CHAPTER XXXIII.
A TRAMP’S DOWNFALL.
Dan’s aunt was having a desperate fight with a burly tramp, who, after being given a hearty dinner, had insisted on having money.
Mrs. Parks—that was the lady’s name—refused to give him the cash, and at once the tramp grew abusive.
The fellow was none other than Henderson, who had helped assault Joe at the old coal mine.
“I’ll help myself,” he said, and tried to go into the house.
Then the lady screamed for help.
“Ain’t no use ter call,” said the tramp. “Yer husband is up the road a good step. I seed him go away.”
“You wretch! Get out of the house,” stormed Mrs. Parks.
“I will—when I have what I want,” was the cool reply of the knight of the road.
He thought with only a woman around he could do as he pleased.
He tried to throw the lady into a closet, and a desperate struggle ensued.
In the midst of it Joe arrived and took in the situation at a glance.
Our hero looked around for some weapon and espied a sickle lying on the cistern-top.
“Let up there!” he cried, as he picked up the sickle. “Let up, or I’ll cut you with this!”
And he flourished the sickle dangerously close to the tramp’s head.
Henderson turned pale under his dirt when he saw our hero with the sharp-edged sickle.
“Don’t cut me!” he shrieked.
“Then let up on Mrs. Parks,” shouted Joe.
“I wasn’t doin’ nuthin’.”
“I know better.”
“He wanted to rob us,” put in the lady.
“Never stole a thing in my life,” said the tramp. “Ter tell the truth, I’m a bit queer at times in me upper story.” And he tapped his forehead.
Our hero saw he was lying.
“Hold him until my husband gets back,” suggested Mrs. Parks.
“I will.”
On hearing this the tramp attempted to run away, but Joe promptly tripped him up.
At this moment Dan came running up, having come down out of the apple tree as fast as possible.
Now he saw another against him, Henderson was more anxious than ever to get away.
“Lemme go, I am out o’ me head,” he moaned. “De hot sun affected me.”
“Did it?” said Joe.
As he spoke he leaped back of the tramp and kicked the cover off of the cistern.
Dan saw what he was up to and smiled.
“Yes, me head is affected by the heat,” went on the tramp.
“Then we’ll cool it for you,” cried Joe.
At a signal to Dan to help him he rushed at the dirty fellow.
The lads caught the fellow by the collar and dragged him to the cistern.
In vain Henderson struggled to free himself. They backed him to the opening and gave him a sudden push.
He sat down, doubled up like a jackknife and disappeared with a loud splash.
“Whow! whow! Let me out! I’ll be drowned.”
In this fashion the tramp spluttered as soon as he could get his head above water.
When he stood up the cistern water was just up to his neck and he chattered from cold.
“Stay in there and cool off,” cried Joe.
And he and Dan kept watch over him while Mrs. Parks went off for Mr. Parks.
The tramp begged piteously to be allowed his liberty, but the boys were obdurate.
In a little while Mr. Parks came running in.
“One of them pesky tramps, eh,” he said. “All right, I’ll fix him!” He ran to the barn and got his whip.
“Now climb out and I’ll give you something to make you hustle,” he said.
Henderson lost no time in trying to get out of the cistern.
As soon as his shoulders showed above ground old Parks began to thrash him with the whip. He kept this up until the tramp was ready to run off.
“Now, clear out,” he exclaimed. “And if I ever see you around this way again I’ll give you a dose of buckshot.”
Henderson did not wait to reply.
Dripping wet and aching in every limb he hobbled off.
None of those present ever saw him again.
Mrs. Parks was much pleased with what Joe had done, and she presented our hero with a choice basket of fruit to take home.
An hour later found Dan and our hero on the way back to Lockport.
At the blacksmith shop they learned that Ralph had long since gone away on his wheel, which had been made as good as ever.
After this adventure with the coach and with the tramp nothing of especial interest happened for a long while to come.
Jee kept training himself on his wheel while Mr. Johnson and Paul ran the store and matters went very well all around.
Joe would have gone into the store with his brother, but the whole family realized that it was the lad’s riding and acquaintanceship with wheelmen that brought in a good share of the trade. Even while on the road Joe managed to sell several bicycles and all at a good profit.
And thus the fall passed and winter came on, and with the advent of snow came the time when Joe Johnson had an adventure he never forgot—an adventure as novel as it was thrilling.