Facing the World, Jr. Horatio Alger [free e books to read TXT] 📗

loud defiance as he went. But he was a sensible boy, and meditated nothing of the kind.

“I can wait till morning,” he reflected. “I don’t think I shall be here twenty hours hence, but I mean to get a good night’s sleep. It will be time enough to decide in the morning what I will do.”

So, in spite of his imprisonment, Harry enjoyed a comfortable night’s sleep, and was awakened in the morning by hearing his door opened.

Mr. Fox entered, and sat down on a chair by the bed.

“Good-morning, sir,” said Harry, composedly.

“What I want to know is, have you made up your mind to do as I told you last night?”

“I prefer to keep it in my possession.”

“I guess I’ll have to keep you here a little longer.”

“Then be kind enough to send me up some breakfast. I am paying my board. I shall object to paying unless I get my meals regularly.”

This consideration weighed with John Fox, and he sent Joel up with a cup of coffee and some dry bread, five minutes later.

“By the way, Joel, come up here about the middle of the forenoon; I want to say a few words to you in private.”

“All right, I’ll come. I must go downstairs now.”

“I wonder what he wants to see me about?” said Joel, to himself.

Joel made a pretty shrewd guess, and resolved, by all means, to keep the appointment.

He was anxious to get his father out of the way, but John Fox was unusually deliberate in his motions. Finally, about half-past nine, he left the house for the village.

Presently his mother said: “Joel, if you’ll stay and mind the house, I’ll run over to Mrs. Bean’s and borrow some sugar.”

His mother put on her bonnet, and started across a field to her nearest neighbor’s.

“Now’s my time,” thought Joel. “Mam’s sure to get talkin’ with Mrs. Bean and stay half an hour or more.”

He ran up the garret stairs, and drew the bolt that held Harry captive.

“Joel, I want you to let me out of this place.”

“Oh, gracious!” exclaimed Joel, in apparent dismay. “Dad would give me the wu’st kind of a lickin’.”

“Would he know how I got out?” asked Harry.

“I don’t know. What are you willing to give?”

Harry saw that it was merely a matter of bargaining, and finally prevailed upon Joel to release him for a five-dollar bill.

“I want the money now,” said Joel.

“How do I know that you will do as you have agreed?”

“Give me the money, and I’ll tell you.”

Harry passed over the bank bill, and Joel said:

“Dad’s gone to the village, and mam’s gone over to Mrs. Bean’s. All you’ve got to do is to go downstairs, and walk out.”

Harry was by no means slow to take the hint.

“Good-by, Joel,” he said, extending his hand; “I won’t forget the favor you’ve done me.”

“I don’t know what dad’ll say. There’ll be an awful fuss. Just give me a box on the ear, won’t you?”

“What for?”

“I’ll tell dad you gave me an awful clip on the side of the head, and ran off, though I tried to stop you.”

“All right,” said Harry, laughing.

He gave Joel the required box on the ear, tripped him up, laying him gently on his back on the landing, and then, with a friendly “good-by,” he ran down the stairs, and before Mrs. Fox returned from her call was a mile away.

She found Joel wiping his eyes.

“What’s the matter, Joel?” she asked.

“That boy, Harry, called me upstairs, and got me to open the door. Then he gave me an almighty clip on the side of my head that almost stunned me, then he knocked me over, and ran out of the house as fast as he could run—my head aches awful!”

“The owdacious young ruffian!” ejaculated Mrs. Fox. “To beat my poor, dear Joel so! Never mind. Joel, dear, I’ll give you a piece of pie and some cake. As for that boy, he’ll be hung some day, I reckon!”

After eating the cake and pie, which were luxuries in that frugal household, Joel said he felt better. He went out behind the house, and taking out the five-dollar note, surveyed it with great satisfaction.