<h2 id="c25">CHAPTER XXV. <br/><span class="small">PLAYING “SECOND FIDDLE” TO A BOY.</span></h2>
<p>Action must now take the place of words, with
Thad.</p>
<p>From the moment that he separated from his
chums, and started off on this scout in company
with the swamp guide, he would have little or no
opportunity to exchange confidences with any one.</p>
<p>It suited his mood exactly, because he was wishing
to do, rather than plan; and gladly welcomed
the opportunity to accomplish something.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_220">220</div>
<p>He quickly discovered that Alligator Smith had
changed his course considerably, and could guess
the reason for this. The other judged it best that
they try and come up on the concealed shack where
the fugitive was in all likelihood hidden, from the
other side. And as Tom Smith had been here before,
he undoubtedly must know what he was about.</p>
<p>Being quite content to take things as he found
them, Thad did not even try to ask a single question,
which he might have done by placing his lips
close to the other’s ear.</p>
<p>When the hunter got down, and wriggled along
past some spot that was more open than usual, Thad
followed suit; and it was fortunate that he knew as
much concerning the ways of the tracker as he did,
and could imitate him to the life.</p>
<p>After a little while he saw Smith making motions
as though to call his attention to something ahead.
This caused Thad to find an opening in the brush
that shielded them; and the first thing he saw was
what appeared to be a primitive shelter made of
slabs and branches, though capable of shedding rain,
no doubt.</p>
<p>In front of this a small fire was burning, though
throwing up very little smoke, as the man had been
careful to select such wood as would not give off
the black oozy results that come from Southern pine.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_221">221</div>
<p>This in itself was enough to tell Thad they were
in luck. A fire could not be started without some
human agency. Undoubtedly Alligator Smith must
have figured correctly when he “allowed” that this
same Jasper, wishing to remain hidden from everybody
for a time, would come to this former retreat
where, as a boy he had been wont to retire from
the parental wrath.</p>
<p>And if Jasper were here, of course the girl must
be also.</p>
<p>Thad was straining his eyes to the utmost now, in
the wild hope that he might discover her somewhere
by.</p>
<p>He had often thought deeply over this part of
the matter, and wondered whether it would be possible
for him to recognize this girl. Should he
meet her on the street would there be <i>something</i>
about her that must tell him he was looking on a
Brewster?</p>
<p>When he failed to see anything of her, he confessed
to a sense of disappointment; but even as he
looked there was a movement at the door of the
shack, and a man came slowly out.</p>
<p>He was fixing a pipe for a smoke, and seemed
to be entirely at his ease, so Thad made up his
mind that at any rate no suspicion of the danger
that hovered over his head had come to Felix
Jasper.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_222">222</div>
<p>Lying there perfectly motionless the boy tried
to study the man whom he had come so many hundreds
of miles to find. So this was the unfaithful
steward whom his mother had been compelled to
discharge; and who, it was believed, had revenged
himself in the most cowardly way possible by stealing
the Brewster baby, and so cleverly that all the
detectives who had been hired at great expense to
search for the same, had been unable to accomplish
anything.</p>
<p>No wonder Thad shivered and then grew fiery
hot as he fixed his eyes on the figure of the man
who had once been in the employ of his parents,
and proved treacherous to his trust.</p>
<p>He had always hated the name because he believed
that if Jasper were really to blame for the
disappearance of his baby sister his act had certainly
shortened the life of his dear mother, for
whom Thad had grieved many a year.</p>
<p>Jasper was a slender sort of a man; but then,
knowing this fact already, Thad was more concerned
about his features. He saw that when the
other glanced up and looked around there was a
hunted expression on his face; just as though he
must have known that this last desperate act of his
would make him a much sought prize with all the
sheriffs and marshals of the country.</p>
<p>He must have figured on remaining in hiding for
a certain length of time, after which in some sort
of disguise, and carrying his stolen loot as well as
the girl along, he could make his way to New
Orleans, and take passage on some steamer bound
for a Mexican port, or else one in Central America,
where he could buy a plantation, and live at his ease.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_223">223</div>
<p>Neither of the concealed scouts dared move hand
or foot so long as the man was in plain sight; for
the least action might have caught his attention,
with the result that the plans of the sheriff would be
overturned. A dead man was not worth more than
half as much as a live prisoner, to the law.</p>
<p>After puffing away at his pipe for a few minutes
the man knocked it on his heel, as though after all
the flavor did not appeal to him. He looked around
once more, shrugged his shoulders, yawned once or
twice; and then taking out a revolver from a hip
pocket he seemed to be idly turning the cylinder, as
though to make sure the chambers were all loaded.</p>
<p>When Thad saw him yawn again he concluded
that Jasper must be doing more or less sleeping day
and night, to make up for lost time; or else hardly
knew what to do with himself while in hiding.</p>
<p>He did not like the man’s face. To his mind it
expressed cunning, and he wondered how any one
could trust him; but then Jasper may not have always
looked this way in those days far back, when
he had charge of the Brewster estate.</p>
<p>Now he was gone again, having passed back into
the shack. Thad could catch what seemed to be
the sound of voices within, and again he felt a
thrill, because this went to prove that the man was
not alone.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_224">224</div>
<p>If only the girl would show herself, Thad
thought, he would be satisfied. Besides, it might
give him a chance to get in communication with
her, and if such came about there could be no telling
what the happy result might be.</p>
<p>And while he was wishing this it came to pass;
for suddenly the boy realized that she stood there
in front of the lowly shack. Imagine the feelings
that swept over him as he lay there, his eager eyes
fairly glued upon her face.</p>
<p>Yes, she was pretty, but that alone did not occur
to Thad. He believed that he could surely see a
Brewster strain there—something hard to describe,
but which reminded him of the picture he had of
his father in his own room at home.</p>
<p>So this was the girl Jasper was now calling his
daughter. Why, she no more resembled the man
than she did Bumpus Hawtree; and that was saying
it as strong as any one possibly could, for the fat
scout had a red and freckled face, marked more
by good nature than rare intelligence.</p>
<p>Thad was seized with an almost irresistible impulse
to rush forward and carry her off; but he held
himself in with an iron hand. That would be a silly
thing to attempt, because she would be apt to look
on him with distrust, perhaps call out in wild alarm,
and bring Jasper hurrying to the spot, angry, and
ready to do all sorts of terrible deeds in order to defend
himself against arrest.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_225">225</div>
<p>As Thad lay there, and watched her every move
he saw the girl stoop down and take hold of a galvanized
bucket which, with other things, Jasper
must have purchased at the time he laid in his supplies
looking to an indefinite stay in the swamp.</p>
<p>She was undoubtedly going to some spring for
water.</p>
<p>Thad never gave the fact of fresh water bubbling
up on that elevated ground in the heart of Alligator
Swamp the slightest thought; though later on
he might consider it a singular thing. What flashed
into his head was the sudden wild hope that in some
way he might cut off her return to the shack; and
thus manage to separate her from her guardian.</p>
<p>As soon as she started away, swinging the bucket
in her hand, and humming some little air that she
had possibly learned in the convent school in New
Orleans, where it was afterwards discovered Jasper
had kept her all these years, Thad gave evidence of
meaning to follow after her.</p>
<p>The old swamp man had kept just as still as the
boy all this time; but somehow he must have divined
what influenced Thad now, for he made no
sign to show that he considered it an unwise thing
to do, but followed along at the heels of the patrol
leader. And perhaps that was the very first
time in all his life that Alligator Smith ever played
“second fiddle” to a boy.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_226">226</div>
<p>They backed away, first of all, so that another
growth of bushes would come between their moving
bodies and the shack; in case the man chanced to
issue forth again he would not be quite so likely to
discover them as though they kept to the open.</p>
<p>Thad could still catch glimpses of the girl; for
her pail flashed in the sun’s rays as she swung it
idly to and fro. Then again her dress happened to
be something along the red order, and in contrast to
the browns and greens of the “island” in the
quaking bog it stood out vividly.</p>
<p>One thing that pleased Thad was the fact that
the spring would seem to be some little distance
away from the cabin. He felt that every yard
counted in a case of this kind. And too, she was
going in a direction at right angles to the course
that must lead to the place where the sheriff and his
posse lay concealed, waiting to be “called to the
feast.”</p>
<p>He meant that when he disclosed his presence to
the girl he and the swamp guide would be standing
between, so that should she be alarmed, and try to
return, they could prevent such a thing from coming
to pass.</p>
<p>But Thad was fervently hoping that he would be
able to convince her how much it would be to her
interest to at least stop and listen to what he had
to say before either trying to flee, or even raising
a cry to warn Jasper.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_227">227</div>
<p>Much depended on how she felt toward the man.
If he was a tyrant it would all be easy enough; but
on the other hand, should he have been good to her,
and did she believe him to be really her father,
Thad feared he might have a hard task cut out for
him.</p>
<p>He had made up his mind though, that since the
girl was separated from Jasper she must not be
allowed to rejoin him, even though force had to be
temporarily used in order to effect this result. It
was a glorious chance that had been raised up, and
he would be a queer sort of a scout if he hesitated
to take advantage of the golden opportunity.</p>
<p>And presently he saw that she had reached the
spring, for she was bending down as though to fill
her bucket.</p>
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