Auto Boys' Mystery Read online

  CHAPTER II

  A QUIET, TRANQUIL SUNDAY

  A great bull-frog whose hoarse croaking could always be heard aboveother sounds about the lake, "beginning at exactly eleven o'clockeach night"--at least so Paul Jones positively stated--had started hisunmelodious serenade a long time before the Auto Boys and their visitorprepared for bed. Paul's adventure, Chip Slider's whole story and thecombined information thus afforded had proved a most fruitful field forspeculation and conversation.

  A bed for Slider was contrived by spreading over some hemlock boughs atarpaulin used on the car for covering baggage. A bucket-seat cushion fromthe car served quite nicely as a pillow. Indeed Chip had not for a longwhile had so comfortable a resting place, crude as it was.

  The plans for the night's sleeping arrangements were seized upon byPhil as an opportunity of finding out whether the strange boy had anyknowledge of the recent robbery of the camp. With this in view hisremarks about a scarcity of blankets and his inquiries as to where Chiphad been managing to find accommodations were adroitly framed. Quiteperfectly he succeeded in gaining the knowledge desired, nor did Sliderever suspect that the Auto Boys' suspicions might very easily have beendirected toward him.

  It was truly pitiable to hear Chip tell how in the night he had stood offa distance in the woods, taking note of the bright campfire of the fourfriends; how he had smelled their frying bacon when all he had to eat wasa little dry bread; how he had been tempted to apply at the camp for foodand shelter, but was afraid; how he had spent one whole evening withinsight of the cheerful light about the shack, because it was a kind ofcompany for him, and he slipped away and made his bed in the dead leavesbeside a log when at last the campfire had quite died down.

  Yet very interesting, too, was all that Chip told. One certain fact madeclear was that he had nothing to do with the theft of provisions and otheritems from the camp. When this was fairly plain Phil Way ventured theremark that Murky had possibly fared better in the woods than Slider haddone.

  "No denyin' it," Chip assented. "I found his hang-out only yesterday. Itwould put you in mind of a bear's den, most, to see it."

  "Tell all about it," urged Phil. "I'd like to smoke him out, like we woulda woodchuck," he added with bitter earnestness.

  "Nothin' much to it," answered Slider, but he went on promptly to reportwhat he had seen and the manner of his discovery. He had been in searchof berries, or whatever he could find for food, he said, for his slenderstore of provisions was nearly gone.

  As he approached a marshy place where he thought he might findhuckleberries, or blueberries, he discovered Murky there ahead of him. Hehad known the evil fellow was in the woods. He had watched himfrequently, believing he might learn something of the stolen payrollmoney or at least what was going on so secretly about the old clubhouse.

  Carefully keeping himself out of sight, Chip had followed when Murky leftthe marsh. The latter walked directly to a thicket on a knoll, went inamong the bushes and disappeared. Then for a long time Slider patientlywaited. He wondered if the treasure he was seeking might not be hiddenin the copse.

  Toward evening Murky left the thicket and slipped away in the direction ofthe point of land occupied by the clubhouse. Improving this opportunitySlider cautiously visited the brush-covered knoll. There he found thetramp's den--a nest of leaves and pine needles and branches betweentwo logs. Poles laid across the logs and covered over with branchesmade a roof for the den. Merely as a place to sleep the nest lookedsnug enough, Chip said.

  "Didn't see any blankets or dishes, did you?" Dave asked.

  Indeed he had seen these very things, Slider answered, and had wonderedhow Murky came by them. He thought they probably had been taken from theclubhouse.

  A complete quartette of voices answered this remark, setting Chip rightas to the real ownership of the items mentioned. For not one of the fourfriends doubted now that it was Murky and no one else who had stolentheir equipment and provisions. Considering the unscrupulous characterof the fellow, they only wondered that he had not plundered the campcompletely, leaving them nothing of value. It did not occur to them thatprobably the thief really wished to take more than he did, but could notconveniently carry a greater load.

  It was a matter of congratulation among the boys that they had not, byleaving the camp again unguarded, given Murky a chance to return. Theywere more certain than ever now that some one of them must be alwaysin attendance about the shack, and it would have needed very little topersuade them, also, that despite Opal Lake's many attractive featurestheir best course would be to pull up stakes and bid its shores good-bye.

  Even after all were in bed this feature of their situation was discussedto some extent. Two main reasons for wishing to occupy the present camp,for yet a few days, were suggested. One was that in another week theymust head the Thirty homeward and it was therefore hardly worth while tosearch out a more secure and less frequented locality for a camp site.

  For reason number two there was the lively interest in the outcome ofthe search for the Grandall payroll money, and an earnest wish to helpChip Slider find the treasure, if possible, and return it to the rightfulowners,--the members of the club which had been practically broken up byits twenty thousand dollar loss, as many a larger organization might be.

  Quite as usual Paul's voice was the last one heard when the discussionclosed and the quiet of midnight settled over the forest. All had beensilent for some time. Slider had expressed in his grateful, howeverawkward, way his appreciation of the offer his new friends made tohelp him. And Phil Way, answering for all the boys, said there was noobligation at all and no thanks necessary,--that nothing had been done,as yet, at least.

  "Anyhow, it seems to me," said Paul, after a long silence, "It seems tome as if we were all going to have our hands full. There will be Murky andGrandall and Nels Anderson digging into this mystery just as hard as wecan, and maybe harder. And they are all bad ones, all of 'em, unless maybeAnderson might not be so really bad excepting for being hooked up with abad outfit, and all that."

  No comment being made by the others with regard to these remarks, Joneswent on to say that if there was any advantage to be had by having rightand justice on their side, fortune ought to favor Slider and his friendsin the search to be carried forward. He reasoned it all out, too, to hisown satisfaction, that in the end justice must prevail in all things orthe whole world would ultimately go to smash. "And that's a fact, now,ain't it?" he asked.

  There came no answer.

  "Well, is it, or don't it, wasn't it!" inquired Paul, rather facetiously.

  Still no answer. Jones raised himself up on his elbow. He listened. Itwas perfectly evident from the heavy breathing all about him that everyone of the other lads was sound asleep and had been for some time.

  "Why! The bing-dinged mummies!" he exclaimed, "and me talking till I'mall but tongue-tied--and to no one!" he added indignantly.

  Having heard how Slider slept in the open woods with not even a coverover him more than leaves, the Auto Boys would have been ashamed now tofeel afraid in their snug shack, no matter what strange noises might comefrom the lake's dark shore lines. And though the sounds of various wildcreatures coming to bathe or drink did reach the lads, as occasionallyone or more of them awakened during the night, no heed was given thedisturbers. It was enough to know that the exceeding drouth broughtanimals from long distances to the water's edge and that they were muchmore intent on drinking than having trouble with anyone or even amongthemselves.

  Not because it was Sunday morning but due quite entirely to their havingretired so late, the Auto Boys slept longer than was their custom. PoorChip Slider awakened with the first peep of daylight, really tremendouslysurprised to find himself in such comfortable quarters. With a sigh ofexquisite content and satisfaction he at once dropped off to sleep again.With the exception of the night at the bachelor's shanty he had notknown such sweet and unbroken rest for--it seemed to him almost hiswhole lifetime.

  And then again, if Chip had wond
ered whether there might be kindness,cheerfulness and plenty to eat somewhere in the world, as he mostcertainly often had done, he must surely have found the answer now. Forwhen he awoke again the rich aroma of boiling coffee and cheeringscent of frying bacon greeted him. From the beach down by the lake,too, there came lively laughter and a great splashing of water.

  "Skip down and dive in! Paddle around some, then rub down lively!" urgedBilly Worth, who, having had his plunge, was now nimbly getting breakfast."Makes a man feel dandy!" he urged, really thinking that a bath would doChip good, anyway. "And hold on!" he added. "Here's soap and a towel ifyou care for 'em."

  Slider was by no means afraid of the water. He was glad of the chanceto take a swim and had the sound sense to realize, as well, that hestood much in need of a vigorous scrubbing. He hurried down to the waterzestfully, albeit rather lamely for his body was stiff and sore. Paulmade him feel at home at once by turning a back flip-flop off the nowcompleted raft for his especial benefit. He asked Chip to follow suit,but the latter only smiled and dove off forward, instead.

  "Being around the woods as much as you have been, you'll hardly have achange of clothes with you, but here's a shirt I'll never need, and youcan keep it if you'll accept it from me," said Phil Way in a pleasant,off-hand manner, when he and Chip were dressing. It was a friendly yetdelicate way of getting the young stranger into one garment, at least,that was clean and whole.

  The boy could not refuse nor did he wish to do so. Though he wassensitive, his feelings were not injured. Nor were his pride andmanliness hurt at all. It was just because he was not permitted to feelthat he was in any degree an object of charity.

  True, Chip had begged for food along the road. One would think that didnot indicate much pride on his part; but it should be remembered thatasking for aid among strangers is very different from receiving anythingas charity from those one considers his friends.

  With such a beginning the Auto Boys and their new acquaintance foundSunday passing very pleasantly. They wrote letters, took long walks aboutthe lake and Phil and Paul took Chip for a ride in the car, going almostto Anderson's cabin before turning back.

  This put the boys in mind of the tree that had been shivered by the mightyblow of the great Swede. After dinner all but Dave walked out to the endof the gravel road improvement to inspect the spot again and particularlyto see the slivered stump on which Anderson's sledge had fallen with suchmighty force.

  Here, it developed, Slider had made his headquarters, so far as he may besaid to have had anything of the kind in the woods. He had kept his stockof food here, hidden in a weather-beaten cracker box, that some teamsterhad used in feeding his horses. But there was no food left now, Chipexplained. Then he added that but for falling in with his new friendshe would have been obliged to abandon, for the time, at least, his searchfor the stolen fortune. The few berries he could find would not have beenenough to sustain him. He had eaten even the stray stalks of stuntedcorn that grew up where horses, used in the road building, had been fed.

  MacLester had remained on guard in camp while the others were out upon theold roadway. The latter returned to find him perched on the log projectingover the water, scrutinizing the Point and the old house there closely.

  "Hang it!" declared David forcefully, "I wish we hadn't agreed that wewouldn't go near the clubhouse today. I've seen a man moving about overthere. He came out on the porch toward the lake, once, and after lookingall around he stepped down to that rotten old wharf and threw somethinginto the water."

  "Gee whiz!" Paul Jones burst forth, "was it the same man we saw before?"

  "Yes, the one with the golf cap," MacLester said. "When he went insidehe went upstairs and closed that window that has been open. He acted as ifhe was getting ready to go away."