Bound To Succeed Part 20

"Because, you insolent young snip," retorted old Dorsett, "I wanted to pay you off for some of your fine airs."

"Well, Mr. Dorsett," said Mrs. Ismond, "I shall contest this unjust claim."

"All right," jeered Dorsett, retreating down the steps, and beckoning to his companion, "then within thirty minutes I'll put an embargo on your leaving the county until I have my money, according to law."

Mrs. Ismond sunk to a chair quite pale and distressed.

"Frank," she gasped in a frightened way, "what is he going to do?"

"Some mean trick, be sure of that," said Frank. "Mother, I'll stay here ten years but I will never pay that outrageous claim."

"Be a.s.sured I would never let you," replied his mother, firmly.

"I wish I knew what he was up to?" murmured Frank in a troubled way.

"Leave that for me to find out for you," said Markham briskly, bolting from the house like a shot.

CHAPTER XV

A PIECE OF CHALK

Frank Newton had said that Markham was a first-cla.s.s peddler. If he had followed his young friend as he darted from the house, he would also have noted him quite a proficient amateur detective.

Markham looked down the street after the retreating figures of old Dorsett and his companion. He saw they were bound for the business centre of the town. He cut down an alley, and heading them off allowed them to pa.s.s him by and quietly followed on their trail.

When they went up into a building occupied as offices for a justice of the peace and lawyers, Markham in a few moments trailed after them.

Loitering about the hall, he could watch them conversing with a village magistrate at his desk. The latter consulted a copy of the statutes, expounded some point under discussion, and finally filled out several legal blanks.

Markham was industriously reading the notices tacked to the justice's bulletin board outside of his office door, as Dorsett came out of the room.

"Hold on, Sherry," he said to his companion. "I'll settle with you now."

"All right, governor," bobbed the man.

"You are deputized to serve these papers. Don't get them mixed. Got any tacks?"

"I'll get some all right."

"Very well. When you have disposed of the first two doc.u.ments, serve the last one on Mrs. Ismond, see?"

"Sure, I see, governor--ah, and glad to see this five-dollar bill. First one I've seen, in fact, for an age."

"When you're all through, report to me."

"I will, governor."

They kept together till they reached the street. Arrived there, Dorsett went one way, his hireling another.

Markham put after the latter, who was so elated over the possession of money that he chuckled and swung along the street with a great air of importance and enjoyment.

The man Sherry went straight to the railway depot. Markham, looking in through one of its windows, saw him approach the station agent. To him Sherry read one of the doc.u.ments and came out again.

The second day of Markham's residence in Greenville, he had done quite an heroic act. It had made the railroad men his friends. One of their number had celebrated pay day too freely. He had stumbled across a track.

Markham had run at the top of his speed, and had even risked life and limb to reach him in time to drag him out of the way of a freight train backing down upon him.

"Mr. Young," said Markham, running into the depot by one side door as Sherry left it by another, "you remember me?"

"Sure, I do. How are you?" said the depot master heartily.

"I'm worried to death to find out what that man who was just here is up to," said Markham, hurriedly.

"Up to? Down to, you mean," flared out Young. "He's served a paper on me as the representative of the railway company, notifying me that we are to hold the car containing Mrs. Ismond's furniture until the matter of a debt she owes old Dorsett is settled in court."

"Mrs. Ismond does not rightfully owe him a cent," a.s.serted Markham.

"It's a mean, malicious trick of the old reprobate to persecute my friend, Frank Newton. Can they stop the car?"

The station agent shrugged his shoulders dubiously.

"They won't get any help from me," he said. "That man asked me where the car was. I told him to find out--I wasn't hunting for it. I'd like nothing better than to delay him for two hours. By five o'clock the north freights will have left the yards. Once out of the county, that furniture would be safe."

"Thank you," said Markham. "I'll see what I can do."

He ran out of the depot forthwith. Sherry had crossed the road. Markham saw him coming out of one of the taverns lining the street in that immediate vicinity.

Sherry had one or two men with him with whom he had evidently been treating. They walked along with him until they reached another haunt of the same cla.s.s, and went in there.

Markham got in a doorway near the entrance to the place. In a few minutes Sherry came out to the street.

He had his hat stuck back and his head up by this time, and was officious and blatant in his manner.

"I'd like to stay with you, boys," he announced. "Join you later. Got a big responsibility on my shoulders just now."

"That so?" smirked one of the hangers on.

"You bet. See that paper?" and Sherry produced a doc.u.ment.

"We see it."

"I can tie up the whole railroad system here if I want to," he bragged.

Markham hurried off in the direction of the freight tracks. There was a wide crossing where the sidings began. A flagman guarded this. Markham ran up to him. This man, as he knew, was a brother of the railroader he had saved from being run over by the freight train.

"Mr. Boyce," said Markham, "will you do me a favor?"