Messenger No. 48 Part 31

"How will you get there, if he insists on taking all the receipts?"

"There must be some kind of a bargain made whereby we can take car-fares and expenses out of the show."

Although the majority of the prisoners were responsible for the deed which committed them to prison, not one seemed willing to give an evening's work, in order to pay a portion of the amount exacted.

The fines were so large in the aggregate, considering the value of the property taken, that all felt as if it would be the proper thing to let the town support them for a time.

To the manager the case presented itself in a different aspect.

He had made dates ahead, and if the company failed to keep them, after having already disappointed the public once, his position would be that of a veritable bankrupt with whom the owners of the halls would refuse to transact business.

Therefore it was that he spent considerable time urging his company to do as he hoped the squire might approve of, and finally, much to Jet's mental discomfort, he succeeded in extracting a promise from each that he would agree to go on the stage, and afterward return to the jail.

Then he went to try his powers of persuasion on the squire.

During the afternoon the other member of the party who was at liberty, reported that the matter had been arranged satisfactorily, and "dodgers" were now being distributed around the town calling upon the people to aid in "rescuing from imprisonment a number of gentlemen, whose exuberance of spirit rather than evil propensities, had plunged them into sore distress."

More than one of the company predicted that the appeal would be a signal failure, and Jet earnestly hoped these "exuberant gentlemen"

would prove truthful prophets.

Evening came, and with the shadows of night the constables arrived to conduct the performers to the hall.

A supper of bread, cold meat, and tea had been served, and, save for the severe headaches with which the intemperate portion of the party were suffering, all were in reasonably good spirits.

Both the squire and the manager were at the door to take the money from the charitably inclined, and the owner of the hall also stood near by to make certain of receiving his rent from the first cash paid over.

Watching through the peep-hole in the curtain, Jet saw the constable in whom he was especially interested seated near the stage, and for an instant he resolved not to appear lest he should be recognized.

A moment's reflection, however, showed him that such a course would unquestionably arouse suspicion, and he settled the matter by blackening his face, a disguise which, under the glare of the footlights, would prove most effective.

The inhabitants of the town did not respond very generously to the "appeal."

When the curtain rose on the first act, there were hardly more than enough in the hall to pay the actual running expenses of the evening, and there was no longer any hope of being able to reduce the amount owed for fines.

Both the manager and the squire looked despondent, the latter particularly so, for he had saddled upon the town what might prove to be a white elephant before the matter was ended.

Despite the discouraging state of affairs the performers did their best, and the audience were delighted. Jet danced until it was impossible to take another step, and then, on being called before the curtain, was forced to bow his thanks instead of responding to the fourth encore.

During all the time he was on the stage he had scrutinized the faces of the spectators, but without recognizing any face other than the one before him, and it was in a decidedly contented frame of mind that he followed his companions back to jail after the result of the "show" was made known.

By this evening's work, after the hall rent, printing and services of the musicians had been paid, the company were able to reduce the entire amount of fines exactly four dollars, and one of the party remarked, laughingly:

"At this rate, by hard work, providing the people are willing to come to a show every night, we may manage to pull through in about three months, which won't be a profitable speculation, considering the fact that we might have bought all the fruit for a dollar at the outside."

On the following afternoon Jet received a reply to his letter, and in it Harvey said:

"Pay your fine and come out of jail at once. You can avoid our constable by remaining with the company the greater portion of the time; but it is necessary you should learn who the visitor is. Can't you walk around that way now and then? I don't fancy Bob will stay in the house all the time. This work can be done better now by you than any one I could send, since the presence of a stranger in the little village would attract attention."

While reading this Jet was busily engaged in trying to make some excuse whereby he could do as Harvey ordered without arousing the suspicion of his companions.

If he had paid the fine in the first place all would have been simple; but reason must be given for leaving after telling the manager that he did not dare to spend the money he had on his person.

A happy thought occurred to him.

Pretending to read after the letter was finished, he contrived, without being seen, to take fifteen dollars from his pocket, and, holding them up triumphantly, he cried:

"Here's enough with which to pay my fine, and I'll have more in a few days if you fellows don't get out."

As a matter of course his companions supposed the money had been taken from the letter.

Several tried to persuade him that it would be useless to spend that amount when by waiting the squire might be forced to free them; but he professed to be sick of life in a jail, and summoned the turnkey to take him to the magistrate's office.

Twenty minutes later he was formally released from custody, and the squire began to believe that two or three more days of imprisonment would force the others to follow Jet's example.

He went at once to the hotel, paid twenty-four hours' board in advance, and on turning, after completing this transaction, found himself face to face with the manager.

"So you concluded that it wouldn't be so very much out of the way to use some of that money, eh?" the latter asked, sarcastically.

"I wrote for funds, and got fifteen dollars by the last mail."

"Was that the best you could do?"

"It wasn't to be supposed I could pay the whole amount."

"No; but since you have friends with money enough to let you loaf around this section of the country, I didn't know but that we might raise a stake somehow."

Now Jet regretted having followed Harvey's advice, for if the manager should make this same remark in the hearing of the constable, many and grave suspicions might be aroused, for, of course, the man would be on the alert for anything which needed an explanation.

"That's where you are making a big mistake," he said, with an a.s.sumption of carelessness which was far from natural. "I only wanted to stay here till I could get a job."

"That wasn't the way you talked when I met you the other day; but it doesn't make much difference now, for I am beginning to see my way out of this snarl."

"How?"

"There's a constable in this town who seems to be pretty well fixed, and he gave me to understand that he might take the company out of jail, providing I'd let him act as treasurer until the amount was paid."

"Which one is he?" Jet asked, trying hard not to betray the eagerness for knowledge which he felt.

"The fellow who took you to jail."

"Are you pretty certain he'll make the trade?"

"Here he comes now to talk the matter over; it won't take us long to find out."

Jet glanced toward the door, and saw the man in whom he felt so great an interest.

The manager, eager to clinch the bargain, advanced to meet him, and the boy, keeping his back toward the new-comer, managed to walk out of the opposite door without being observed.