Bob the Castaway | Page 4

Bob had crawled out from under the stoop and had crossed
the street to Join Ted.

"Did you see anything?" he asked.
"Did I?" asked Ted. "Well, I should say I did. It was great. How'd ye
think of it?"
"Did I do anything?" asked Bob innocently. "I thought Bill Hodge
stubbed his toe and fell. Probably he slipped in some molasses."
"Did you pull the spigot open?"
"Me? No, I didn't, but maybe the string did. I guess I've got to hurry
home with this lard. Mom wants to make some pies."
Bob got home much sooner than his mother expected he would. He
gave her the lard, and then went out under the apple tree where he had
left the paper snappers.
"He's back quick," mused Mrs. Henderson. "I don't see how he had
time to do any mischief. Perhaps he didn't play any tricks on any one
this time," for Bob seldom went through the village but what he did so.
However, Mrs. Henderson was mistaken, as we know.
During this time Mr. Hodge was busy wiping as much of the molasses
off the floor as he could with old cloths and pieces of newspaper. While
he was doing this a customer came in and inquired:
"What's the matter? Molasses barrel spring a leak, Bill?"
"Leak? No, it was that pesky Bob Henderson. Wait till I git hold of him!
I'll make him smart. An' I'm goin' to sue his father."
"What did he do? Why, Bill, you walk lame. What's the matter, got
rheumatiz?"
"It's all on account of Bob."
"What did he do?"
"Came here for some lard. When I was down cellar gittin' it he tied a

string to the molasses barrel spigot and stretched it across the
doorway."
"What, the spigot?"
"No, the string. Ye know what I mean. Then he went out on the stoop
an' yelled like sin. I thought somebody was killed an' I run out. I
tripped over the string an' it pulled the spigot open. I barked my shins,
an' when I looked in the store, after seein' nobody was hurt, the
molasses was runnin' all over. Oh, wait till I git hold of that pesky
boy!"
"I s'pose if you hadn't been so curious to see who was killed it wouldn't
have happened," observed Adiran Meelik.
"Curious! Ain't I got a right to run an' see who's killed in front of my
store?"
"I s'pose so. But there wasn't anybody killed; only you came near
being."
"That's so. I'll bring an action against Bob Henderson's father for
damages for personal injuries, that's what I'll do. Then there's the
wasted molasses."
"That boy plays too many tricks," observed Mr. Meelik as he took the
brown sugar he had come in to purchase and walked out. "Altogether
too many tricks. Still," he added with a smile, "I would like to have
seen Bill stumble and watched his face when he seen that molasses
runnin' to waste."
The storekeeper lost no time in putting his plan into action. But as he
was a cautious man, and did not want to waste money hiring a lawyer
to bring suit if he could collect damages without doing so, he decided
to call on Mr. Henderson himself.
A short time after Mr. Hodge had succeeded in cleaning up as much of
the molasses as possible his wife came in to relieve him of tending the

store, as was her custom. She had had an early supper, and was to
remain in the place until Mr. Hodge had also satisfied his appetite. By
this arrangement there was no need of hiring a clerk. They lived in
some rooms over the store.
"Your supper's ready, William," she said.
"I guess supper'll have to wait to-night."
"Why?"
"'Cause I'm goin' to see if I can't collect damages from Enos Henderson
fer what his son done."
"What's that?"
Mr. Hodge explained, and his wife agreed with him that it would be
wise first to try what a personal demand would do.
It was about six o'clock when Mr. Hodge reached the Henderson home.
Mr. Henderson stopped work at five, and he was at supper when the
storekeeper entered. Bob knew the object of the visit, and, making an
excuse that he wanted to see one of his boy chums, was about to leave
the table.
"My business is with him, too," said Mr. Hodge in rather surly tones.
"With Bob?" asked Mr. Henderson, and his heart sank. He realized that
his son must have been up to some prank in which the storekeeper was
involved, for Mr. Hodge was not a person to pay friendly calls.
"Yes. I've come t' see if ye'll settle my claim fer damages without a
lawsuit."
"A lawsuit?" inquired Mr. Henderson, now becoming quite alarmed,