Part 5 (2/2)
”You try ter run, my beauty, and I'll cut ye worse than that,” he promised. ”You tell me about Sade Raby.”
Suddenly there came a hail, and Ruth turned in hope of a.s.sistance. Old Dolliver's stage came tearing along the road, his bony horses at a hand-gallop. The old man, whom the girls of Briarwood Hall called ”Uncle Noah,” brought his horses-and the Ark-to a sudden halt.
”What yer doin' to that gal, Sim Perkins?” the old man demanded.
”What's that to you, Dolliver?”
”You'll find out mighty quick. Git out o' here or you'll git into trouble. Did he hurt you, Miss Ruth?”
”No-o-not much,” stammered Ruth, who desired nothing so much as to get way from the awful Mr. Perkins. Poor Sadie Raby! No wonder she had been forced to run away from ”them Perkinses.”
”I'll see you jailed yet, Sim, for some of your meanness,” said the old stage driver. ”And you'll git there quick if you bother Mis'
Tellingham's gals--”
”I didn't know she was one 'o them tony school gals,” growled Perkins, getting aboard his wagon again.
”Well, she is-an' one 'o the best of the lot,” said Dolliver, and he smiled comfortably at Ruth.
”Huh! whad-she wanter be in comp'ny of that brat 'o mine, then?”
demanded Perkins, gathering up his reins.
”Oh! are you hunting that orphanage gal ye took to raise? I heard she couldn't stand you and Ma Perkins no longer,” Dolliver said, with sarcasm.
”Never you mind. I'll git her,” said Perkins, and whipped up his horses.
”Oh, dear, me!” cried Ruth, when he had gone. ”What a terrible man, Mr.
Dolliver.”
”Yah!” scoffed the old driver. ”Jest a bag of wind. Mean as can be, but a big coward. Meanes' folks around here, them Perkinses air.”
”But why were they allowed to have that poor girl, then?” demanded Ruth.
”They went a-fur off to git her. Clean to Harburg. n.o.body knowed 'em there, I s'pose. Why, Ma Perkins kin act like b.u.t.ter wouldn't melt in her mouth, if she wants to. But I sartainly am sorry for that poor little Sade Raby, as they call her.”
”Oh! I do pity her so,” said Ruth, sadly.
The old man's eyes twinkled. Old Dolliver was sly! ”Then ye _do_ know suthin' about Sade-jes' as Perkins said?”
”She was here just now. I gave her something to eat-and a little money.
You won't tell, Mr. Dolliver?”
”Huh! No. But dunno's ye'd oughter helped a runaway. That's agin' the law, ye see.”
”Would the law give that poor girl back to those ugly people?”
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