by E. W. Howe
CHAPTER XXII.
TUG'S RETURN.
A month had passed since Allan Dorris was found floating over the moundsin Hedgepath graveyard, and the waters having gone down in the bottoms,the people were busy in rescuing their homes from the ooze and black mudbeneath which they were buried. There had been so much destruction inthe bottoms, and so much loss of trade in the town, that the people wereall mourners like Annie Dorris and Silas Davy, and it did not seemprobable that any of them would ever be cheerful again.
Silas Davy was the only person in the town, save Annie Dorris, who knewthe secret of the murder, and he kept it to himself, believing that Tugwas on the trail of the culprit, and that nothing could be gained bymaking the people aware of the mysterious man and his mysterious visits.He was sure that Tug would return finally, when, if he saw fit, he mighttell the people what he knew; otherwise they might continue theirconjectures, which generally implicated Tug. From the day of the murderhe had not been seen in the town, and while it was not openly chargedthat he had fired the fatal shot, a great many talked mysteriously ofhis disappearance, and believed that he had something to do with it, forabout this time it became known that he had frequently been seen aroundThe Locks in the middle of the night, carrying a gun.
Silas had gone down to the old house by the river, to see if the bedgave any signs of having been occupied, as there was a possibility thatTug had returned, and was ashamed to make his presence known, not havingaccomplished his purpose. But there was no sign. The dust uponeverything was proof enough that the owner was still away, and Silas waspreparing to blow out the light, and return to the hotel, when hisfriend came walking in at the door; ragged, dirty, and footsore, and apicture of poverty and woe, but there could be no doubt that it was Tug,for he carried in his right hand the old musket that had so long beenhis constant companion. His clothes hung in shreds about him, and bareskin appeared at his elbows and knees; his tall hat was so crumpled thatit looked like a short hat, and his hair and whiskers were long andunkempt. There were bits of hay and twigs clinging to his clothing, andSilas was sure that he had been sleeping out at night, and creepingthrough the brush during the day.
"Tug, my old friend!" Silas said, in a voice trembling with excitementand pleasure. "God bless me; how glad I am to see you!"
Tug sat down wearily in a chair, and laid the gun down at his feet. Hewas certainly very tired, and very hungry, and very weak, and Silasthought how fortunate it was he had brought a lunch with him, althoughhe had only hoped that Tug would eat it. This he placed before hisfriend, who pulled his chair up to the table at sight of the sandwiches,and said in a hoarse voice,--
"I've caught an awful cold somewhere. Do you starve a cold, or stuff it?I've been starving it for several days, and I think I'll try stuffing.You don't mean to tell me you have brandy in that bottle, do you?"
It was brandy fortunately, which Silas had been saving for his friendsince his departure, but he seemed so tired now that he could not enjoyit with his old relish, for he did not look at it with his usualeagerness, and there was a melancholy air about him which was verydistressing to the little man by his side. As Silas watched him, hethought that he discovered that he had grown a dozen years older withina month, and that he would never again be the contented, easy-going manhe was before. He was a serious man now, too, a thing he had alwaysdespised, and it did not seem possible that he could ever recover fromit.
When he had finished his meal, he walked slowly and painfully over tothe bed, and, stretching out upon it, remained silent so long that Silasfeared he had washed his voice down his throat with the brandy.
"How is Missus Pretty?" he inquired at last, turning to Silas, who satbeside him.
"Very poorly, I am sorry to say," Silas replied, in a husky voice.
This did not encourage Tug to talk, for he became silent again, andalthough Silas was keen to hear where his friend had been, he wassilent, too.
"Have you told her that we were to blame?" Tug asked, after a longpause.
"Yes, I told her everything, but she does not blame us, and asked me tobring you up immediately after your return."
There was the click in the ragged man's throat that usuallydistinguished him when he was about to laugh, but surely Tug had nointention of laughing now, though he wiped his big eye hurriedly, and ina manner indicating that he was vexed.
"I might have known that it was wrong not to tell Allan Dorris of thisenemy," Tug said. "I am usually wrong in everything, but I hoped I wasdoing them a favor in this matter; for who wouldn't worry to know thatthey were constantly watched by a man who seemed to have come a longdistance for the purpose? They were so happy that I enjoyed it myself,and I wanted to protect them from The Wolf, and though The Wolf wassmarter than I expected, I meant well; you know that."
"I am sure of it," Davy replied.
"A man who has been bad all his life cannot become good in an hour, andwhile I meant well, I did not know how to protect them from this danger.We should have taken them into our confidence when The Wolf firstappeared; I can see that now, after it is too late. It was my fault,though; you always wanted to. I'll have more confidence in you infuture."
Both men seemed to be busy thinking it all over for several minutes, fornot a word was exchanged between them until Silas inquired,--
"Do you suppose there is any danger of the shadow molesting Mrs.Dorris?"
Tug was lying on his back, and putting his hand under him he took fromhis pistol-pocket a package wrapped in newspapers, which looked like asandwich. Handing this to Davy, he said,--
"Look at it."
Going over to the table and the light, Davy began the work ofunwrapping. There was a package inside of a package, which continueduntil a pile of newspapers lay on the table. At last he came tosomething wrapped in a piece of cloth, and opening this he found a humanear, cut off close to the head! He recognized it in a moment,--the earof the shadow, with the top gone!
He hurriedly wrapped the horrible thing up as he had found it, and whilehe was about this he felt sure that Tug's journey had not been in vain;that somewhere he had encountered the shadow and killed him, bringingback the ear as a silent and eloquent witness.
When the package had been returned to Tug's pocket, he turned on hisside, rested his head on his hand, and told his story.
"Out into the river like a shot; that's the way I rowed that mistymorning when I found that Allan Dorris had gone into the bottoms alone.I had no idea where to go to find him, so I pulled over toward the hillson the east shore, where there was a slow current, and concluded tofloat down the stream. It may have been an hour later, while in thevicinity of the big bend, that I heard a shot below me. Rowing toward itwith all my might, I soon came upon Allan Dorris lying dead in thebottom of his boat. Only stopping to convince myself that he was stonedead, I pulled out after his murderer. I knew who it was as well as if Ihad seen the shot fired, and I knew that he would be making down theriver to escape, so I made down the river myself to prevent it. He hadthe start of me, and seemed to know the bottom better than I did, forwhen I came into the main current I could see him hurrying away, a goodhalf mile ahead of me. But I was the best rower, and within an hour Iwas coming within shooting distance, when he suddenly turned under thetrees, near the island where we saw him the first time. I lost track ofhim here for several hours, but at last I came upon his boat, a longdistance up the creek, and just when I heard a whistle down at thestation. Had I thought of this before, I might have found him there, andbrought him back alive, for I have since found out that he signalled thetrain and went away on it; but it was too late then, so I could donothing but go over to the station and wait for the next train."
The narrator's hoarseness became so pronounced that Silas brought himthe remaining brandy, which he tossed off at one swallow.
"A lonely enough place it was," Tug continued, "and nobody around exceptthe agent, who told me there would not be another train until a fewhours after midnight, so I occupied myself in studying maps of the
road.I had no money, of course, but I felt sure I could make my way to acertain big town several hundred miles away, which I had once heardDorris mention, and it had been in my mind ever since that he came fromthere. Of course his enemy lived in the same place, and the certaintythat The Wolf came to the Bend on that road once, and went away by thesame route, and the probability that he always came to the Bend fromthat station by rowing up the river, made me feel certain that thecourse I had mapped out was right.
"I need not tell you that I had trouble in travelling without money, forthere are many people who cannot travel comfortably even when suppliedwith means in abundance; but in course of time I arrived in the city Ionce heard Dorris mention, very tired, dirty, and hungry, as you willimagine, but not the least discouraged; for the more I heard about theplace,--and I inquired about it of every one who would listen tome,--the surer I was that I would find The Wolf there. The people withwhom I talked all had the greatest respect for the city, as they hadhere for Dorris; this was one thing which made me feel sure he came fromthere, but there were a great many other evidences which do not occur tome now. I arrived in the morning, and there was so much noise in thestreets that it gave me the headache; and so many people that I couldnot count them, therefore I cannot tell you the population of the place.
"It was so big and gay, though, that I am certain that the Ben's Citypeople would have been impressed as much as I was, though they put onairs over us. A Ben's City man would have felt as much awe there as aDavy's Bend man feels in Ben's City, and it did me a great deal of goodto find out that Ben's City is nothing but a dirty little hole afterall.
"For two weeks I wandered about the streets, looking for that ear. Therewere crowds of people walking and riding around who were like AllanDorris in manners and dress, and I was sure that they all knew him, andrespected him, and regretted his departure, for I knew by this time thathe came from that place to Davy's Bend. There was an independence and arush about the town so unlike Davy's Bend, and so like Allan Dorris,that I was certain of it. Several times I thought of approaching some ofthe well-dressed people, and telling them that I was looking for the manwho had murdered Allan Dorris, feeling sure that they would at onceoffer to assist me in the search; but I at last gave it up, fearing theywould think he had taken a wonderful fall in the world to be friendswith a man like me.
"One day, about three weeks after my arrival, I met The Wolf on acrowded street. I tapped him on the shoulder, and when he turned to lookat me, he trembled like a thief.
"'That matter of killing up at Davy's Bend,' I said, 'I am here toattend to it.'
"He recovered his composure with an effort, and replied,--
"'What's that to me, vagrant? Keep out of my way, or I'll have youjailed. I do not know you.'
"'You are a liar,' I replied, 'and your manner shows it. I am dressedthis way as a disguise. I have as good clothes as anybody when I chooseto wear them. I am a private detective.'
"I had heard that a great many vagrants claim to be private detectives,so I tried it on him, and it worked well; for he at once handed me acard with an address printed on it, and said,--
"'Call at that number to-night; I want to see you.'
"He had probably heard of private-detectives, too, for I knew he wantedto buy me off; so I consented to the arrangement, knowing that he wouldnot run away.
"When it was dark, I went to the street and number printed on the card,and The Wolf met me at the door of a house almost as big as The Locks,but land seemed to be valuable there, for others were built up close toit on both sides. There was a row of houses just alike, as far as Icould see, but different numbers were printed on all of them to guidestrangers. The Wolf led the way up stairs, after carefully locking thedoor, and when we were seated in a room that looked like an office, andwhich was situated in the back part of the house, he said,--
"What do you want?'
"'I want to kill you,' I replied.
"He was a tall, nervy man, but I was not afraid of him; for I am thickand stout. He laughed contemptuously, and replied,--
"'Do you know this man's offence?'
"'No,' I answered, 'but I know yours.'
"He sat near a desk, and I felt sure that under the lid was concealed apistol; therefore I found opportunity to turn the key quickly, and putit in my pocket.
"'Now you are in my power,' I said to him. 'You killed Allan Dorris, andI can prove it, and I intend to kill you.'
"A very cool man was The Wolf; and he watched me from under his heavyeyebrows like a hawk, taking sharp note of everything I did, but he didnot appear to be afraid. I couldn't help admiring the fellow's nerve,for he was the coolest man I ever saw, and there was an air ofimportance about him in his own house which did not appear when he wascrawling around Davy's Bend. There was something about him thatconvinced me he was a doctor, like Dorris, though I heard nothing andsaw nothing to confirm the belief.
"'I have had enough trouble over this affair already,' he said, 'and Iam willing to pay for your silence. You don't know what you are about,but I do, and I know there is more justice in my cause than there is inyours. I have been actuated by principle, while you are merely a vagrantpursuing a hobby. You are interfering in the private affairs ofrespectable people, sir, and I offer you money with the contempt that Iwould throw a bone to a surly dog, to avoid kicking him out of my way.'
"'I am not a respectable man myself,' I answered, 'but I know that it isnot respectable to shoot from behind. I give you final notice now that Idon't want your money; I want your life, and I intend to have it. Backin the poor town I came from there is a little woman whose face I couldnever look upon again were I to take your money, and I intend to be herfriend and protector as long as I live. I believe the money you offer mebelongs to Dorris; for you look like a thief who believes that every manis as dishonest as yourself, and has his price. Even my rags cry outagainst such a proposition.'
"He was as cool as ever, and looked at me impudently until I hadfinished, when he said,--
"'I want to step into the hall a moment.'
"He knew I was watching the door to prevent his escape, and acknowledgedthat I was master of the situation by asking my permission.
"'To call help, probably,' I said.
"'No, to call a weak, broken woman; I want you to see her. Whatever Ihave done, her condition has prompted me to.'
"I opened the door for him, and he stepped into the dark hall, where hecalled 'Alice!' twice. I was so near him that he could not get away, andwe stood there until Alice appeared at the other end of the hall. It wasthe little woman we had here one night! But though she was dressedbetter than when we saw her, she was paler; and when she came down thedark hall, carrying a candle above her head to light the way, I thoughtI had never before seen such a sickly person out of a grave.
"When she came up to us I saw that she was panting from her slightexertion, and we stepped into the room together. She did not know me,and looked at me with quiet dignity, as if she would conceal from methat she was weak and sick.
"'Does he bring news of him?' she asked, looking from me to The Wolf.
"The woman was crazy; there was no doubt of it. Had she not been shewould have fallen on her knees, and said to me, as she did the night shewas in this room, 'Gentlemen, in the name of God!' for I was determinedto make way with a person who was probably her only protector.
"'Does the gentleman come from him?' the pale woman asked again.
"She is the only person who ever called me a gentleman, and what littlecompassion I had before vanished.
"The Wolf paid no attention to her talk, and I thought he was accustomedto it; perhaps she was always asking questions to which no reply couldbe given. She was not a young woman, and there was something abouther--probably the result of her sickness--which was so repugnant that Ialmost felt faint. If she had walked toward me, I would have run out ofthe house, but fortunately she only looked at me.
"'If you came here at his request,' the little woman said, as she stoodin th
e middle of the room, 'take this to him for me. I have been writingit for two years; it will explain everything.'
"I thought the man was pleased because she had commenced theconversation so readily; for he appeared to be in good humor, as thoughshe were saying exactly what he had desired she should to impress me.
"'When they told me he was contented in his new home,' she continued, 'Iwas satisfied, and I want him to know it. He had life, and vigor, andenergy, and no one ever blamed him but Tom and me. This letter says so;I want you to take it to him. When I discovered that he disliked me, andwould always neglect me, it was a cruel blow, though he was not to blamefor it, for other men have honestly repented of their fancies. I couldnot think of him as a bad man for no other reason than that he wasdissatisfied with me; for all the people were his friends, and he musthave deserved their friendship. I suppose a man may form a dislike forhis wife as naturally as he forms a dislike for anything else--I havereason to _know_ that they can--and not commit a graver offence than onewho happens to dislike any other trifle which displeases him. I wouldhave told him this myself had he not kept out of my way so long; it isall written in this letter, and my name is signed to it. I commissionyou to give it to him.'
"She took from her bosom and handed me a crumpled piece of paper, onwhich nothing was written, but I carefully put it in my pocket, to humorher strange whim.
"'I am satisfied now, since I have heard that he is contented, and ifTom is willing we will never refer to the matter again. He is a goodman; even Tom says that between his curses, and why not let him alone?Tell him that Alice gave you the letter with her own hands, and that shewill not live long to annoy him. Tell him that Alice rejoices to knowthat he is contented; for Tom has told me all about it, and since mysickness it has been a pleasure for me to think that a worthy man--andhe is a worthy man; for no one can say aught against him except that hecould not admire me, which does not seem to be a very grave offence, forno one else admires me--has found what his ability and industry entitleshim to,--peace. Peace! How he must enjoy it! How long he has sought it!I can understand the relish with which he enjoys it.'
"The Wolf was not pleased with this sort of talk; it was not crazyenough to suit him, and he looked at her with anger and indignation inhis ugly face.
"'I never said it before, Tom,' she continued, evidently frightened athis wicked look, 'but I must say it now, for I cannot remember the hateyou tried to teach me; I can only remember that a man capable of lovingand being loved buried himself with a woman he could not tolerate, allfrom a sense of duty, and looked out at the merry world only to covetit. I have forgotten the selfishness which occupies every human heart;it was driven out of my nature with hope and ambition, and I am onlyjust when I say that he deserved pity as well as I. He was capable ofsomething better than such a life; and was worthy of it. I might havebeen worthy; but I was not capable, and was it right to sacrifice himbecause I crept while he ran? Do we not praise men for remedying theirmistakes? You know we do, and I only praise him for it; nothing more.The truth should always be written on a tomb; this house is like a tomb,it is so cold and damp, and I must tell the truth here. I am cold; whydon't you build a fire?'
"She put her hand into the flame of the candle she carried, to warm it,but it did not burn, very much to my surprise; and she looked at me withquiet assurance while she warmed her hands in this odd manner. As Iwatched her I noticed that the wild look which marked her face when shefirst appeared was returning; her craze came back to her, and she put iton with a shiver.
"'Your feet are resting on a grave,' she said to me again, after staringaround the room awhile, and as coolly as she might have called myattention to muddy boots. 'Please take them off. It may be _his_ grave.I have brought flowers to decorate it; an armful. Stand aside, sir.'
"I did as she told me, and, advancing toward where I sat, she pretendedto throw something on nothing out of her empty hands.
"'I came across a grave in the lower hall this morning, Tom,' she saidto The Wolf, pausing; and she said it with so much indifference that Ithought she must have meant a moth. 'Of course they would not betogether: I have never expected that. The grave in the hall was shorterthan this one, and it was neglected. But this one,--this shows care. Andlook, Tom! The flowers I threw upon it are gone already!'
"There was surprise and pain in the little woman's voice, and shepretended to throw other flowers from her withered hands on the moundher disordered fancy had created.
"'They disappear before they touch it!' she said. 'I almost expect it tospeak, and protest against any attention from me. And it is sinking;trying to get away from me! How much his grave is like him; it shrinksaway from me. I'll gather them up; I'll not leave them here!'
"Out of the air she seemed to be collecting wreaths, and crosses andflowers of every kind, and putting them back into her arms.
"'I will put them on the neglected mound in the lower hall, for no oneelse will do it. How odd the fair flowers will look on a background ofweeds; but there shall be roses and violets on my grave, though I amcompelled to put them there. Open the door, Tom; my strength is failing.I must hurry.'
"The door was opened, and she passed out of it, and down the dark hall,staggering as she went. When she reached the door through which she cameat The Wolf's call, at the lower end of the passage, she turned around,held the candle above her head again, and said,--
"'Be merciful, Tom; I request that of you as a favor. You were neverwronged by him, except through me, and I have never been resentfulexcept to please you. Let the gentleman return and deliver the letter Igave him.'
"Opening the door near which she stood, she disappeared.
"So Tom was the cause of all the trouble? I resolved as we stepped backinto the room that he should regret it, and I think there is no doubtthat he does."
Tug turned on his back again, and seemed to be considering what coursehe had better pursue with reference to the remainder of his story. Atlast he got up from the bed slowly and painfully, and walked over to thecupboard where his law-book was kept, which he took down and opened onthe table. After turning over its pages for a while, pausingoccasionally to read the decisions presented, he shut up the book,returned it to the shelf, and went back to the bed.
"I am too much of a lawyer," he said, "to criminate myself, pardner, andyou'll have to excuse me from going into further details. But I can giveyou a few conjectures. In my opinion the pale, ugly little woman withouta mind, but who looked respectable enough, was once Allan Dorris's wife,but I don't know it; I heard nothing to confirm this suspicion exceptwhat I have told you. The Wolf was her brother (a man with an uglierdisposition I never laid eyes on), and I shall always believe thatDorris married her when a very young man; that he finally gave her mostof his property and struck out, resolved to hide from a woman who hadalways been a burden and a humiliation to him. It is possible that hewas divorced from her a great many years before he came here, and thatshe lost her mind in consequence; it is possible that he had nothing todo with her; but I give you my guess, with the understanding that it isto go no farther. I am not in the habit of telling the truth; but _this_is the truth: I know no more about his past history than you do; butwhile in the city I came to the conclusion I have just given you."
There was another short silence, and Silas became aware of the fact thatTug was breathing heavily, and that, for the first time since he hadknown him, he was asleep in his own house at night.