"While they was projectin' around, and a-wonderin' what to do about it, a little fice-dog they owned settled things for 'em--and settled it quick. He was a fool dog and he proberbly took old Lady Skunk for a tabbycat. Seein' her inside the spring-haouse he nosed around till he found the openin' she'd got in by. He squeezed himself in an' then--wal, good-_night_!

"They heard the dog a ky-yi-ing and smelled the smoke of battle from afar--haw! haw! haw! Jefers-pelters!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Walky. "They tell me that after they'd burned all the b.u.t.ter an' b.u.t.ter firkins an' the hull inside of the spring-haouse--purgin' by fire as the Good Book says--the odor still lingered.

"An' that's one o' the tricks Tom Hotchkiss done. Lied about it, o'

course. Said he didn't. But to them that was his cronies he boasted about it. I had _my_ doubts of him when he come back to Polktown, n.o.body knowed from where; and I could ha' told ye, Jase----"

"Too late! too late!" groaned Mr. Day. "All you hind-sight prophets can't do me no good."

It was a bitter cry, and Aunt 'Mira sniveled as she stood over the dish-pan. Marty shuffled heavily as he grabbed his cap and made his way toward the door.

"I'm goin' over to the lib'ry for a book," he explained huskily, and went out.

Janice and Nelson soon retired to the sitting room while the three older people carried on a desultory conversation for the next hour. Suddenly there came a tapping on the sitting room window by Nelson's chair. He pulled aside the shade a little and glanced out.

What he saw made him start suddenly to his feet. "Who is it?" asked Janice, busy with the fancy-work in her lap.

"Somebody who evidently wishes to speak with me in private," Nelson told her with a smile. "I'll be right back."

He went out through the kitchen and found Marty standing in the yard--a very white-faced and trembling Marty, quite unlike his usual self.

"What is it? What has happened?" the schoolmaster asked sharply.

"Oh, Mr. Haley! I can't tell her--I can't let her know it."

"Whom are you talking about--your mother?"

"No. It's Janice."

"What has happened to Janice?" demanded Nelson, his voice changing.

"It's her dad--it's Uncle Brocky!" gasped Marty. "It's in to-day's New York paper. I just happened to see it as they was putting it on the file. I got it here," and the boy drew the folded newspaper from his pocket.

CHAPTER V

JANICE GOES HER WAY

"Come over to the garage," said Nelson Haley, seizing the boy by the wrist. "Is it unlocked?"

"Yes," gulped Marty.

"I can read it in the light of the side lamp of the car," said the schoolmaster.

His own voice was shaken. He knew that something very serious must have occurred or Marty Day would not act in this manner.

They hurried across the yard and Marty unbarred the garage door. n.o.body in Polktown thought of locking any outbuilding, save possibly the corn-crib or the smoke-house.

Marty closed the door tightly before Nelson scratched a match and fumbled for the latch of the kerosene side lamp of Janice's automobile.

In the yellow radiance of this he unfolded the newspaper Marty had seized at the public library. The schoolmaster looked at once at the extreme right-hand column of the front page of the paper--the column in which the Mexican news was usually displayed. A sub-heading caught his eye almost instantly:

MORE AMERICANS BUTCHERED

A great revolt had again broken out against the de facto government. It was spreading, the report said, hourly. In the Companos District the wires had been cut, but it was known that there had been much bloodshed there. Several of the former insurrecto leaders who had recently gone over to the existing party in power at Mexico City, were reported a.s.sa.s.sinated, among them Juan Dicampa.

"And he was Mr. Day's friend--he served him well during the last uprising in that district!" Nelson e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed.

"That ain't the worst. Read on," breathed Marty.

"Great heavens! can it be possible?" whispered Nelson.

"The mines in the Companos District have all been seized by the insurrectos. The peons working them have been forced into the ranks of the revolutionists. Not an American has escaped from the district and several are known to have been killed. At the Alderdice Mine, fourteen miles north of San Cristoval, it is said the superintendent, B. Day, has been wounded and is held prisoner."

"Wh--what do you know about _that_?" stuttered Marty. "Uncle Brocky's hurt and they won't let him go."

"Hush!" commanded Nelson.

"Aw--there's n.o.body to hear," choked the boy. "And how can we keep it from Janice?"

"We must!" exclaimed Nelson.

"Say, Nelson Haley! You got to be mighty smart to keep Janice from finding out every little thing. You know that. And she's always looking for something to happen to Uncle Brocky."

"We can do it. We _must_ do it," responded the schoolmaster.

Marty was round-eyed and unbelieving. "Say! you don't know Janice yet,"

he repeated with a.s.surance. "She's a mighty smart girl--the smartest girl in the whole of Polktown. Aw--well, you ought to know."

"I don't know how we are to do it--yet," the schoolmaster agreed. "We'll just _have_ to. When people have to do a thing, Marty, _they do it nine times out of ten_!"

"Hi tunket!" gasped the boy. "You tell me my part and I'll help all right."

"Come on, then. Stroll in naturally. Make believe there is something up--some joke that we are going to keep Janice out of----"

"Joke!" groaned Marty.

"I tell you," commanded Nelson hotly, "we've got to keep this from her.

Her father wounded--think of it!"

"Ain't I thinking of it?" put in the boy. "Uncle Brocky--that I never did see since I was a kid too small to remember him."

"Pull yourself together, old man," said the schoolmaster with his arm over the boy's shoulder.

Nelson's trust in him did much to enable Marty to brace up. He gulped down his sobs and drew his jacket sleeve across his eyes. "You just tell me what to do," he choked.

"I don't know myself yet. I'll keep this paper. I'll leave it to you to divert the New York paper from the library. You can do that, for the postmaster will give you the library mail if you're there on time for it."