CHAPTER XL
PREPARING TO PROSECUTE
"I am going to the bottom of this affair," said Colonel Ross, as hesipped his second cup of coffee at the breakfast table the next morning. "The Gilbert boy must suffer the consequences of his crime."
"Will he be sent to prison, pa?" inquired Philip.
"It is a State's prison offense, my son," answered his father.
Was it on Harry's account that Philip suddenly turned pale and lookednervous? I cannot credit him with a sufficient amount of feeling foranother. He could not help recalling the fact that it was he and notHarry who had been guilty of this State's prison offense.
"However, the thing can't possibly be traced to me," he reflected, somewhat more comfortable in mind. "I don't know as I care whether HarryGilbert goes to prison or not. He is very proud and stuck-up, and itwill take down his pride."
"I commend your decision," said Mrs. Ross, to her husband. "In myopinion, mercy would be misplaced in such a case as this. The boy who isdegraded enough to steal is likely to continue in his criminal course, and the sooner he is punished the better."
There was something in this remark, also, that made Philip wince.
"Where will Harry Gilbert be tried?" asked Philip.
"Before Squire Davis. I directed the constable to carry him round thereat nine o'clock this morning."
"May I go, too?"
"Yes; your testimony will be needed to show that the boy was prowlingaround our house on the evening in question."
"Very well," answered Philip, with satisfaction. "I'll go along withyou."
"Do so, my son."
As it was not yet time to go to the office of the justice, Philipstepped out into the yard, where Tom Calder, the stable boy, was washinga carriage.
"I guess I'll tell him the news," thought Philip. "Tom," he said, "we'vediscovered who stole the bonds the other night."
"Have you?" asked Tom, with a queer smile.
"Yes. Would you like to know who it is?"
"Uncommon."
"It's Harry Gilbert."
Tom Calder pursed up his lips in genuine amazement, and emitted a shrillwhistle.
"You don't say!" he exclaimed.
"Yes," said Philip, complacently. "The governor had the housesearched – Widow Gilbert's, of course – and he found the bonds there."
"That beats all I ever heard!" ejaculated Tom.
"Oh, it doesn't surprise me at all!" said Philip, carelessly. "I've longsuspected Harry Gilbert of being dishonest."
"I don't believe it, for my part," said Tom, manfully standing by a boywho, on more than one occasion, had done him a favor. "Harry Gilbert isas honest a boy as there is in town."
"Your opinion isn't of much importance," said Philip, in a tone ofsuperiority, "and it won't save the Gilbert boy from going to State'sprison."
"Do you mean to say the one who took the bonds will have to go to
State's prison?"
"Yes; that's what father says, and he knows a good deal about the law."
"Maybe he'll change his mind," said Tom Calder, in a peculiar tone.
"When is the trial coming off?"
"This morning, at nine o'clock, at the office of Squire Davis."
Tom nodded his head thoughtfully, but only said:
"Are you going to be there?"
"Yes."
"What time is it now?"
"Quarter past eight."
"Somebody else will be there," said Tom to himself; and Philip left himand went back into the house.
CHAPTER XLI
HARRY MANAGES HIS OWN CASE
Trial Justice Davis sat in his office. He was a man of sixty, with akeen but not unbenevolent face, looking all the more sagacious, perhaps, because of a pair of gold spectacles which surmounted his nose. He hadbeen apprised of the trial at which he was expected to preside, and helooked surprised and regretful.
"I can't believe that boy is guilty," he said to himself. "I have alwayslooked upon him as one of the best boys in town."
At nine, the principal parties concerned entered the office. First, Colonel Ross and Philip walked in – Philip with an attempt to be at ease, but with a perceptibly nervous air, notwithstanding.
Harry Gilbert entered, walking beside the constable. Behind him followedhis mother and Uncle Obed. Mrs. Gilbert looked anxious, though theconstable assured her that there was no need of it, and that Harry wouldbe triumphantly acquitted. Harry did not look in the least frightened, but seemed much more at ease than Philip.
A trial before a police justice in a country town is much more informalthan in a city, and this should be remembered by those who read thischapter.
"What charge do you bring against Harry Gilbert, Colonel?" asked thejustice.
"I charge him with entering my house on the evening of the nineteenthinstant, opening the small trunk in which I keep my valuable papers andsecurities, and abstracting therefrom two United States Governmentbonds, of the par value of a hundred dollars each."
"You hear the charge, Harry," said the justice. "Are you guilty or notguilty?"
"Not guilty," answered Harry, in clear, ringing accents, surveying the
Colonel proudly.
"You ought to have some one to defend you," said the justice.
"I will defend myself," said Harry, resolutely.
"Very well. Colonel Ross, I will hear your testimony."
The Colonel, being sworn, testified that he had missed the bonds on themorning afterward, and had been led, by what his son told him, tosuspect Harry Gilbert. He had gone to the cottage, and found the bonds. He was about to rehearse Philip's information, but the justice stoppedhim, and said he would hear Philip in person.
"Have you any question to ask the witness?" asked the justice of Harry.
"Can I reserve my questions?" asked Harry.
"Yes; if you desire it."
Philip was next sworn. He testified that, on the evening in question, hehad seen Harry prowling round the house, just before going up to bed.
"How did you happen to sit up so late?" asked Harry.
"That's my affair," replied Philip, haughtily.
"Answer!" thundered the justice, angrily. "No insolence here, sir!"
"I was reading," said Philip, frightened.
"Did you go into the room where the trunk was?" asked Harry, in hiscapacity as lawyer.
"Ye-es."
"Did you open the trunk?"
"No," answered Philip, nervously.
"I protest against the prisoner's insolence to my son," exclaimed
Colonel Ross, angrily.
"It is a question he has a right to ask," said the justice, calmly.
"Did you see the keys which your father left on his desk?" asked Harry.
"No," answered Philip, ill at ease.
"I should now like to question Colonel Ross," said Harry.
The Colonel, with a curl of the lip, took the stand again.
"Really," he said, "it looks as if my son and I were on trial instead ofthe prisoner."
"Colonel Ross, you must be aware that I am according Harry no unusualprivileges. It is as a lawyer – his own advocate – that he questionsyou."
"Go on," said the Colonel, haughtily.
"Colonel Ross," continued Harry, "do you generally keep a list of thenumbers on your bonds?"
"Of course!"
"Can you furnish the numbers of the bonds that were taken from you?"
"I can give the numbers of the whole ten bonds. I don't know which weretaken. I have not compared my list with those that remain."
"Have you the numbers with you?"
"Yes, I have them in my notebook."
"Will you be kind enough to repeat them so that the court may take themdown?"
"Certainly! though I don't see what good that will do."
"It is of material importance," said the justice, nodding approval.
Colonel Ross drew from his inside coat pocket a large wallet, and, opening it, took out a memorandum, from which he read as follows:
"The numbers run from 17,810 to 17,817, inclusive."
"Then the stolen bonds are somewhere between those numbers?" said
Harry.
"Of course."
Harry turned to the constable.
"Mr. Rogers," he said, "have you the bonds which were found at ourhouse?"
"Yes," answered the constable.
"Will you hand them to Squire Davis, and ask him to read off thenumbers?"
"You will do as Harry requests you," said the justice.
The constable placed the envelope in his hands, and Justice Davis, opening it, drew out three bonds.
"I find two one-hundred-dollar bonds," he said, "and one fifty-dollarbond."
"The two hundred-dollar bonds are mine," said Colonel Ross.
"That is, you claim them," said the justice, cautiously. "I will readthe numbers.
"This one," he proceeded, unfolding one, "is numbered 9,867, and theother" – after a pause – "11,402. It strikes me, Colonel Ross, that youwill have to look further for your bonds."
If such a dignified-looking man as Colonel Ross could look foolish, theColonel looked so at that moment. He realized that he had made aridiculous exhibition of himself, and he felt mortified to think that hehad been so careless as not to have thought of comparing the numbers ofthe bonds the moment he had discovered them in Harry Gilbert'spossession.
"Harry Gilbert is honorably discharged, and the bonds are restored tohim," said the justice.
"Thank you, sir," said Harry, glancing not without natural exultation, at Colonel Ross and Philip.
Philip, by the way, looked as uncomfortable as his father.
Here there was an unexpected and startling interruption.
"I can tell Colonel Ross all about it!" said a distinct voice from nearthe door.
"Come forward then and give your information," said the justice.
This call was answered by Tom Calder, who elbowed his way to the front, dressed in his farm attire, and in his shirt sleeves.
Philip's face might have been observed to grow pale when he heard Tom'svoice, and he looked decidedly sick when the boy walked up to give histestimony. Unobserved by any one, for all eyes were fixed upon Tom, heedged to the door, and slipped out, in an agony of apprehension, for heforesaw what was coming.
"Proceed," said the justice.
"That night when the Colonel missed the bonds," began Tom, "I was cominghome some time after nine, when I happened to look into the window, andthere I saw Phil Ross with his father's little trunk open before him. Isaw him take out a couple of bonds, and slip them into his insidepocket. Then he carefully locked the trunk again, laid the keys on thedesk, and left the room. That's all I saw."
"It's a falsehood!" ejaculated Colonel Ross, furiously.
"You just ask Phil about it, Colonel," said Tom, composedly.
Colonel Ross looked around for Philip, but no Philip was to be seen.
"I seed him slip out of the door just as Tom was beginnin' to talk," said a small urchin.
Overcome with mortification, and compelled to suspect that Tom's storywas true, Colonel Ross hurried home, where he found Philip.
Sternly calling him to account, the Colonel extorted a confession, notonly that he had taken the bonds, but what had become of them. Theresult was that information was sent to the police of New York, andJames Congreve was arrested.
I may as well finish this part of the story by saying that Congreve wascompelled to give up what remained of his ill-gotten gains, but ColonelRoss failed to prosecute him, because he could not do so withoutinvolving his own son also. It was only two months, however, beforeCongreve was detected in a more serious affair, for which he was forcedto stand trial, and is even now serving a term of imprisonment, receivedas a penalty for the later crime.
As for Philip, he was so mortified and shamed by the exposure of hisdishonesty, and his attempt to fix the crime upon another, that he askedhis father to send him to a boarding school at a distance, and hisrequest was complied with.
Tom Calder was immediately discharged by Colonel Ross, but within a weekhe was engaged elsewhere at an advanced salary. His new employer was Mr. Obed Wilkins, better known to us as Uncle Obed.
If this statement excites surprise, I must refer my readers to the nextchapter for an explanation.
CHAPTER XLII
CONCLUSION
The house of Colonel Ross was the finest in the village, with oneexception. A certain Mr. Carrington, a city merchant, had, five yearsbefore, built a country villa surpassing it, a little distance away onthe same street.
It was provided with handsome grounds, and originally cost, everythingincluded, thirty-five thousand dollars, exclusive of furniture.
It was the day after Harry's triumphant acquittal that Uncle Obedremarked, casually:
"I hear that Mr. Carrington is anxious to sell his estate."
"I am not surprised," answered Mrs. Gilbert. "He bought it chiefly toplease a young wife, and her sudden death sadly disturbed all hisplans."
"I have made some inquiries," continued Uncle Obed, "and find that he iswilling to sell everything, even to the furniture, for fifteen thousanddollars."
"That is a great bargain, for he could scarcely have paid less thanforty thousand dollars for the whole."
"I have about decided to buy the place," said Mr. Wilkins, quietly.
"What!" exclaimed Mrs. Gilbert and Harry, in concert.
"Since you both think it will be a good bargain, I think I will buy it," continued Uncle Obed, his eyes twinkling.
"That's a good joke," said Harry.
"No joke at all, as you will find."
"You don't mean to say you can afford to buy such a place?" said Harry, in amazement.
"I consider myself worth seventy-five thousand dollars," said Mr.
Wilkins.
Mrs. Gilbert and Harry stared at him in undisguised astonishment.
"I thought you were a very poor man," said the widow.
"I know you did," said Uncle Obed, laughing.
"What will Colonel Ross say?" wondered Harry.
"I feel more interested in what my niece will say," said the old man.
"I am afraid they will take you away from us, Uncle Obed, when they findout that you are rich."
"Not against my will, I think," replied the old man, with quietdetermination.
"They won't want to send you back to Illinois now."
"I don't know but they will, when they find I won't go with them."
"Do you think of moving into the new house, Mr. Wilkins?" asked Mrs.
Gilbert, anxiously.
"Yes, I think I shall."
"We shall be sorry to lose you," she said, soberly.
"You are not going to lose me," assured Uncle Obed. "Do you think I amgoing to live alone? I should die of loneliness. No! You and Harry gowith me, and I shall take the liberty of paying all the expenses ofhousekeeping."
"How kind you are, Uncle Obed," said Harry.
"No, I'm not. I'm a selfish old man, looking out for what will make myhome happy. And that's not all. Mrs. Gilbert, didn't you tell me you hada sister – a dressmaker in New York – in poor health."
"Yes, poor Maria. She is in poor health, but cannot afford a vacation."
"You shall offer her a home with you. There's plenty of room in
Carrington's house. She will be company for all of us, especially when
Master Harry goes to college."
"When I go to college!" Harry ejaculated.
"Certainly! Wouldn't you like it?"
"Very much; but it would take so many years, when I could be earningnothing."
"I will see that you are provided for, Harry; but I don't want you to goaway from home at present, if it can be avoided. Isn't there any one inthe village with whom you can pr