Darry the Life Saver Part 21

Then he narrated how he had supported himself by playing the violin, and at the same time learned to speak Italian as well as a native.

Finally came the scene in the cafe, when Captain Harley rescued him from the cruelty of a bully, and after that there was very little to tell up to the time the brigantine was lost and his best friend vanished from the scene, never to appear again on earth.

Paul Singleton harked back to his earliest recollections, and with the skill of a lawyer asked questions that put Darry's memory to a strain; he examined the singular mark upon the boy's arm with deepest interest and seemed impressed.

"That will undoubtedly prove one thing or the other, as soon as I can see her," Darry heard him say, as if to himself.

Evidently Paul Singleton knew nothing of the mark and was depending upon some other party to settle the identification.

It was noon before either of them realized it.

Darry declared he must hurry off so as to catch the lawyer at his office and settle matters before going home.

"Hark, Darry," said Paul, holding his hand as they parted; "promise me that if there is anything else I can do to please you I'm to know it right away. Confide in me, my boy. It makes me happy to share, even to a limited extent, in your little affairs. And you know we are going to be great chums all winter, you and I. Look on me then as a sort of elder brother or a cousin, if you please."

And Darry thought as he looked into the clear laughing eyes of Paul Singleton that nothing would give him greater happiness on earth than if he could claim relations.h.i.+p to this fine manly fellow.

He seemed to be walking on air as he left the cove and headed into the village.

Upon calling at the office of Darius Quarles he was disappointed to learn that the lawyer had gone off in his closed buggy early that morning, and would not be back all day--he had to foreclose a mortgage the clerk remarked, and never allowed that duty to be performed by a subordinate, for it gave him too much satisfaction to attend to it personally.

Even his employees had a secret contempt for his mean ways, it seemed.

"He expects to be home to supper, and if your business is pressing you might call at his house, which is just out of the village on the road to Harden," the young clerk said in concluding.

"Thank you, I believe I shall call, as I wish to see him very much,"

replied Darry, and left the place.

He made his way along the rather lonely road that led to the humble home of the Peakes, bowing his head to the storm, and yet with a song of thanksgiving swelling in his heart, for he knew he was carrying with him the means of lifting the load that had for some time oppressed his kind benefactors.

Suddenly something struck him a stunning blow and looking up as he staggered he heard a chorus of shrill laughs, and realized that a rope had been thrown around him in such a way that his arms were pinioned down at his sides.

At the same moment several impish figures sprang out of the dense brush and fell upon him with vicious blows, as though bent upon knocking him down.

Though they had their faces concealed after a ridiculous fas.h.i.+on he recognized the malicious laugh of one as belonging to Jim Dilks.

CHAPTER XX

BAD LUCK AND GOOD

Of course Darry knew what this attack meant.

His enemy had been brooding over matters for a long time, and despairing of accomplis.h.i.+ng his end while Darry was armed with a gun, during his daily visits to the big marsh, he had finally decided to lie in wait and have it out on the road from the village.

Jim wisely backed himself up with a couple of allies in thus undertaking to give his enemy that long-delayed whipping.

He had tried it once by himself and apparently had no relish to repeat the experiment.

Perhaps it would have been the part of wisdom on the part of the young life saver to have taken to his heels and beat a masterly retreat.

Great generals have done this same thing and considered it no dishonor to save their army for another day.

To a high-spirited lad, however, it is the last thought, and many a fellow will stand the chances of a beating rather than to turn his back on the foe.

Of course there was no time to consider the matter.

The three disguised boys attacked him on all sides, and almost before Darry knew what he was doing blows were being exchanged with a vim.

He fought gallantly and well, sending in just as many hard hits as his knowledge of the game permitted.

Whenever he saw an opening he was quick to take advantage of the same, and as a consequence first one of Jim's supporters and then the other temporarily bit the dust, with a galaxy of stars floating before their mental vision.

They were very much surprised.

True, they may have heard something about the fighting abilities of this wonderful new boy; but Jim had kept declaring that only for his lame hand he would surely have easily come out victor on that memorable day of the first meeting, and they were forced to believe him.

Artful Jim was wise enough to do a great deal of jumping about, but seemed quite willing his allies should meet with the brunt of the battle while he saved himself for the finis.h.i.+ng touches.

When Darry had tired himself out against Sim Clark and Bowser then his time would have arrived.

Darry antic.i.p.ated being whipped in the encounter.

It was not to be expected that one boy could hold his own against three such tough customers as those opposed to him, since they would wear him out.

Nevertheless, he declined to run at the beginning, and after a little it was entirely out of the question for him to do so, since he lacked the wind to conduct a flight.

So there was really nothing to do but stand and take what was coming to him, at the same time give as good as he knew how.

They would never be able at any rate to say they had won an easy victory.

By this time they were beautifully daubed with mud, as each appeared to be the under dog while the minutes crept along.

Darry's only hope lay in the possibility of some one pa.s.sing that way, and as the day was so stormy, and few people ever took this road, his chances were indeed slender.

Now the whole bunch seemed to be upon the ground alongside the road, struggling like a pack of Kilkenny cats, the three aggressors having their hands on Darry at one time in the endeavor to subdue him.

Suddenly Jim gave a hoa.r.s.e cry.

"Haul off dere, fellers; somebody's comin'!" was what he e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed.

Immediately the other two sprang to their feet like a couple of deer, afraid lest they be caught at their game; perhaps a vision of old Hank Squires flashed before them, with the penitentiary in the background.

Darry, out of breath, but game to the last, made an ineffectual attempt to hold one of his tormentors, catching the flying end of his jacket; but such was the moment of Sim's upward movement, and the flimsy character of his wearing apparel, that the entire section came away, remaining in the grip of the enemy as he went tearing after his mates.

The three of them plunged into the bushes alongside the road, and were lost to sight, leaving Darry half sitting up on the road, plastered with mud, and ruefully surveying the strip of cloth in his hand.