Those of my readers who have read the previous volumes of this series, need no introduction to Nip and his friend, Jake. For the benefit of those who have not, it will be sufficient to say that the pair were as fine a couple of rogues as you would want to meet. As Bob had said, their paths had crossed before, and the boys had gotten the better of them but they had escaped.
Nip made no reply to Bob’s remark. He was a sullen brute and realized that the boys once more had the upper hand.
“It’s a pretty low business, Nip, when you come to torturing a helpless old man and his wife, but I’m not surprised.”
Just then a groan came from Jake, who was still lying on the floor, and a moment later he opened his eyes and looked about him. He was, as Jack declared, a sight. His face was covered with blood from the blow on his nose, and one of his eyes was nearly closed and was beginning to turn black.
“Well, Jake, I’m sorry I had to cut you up so,” Bob began, as he stood over the man, “but you certainly had it coming to you.”
“I’ll get you sometime,” Jake growled, as he struggled to free his hands.
“Mebby,” Bob replied. “But I rather think that you’ll be kept pretty busy for some time. No use to waste your strength on that rope, man. It’s a good strong one and it’s tied to stay. I’ll get some water and wash the blood off your face. You don’t look a bit pretty.”
The storekeeper’s wife quickly brought some water in a basin and soon Bob had the man’s face cleaner than it had been for a long time, as Jack asserted.
“Well, boys,” the storekeeper said, after Bob had introduced Rex to him and his wife, “You certainly came in the nick o’ time, as the sayin’ is. That feller’d a had that candle against my foot in another minute and I gess I’d a had ter give in. You saved me close ter two thousand dollars an’ Jeb Slocum ain’t one ter ferget it.”
Before Bob had time to reply, the little child that he had found in the woods came running into the room.