Well, at last I was free to lie down on my bed of straw. One of them stayed with me while the other went into the shabby house attached to the shed and brought me out a plate of meat. Then they set a pan of water beside me and went into the house, leaving the door open. I could not make a movement without their hearing me.
CHAPTER XXVII
WEARY DAYS AND A RESCUE
There is no use in recounting the weary days and nights that passed. I soon figured out the whole story. These two scamps, after finding out my value at the dog-show, had set enquiries on foot in the underworld, and had found out that there was a demand for wire-haired fox-terriers on the Pacific Coast. If they could ship me out there, they would get even a little more than the seven thousand dollars. The question was, to raise the money for a railway ticket. Some one must accompany me.
Day after day I heard them arguing. They brought out men, and women too, from New York. They would say that it was a sure thing, any one who went in with them would be well rewarded, but everybody seemed shy of advancing money enough for my ticket, and one of theirs, to California.
All these difficulties pleased me. I, of course, viewed with dismay a trip to California. Unfortunately for me, a day came when a middle-aged man who was the leader of a gang of forgers seemed to fall in with their scheme. He had succeeded in passing a worthless cheque on a trust company and was feeling very rich. He told my young men that he would advance them one hundred and fifty dollars, if they would give him a thousand when I was sold.
They were in a fury with him, and vowed they’d see him somewhere first. However, I heard them talking the thing over after he left, and I trembled as they seemed to come to a decision in his favour.
I knew from their talk that my dear master was advertising me much more extensively than they had ever imagined he would, and that there were a great many uncertainties connected with selling me, even in so far-away a place as California. It was only by a quick sale that they could hope to get rid of me anywhere. Then they were afraid that some of their gang, in spite of the danger to themselves on account of their criminal record, would notify the police of my whereabouts, and claim the reward. They had no confidence in any one. On their blue days, they sometimes went far enough to regret ever having meddled with me, and I was in torture lest some treachery on the part of their gangster friends would make them kill me, and run away to hide themselves.
Finally, however, they promised to let the forger have the thousand dollars when I was sold, though they assured him that recent developments made it impossible for them to ask the full price for me.