"A criminal, eh? All right, I'll be down in a minnit!"

The head disappeared and the window was closed. Five minutes pa.s.sed and then a light appeared in a wing of the house, and the justice opened the door to what he termed his office.

"Now, what's it all about?" he asked in a sleepy voice.

All hands entered the place, Andy and the mountaineer leading Paul Barberry, who looked anything but comfortable. The prisoner was marched up before the justice's desk, and the others ranged themselves alongside of him, while Justice Harwig, a very pleasant man, made himself comfortable to listen to what all hands might have to say.

The hearing was a short one, and at its conclusion Paul Barberry was marched off to the village lock-up, the justice stating that he would notify the Phillipsburg authorities, so that they could get the necessary papers and take him away.

Barberry did all he could to beg off, offering at the last moment to pay a fine equal to the amount of money in his pocket--eighteen dollars. But neither the justice nor the others would listen to this.

Had he not made the fight, Matt and Andy might have had some pity on him, but they were but human and could not so easily forget the blows they had suffered at the hands of the thieves.

It was not deemed worth while to send out any one to look for the two men who had escaped, and after Barberry was safe in jail the young auctioneers drove over to the tavern and put up there for the night.

Ramson accompanied them, and before parting with the mountaineer they paid him the reward that had been promised, for which he was very thankful.

On the following morning Matt and Andy lost no time in starting back for Easton, telling Justice Harwig that they would report to the authorities in Phillipsburg whenever wanted. They found that the turn-out had suffered no damage by being stolen. The new goods which had been in the cases had been stored away in some confusion, but Andy soon straightened this out.

"I tell you we can consider ourselves very lucky to get out of this so nicely," he said, after he had finished his work and knew all was right. "As it stands, we will be out hardly a cent."

"Yes, we were lucky," returned Matt. "But we wouldn't have been had we taken that freight agent's advice and remained on the other side of the Delaware."

"Well, no doubt he'll be glad to learn that we have recovered the goods. It saves him something like seventy-eight dollars."

"We will lose the best part of to-day's trade, for we won't be able to get back much before two or three o'clock."

"Never mind, the city is full of people, and we ought to do best in the evening," replied Andy.

It was a cool, clear day, and although both were rather tired from the adventures of the night before, they enjoyed the drive back to Easton.

At first Andy drove, while Matt took it easy on the goods in the back of the wagon, and when half the distance was covered the partners changed places, so that by the time the store they had previously hired was reached, both were sufficiently rested to go ahead with the duties on hand.

They lost no time in transferring the stock to the store shelves, after which Andy drove off with the wagon and found a stable where the turn-out might be put up during their stay. Matt arranged the stock on the shelves, and made a great window display. The red flag was hung out, and inside of an hour afterward business was in full swing.

CHAPTER XXIX.

UNDESIRABLE CUSTOMERS.

Among their customers they numbered a great many fire laddies, and these they made it a point to treat extra well, selling them goods at almost cost. As a consequence the firemen told their friends, and by eight o'clock that evening the store was packed.

"This is going to be the banner day after all," whispered Andy, just after making several good sales. "I believe we can keep things moving until midnight."

They found a great demand for pocket-knives and cheap jewelry, and by playing on the instruments they sold over three dozen mouth harmonicas and three accordions. Then Andy and Matt gave a duet on the violin and banjo, and as a consequence, sold both of the instruments they had handled.

The music had attracted even a greater crowd, and among the people were four tall and rather ugly-looking colored men. They shoved their way forward rudely, causing some timid customers to leave in a hurry, and then began to laugh and joke among themselves in a loud and coa.r.s.e manner.

"I am afraid we are going to have trouble with those chaps," whispered Matt to his partner. "They have been drinking, and they are out for a lark."

"That's my idea, too," returned Andy. "We must watch them closely."

For a few minutes the young auctioneers paid no attention to the four negroes, excepting to see that they did not take up something without laying it down again. The fellows moved around through the crowd, and at length two of them leaned up heavily against one of the show-cases which belonged to the store fixtures.

The combined weight of the two men was too much for the top gla.s.s of the case, and with a sharp crack it broke into half a dozen pieces.

"Hullo! dat gla.s.s dun gone and got broke!" cried one of the negroes.

"I wonder how dat happened?"

"You broke that gla.s.s!" exclaimed Matt sharply. "You and your companion."

"Me?" returned the offender in pretended surprise.

"Yes, you--and your friend."

"Dat ain't so at all, boss! We didn't touch dat yere gla.s.s. Did we, Jeff?"

"'Deed we didn't, Tooker."

"We didn't come in here to do no kind ob damage, boss."

"Never mind what you came in for," returned Matt. "You broke the gla.s.s and you will have to pay for it."

At the young auctioneer's statement the faces of all four of the colored men took on a savage look. They had drifted in to do pretty much as they pleased, and had not expected to meet with such strong and sudden opposition.

"I won't pay for nuffin!" growled the ringleader of the quartet. "I dun reckon somebody else in the crowd broke the gla.s.s."

"Cos da did," replied another of the colored men. "Maybe yo' think yo'

kin lay it on us just because we is colored, hey?"

"Not at all; a colored man can be as much of a gentleman as any one--if he wishes to be," put in Andy.

"Do youse mean to insinuate dat we ain't gen'men?" questioned one of the crowd roughly.

"You are not gentlemen when you break gla.s.s and refuse to pay for it,"

returned Andy. "That gla.s.s is worth at least a dollar, and unless it is paid for, somebody will be handed over to the police."

"Huh! do yo' fink yo' kin scare us, boss?"

"Yo' say another word an' we'll do up de hull place!"

"We is as good as any white trash, remember dat!"

In the meantime one of the colored men slid his hand into the show-case which had been damaged, and essayed to grab a small box of watch-chains which rested close by. Matt saw the movement, slick as it was, just in time, and springing forward he caught the colored man by the arm.

"Drop that box!" he cried sternly.

"Oh, I wasn't gwine to take de box," returned the would-be offender.