by Charles King
CHAPTER XXIX.
_THE TESTIMONIAL._
It was impossible for Teddy to follow Tim's advice to "loaf around."
His heart was so full of sorrow that his greatest desire was to go wherethose who might believe he had been a partner of the burglars could notsee him; but since that was impossible, if he intended to obey thedeacon's injunctions and present himself at the grand stand at thespecified time, the next best thing was to remain behind the booth wherehis mother tried her best to cheer him.
"It can't be possible that anything to your disadvantage has occurred,Teddy," she said as she held his hand for mutual sympathy. "Mr. Reaveswould have sent me word at once if that had happened."
"Perhaps he doesn't know about it. Uncle Nathan may have been talkingwith the deacon again, an' turned him against me."
"I don't believe it would be possible for him to do such a thing. Hisreputation is not so good that people could put faith in all he says,more especially in regard to this case."
"Then if he didn't do it some one else has, an' that makes it all theworse," Teddy replied, as he tried to force back the tears.
At this moment the sorrowing ones were startled by hearing the voice ofthe man whom they had every reason to call their enemy, and an instantlater Uncle Nathan stood before them.
"Well," he said in what sounded more like a snarl than anything else,"you see the old skinflint did jest what he promised, an' he'll see toit that the deacon don't stay on your bail very long unless I get myrights."
"What do you mean by your rights?" Mrs. Hargreaves asked.
"I lent this ungrateful boy the money to start him in a business wherehe's made more in a week than I ever could in a year. Then he helpedpeople to rob me, an' after all that I made what any man must call afair offer. See how much I've lost by him, an' then think of my offerin'to straighten everything out by goin' in as his partner."
"Why didn't you do this before the fair opened?"
"I couldn't tell how it would turn out," the old man began, and thenrealizing that he was admitting something to his discredit, he added,quickly, "I mean I hadn't lost my money then, an' never suspected how hewould wrong me."
It seemed as if these last words drove Teddy to desperation, and he nolonger-remembered the respect due to age.
"Look here," he cried, angrily, rising, and standing directly in frontof Uncle Nathan, "if you believe I'm a burglar, you can't want to be mypartner. It was only after the fact of my having made considerable moneywas known that you offered any trade. If the venture had been a losingone you are the last person who would have taken hold of it. Now I'munder arrest on a charge made by you, who know I am innocent, an' we'llput an end to all this talk. Don't come where my mother and I am; do thevery worst you can, an' some day I'll have my innings."
"You threaten, eh?"
"That's exactly what I'm doing. I have leased this piece of ground untilto-morrow, and warn you that it'll be mighty uncomfortable if you showyour nose here again. Go now an' go quick!"
"That's right, Teddy," Tim shouted in a tone of delight from theopposite side of the booth. "Give it to him hot, an' I'll do my share.If you don't want to tackle the job till after the trial, say the wordan' I'll sail in, for it gives me a pain to see him around."
Teddy made no reply to this generous offer; but Uncle Nathan steppedback very quickly as if fearing an immediate attack.
"You won't be so bold to-morrow," he snarled, shaking his fist inimpotent rage, and then he disappeared from view amid the crowd that hadbegun to gather.
Both Teddy and his clerk thought it very singular that business shouldbe so good on this day, when the majority of the other fakirs werecomparatively idle, and also in view of what had been said against theproprietor of the cane-board.
Yet the people gathered around by scores, all intent on patronizing theboys, and at the same time embracing every opportunity to display theirgood will.
Teddy and his mother remained partially screened from the gaze of thecurious until nearly two o'clock, when Dan, looking decidedly troubled,arrived.
"I suppose we've got to go to the grand stand an' find out what thedeacon wants," he said, mournfully. "My boss told me that we must bethere on time, an' we might as well start."
"I want to have it over as soon as possible," Teddy replied. "Nothin'that comes can be any worse than waitin' here thinkin' of what mayhappen."
The two boys walked either side of Mrs. Hargreaves as they went to meetthe deacon, and it seemed very much as if the majority of the peoplepresent knew what was about to occur, for the sad-visaged party wasfollowed by crowds of the visitors as they walked steadily onward.
It was exactly two o'clock when they arrived at the stairway leading tothe grand stand, and there they were met by the leader of the band fromthe Run, who said with a mysterious manner as he opened a gate leadingto the track in front of the judges' stand:
"You are to come this way."
"Where's the deacon?" Teddy asked.
"Waiting for you."
Without further explanation the musician led the three to a spot whereall could see them, and to the intense surprise of the sorrowful-lookingparty, the throng assembled on the benches greeted them with the mosthearty applause.
"You are to come with me, Mrs. Hargreaves," the conductor said, as heescorted her to one of the front seats, and Teddy and Dan stood as ifstupefied, gazing in dismay at the sea of faces in front of them.
Before the boys had sufficiently recovered from their bewilderment to beable to speculate upon what was to happen Deacon Jones came down thesteps until he reached a place where all could see him and there began aspeech which caused at least two of that assemblage to gaze at him inopen-mouthed astonishment.
The manager of the fair did not intend to neglect any opportunity ofmaking himself conspicuous, and he delivered an eloquent address,looking first at the boys and then at the audience, which cannot begiven here because of lack of space.
He first explained to the spectators that Teddy had taken upon himselfthe business of fakir simply that he might aid his widowed mother. Thenhe detailed the loss of the fifteen dollars, and finally broached theone important matter, that of the scene on the creek, when the threewomen were rescued from drowning.
By this time the cheeks of Teddy and Dan were flaming red, and if he hadbeen charging them with the most atrocious crimes they could not havelooked more guilty or uncomfortable.
"As you all know," he said, in conclusion, "we have met here to seebravery and a spirit of self-sacrifice rewarded. On behalf of the ladieswhose lives were saved by these little heroes I am about to presentEdward Hargreaves and Daniel Summers with one hundred dollars each. Inaddition to that amount the managers of the fair and several gentlemenwho do not care to have their names made public, have made up a purse ofone hundred and eighty dollars to be divided equally between them. It ismost gratifying to me that I have been selected as the instrumentthrough whom this testimonial is presented, and in behalf of my brotherofficers as well as myself I will state that these brave boys have thefreedom of the grounds whenever the Peach Bottom fair is open."
As he concluded, the deacon walked with a majestic bearing down to thebewildered boys, presented each with a well-filled pocketbook and thenwaved his hand as a signal for the band, every member of which did hisbest to make the music heard above the rounds of applause intended forthe blushing fakirs.
In the meantime the people came down from the benches to congratulatethe life-savers, and for fully an hour the two were forced to remainthere listening to words of praise which they felt were not warranted bytheir exploit on the creek.
Among the most welcome of these enthusiastic visitors was Jacob Sweet,and he said, heartily:
"I heard of this little performance jest in time to get here before thatlong-winded speech was begun; but what pleases me the most is that I wasahead of the whole gang, an' started our little blow-out when it wasn'tknown you had so many friends. I'll see you to-night, of course, an' Imu
st go now, for the bouncer has been around tellin' that you've beensleepin' in my tent, an' I count on a good payin' crowd this afternoon."
It was considerably past three o'clock when the boys and Mrs. Hargreavesreturned to the cane-board, looking very much different than when theyleft it, and Tim cried as they came up:
"I've heard all about it, an' what I want to know is, where was oldNathan while that speechifyin' was goin' on?"
"I saw him when we first arrived," Mrs. Hargreaves replied, "but he lefta few moments later, although I have no doubt that he remained where hecould hear all that was said without being seen."
"That's where he was wise. It wouldn't be very pleasant for him to showhimself now, 'cause everybody is down on him after what the deaconsaid."
Dan was obliged to return to his duties, and he whispered to Teddybefore leaving:
"I tell you what it is, old feller, this has been a reg'lar puddin' forus, an' I'd give a good deal to see another jest like it."
"You're all right, but I expect after this Uncle Nathan will be so madhe'll make me a pile of trouble."
"Don't worry about that; his claws are cut now. I'll be back in time togo to supper."
When he departed Teddy had an opportunity to say a few words to hismother before she returned home on the stage, which was advertised toleave at four o'clock, and while he did this all thought of being underarrest was put far from his mind because of the joy at what he was nowable to perform.
"Never mind what happens to me," he whispered. "I've now got nearlymoney enough to pay off all we owe, an' it has been earned honestly,too, although I believe they paid a big price for what Dan an' I did onthe creek."
"I'm thinking more of the praise you earned than the money, Teddy. Itwas very sweet to hear the deacon say so much to you before all thosepeople."
"Then both of us will be awfully jolly to-night, an' to-morrow I'll behome, an' bring Dan with me."
"Invite him to stay just as long as he wishes, and I will have a nicesupper ready when the last stage arrives."
Teddy gave his mother nearly all the money he had, including the"testimonial," and as she walked away he said to Tim:
"I'm willin' to be arrested, an' put into jail a good many days for thesake of being able to help her as I can do now."