by Anonymous
CHAPTER XXVIII
NED A PRISONER
Ned followed Cassidy through the streets, the lodging-house keeperleading the way, and seemingly in no fear that the boy would give himthe slip. As a matter of fact, Ned did not intend to try to escape. Hewas, in a sense, a voluntary prisoner now, as he knew, if he tried torun away again, Cassidy would probably take after him and raise such adisturbance that the police would interfere. And Ned had his own reasonsfor not wanting anything to do with the bluecoats.
Afterwards he thought how senseless, in a measure, his fears were, butat the time they loomed up large before him, and caused him to do thingsof which, otherwise, he would not have dreamed.
"Hurry up!" exclaimed Cassidy when he and Ned had been walking abouthalf an hour. "I haven't got all day."
"What do you intend to do?" asked Ned.
"I intend to make you work out the value of the money you stole from me.One of my porters has left and I have to have another. Instead of hiringone I'll make you do the work until you square things."
"I never took your money!" declared Ned.
"You've said that several times," Cassidy exclaimed. "I don't want tohear it again. I saw you, but I'm willing to give you a chance to reform.No use calling in the police unless I have to, but I will, if you don'tdo as I tell you."
The man spoke earnestly, and not unkindly, and Ned began to believe thatCassidy really believed he stole the money, a thing the boy had notadmitted at first.
"Some day you'll find you're wrong," Ned said.
"I guess not! Jim Cassidy doesn't make mistakes," was the answer. "If Ido I'll pay you back with interest."
They reached the lodging house where Ned had stopped before, and whencehe had escaped in the night.
"Go ahead up," commanded Cassidy. "Get a broom and a pail of water andscrub out the rooms. I'll allow you at the rate of a dollar and a half aday. I had fifteen dollars under my pillow that you took. I got four anda half of it back, counting the fifty cents from the fruit man, and thatleaves ten dollars and a half you owe me. You work seven days and I'llcall it square, and give you your bed free at night. That's more thanyou deserve, but you're young and I'll give you a chance."
Ned thought it was a pretty poor chance, considering his innocence ofthe theft, but he decided it was best not to answer. He got a pail andbroom, and, taking off his coat set to work cleaning the dirty floor.Cassidy watched him a while in silence and remarked:
"I'll be on the lookout, so don't try to sneak away."
"I'll work my seven days," Ned replied, trying to hide the tears thatwould persist in coming into his eyes. As he labored away the stockcertificate, in his inside pocket, rustled. All his trouble dated fromthe acquisition of that, he reflected bitterly, and it was a dearlybought bit of experience.
All that afternoon Ned worked away, his heart like lead. He longed for asight of the faces of his chums, and he wanted to hear from his father.It seemed a very long time since he had left Darewell so happy andfilled with expectations of the pleasures he and his friends would enjoyin New York.
"I wonder if the boys came?" Ned thought. "I wonder what my father mustthink? Oh, I've a good notion to write to him and ask him what to do! Ican't stand it any longer!"
Ned was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He had stood about all hecould, and with the poor food and the bad sleeping places, which wereall he could afford, his health was in danger.
"Come now, no loafing!" exclaimed Cassidy's coarse voice, as Ned pauseda moment in his scrubbing. "When I pay a dollar and a half a day Iexpect good, quick work. We don't want any idlers around here."
Wearily Ned began to move the wet broom over the dirty boards. Therewere a number of unkempt men engaged in the same occupation.
"If my chums should see me now," thought Ned.
He expected to be allowed to go to bed early as he was tired, but whenCassidy had sent him to a near-by, cheap restaurant, in company with oneof the other porters, for supper, Ned found, on his return, that he wasexpected to clean out the office.
"Ten o'clock's time enough to go to bed," Cassidy told him. "The workgot behind when my other man left and it's got to be made up. I don'twant the Board of Health here, condemning the place."
Even with all the cleaning that was done, it looked as if the Boardshould take some action, Ned thought.
Meanwhile William and Bart had, that same evening, visited severallodging houses. They met with no success, though the proprietorsdescribed boys who bore a resemblance to Ned, but who had only stoppedone night and had then disappeared.
"We'll find him," said William, more cheerfully than he felt.
The two boys were walking down a side street, approaching a lodging-housethey intended to visit. It was one they had not yet inspected. It wasabout eight o'clock and was blowing up cold. There was a feeling of snowin the air, and the boys buttoned their coats closely around them.
"Hope Ned doesn't have to stay out in the storm like I did," saidWilliam.
"So do I," chimed in Bart. "I hate to think about it."
"We'll try this place," William went on, as they reached the entrance tothe lodging house. In the hallway a gas jet burned, and, as the ladsstarted up the stairs, they met a red moustached man coming down. At thesight of him William cried out:
"There he is!"
"Who?" asked Bart.
"The man who took Ned away!"
The next instant the two boys were besieging Cassidy with questions. Thelodging-house proprietor looked bewildered a moment, and then, gatheringthe import of what they wanted, he exclaimed:
"Oh, you're chums of his, eh? Belong to the same gang I s'pose? Well,you can't come any tricks on me! If that lad is your chum he stays hereuntil he's worked out what he owes me!"
"What does he owe you?" demanded Bart. "Ned Wilding doesn't need to oweanyone anything."
"He owes me the money he stole!" Cassidy cried, "and I'm going to getit! Now, you fellows skip out of here or I'll call the police!"
"Can't we see Ned?" demanded William.
"No, you can't! He's got to stay here a week. Think I'm going to let youin and have you help him git away the way he did after he took mymoney?"
"He never took your money!" cried Bart.
"Clear out!" exclaimed Cassidy.
"Bart, you go get a policeman!" called William suddenly. "We'll see aboutthis thing. Telephone for Mr. Wilding and the boys!"
"What will you do?" asked Bart.
"I'll stay on guard!" William replied, looking Cassidy straight in theface. "He's not going to get Ned away from me again!"