第107章 I MEET AN OLD BEDFELLOW(4)

``Do you mean to say Mr.Temple has been here--Nicholas Temple?'' I said.

The bewildered landlord turned towards me helplessly.

``Who the devil are you, sir?'' cried Mr.Jackson.

``Tell me what this Mr.Temple was like,'' said I.

The landlord's face lighted up.

``Faith, a thoroughbred hoss,'' says he; ``sech nostrils, and sech a gray eye with the devil in it fer go--yellow ha'r, and ez tall ez Mr.Jackson heah.''

``And you say he's gone off again with Sevier?''

``They rud into town'' (he lowered his voice, for the room was filling), ``snapped their fingers at Tipton and his warrant, and rud out ag'in.My God, but that was like Nollichucky Jack.Say, stranger, when your Mr.

Temple smiled--''

``He is the man!'' I cried; ``tell me where to find him.''

Mr.Jackson, who had been divided between astonishment and impatience and anger, burst out again.

``What the devil do you mean by interfering with my business, sir?

``Because it is my business too,'' I answered, quite as testily; ``my claim on Mr.Temple is greater than yours.''

``By Jehovah!'' cried Jackson, ``come outside, sir, come outside!''

The landlord backed away, and the men in the tavern began to press around us expectantly.

``Gallop into him, Andy!'' cried one.

``Don't let him git near no fences, stranger,'' said another.

Mr.Jackson turned on this man with such truculence that he edged away to the rear of the room.

``Step out, sir,'' said Mr.Jackson, starting for the door before I could reply.I followed perforce, not without misgivings, the crowd pushing eagerly after.Before we reached the dusty street Jackson began pulling off his coat.In a trice the shouting onlookers had made a ring, and we stood facing each other, he in his shirt-sleeves.

``We'll fight fair,'' said he, his lips wetting.

``Very good,'' said I, ``if you are still accustomed to this hasty manner.You have not asked my name, my standing, nor my reasons for wanting Mr.Temple.''

I know not whether it was what I said that made him stare, or how I said it.

``Pistols, if you like,'' said he.

``No,'' said I; ``I am in a hurry to find Mr.Temple.Ifought you this way once, and it's quicker.''

``You fought me this way once?'' he repeated.The noise of the crowd was hushed, and they drew nearer to hear.

``Come, Mr.Jackson,'' said I, ``you are a lawyer and a gentleman, and so am I.I do not care to be beaten to a pulp, but I am not afraid of you.And I am in a hurry.

If you will step back into the tavern, I will explain to you my reasons for wishing to get to Mr.Temple.''

Mr.Jackson stared at me the more.

``By the eternal,'' said he, ``you are a cool man.Give me my coat,'' he shouted to the bystanders, and they helped him on with it.``Now,'' said he, as they made to follow him, ``keep back.I would talk to this gentleman.

By the heavens,'' he cried, when he had gained the room, ``I believe you are not afraid of me.I saw it in your eyes.''

Then I laughed.

``Mr.Jackson,'' said I, ``doubtless you do not remember a homeless boy named David whom you took to your uncle's house in the Waxhaws--''

``I do,'' he exclaimed, ``as I live I do.Why, we slept together.''

``And you stumped your toe getting into bed and swore,'' said I.

At that he laughed so heartily that the landlord came running across the room.

``And we fought together at the Old Fields School.

Are you that boy?'' and he scanned me again.``By God, I believe you are.'' Suddenly his face clouded once more.

``But what about Temple?'' said he.

``Ah,'' I answered, ``I come to that quickly.Mr.

Temple is my cousin.After I left your uncle's house my father took me to Charlestown.''

``Is he a Charlestown Temple?'' demanded Mr.

Jackson.``For I spent some time gambling and horse-racing with the gentry there, and I know many of them.

I was a wild lad'' (I repeat his exact words), ``and I ran up a bill in Charlestown that would have filled a folio volume.

Faith, all I had left me was the clothes on my back and a good horse.I made up my mind one night that if Icould pay my debts and get out of Charlestown I would go into the back country and study law and sober down.

There was a Mr.Braiden in the ordinary who staked me two hundred dollars at rattle-and-snap against my horse.

Gad, sir, that was providence.I won.I left Charlestown with honor, I studied law at Salisbury in North Carolina, and I have come here to practise it.''

``You seem to have the talent,'' said I, smiling at the remembrance of the Hump Gibson incident.

``That is my history in a nutshell,'' said Mr.Jackson.

``And now,'' he added, ``since you are Mr.Temple's cousin and friend and an old acquaintance of mine to boot, I will tell you where I think he is.''

``Where is that?'' I asked eagerly.

``I'll stake a cowbell that Sevier will stop at the Widow Brown's,'' he replied.``I'll put you on the road.But mind you, you are to tell Mr.Temple that he is to come back here and race me at Greasy Cove.''

``I'll warrant him to come,'' said I.

Whereupon we left the inn together, more amicably than before.Mr.Jackson had a thoroughbred horse near by that was a pleasure to see, and my admiration of his mount seemed to set me as firmly in Mr.Jackson's esteem again as that gentleman himself sat in the saddle.

He was as good as his word, rode out with me some distance on the road, and reminded me at the last that Nick was to race him.