by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XX
THE STRANGER
The officer immediately released the prisoner from his confinement, andTony sprang into the waiting arms of his mother.
"Bless you, my boy!" she exclaimed, as the tears rolled down hercheeks. "I knew you were innocent!"
"My carriage waits for you, Mrs. Weston," said Captain Sedley, after hehad cordially shaken the hand of Squire Benson.
The widow thanked the lawyer for his good service, and the partywithdrew from the court-room. In the street, amid the cheers of themultitude, the boat club formed their column, and marched down to thelake.
When they reached the Zephyr, they found her in charge of one of themen who worked on the farm of Captain Sedley.
"Where is Uncle Ben?" asked Frank.
"Gone home," replied the man.
"What for?"
"I don't know."
"Call the numbers, Tony," said Frank.
Just as the oars were dipping, they were hailed from the shore.
"Boat ahoy," said a stranger on the bank.
Frank looked, and discovered the gentleman who had begun the applausein the court-room. He was well dressed, wore a massive gold chain, andappeared to be in affluent circumstances, if one might judge fromappearances. His face--that portion of it which was not covered by hislong black beard--was very dark, and apparently he had just returnedfrom a tropical climate.
The coxswain backed the boat to the shore.
"Can you tell me how I shall get to the house of John Weston, up thelake?" inquired the stranger.
"John Weston is not living," replied Frank.
"Not living!" replied the stranger, with a sudden start. "Is Mrs.Weston living?"
"She is."
"She is my mother," added Tony.
"We are going up there now; and if you choose we will row you up,"added the coxswain.
"Thank you," replied the stranger, as he seated himself by Frank'sside.
Tony gazed at him with intense earnestness. The face looked natural tohim, but he could not think where he had seen it before.
"Give way," said Frank.
"You have a beautiful boat," added the stranger.
"She is a very fine boat. I saw you at the trial, did I not?" askedFrank, looking with interest at his companion.
"I was there; it ended very happily."
"Just as we knew it would end," added Charles Hardy.
"It was a villanous conspiracy; and I should like the pleasure ofthrashing that Tim Bunker," continued the stranger, with a great dealof feeling.
"You seemed to be much interested in the trial."
"More deeply than any other could be."
"Except his mother," said Frank.
"You are right, except his mother;" and the gentleman looked very sad,and wiped a tear from his eye.
The boat was now approaching the vicinity of Centre Island.
"This is Captain Sedley's place," said the stranger.
"Yes, sir."
"There comes the Sylph, Frank," shouted Fred Harper.
"Uncle Ben is up to something, I suspect."
"What do you suppose it is?"
Before Frank could venture an opinion, a mass of smoke rose from thebows of the Sylph, and the mimic roar of a little cannon was heard.
"Hurrah! Tony, he is firing a salute in honor of the verdict," criedCharles.
"Three cheers for Tony Weston," shouted Frank. "One!"
"Hurrah!"
"Two!"
"Hurrah!"
"Three!"
"Hurrah!"
The stranger joined lustily in the cheers; and when they had finished,Uncle Ben fired again. When the Zephyr came alongside the Sylph, theveteran congratulated the little hero of the day on his escape from thesnares of his foes.
"You are a good boy, and I wish I had a bigger gun. You desarve asalute from a forty-two pounder," said Uncle Ben, as he rammed down thecharge for another gun.
"Thank you, Uncle Ben, that gun is big enough for so small a boy as Iam."
The Zephyr continued on her course to the widow Weston's, followed bythe Sylph, the old sailor saluting all the way.
The party landed, and marched up to the house, followed by thestranger. Tony embraced his sister and his little brother, and withtears of joy told them that he was acquitted. Mrs. Weston and CaptainSedley had not yet arrived.
In half an hour they came. Mrs. Weston welcomed her guests, and amongthem the stranger.
"I don't know you, sir, but you are welcome to my poor cottage," saidshe, with a courtesy.
"Thank you, ma'am. I have just come from California. I believe you hada son who went out there."
"I did. Poor George! I suppose he is dead," answered the widow, wipinga tear from her eye.
"I come to tell you about him, ma'am."
"Then he is dead!"
"No; he is alive and well."
"Heaven bless you for the news!" ejaculated the poor woman.
It was indeed a day of gladness to her.
"He is coming home soon."
"I am glad to hear it. Where has he been?"
"He has been at the mines."
"I haven't heard a word from him since he first reached San Francisco."
"He has written several times; but the means of communication with SanFrancisco and the diggings were very uncertain. I suppose his lettersmiscarried."
"But tell me about him. Has his health been good?"
"Very good; and he has been remarkably lucky. Folks say he has madeover a hundred thousand dollars digging and trading."
"Indeed! I am so glad!"
"I suppose you don't remember me, do you?" asked the stranger.
The widow looked at him sharply.
"You have got such a sight of hair on your face, that I declare I donot," said the widow, laughing.
"You don't?"
The gentleman spoke these words in a different tone of voice--sodifferent that the widow started back in astonishment.
"Have I altered so much, mother?"
"George! O George!" exclaimed the widow, as she folded her lost son inher arms.
They both wept in each other's embrace.
"Heaven be praised, you have returned!" cried the widow.
"And my father is dead?" said George Weston sadly.
"Yes, George, you have no father now."
The young man trembled with emotion.
"I had hoped to smooth the last years of his life; but God's will bedone."
"Amen!" said the widow solemnly, as she wiped her eyes.
"Tony, my brother, come here," said George, as he shook the hand of thelittle hero. "You cannot think how badly I felt this morning, when, onmy arrival at Rippleton, I heard that you were to be tried forstealing. If it had not been for our mother, I think I should have fledfrom the place without making myself known."
"But, George, I was innocent."
"I know it, Tony; and I was the happiest man in the court-house when Iheard that Joe Braman confess the truth."
"And, George," interrupted Mrs. Weston, "you must join with me inthanking Captain Sedley here for all he has done for poor Tony. I amsure, if it had not been for him, he would have been found guilty."
George Weston took the hand of Captain Sedley, and in fit termsexpressed his gratitude.
"And we have to thank him for a thousand other favors since your poorfather's death. I don't know what would have become of us without him."
George renewed his thanks, and called down the blessing of Heaven onthe benefactor of his mother.
"Come, boys, we had better go," said Captain Sedley.
The boat club withdrew, with the exception of Tony.
"Mrs. Weston, I shall be happy to see you and all your family at myhouse at tea this evening," continued Captain Sedley.
"Thank you, sir; we shall certainly come," replied the widow.
"And, Captain Sedley, my mother shall soon have a house to which shecan invite her friends," said George Weston, with a smile.
After dinner the site for a new house was selected, plans were maturedfor sending Mary to the Rippleton Academy, and Tony was to be kept atthe grammar school till he was qualified for the high school.
About four o'clock, when all these things had been fully discussed,George and Tony walked down to the banks of the lake.
"There comes the Zephyr," said the latter. "We have fine times in her,George, I can tell you."
"Whose boat is she?"
"Frank Sedley's; his father gave it to him."
"You must have one, Tony."
"Me!"
"Yes; I am able to give you one, and when I go to the city I will orderone built."
"How liberal you are, George!"
"You are a good boy, Tony; and a good boy deserves everything it isproper for him to have."
"But we don't need another. We have just as good times in the Zephyr asthough each owned a share in her. There is nothing mean about FrankSedley, I can tell you!" said Tony, with enthusiasm.
"He seems to be a very fine little fellow," added George.
"That he is; why, only last Fourth of July he gave mother all the moneyhe had saved for the occasion, instead of spending it. What do you sayto that?"
"That was noble. My poor mother! Was she indeed reduced to suchextremity as that?"
"She didn't want it; but he would give it to her, and she bought newdresses for herself and Mary with it."
"It was very generous, and he shall lose nothing by it."
"Charley Hardy did the same, and both of them stayed at home on theFourth."
"They shall be rewarded. But the new boat, Tony?"
"I don't think we need another."
"If you had another, you could race a little, and manoeuvre together."
"That would be nice, wouldn't it?"
"I will speak with Captain Sedley about it. Here comes the boat," addedGeorge Weston.
"We have come to row you up to my father's," said the coxswain.
"Thank you, Frank," replied George. "We shall be very happy toaccompany you."
Mrs. Weston and Mary were all ready, and the party seated themselves inthe stern-sheets of the Zephyr. On their way down the lake, the schemeof having another club-boat was discussed and fully matured.
"What will you call her, Tony?" asked Charles.
"I don't know," said Tony, musing. "What do you think of theButterfly?"
"Capital!" exclaimed George.
The matter was all arranged; and the party soon reached the boat-house,and spent a pleasant evening in the hospitable mansion of CaptainSedley.