On the morning after the events related in the preceding chapter, the ladies at the hotel could talk of nothing but Love. Love seemed to occupy all their thoughts, and at breakfast many a pair of beautiful eyes were directed towards the door of the saloon each time it opened, in eager expectation of his appearance. But he did not appear, and many young damsels retired from the table sadly disappointed by his invisibility. At about ten o'clock in the morning a rumor became prevalent that Love was about to appear, and many a pretty face might be seen peeping from a half-opened door, evidently for the purpose of getting a glimpse of the Dainty Adorer when he came forth. Soon the heavy tramp of feet was heard in the corridor, as Scipio, CÆsar, and Hannibal marched along carrying trunks with the names of Love, Dove, and Bliss in large letters on their lids. The Dainty Adorer now came form with the Noble Nonentity on his right and the Winsome Wooer on his left. The three little men had their arms locked, and were followed by Wiggins and M. T. Pate, who seemed to be exceedingly sad. As the melancholy procession descended the stairway, from numerous doors opening into the corridor issued lovely young ladies, who hurried to the upper landing, where was soon assembled a galaxy of beauty gazing after Love, Dove, and Bliss, who were taking their departure. As the daintily-dressed little beaus went forth into the street, the bevy of beauties descended the stairway and assembled on the veranda, where they continued to gaze down the avenue until Hannibal, who led the advance, turned a corner, and then, in a moment, Love, Dove, and Bliss were hidden from their view. One might have imagined that the departure of Bliss would have produced a feeling of melancholy among the beauties who had been deserted; but such was not the case. Peals of laughter were heard, and, regardless of the flight of Dove and the departure of Bliss, the young ladies talked merrily of Love during the entire day.

Toney, Tom, and the Professor were at the railway and witnessed the departure of Love, Dove, and Bliss with manifest regret. They turned away and walked for some moments in profound silence, when Seddon exclaimed,—

"Yonder comes Captain Bragg!"

The cosmopolite approached them at a hurried pace, and apparently in much excitement. He was introduced to the Professor, and then Toney inquired about the condition of his health.

"I am physically well, Mr. Belton," said Bragg, "but am mentally afflicted."

"Indeed!" said Toney. "I trust that there has been no serious cause for this disturbance of your usual equanimity."

"I have met with a great, I fear an irreparable, loss," said Bragg.

"A ship foundered at sea without any insurance on her?" inquired the Professor.

"My monkey," said Bragg.

"Alas!" exclaimed Tom Seddon in pathetic tones, "is the monkey no more?"

"Is he dead?" said Toney, apparently in great anxiety to learn its fate.

"I know not," said Bragg. "He is missing. I have searched for him in vain."

"He may have run away and escaped over Mason and Dixon's line," said the Professor. "Could you not reclaim him under the fugitive slave law?"

"That monkey would never have run away, Mr. Tickle. I have fed him and protected him, and he could never have been guilty of such gross folly and base ingratitude."

"A negro, who is clothed and fed and protected, will occasionally run off from a comfortable home, and why not a monkey?" said Seddon.

"A negro may run away from the mush-pot of his master because he is a slave, and is impelled by a natural and laudable desire for liberty. But my monkey was not a slave, Mr. Seddon. He was a friend and a companion. Monkeys and apes, Mr. Tickle, have emotions and sentiments. All they lack is the power of speech to give expression to their thoughts and feelings."

"They sometimes, though rarely, have that faculty," said the Professor. "On one occasion I heard a venerable baboon express himself in emphatic and excellent English."

"Indeed!" said Bragg.

"It was in Kentucky," said the Professor, "There was a traveling menagerie exhibiting in a small village. A number of negroes were examining the baboon with much curiosity, and one of them insisted that he could talk but would not, because if he did the white people would put him to work, and he was too lazy to work. I was present and heard the baboon indignantly exclaim, 'You lie, you ugly, nasty nigger! I am not as lazy as you are! Begone! or I'll bite your nose off!' The Africans tore a hole in the tent in their efforts to get out."

Here there was heard an uproar in the street and a crowd of boys was seen approaching. One of them was carrying an animal, which he grasped by the tail and held with its head hanging down.

"What is that?" asked Seddon.

"A dead monkey," said the boy. "We found him in the grove by the fountain lying on his back in the bushes."

Bragg rushed forward and the boy dropped the monkey, which lay on the ground with its hideous face turned upward.

"My monkey! my monkey!" exclaimed Bragg. He stooped down and examined the dead body. Its skull had been cracked by a terrible blow which must have produced instant death. "This monkey has been foully murdered! Oh, that I knew the villain who perpetrated the bloody deed! Who killed my monkey? I say who killed my monkey?" said Bragg.

"Botts!" said a voice apparently issuing from the mouth of the monkey. Bragg started back with a look of amazement. The crowd of boys opened and they fell back in awe and terror.

"Bill," said a boy to his companion, "that monkey spoke."

"True as preaching!" said Bill. "I heard it."

Bragg stood speechless for some minutes. Then, in solemn tones, he exclaimed,—

"Gentlemen, did you not hear that?"

"What?" said Toney, who with Tom stood at a distance of some paces. "I heard nothing."

"Did you not hear a voice issuing from the mouth of the corpse and proclaiming the name of the murderer?" exclaimed Bragg.

"Impossible!" said Seddon.

"By no means impossible," said the Professor. "Shakspeare, who is good authority on all such subjects, tells us that

"True, Mr. Tickle," said Bragg. "And as sure as yonder sun is shining in the heavens I heard a voice issuing from that monkey's mouth and proclaiming Botts to be the murderer!"

"Botts could prove an alibi," said Toney. "He has gone back to Mapleton."

"The conscience-stricken villain!" exclaimed Bragg. "He has imbrued his hands in innocent blood and then fled. I will follow him to the ends of the earth!" And Bragg started off as if in pursuit of the murderer.

"Captain!" shouted Seddon, "What will you do with the corpse?"

"Bury it," said Bragg, coming back,—"and then I will seek out that villain Botts."

Accompanied by the boys, Bragg proceeded to bury his monkey.

"That man is insane," said the Professor.

"All excitable people are insane at times," said Toney.

"Bragg has monkey-mania," said Tom.

"And pseudomania," said Toney.

"His lies are harmless," said Seddon.

"And amusing," said Toney. "Bragg can beat Baron Munchausen."

"That was an amusing story he told about his residence in Africa among those long-tailed gentlemen," said Seddon.

"What was that?" asked the Professor.

Here Tom gave an account of Bragg's residence in Africa as related by himself.

"The man is demented," said the Professor. "But do you think he will go after Botts?"

"As sure as his name is Bragg," said Toney. "Yonder he comes now."

Bragg was seen walking towards them rapidly, carrying a carpet-bag.

"Good-by, gentlemen!" said he, hurrying along.

"Are you going, captain?" said Toney. "When will you return?"

"As soon as I have settled with that villain Botts. Good-by!"

Bragg hurried to the railway. A train of cars was just ready to start. "All aboard!" shouted the conductor, and the train moved off. Bragg seated himself with an ominous frown on his brow, for he was thinking of Botts. Immediately in front of him sat a man who had a large bundle by his side. The cars soon stopped at another station. The man got up and went out, leaving his bundle behind.

"Here, my man, you have left your bundle!" exclaimed Bragg.

The man made no answer, but had disappeared. The whistle sounded and the train was moving off, Bragg jumped up and threw the bundle out the window. It was picked up by a ragged loafer, who ran off with it. Just then the man re-entered the car.

"Where is my bundle?" exclaimed he.

"That man threw it out the window," said a passenger, pointing to Bragg.

"What!" exclaimed the man, and he looked out the window and saw the loafer running of with his bundle. "You infernal thief!—threw my bundle out the window for one of your gang to carry off!"

Bragg protested his innocence and endeavored to explain.

"Oh, that's a pretty story!" said the man. "You are a sharp rogue! If you don't pay me for my bundle I will have you arrested at the next station and carried back to jail."

"How much was your bundle worth?" asked Bragg.

"Twenty dollars," said the man.

"Here's the money," said Bragg.

The man took the twenty dollars and resumed his seat. The train now stopped at another station and two constables rushed on board. They looked around with keen and searching glances.

"Jim," said one of them to the other, "that's the man. Arrest him!"

"I arrest you in the name of the law," said Jim, laying his hand on Bragg's shoulder.

"Arrest me!" exclaimed the astonished captain. "For what?"

"Burglary!" said the constable.

"By the powers of mud, stand back!" shouted the indignant Bragg.

"Come along, my lad!" said the constable. And Bragg, struggling with the officers and uttering volleys of oaths, was dragged from the car and had handcuffs put on his wrists.

"I knew that fellow was a thief," said the man who had lost his bundle.

A daring burglary had been committed in the neighborhood of Bella Vista. At about twelve o'clock on the preceding night the store-room which adjoined the dwelling-house of a country merchant had been broken open. The merchant was aroused and entered the store-room, but was knocked down and gagged by the burglars, and his goods carried off before his eyes. He had described the leader of the gang as a tall, raw-boned man, with a Roman nose. The appearance of Captain Bragg corresponded to the description, and hence he was arrested by the vigilant constables.

Great was the astonishment of Toney and his two friends when the train stopped, and they beheld Bragg led from the cars by the officers, with handcuffs on his wrists.

"Good heavens!" said Toney, "Bragg has encountered Botts and murdered him, and has been arrested for the crime."

"That is just what has happened!" exclaimed Seddon, with a look of horror.

"It is shocking to think of!" said Toney.

"Murder a man on account of a monkey!" said Seddon.

The constables kept off the crowd, and would allow no one to speak to the prisoner.

"Mr. Belton!" exclaimed Bragg, "I want you to be my attorney."

"Very good," said Jim, "you can talk to your lawyer."

Toney was permitted to converse with Bragg, who explained to him the nature of the charge which had caused his arrest.

"Thank Heaven!" exclaimed Toney.

"Thank Heaven for what?" asked Bragg, in astonishment.

"That it is no worse," said Toney.

"What could be worse? Arrested as a burglar!" said Bragg.

"Where were you at twelve o'clock last night?" inquired Toney.

"At my boarding-house," said Bragg.

"Can you prove that?" said Toney.

"Yes," said Bragg.

"By whom?" inquired Toney.

"By my landlady and a dozen of her boarders. I was playing cards, and won a hundred dollars," said Bragg.

"Tom Seddon," shouted Toney, "run to Captain Bragg's boarding-house, and tell the landlady and her boarders to come immediately to the magistrate's office."

Captain Bragg was brought into the office.

"Take off the handcuffs," said the justice. "A party accused should be unmanacled when he has a hearing."

Jim took off the handcuffs, and then stationed himself at the door with his hand on his revolver, ready to shoot down the desperate burglar if he should attempt to escape.

"Now, Mr. Belton," said the justice, "we will proceed with the examination."

The landlady swore that Captain Bragg was in her house at twelve o'clock on the preceding night. Her testimony was fully corroborated by that of a dozen of her boarders. An alibi had already been clearly established by the evidence, when the merchant who had been robbed walked into the room. He approached Bragg and scrutinized his countenance.

"This is not the man," said he. "The robber was a much handsomer man than the ugly old fellow you have got here."

In consequence of this testimony Captain Bragg was discharged from custody; but he was so mortified and humiliated at having been handcuffed and charged with burglary that he immediately took his departure from Bella Vista; telling Toney that he intended to leave the United States, and seek an asylum among the islands of the Pacific Ocean.