Bob the Castaway; Or, The Wreck of the Eagle Read online

  CHAPTER II

  ANOTHER PRANK

  "Drat that boy!" cried Mr. Hodge. "I'll make him suffer fer this.I'll have him arrested fer malicious mischief, an' I'll sue hisfather. I'll see if I can't put a stop to sech nonsense."

  He did not waste time in words, however, but hastened to shut thespigot of the molasses barrel to stop the wasteful flow. However,two gallons or more had run all over, the floor, making a stickypool.

  Meanwhile Bob had crawled out from under the stoop and had crossedthe street to Join Ted.

  "Did you see anything?" he asked.

  "Did I?" asked Ted. "Well, I should say I did. It was great.How'd ye think of it?"

  "Did I do anything?" asked Bob innocently. "I thought Bill Hodgestubbed his toe and fell. Probably he slipped in some molasses."

  "Did you pull the spigot open?"

  "Me? No, I didn't, but maybe the string did. I guess I've got tohurry home with this lard. Mom wants to make some pies."

  Bob got home much sooner than his mother expected he would. Hegave her the lard, and then went out under the apple tree where hehad left the paper snappers.

  "He's back quick," mused Mrs. Henderson. "I don't see how he hadtime to do any mischief. Perhaps he didn't play any tricks on anyone this time," for Bob seldom went through the village but what hedid so. However, Mrs. Henderson was mistaken, as we know.

  During this time Mr. Hodge was busy wiping as much of the molassesoff the floor as he could with old cloths and pieces of newspaper.While he was doing this a customer came in and inquired:

  "What's the matter? Molasses barrel spring a leak, Bill?"

  "Leak? No, it was that pesky Bob Henderson. Wait till I git holdof him! I'll make him smart. An' I'm goin' to sue his father."

  "What did he do? Why, Bill, you walk lame. What's the matter, gotrheumatiz?"

  "It's all on account of Bob."

  "What did he do?"

  "Came here for some lard. When I was down cellar gittin' it he tieda string to the molasses barrel spigot and stretched it across thedoorway."

  "What, the spigot?"

  "No, the string. Ye know what I mean. Then he went out on thestoop an' yelled like sin. I thought somebody was killed an' I runout. I tripped over the string an' it pulled the spigot open. Ibarked my shins, an' when I looked in the store, after seein'nobody was hurt, the molasses was runnin' all over. Oh, wait tillI git hold of that pesky boy!"

  "I s'pose if you hadn't been so curious to see who was killed itwouldn't have happened," observed Adiran Meelik.

  "Curious! Ain't I got a right to run an' see who's killed in frontof my store?"

  "I s'pose so. But there wasn't anybody killed; only you came nearbeing."

  "That's so. I'll bring an action against Bob Henderson's fatherfor damages for personal injuries, that's what I'll do. Thenthere's the wasted molasses."

  "That boy plays too many tricks," observed Mr. Meelik as he tookthe brown sugar he had come in to purchase and walked out."Altogether too many tricks. Still," he added with a smile, "Iwould like to have seen Bill stumble and watched his face when heseen that molasses runnin' to waste."

  The storekeeper lost no time in putting his plan into action. Butas he was a cautious man, and did not want to waste money hiring alawyer to bring suit if he could collect damages without doing so,he decided to call on Mr. Henderson himself.

  A short time after Mr. Hodge had succeeded in cleaning up as muchof the molasses as possible his wife came in to relieve him oftending the store, as was her custom. She had had an early supper,and was to remain in the place until Mr. Hodge had also satisfiedhis appetite. By this arrangement there was no need of hiring aclerk. They lived in some rooms over the store.

  "Your supper's ready, William," she said.

  "I guess supper'll have to wait to-night."

  "Why?"

  "'Cause I'm goin' to see if I can't collect damages from EnosHenderson fer what his son done."

  "What's that?"

  Mr. Hodge explained, and his wife agreed with him that it would bewise first to try what a personal demand would do.

  It was about six o'clock when Mr. Hodge reached the Henderson home.Mr. Henderson stopped work at five, and he was at supper when thestorekeeper entered. Bob knew the object of the visit, and, makingan excuse that he wanted to see one of his boy chums, was about toleave the table.

  "My business is with him, too," said Mr. Hodge in rather surlytones.

  "With Bob?" asked Mr. Henderson, and his heart sank. He realizedthat his son must have been up to some prank in which thestorekeeper was involved, for Mr. Hodge was not a person to payfriendly calls.

  "Yes. I've come t' see if ye'll settle my claim fer damageswithout a lawsuit."

  "A lawsuit?" inquired Mr. Henderson, now becoming quite alarmed,while Bob's mother grew pale. Bob himself, not a little frightenedas the result of his joke, sank down in a chair.

  "I want damages fer personal injuries, as well as fer five gallonsof molasses that run to waste."

  "It couldn't have been more than three gallons," interrupted Bob."Molasses runs awful slow, and the spigot wasn't open more thanthree minutes."

  "It runs fast in hot weather," observed the storekeeper.

  "What is it all about?" asked Mr. Henderson.

  Then Mr. Hodge explained, dwelling on the pain he had suffered as aresult of the fall from the string that tripped him and on the lossof the molasses.

  "I want ten dollars damage," he concluded. "A dollar fer themolasses an' the rest fer personal injuries."

  "I am afraid I cannot afford to pay so much," said Mr. Henderson,who, while he made good wages, was trying to save up enough to payfor his home.

  "Then I'll sue ye."

  "I would not like you to do that, but I cannot afford to pay tendollars--at least not now. I have some interest to meet this week."

  "Well, maybe I might take a little less," said Mr. Hodge, as he sawa prospect of Bob's father coming to a settlement. "I'll make iteight dollars, an' ye can pay me in installments."

  "I suppose that will be fair," admitted Mr. Henderson. He spokevery quietly, but he was much exercised over what had happened.

  "Can ye pay me anythin' now?" asked Mr. Hodge eagerly, rubbing hisshins, which, to tell the truth, were only slightly bruised and didnot hurt him in the least now.

  "I could give you two dollars. But first I want to ask Bob if heis responsible for this."

  To his sorrow Mr. Henderson did not have much doubt of it.

  "Oh, I guess he won't deny it," said the storekeeper.

  "Did you do this, Bob?" inquired his father.

  "I--I guess so, but I didn't mean anything."

  Bob was not so happy over his prank as he had been at first.

  Mr. Henderson said nothing. He took two dollars from his wallet--awallet that did not have any too much money in it--and handed thebills to the storekeeper, who eagerly pocketed them.

  "When kin ye give me some more?" he asked.

  "Next week. I am sorry, Mr. Hodge, that my son did this."

  "So am I. But I s'pose boys will be boys."

  Mr. Hodge seemed in better mood. The truth was, he had notexpected to receive any money, and as he was a sort of miser, itmade him feel better to think he was going to get damages withouthaving to pay a lawyer. In reality, not more than fifty cents'worth of molasses had run to waste.

  When the storekeeper had left Mr. Henderson further questioned Bob,getting all the particulars of the trick.

  "I'm sorry, dad," said Bob when he had finished his recital.

  "That is what you say every time, my son. You said it after youfrightened Mrs. Anderson's cow and they had to have theveterinarian for the animal, but that did not pay his bill. I hadto settle for it."

  "I know, dad. I'll not do it again."

  "And that's another thing you always say, Bob. Now this is gettingserious. You must mend your ways. This will be quite a heavyexpense to me. I was going to
spend that two dollars for a newpair of shoes. Now I will have to wait."

  "I'm sorry, dad."

  "But that doesn't give me my shoes."

  Mr. Henderson spoke gravely, and Bob felt quite badly over what hehad done, for he loved his father and mother very much, and wouldnot intentionally pain them. The trouble was he was, like manyother boys, thoughtless. He did not count the consequences whenindulging in pranks.

  A little later, after giving his son quite a severe lecture, andobtaining his promise to be better in the future, Mr. Hendersonprepared to go to bed. Bob also retired to his room, for he feltin no mood to go out with the village boys that night.

  "I'm sure I don't know what to do with Bob," said Mrs. Henderson toher husband when she was locking up the house. "I'm afraid he'llget into serious trouble."

  "I hope not. I think I must punish him severely the next time heplays any tricks."

  "He is too big to whip."

  "I know it. I must think of some other method."

  Bob fell asleep, resolving to mend his ways, or at least to play inthe future only harmless tricks to which no one would object. Butin the morning his good resolutions had lost some of their power,like many others made during the night.

  That day in school Bob snapped several of the paper crackers, andin consequence was kept in. However, his mother was visiting aneighbor, and when he came home late that afternoon she did not seehim.

  That evening Ted Neefus called for Bob. They were chums of longstanding.

  "Let's take a walk," suggested Ted.

  "Aw, that's no fun."

  "What'll we do then?"

  Bob thought a few seconds.

  "I'll tell you," he said. "We'll put a tic-tac on Mrs. Mooney'swindow. She lives all alone, and she'll think it's a ghostrapping."

  "Good! Come on. Have you got some string?"

  "Sure."

  So you see how poorly Bob remembered his promise of the nightbefore, and with what thoughtlessness he again started to indulgein a prank--a prank which might throw a nervous woman intohysterics. Yet in this Bob was just like thousands of otherboys--he "didn't mean anything." The trouble was he did not think.

  So the two boys, their heads full of the project of making atic-tac, stole quietly through the village streets toward thecottage of the Widow Mooney.