A Young Inventor's Pluck Part 39

"I am not your dear boy, Mosey, and I won't stop to parley with you."

"But, Jack, I didn't----"

"Stop it I say, and march. Or do you want to be in the fix Pooler is in?"

"No, no! I'll march, Jack; don't shoot!" And without further ado Andy Mosey set off for the sh.o.r.e, with Jack behind him, and the farm hand bringing up at a safe distance to one side. Presently the farm hand ran ahead, to tell farmer Farrell of how matters now stood.

As soon as the hired man had disappeared Andy Mosey tried to argue again.

"It's Corrigan's doin's----" he began.

"Mosey, we won't talk now," said Jack at last, for he saw that the Irishman's head was not as clear as it might have been. "If you want to argue you can do it when we are in the boat."

"But you'll be afther listenin' to me Jack, me b'y?" pleaded Mosey.

"Perhaps."

"I want to be friends wid ye."

"You have a strange way of showing it."

"It's the liquor, Jack, me b'y--bad cess to it."

"Why don't you leave liquor alone then, Andy?"

"Sure, an' it would be a good job done if I had niver touched a drap."

"You've spoken the truth there."

"If Oi iver git out av this hole Oi'll soign the pledge, so Oi will."

"You might do worse."

"Say the wurrud, Jack, me b'y, an' Oi'll soign it to-morrow," went on Mosey, thinking he was winning the young inventor over.

"I'll say nothing more at present, Andy, excepting that I want you to get along to the sh.o.r.e, without further delay."

"But Jack, if Oi----"

"Not another word. March!"

And then the march to the boat was resumed.

CHAPTER XXVI.

PAPERS OF GREAT VALUE

It did not take Jack and Mosey very long to reach the sh.o.r.e. They found Farmer Farrell, gun in hand, stalking up and down impatiently. He had ordered Corrigan into the row-boat, and was lecturing him and the hired man at the same time.

"You've been a mighty long while coming," he remarked, as the dim rays of the smoky lantern fell upon the young machinist's face.

"I couldn't help it," replied Jack, and he briefly related what had occurred to detain him so long.

They embarked at once. The young machinist set out to do the rowing, but was stopped by the farmer, who directed Tim, the hired man to take the oars.

"You're tired enough," said Farmer Farrell. "Besides, we must keep a close eye on these two, or they'll be up to their pesky tricks afore we know it."

Tim pulled a good stroke. He was anxious to get out of such dangerous company and be safe in his bed in the barn loft once more.

"Isn't there some way we can fix this matter up?" asked Corrigan, after a long period of thoughtful silence.

"What do you mean?" asked Jack.

"Why, buy ourselves off."

"No, sir, not a bit of it," returned the young machinist, decidedly.

Corrigan winced. The prospect of going to prison was not a particularly inviting one.

"Oi say, Jack, me b'y, if we give up yer model will ye be easy on us?"

put in Mosey, who did not know that that precious bit of property had already been recovered.

"I have it already," replied Jack; "I don't intend to be any harder on you than you deserve," he continued. "You tried to take my friend's life as well as mine, and also to set fire to Mr. Gray's house, and by using the match-safe which belonged to me, cast suspicion on my character, which has not yet been cleared away."

"Who can prove I set foire to Felix Gray's place?" demanded the Irishman, bl.u.s.teringly. His tongue was clearer than it had been, but his head was as muddled as ever.

"Perhaps I can."

"Ye can't, no how."

"Well, we'll see, and it will go hard with you unless you can prove otherwise."

"Oi didn't do it. It was Dennis's work," howled Mosey, breaking down completely. "Oi found the box and gave it ter him, and he kept it.

Didn't he stale the model, too, and run away wid yer sister? Oi niver harmed a soul, save when I was in liquor," he whined.

"It's a lie!" shouted Corrigan, in a rage. Had he been free he would have struck down his confederate.

"It ain't, it's true, every worrud of it," responded Mosey, doggedly.

"Ye always got me to do yer dirty worruk, and now yer want me to stand all der blame. But Oi won't do it. Oi'll turn Queen's evidence first."

"If you turn state's evidence you may save yourself a heap of trouble,"

put in Farmer Farrell.

"Oh, Oi'll do it, just mind me, if Oi don't," replied the Irishman, quickly. He was thoroughly cowed, and his one thought was how to best evade the clutches of the law.