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.