CHAPTER XXV.

PLAYING “SECOND FIDDLE” TO A BOY.

Action must now take the place of words, with Thad.

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.

It suited his mood exactly, because he was wishing to do, rather than plan; and gladly welcomed the opportunity to accomplish something.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

And if Jasper were here, of course the girl must be also.

Thad was straining his eyes to the utmost now, in the wild hope that he might discover her somewhere by.

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 _something_ about her that must tell him he was looking on a Brewster?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

She was undoubtedly going to some spring for water.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

And presently he saw that she had reached the spring, for she was bending down as though to fill her bucket.