Part 35 (1/2)
”That my horse! Me git him back now!”
”Go a bit slow,” advised Mr. Brown. ”We want to see what else this Bixby is up to. How can you get to the house from here, Tom?”
”Right through the stable, by the hole I got out of. His back door is near the stable front door. Come on!”
On they went through the stable, Eagle Feather pausing long enough to pat his horse and make sure that it was his own animal and grunting ”Huh!” in pleasure.
”Softly now,” whispered Tom. ”We are coming to where we can look into one of the two rooms of Mr. Bixby's hut. It is there he sits at night and where he gave me the needles.”
In silence the party made its way to where all could look through the window. Bunny's father held him up and Mrs. Brown took Sue in her arms.
What they saw caused them all great surprise. For there, on a table in front of Bixby, the hermit, was Bunny's toy engine, and Sue's Teddy bear. But the bear was partly torn apart, and from it ran wires that joined with other wires from Bunny's electric locomotive and batteries.
At the other ends of the wires, were round, s.h.i.+ny b.a.l.l.s, like those on the ends of curtain rods.
On the other side of the table sat an Indian, and at the sight of him Eagle Feather whispered:
”Him name Muskrat. Much good in canoe and water.”
They saw the hermit put the two s.h.i.+ny k.n.o.bs on the Indian's hands. Then Mr. Bixby turned a switch and the Indian let out a wild yell and sprang through the open door, crying:
”Thorns and thistles! He has stung me with bad medicine! Wow!”
”I think I begin to see the trick,” said Mr. Brown.
”That's what he did to me,” explained Tom, ”but I didn't see a Teddy bear or a toy locomotive.”
This time the hermit, disturbed by the sudden running away of the Indian, and by the voices outside his window, started toward the latter.
”Quick! Some of you get to the door so he can't get away,” called Mr.
Brown, but Bixby did not seem to want to run away. He stood in the middle of the room until Mr. Brown, Bunny, Sue and the others had entered.
”Oh, there's my toy engine!” cried Bunny making a grab for it.
”And my Teddy bear!” added Sue.
”Look out, don't touch them!” called Mr. Brown. ”He has fixed the dry batteries in the toys to a spark coil, which makes the current stronger, and he's giving shocks that way. Aren't you?” he asked, turning to the hermit.
”Since you have found me out, I have,” was the answer. ”I admit I have been bad, but I am sorry. I will tell you everything. I used to be a man who went about the country with an electric machine, giving people electrical treatments for rheumatism and other pains. I made some money, but my wife died and her sickness and burial took all I had. Then my electrical machine broke and I could not buy another.
”However, I did manage to get a little one, run with dry batteries, and I began going about the country making cures.
”Then this place was left me by a relative. I thought I could make a living off it with the help of a hired boy, so I got Tom.
”I found some Indians lived here, and, learning how simple they were and that they thought everything strange was 'heap big medicine,' as they called it, I thought of trying my battery on them. First I tried it on Tom, and he yelled that I was sticking needles into him. He did not understand about the electricity, and I did not try to explain.
”I remembered what your children had told me about having a toy train of cars that ran by electricity, and a Teddy bear with two lamps for eyes.
I knew these batteries, though small, would be strong, and just what I needed with what electrical things I had. So I stole the toy train of cars and the Teddy bear.
”I was sorry to do it, but I thought if I could make enough money from the Indians I could buy new batteries for myself and give the children back their toys.