once recognized me, and catching me by the arm,hissed out the words:

  "'You young rascal! I've a good mind to throttle you; and I will if youever come about the office again telling stories about me!' Then heshook me and hurled me from him with a force that sent me into thenearest gutter.

  "Thoroughly angered by the treatment I had received, I sprung to my feetand foolishly said:

  "'Bagsley, it was you who forged that check and sent it to father tocover your theft of the thousand dollars, and I'll prove it yet!'

  "He came toward me, his eyes flashing with a murderous light and hisfists clinched. I expected ah encounter with him that would only end inserious injury to one or the other of us, and braced myself for it. Butjust then he caught sight of a gentleman coming down the street, andshaking his fist in my face, he muttered:

  "'The next time I meet you I'll kill you!' and then he turned the cornerand disappeared.

  "I now know by his words here to-night that he has been looking for me,and thus found out that I had left the city. His presence hereindicates also that he has been discharged for some reason from Mr.Johnson's employ, and is allied with a gang of burglars. This onlystrengthens my belief that he is guilty of the crimes for which myfather is now in prison.

  "As to my tramp, it was a long and severe one. I reached Providencefinally without money and no prospect of work. Every effort there tosecure a job failed, and I continued my tramp. In the village over hereI heard of Benton, and that he wanted a lad about my age. It was cold,a storm threatened, I was hungry, and had nowhere to lay my head. Hisoffer I was at the time thankful to accept, and began my work for him."

  "Does your father know where you are?" asked Judd, as his partnerfinished and bowed his head upon the table to conceal the emotions thenarrating of his story had awakened.

  "I went to see him before I paid Mr. Johnson," Budd replied withoutraising his head, "and had his approval of my course. After I hired outto Mr. Benton I sent a brief line to him explaining that I had foundwork. I did not give my address, for I was afraid if I got a letterfrom the prison my story might come out, and I should have to seek ahome in some other place. I tell you, Judd, it's a heavy burden Icarry--one that will blight my whole life, and that has already, as yousee, changed my whole future."

  "Yes, Budd, I know it," replied his companion; "and yet you know, andyour father knows, he is innocent, while I know my father is everythingthat the people of this community may care to call him. Your mother wasconfident of your father's innocence, and died before she knew of hisimprisonment, while my mother all her married life had the burden ofknowing she was married to a brute. Surely there is much yet for you tobe thankful for, and perhaps Bagsley's presence here means that you areyet to prove his guilt and set your father free. Some light has beenthrown on the matter by this incident of to-night."

  "You are right, Judd, and I will take heart at your words. The darkesthour seems to have passed, and light has begun to come. I am pleasantlysituated, and can soon send Mr. Johnson a payment on the last fivehundred dollars. In some way, too, Bagsley may be led to confess thepart he has played, and then father can go free, and here I'll have ahome to which he can come until we plan for the future. But whatevercomes, and whatever plans are made, there will always be a place foryou. Brief as the time has been since I knew you, I love you like abrother."

  "We will be brothers," Judd declared. "Through thick and thin we'llstand by each other;" and with a hearty shake of the hands the lads wentto bed, and were soon asleep.
<
br />   And neither one for a single moment supposed that before the coming weekwas over a darker cloud and a heavier burden would fall upon Budd'sheart, and that Judd's declaration would have a severe test.