Even his employees had a secret contempt for his mean ways, it seemed.
"He expects to be home to supper, and if your business is pressing you might call at his house, which is just out of the village on the road to Harden," the young clerk said in concluding.
"Thank you, I believe I shall call, as I wish to see him very much," replied Darry, and left the place.
He made his way along the rather lonely road that led to the humble home of the Peakes, bowing his head to the storm, and yet with a song of thanksgiving swelling in his heart, for he knew he was carrying with him the means of lifting the load that had for some time oppressed his kind benefactors.
Suddenly something struck him a stunning blow and looking up as he staggered he heard a chorus of shrill laughs, and realized that a rope had been thrown around him in such a way that his arms were pinioned down at his sides.
At the same moment several impish figures sprang out of the dense brush and fell upon him with vicious blows, as though bent upon knocking him down.
Though they had their faces concealed after a ridiculous fashion he recognized the malicious laugh of one as belonging to Jim Dilks.
Of course Darry knew what this attack meant.
His enemy had been brooding over matters for a long time, and despairing of accomplishing his end while Darry was armed with a gun, during his daily visits to the big marsh, he had finally decided to lie in wait and have it out on the road from the village.
Jim wisely backed himself up with a couple of allies in thus undertaking to give his enemy that long-delayed whipping.
He had tried it once by himself and apparently had no relish to repeat the experiment.
Perhaps it would have been the part of wisdom on the part of the young life saver to have taken to his heels and beat a masterly retreat.
Great generals have done this same thing and considered it no dishonor to save their army for another day.
To a high-spirited lad, however, it is the last thought, and many a fellow will stand the chances of a beating rather than to turn his back on the foe.
Of course there was no time to consider the matter.
The three disguised boys attacked him on all sides, and almost before Darry knew what he was doing blows were being exchanged with a vim.