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-*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30094 ***

-

-FRED FENTON MARATHON RUNNER

-

-The Great Race at Riverport School

-

-

-By Allen Chapman

-

-

-File uses:

-   _italic_ notation

-

-

-

-CONTENTS

-

-CHAPTERS

-    I. In the Snow

-   II. The Battle Between Old Rivals

-  III. Up the Mohunk on an Ice-boat

-   IV. The Rescue, and a Mystery

-    V. Looking Over the Course

-   VI. The Wild Dog Pack

-  VII. The Short-Cut Way

- VIII. The Tell-Tale Pin

-   IX. At the Toll-Gate

-    X. Bristles' Surprise Party

-   XI. On the Green Campus

-  XII. Laying Plans

- XIII. The Muffled Voice

-  XIV. A Plot That Failed

-   XV. Clinching Evidence

-  XVI. Telling Bristles

- XVII. Lining Up for the Trial Spin

-XVIII. Caught by the Storm

-  XIX. The Boy in the Haymow

-   XX. When the Circus Came to Riverport

-  XXI. The Greatest of Days

- XXII. "They're Off!"

-XXIII. The Marathon Runners

- XXIV. When Duty Called

-  XXV. The Victory---Conclusion

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER I

-

-IN THE SNOW

-

-

-"Now then, let's see who can put a shot through that round hole in the

-tree-trunk up there.  Take a try, Sid."

-

-"Must be twenty yards away from here, if a foot, eh, Bristles?"

-

-"More like twenty-five to me, Colon; and looks farther than from first

-base to third, on the diamond."

-

-"Line up, everybody, and we'll soon find out who takes the cake at making

-a center shot.  But hadn't we better bar out Fred Fenton?"

-

-"What for, Bristles?"

-

-"Why, because he's the regular pitcher on the Riverside High School nine:

-he's used to putting 'em over the plate for a steady diet."

-

-"That's a fact, and Fred, you'll have to consider yourself handicapped in

-this little contest of skill."

-

-"Anyhow, wait till we've had our fling, Fred; and then if nobody seems to

-get a bull's-eye, you might show us how to do the job."

-

-"All right, boys, that suits me.  And while you bombard that poor old

-tree, I'll be amusing myself making one good firm snowball, against the

-time my turn comes."

-

-"Go at it, fellows!  There, did you see me smack one just a foot below

-the hole?  Gee! that was a sure-enough dandy hit of yours, Bristles;

-closer by six inches than mine.  Everybody put your best licks in!"

-

-The hard balls flew thick and furiously, for it happened that the rather

-heavy fall of snow was just moist enough to be easily pressed into the

-finest of missiles for boyish use.

-

-Many of these swiftly thrown balls missed the tree-trunk entirely.

-Others splattered here and there against the bark, leaving a tell-tale

-white mark.  A few came dangerously near the yawning opening; but not a

-single one thus far had managed to disappear within the gap.

-

-The boy who had been called Fred Fenton, having manipulated a single

-snowball in his hands, stood there watching the onslaught, and

-occasionally speaking words of encouragement to those who were taking

-part in the spirited contest.

-

-"That was a corker, Sid Wells, and it would have done the business if

-you'd only put an ounce more of speed in your throw, so as to have raised

-it three inches.  Good boy, Brad, you left a mark just alongside the

-hole, so some of it must have spattered in the hollow!  Not quite so

-fierce, Bristles; that one would have landed, if you'd been a little less

-powerful in your throw!"

-

-Presently some of the boys began to grow weary of the sport.

-

-"What's the use of our trying to hit that mark so far away?" grumbled

-Bristles; which expression of defeat was something strange to hear from

-his lips, because the owner of the shock of heavy hair that stood

-upright, and had gained him such a peculiar nick-name, was as a rule very

-stubborn, and ready to stick to the very end.

-

-"Let Fred show us how!" suggested Sid Wells, who was known as the

-particular chum of the pitcher, he being the son of a retired professor,

-now engaged in wonderful experiments which might some day astonish the

-world.

-

-The rest of the boys seemed ready to join in the chorus, and make way for

-the ball flinger.  They had watched this same Fred send his dazzling

-shots over the plate with such wonderful speed and accuracy that he held

-the strike-out record for the high school league.

-

-"Remember I'm hardly in practice just now," Fred told them, laughingly;

-"though Sid and myself have been putting over a few, just to warm up

-these days when it feels as if Spring might be flirting with Winter.  On

-that account I hope you won't expect too much from me; and give me three

-chances to make a bull's-eye."

-

-"Sure we will, Fred!" exclaimed Bristles.

-

-"Take six if you want to," added the generous Colon, who was a very

-long-legged fellow, a magnificent sprinter, with a peculiar habit of

-leaping as he ran, that often reminded people of the ungainly jumps of a

-kangaroo.  But he nearly always  "got there with the goods."

-

-"No, three ought to be plenty!" declared Fred, as he prepared to send his

-first one in.

-

-It struck just below the edge of the opening, being really a better shot

-than any of the scores that had marked the tree-trunk up to that time.

-The rest of the half dozen boys gave a shout.

-

-"Clipped the edge of the plate that time, Fred!" cried Bristles, whose

-real name was Andy Carpenter.

-

-"Two inches higher, and it would have gone straight in.  Now you've found

-the rubber, strike him out, Fred.  You can do it!  I ought to know,

-because haven't I been your backstop many a time, and watched them spin

-straight across?" and Sid Wells handed his chum a ball he had squeezed

-into a shape that was as nearly round as anything could be, and also as

-hard as ice.

-

-Bristles, too, presented his contribution, so that the candidate for

-honors stood there with a missile in each hand.  He looked carefully at

-the trees as though measuring the distance and height with that practiced

-eye of his.  Then they saw him draw back his arm after the same manner in

-which he delivered the ball during an exciting part of a hotly contested

-game of ball.

-

-The shot went true to the mark, and as they saw it vanish in the cavity,

-a shout arose from the five boys.  This burst out in redoubled violence

-when, as quick as a flash, Fred sent the second snowball exactly after

-the first, so that it too went straight into the dark hole.

-

-While they continue to express their delight, by shouts, and slapping

-Fred on the back, perhaps it might be well to say a few words concerning

-Fred Fenton and his friends.

-

-They were all Riverport boys, and attended the high school there.  Fred

-and two of the others were taking a post graduate course, meaning to

-enter college during the following season.

-

-In the pages of the first volume of this series, entitled "_Fred Fenton,

-the Pitcher_," we had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of most of

-the boys who were to play prominent parts in the events taking place

-along the banks of the Mohunk River, where two other towns,

-Mechanicsburg, three miles up, and Paulding, seven miles down the river,

-were rivals of Riverport.

-

-Turning from baseball, as the Summer waned, the boys of Riverport

-naturally took to the gridiron, and their struggles for supremacy with

-rival teams are to be found in the second story, called: "_Fred Fenton in

-the Line_."

-

-When Summer came again, other sports took the energetic lads of the river

-town by storm.  With such splendid opportunities for boating, as were

-presented by the Mohunk River, of course they availed themselves of the

-chance to again enter into competition with those whose one ambition

-seemed to be to defeat Riverport.   These lively encounters are set forth

-in the pages of the third volume, entitled "_Fred Fenton on the Crew_."

-

-The next Winter the three towns became so filled with enthusiasm over the

-great advantages of athletic training, that fine gymnasiums were

-organized through public subscription.  In time a meet had been

-organized, and there were some fierce struggles for supremacy between the

-rival towns.  Just how the boys of Riverport carried themselves in these

-exciting happenings, and what measure of success perched on their banner,

-you will find narrated in the pages of the fourth volume, just preceding

-this book, under the title of "_Fred Fenton on the Track_."

-

-The Winter had now almost reached its conclusion, though some of the boys

-who claimed to be weather-wise declared that they would very likely have

-just one more cold snap before the final break-up.

-

-They hoped it might be severe enough to give them a last chance to skate

-upon the Mohunk, and use their ice-boat again.  The ice had become pretty

-"punky," as Bristles called it, with numerous airholes that threatened

-disaster in case one went too close, so that for several days Fred and

-his chums had avoided the river.

-

-This trip up into the woods on Saturday afternoon had been taken just to

-enjoy the first real tramp of the season, and to get together to talk of

-plans for the coming Spring athletics.  As boys can never resist the

-temptation to throw snowballs when the moist white covering seems just

-suited to such conditions, every little while one of them discovered some

-sort of target at which they could exercise their skill.

-

-Once it had been a venturesome bluejay that had wintered near the Mohunk;

-but the wary bird was awing before the first snowball struck near its

-perch.  Then a crow dared them, and fled amidst a shower of missiles and

-uproarious shouts, each fellow claiming that it must have been his shot

-that had struck the limb just where the cawing bird had been sitting.

-

-They were possibly two miles from town, and in the midst of the Budge

-woods, a section that always had a certain charm for the boys of both

-Riverport and Mechanicsburg, as it lay half-way between the two towns,

-and not far from the river.

-

-Which brief but necessary digression again brings us to the occasion when

-Fred's chums were applauding his double hit, after he had sent two

-successive snowballs so cleverly into the hole Bristles had selected as a

-mark.

-

-"Same old accuracy," chanted Colon.

-

-"I'm sorry for poor Paulding, and the other town above us, when Fred

-steps into the box again this year.  He's got 'em as straight as a rifle

-ball.  No trouble for him to put three over when he's in a hole."

-

-Sid Wells had hardly said this when something came to pass that was

-entirely unexpected by the six Riverport boys.  Through the air a cloud

-of solid icy balls came hurtling with what seemed like an angry hiss.

-Some struck around them, spattering against the tree-trunks with loud

-thuds; but several, being better aimed, came in contact with the persons

-of the astonished boys, producing more or less of a stinging sensation,

-as icy balls are apt to do.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER II

-

-THE BATTLE BETWEEN OLD RIVALS

-

-

-"Hey!  What's all this mean?" shouted Bristles, as he dodged another

-shower of smartly-thrown missiles that came from a point close at hand.

-

-There was hardly any use asking, because all of the lads had by then

-discovered the flitting forms of half a dozen boys about their own age,

-who must have piled up plenty of ammunition, to judge from the reckless

-way in which they were hurling snowballs in the direction of Fred and his

-chums.

-

-"The Mechanicsburg crowd, that's who it is!" snapped Colon, who, being so

-much taller than the others, had a better chance to see over the tops of

-the bushes.

-

-"They're in for a snowball fight, fellows!" exclaimed Brad Morton, who

-was the captain of the football team, as well as track manager in all

-athletic meets.

-

-"Give 'em Hail Columbia, fellows!  Riverport High to the fore!  Now,

-altogether, and send 'em in as hot as you can make 'em!"

-

-That was Dave Hanshaw whooping it up.  Dave had always been known as the

-heavy batter when he was feeling right, and many a time had he knocked

-out a home run, to the wild delight of the Riverport rooters.

-

-The scene immediately took on a lively air.  Fred and his five chums were

-feeling in just the right trim for a warm scrimmage with their

-Mechanicsburg rivals, who had always managed to give them a hard task

-before confessing to defeat, and were said to be breathing all manner of

-threats with regard to evening up the score at the very next available

-opportunity.

-

-It seemed as though there were about the same number of lads on the other

-side, and they had one advantage in the fact that, knowing of the

-presence of the Riverport fellows, they had secretly prepared an enormous

-number of fine round balls, so firmly pressed as to be almost as hard as

-stones.

-

-Preparation is all very good, but there is something that, as a rule,

-proves even better.  This is organization and leadership, backed up by

-pluck; and here the Riverside boys were in a class by themselves.

-

-Somehow, when an emergency like this suddenly arose, they were accustomed

-to looking to Fred Fenton as leader.  It may have been because Nature had

-fashioned him in such a way that others readily believed in his ability

-to win; past experiences had considerable to do with it, and they had

-known him to carry off the honors for the home school on many a hotly

-contested field.

-

-For a short time the air was filled with flying snowballs, most of which

-were fruitlessly thrown, though the better marksmen managed to now and

-then get in a telling hit, that gave them more or less satisfaction.

-

-Fred soon saw, however, that this sort of play would lead to nothing.

-One side or the other might become exhausted, and call a truce; but there

-would be little satisfaction in such a tame victory.  What he wanted was

-an exhibition of strategy, by means of which the enemy would be fairly

-routed.

-

-"Brad, take Colon and Dave, and work off to the right, while the rest of

-us turn their other flank!" he explained to the track captain, as they

-dodged a new flurry of deftly thrown missiles.

-

-"That's the ticket, and we're on to the game, Fred!" came the immediate

-response, showing how ready the others were to follow up any scheme which

-Fred proposed.

-

-"Lay in a stock of ammunition first of all," cautioned Fred; "and when I

-sing out, make your start.  We'll round up that lively bunch in a hurry,

-mark me."

-

-His confidence filled his mates with enthusiasm, as it always did.  A

-belief in one's self goes a great way toward winning the battle, no

-matter how the odds may seem to stand against success.

-

-There was a hasty making of half a dozen balls apiece, all they could

-conveniently carry, and when Fred had managed to supply himself with that

-many rounds, he gave Brad the order to advance.

-

-With new shouts that were intended to strike alarm to the hearts of the

-Mechanicsburg boys, the two detachments now pushed along, making

-something of a swinging movement, with the idea of turning the flanks of

-the enemy.

-

-Of course the other fellows understood just what was up, and could also

-divide their force, so as to meet the conditions; but when they found

-themselves between two fires, with hard snowballs striking them in the

-back, their valor began to give way to uneasiness, that was apt soon to

-merge into a regular panic.

-

-That was what Fred called strategy.  It was of a different kind from that

-of the great Napoleon, who used to plan to divide his enemy's army, and

-then strike quickly at first one-half, and then the other, before they

-could unite again.

-

-In this case the main idea Fred had in mind was to be able to pour in

-showers of missiles from two opposite quarters.  In this way, while his

-own men would be scattered, and could dodge any shot that seemed likely

-to cause trouble, the enemy remained bunched, and presented a splendid

-target.

-

-The thing that was likely to tell most of all was the fact that even

-though a snowball happened to miss the boy at whom it had been aimed,

-there was always a good chance of its finding a mark in the back of

-another fellow, who, being struck so unexpectedly, must cringe, and feel

-like running away.

-

-Loud rang out the cries of the rival fighters, and all the while the

-attacking force kept working closer and closer to the group of almost

-exhausted fellows from up-river way.

-

-"Soak it to 'em!" pealed Bristles, who was surely in his element, as he

-dearly loved action of any sort;  "three hits for every one we've taken,

-and then some.  Put your muscle into every throw, fellows!  Rap 'em hard.

-They started it, and we'll do the winding up, and make the peace terms.

-It's a surrender, or run away.  Now, all together again!"

-

-By this time the Mechanicsburg boys had had quite enough.  Every one of

-them was nursing some wound.  One had indeed even started off through the

-woods, holding a hand to his eye, as though he had failed to dodge a

-throw quickly enough; several others were hugging the tree-trunks

-closely, and showing that they had had about all the snowball fight they

-wanted.

-

-There was one heavy-set but athletic looking chap who appeared to be the

-ringleader of the assailants.  His name was Felix Wagner, and in times

-gone by he had given the Riverport boys many a hard tussle to subdue him;

-though he had a reputation for square dealing second to none.

-

-Seeing that his side had given up the fight, since he was the only one

-still hurling missiles, at the advancing enemy, Felix knew it was folly

-to try to keep it up any longer.

-

-"Hi! hold your horses, you Riverside tigers!" he called, laughingly, as

-well as his almost exhausted condition allowed; "guess we've had about

-all we want of this sort of thing for once.  My cheek stings like fun,

-and I think I'll have something of a black eye to-morrow.  I only hope I

-gave as good as I took, that's all."

-

-"Do you own up beaten, then, Wagner?" demanded the pugnacious Bristles,

-"because we're still as fresh as daisies, and bound to put it over on

-you, now that you've started the fight?"

-

-"Oh sure!  With such a crippled army, what else can a fellow do?" replied

-the leader of the other crowd.  "We throw up the sponge, and wave the

-white rag.  You're too much for us, that's what.  I reckoned it'd be that

-way when I saw Fred Fenton was along.  He put you up to that game of

-dividing your forces, and getting us under a cross-fire, I'll be bound.

-And that rattled us more'n anything else you did; for when you get a

-crack on the back of the head, it sort of knocks your calculations silly,

-and you can't pay attention to what you're doing.  We surrender, all

-right."

-

-Besides Wagner there were some of the other baseball stars in the

-defeated set---Dolan, who guarded the middle garden, Sherley whose domain

-was away off in right, Boggs, the energetic shortstop, Hennessy the

-catcher, who had taunted Fred and his chums So persistently whenever they

-came to bat, in hopes of making them nervous, and Gould the agile second

-baseman.

-

-A number were rubbing their heads, or their faces, where red marks told

-of a "strike," and while one here and there grumbled, wanting to know if

-the Riverport boys put stones in their snowballs, the majority took their

-punishment in good part.

-

-"It was a lively scrimmage while it lasted, let me tell you," Fred

-remarked, as he rubbed his icy hands together in order to induce

-circulation.

-

-"As fierce as any I've been in this year," admitted the big Hennessy,

-whose favorite feat of throwing out runners at second had gained him a

-great name, and who must have been responsible for a number of hits which

-the Riverport boys had suffered during the "late unpleasantness."

-

-"Getting to be an old story to have you Riverport fellows crow over us,"

-grumbled Boggs, who had been the one to walk away while the battle was

-still on; he had his handkerchief crushed in his hand, having wet it with

-melted snow, and in this fashion was trying to relieve the smarting, as

-well as prevent his eye from becoming discolored---something the average

-boy dislikes more than almost any other punishment that can be imagined.

-

-"Is there anything that we can beat you in?" demanded Sherley, frowning;

-"because I'd give something to know it.  We've tried our level best, and

-for two years now only picked up a few crumbs of comfort, while the

-feast's been spread for Riverport.  And yet Mechanicsburg has just as

-good athletes as you can boast.  We manage to win now and then, sometimes

-by sheer hard work, and again by a fluke.  But they seem to be only the

-minor events; all the big plums go to your crowd."

-

-"That's Fred's diplomacy, Sherley, don't you understand?" said Bristles,

-with one of his wide grins.  "He looks out for it that we get our best

-licks in the things that count.  We've got a billiard and pool table at

-our house, and when we play pool don't we go after all the big balls

-first? what's the use knocking the One in a pocket, except it's your only

-shot, and gives you a chance to get at larger game?"

-

-Felix Wagner looked at the speaker, and gave a low whistle.

-

-"Shucks!  I believe that's what's been the trouble all along," he went on

-to say, presently, as though he had been awakened from a sound sleep;

-"and to think none of us got on to that racket before.  Sure, we've been

-chasing after the Number One ball just as hard as we have after the

-Fifteen.  All looked alike to us.  Much obliged for giving me the tip,

-Bristles; we'll see if we can't do better next time.  And if all the talk

-about having a regular Marathon race this Spring turns out right, that's

-where Riverport is going to run up against her Waterloo!"

-

-"Glad to hear you talk so smartly, Wagner," said Fred, cheerfully, for

-such methods never had the slightest weight with him, or affected his own

-confidence.  "If you go at things that way, there's a chance we'll have a

-glorious run, in case that Marathon race does come off.  All of us are

-pulling the hardest we know how to get it fixed up; and we hope you

-fellows and Paulding will put in your oars.  It will be a great event, if

-we can spring it this season."

-

-"Chances look pretty bright up our way," said Wagner, as he and his

-friends prepared to start toward their home town; "and after the tip

-Bristles was so good as to hand us, I wouldn't be surprised if

-Mechanicsburg managed to show you down-river fellows her dust, this time

-for keeps.  So-long, everybody!"

-

-"Good talk, Wagner; may the best man win, we all say!" called out

-generous Bristles.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER III

-

-UP THE MOHUNK ON AN ICE-BOAT

-

-

-As Fred and Bristles, as well as Sid Wells, were all taking a post

-graduate course, they got out much earlier than any of the other

-scholars.  This was how on Monday afternoon Bristles turned up at the

-Fenton home close to the river, he having arranged with Fred to have a

-last spin on the ice-boat which the Carpenter boy had made himself, and

-used with more or less success during the past Winter.

-

-The weather had indeed hardened over Sunday, so that the slush was turned

-into ice again.  The surface of the river was not as smooth as they could

-have wished, but then since it promised to be their very last chance to

-make use of the _Meteor_ that year, the boys could not complain, or let

-the opportunity pass by.

-

-"We'll have to be careful about some of the blowholes in the ice,"

-Bristles was saying, as they headed for the bank where he kept his craft

-in a shed he had built for the purpose, and which was close to Fred's

-home.  "Everybody says the ice seems to be thin around where the water

-bubbles up.  I'd hate to drop in and have to go home wringing wet, to

-scare ma half out of her wits."

-

-"Oh! no need of doing that, even if we should have the hard luck to get

-wet," Fred told him.  "I always carry a waterproof matchsafe, so we could

-go in the woods somewhere, start up a bully hot fire, and dry off.  All

-the same, here's hoping we don't have to try that stunt out.  It sounds

-well enough, but in this cold air a fellow'd shiver so he'd think his

-teeth were dropping out.  We'll keep a bright watch for those same

-blow-holes, believe me, Bristles."

-

-Fred was a careful hand at everything he undertook, from driving a horse

-or a car, to manipulating an ice-boat.  So Bristles, who had the utmost

-confidence in his superior merits, did not feel the slightest uneasiness

-as he led the way down the bank to the shed that sheltered his home-made

-but very satisfactory ice craft.

-

-Of course he had a padlock on the door.  This was not because the

-sprawling craft was so very valuable;  but Bristles had expended

-considerable time and money in fashioning the flier; and he did not mean

-to put it in the power of any malicious boy to injure or steal, if a mere

-padlock could prevent such a catastrophe.

-

-There were some pretty mean boys in Riverport, as indeed you can always

-find in any town.  The leading spirit among this class of young rascals

-was Buck Lemington, who had once been the bully of Riverport, until Fred,

-coming to town, succeeded in breaking up the combination that had so long

-held sway.

-

-Ever since that time the Lemington boy had lost no opportunity to try to

-get back at Fred Fenton.  He had played several tricks on the other, and

-his chosen friends, who also came under the condemnation of Buck; but as

-a rule the vicious leader of the bad set had had these things recoil on

-his own head.

-

-Still, knowing how gladly Clem Shooks, Oscar Jones, Conrad Jimmerson and

-Ben Cushing, the cronies of Buck, would seize upon a chance to destroy

-his pet ice-boat, Bristles had always kept it under lock and key when not

-in use.

-

-"Everything seems to be lovely," said Bristles, opening the door of the

-shed.  "Somehow I never count on finding my things as I left 'em, because

-often I've seen one of that bunch hanging around the river here, as if he

-were only waiting for half a chance to get even with me.  Why, each time

-the fire bells have rung at night time this Winter, I've climbed into my

-duds with the feeling that it was good-bye to my bully old _Meteor_."

-

-"Oh!  I hardly think they'd dare do anything as bad as that, after the

-lesson they had before," Fred went on to say, as he bent over to help the

-owner drag the rather clumsy craft out toward the nearby shore.

-

-"Well, when you're dealing with such a tough gang as that," explained

-Bristles, "there's only one thing to do, and that's believe 'em equal to

-anything.  I warrant you now that many a time it's only been the fear

-they have for our hustling little fire eater of a police officer, Chief

-Sutton, that's kept Buck and his crowd from trying a heap more stunts

-than they did.  Remember when they cut the wires, and left that big

-meeting in pitch darkness?  Yes, and that other time they turned loose a

-dozen mice at the bazaar, and set the ladies to shrieking and fainting?

-But thank goodness I've got through the Winter without losing my boat,

-and I'm calling myself Lucky Jim."

-

-They soon had the queer craft ready for service, with its mast rigged,

-and the few ropes in place.  Bristles secured a couple of old

-comfortables to serve them in place of cushions, which more elaborate

-ice-boats carried.  These were tied on the boards in a way to suit the

-needs of those who would soon be sprawled out under the swinging boom.

-

-"If the ice were only a whole lot smoother, I'd call this a jolly day for

-a spin," the skipper of the craft went on to say, while continuing his

-preparations.

-

-"Yes," added Fred, standing there, and having completed his arrangements

-to his complete satisfaction,  "the sun shines with just a taste of

-Springtime about it; and the breeze is neither too hard nor too squally.

-It comes from the best quarter we could wish for, across from the west,

-so we'll be able to run up or down the river without trying to tack, and

-that's always a hard job on a narrow stream, when you're booming along so

-fast."

-

-"Well, everything's ready, Fred, so hop aboard."

-

-"Is it up or down this time?" demanded the other.

-

-"Whichever you say, it doesn't matter a pin to me either way," Bristles

-continued.

-

-"On the whole, I rather think we'd better head up-river this time," said

-Fred.  "We went down the last trip we made, yes, and the one before that

-too, because of a poor wind, and the river being wider below, so we could

-tack better.  I'd like to go past Mechanicsburg and as far up as we can,

-for the last time this year."

-

-"Call it settled then, Fred.  Let's point her nose that way and get a

-move on us in a jiffy."

-

-Some small boys were skating near the shore, and had come around to watch

-the starting of the iceboat, which was a familiar sight with them, though

-they never seemed to grow weary of watching it go forth on its swift

-cruise.  Bristles had waited only long enough to make use of the padlock

-again, so that no one might meddle with such things as he kept in the

-shed.  Then he was ready to raise the sail, and spin up the river like

-the wind.

-

-Just as Fred had said, they were apt to have an unusually hazardous trip

-on this particular afternoon, partly on account of the rough ice opening

-up chances for an upset, and then again because of the presence of so

-many weak places, where the recent thaw had started blow-holes.

-

-Of course the very swiftness of their passage would be one means of

-safety; for the ice-boat could skim across a small stretch where a skater

-would most surely break in.  But Fred did not mean to take any more

-chances than necessity demanded;  and Bristles, though commonly known as

-a reckless fellow, had promised to steer clear of any spot which his

-companion told him was unsafe.

-

-Both of the boys were very fond of this sort of sport.  It was a delight

-to them to feel themselves being carried along over the ice at a merry

-clip, with the steel runners singing a sweet tune, and the wind humming

-through the dangling ropes.

-

-The shore fairly flew past them, once the iceboat got fairly started; and

-it seemed almost no time before they glimpsed the smoke from the

-factories of Mechanicsburg, which was just three miles above their home

-town, and on the same bank of the frozen Modunk.

-

-"Keep a bright outlook while we're passing!" called out Fred; "they may

-have been cutting ice up here, as they were early in the Winter, though

-the openings froze over again."

-

-"Looks a bit suspicious over to the right, and I'll hug this shore.  Give

-me a call if you see any hole ahead, so I can sheer off, Fred."

-

-"That's what I will, Bristles, you can depend on it!"

-

-Already they had come abreast the lower houses.  The breeze had even

-freshened a little, or else the bank was somewhat lower, so they caught

-its full force.  At any rate, they fairly rushed past the busy

-manufacturing town, where there were a number of big mills and factories,

-giving employment to hundreds of hands.

-

-"Somebody's waving his hat to us on the bank up there, and shouting in

-the bargain," called Bristles, who was too busily engaged in looking

-straight ahead to turn his eyes aslant.

-

-"Yes, and I think it's Felix Wagner," admitted Fred.  "Looked like his

-figure, but I can't squirm around so as to see again.  Doesn't matter

-much anyway.  Hi! there, turn out a little more, Bristles; you're heading

-for a hole!  Not too far, because there's another just as bad stretching

-out from the other side.  Careful now, boy; a little too much either way,

-and we're in for a ducking!"

-

-"Just room enough to get through, I reckon, Fred.  Whee! that's going to

-be a tight hole for us.  I hope we can make the riffle, all right!"

-

-"Steady, a little bit more to the left; now a quick swing the other way,

-and we're over safely enough.  Say, that was as pretty handling of an

-ice-boat as I ever saw done.  You deserve a heap of credit for that job,

-Bristles, and that's straight!"

-

-"Thanks, awfully, Fred," said the other, in rather an unsteady voice;

-"but all the same, I'm glad we're well across the narrow pass.  My heart

-seemed to climb right up into my throat.  I tell you I never would have

-made it only for you tipping me off the way you did."

-

-"Yes you would, Bristles, even if you'd been alone, because you must have

-seen how the lay of the ice ran for yourself.  But I hope we don't strike

-another place like that above.  I don't think we shall, though they cut

-ice and let it float down till it gets opposite the town; but that's done

-only on one side, as a rule."

-

-They had quickly left the smoky town far behind them, and on both sides

-of the river could now be seen snow-covered farms, patches of woods,

-sloping hillsides, and now and then little hamlets.  Once they passed

-what seemed to be a lumber camp, at which some sturdy men were at work,

-getting logs ready to float down the river with the usual Spring freshet.

-

-Occasionally it was not so easy to make progress.  This was when the

-crooked river took a sudden turn, and they had the breeze from a

-different quarter.  But since Bristles knew how to manage his strange

-craft very well, they overcame all such difficulties, and continued to

-make rapid headway for some little time.

-

-"The holes seem to be getting worse up around here," remarked Bristles,

-after he had had to execute several speedy movements in order to avoid

-running into dangerous spots.

-

-"Yes, and as it's getting rougher in the bargain, as well as narrow

-between the banks, perhaps we'd better call a halt, and start back,"

-suggested Fred.

-

-"Let's make that turn up yonder," urged the skipper.  "I remember there's

-something of a wider span there, and I'd like to try swinging around

-without stopping, if I can.  Last time I made a stab at doing the same, I

-piled up ashore in a wreck;  but the wind's in my favor to-day.  You

-can't down a Carpenter, that's all there is to it."

-

-"Just as you say, Bristles; I'm game to stick it out with you.  Swing

-over a little farther, so as to get all the space you can for turning.

-Listen, wasn't that somebody screaming; or could it have been a

-locomotive whistling for a crossroad?"

-

-"I heard it too, Fred," said Bristles, hastily, "and give you my word for

-it I think it came from around the bend there.  We'll turn in before you

-can count twenty.  There it is again, Fred, and worse than before.

-Somebody's in, the chances are, and I only hope we get on hand in time to

-be of help."

-

-As the flying ice-boat turned the bend and they could begin to see the

-wider stretch of the Mohunk, both boys eagerly waited to discover what

-the cause of all that screaming could be.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER IV

-

-THE RESCUE, AND A MYSTERY

-

-

-"Look there, Fred!" cried Bristles, "over nearer the shore, to the left!"

-

-"I see them!" replied the other, almost instantly.

-

-"It's a girl, and she acts as if she might be trying to get at somebody

-in the water," the skipper of the ice-boat shouted, as he headed the

-flying craft straight toward the spot.

-

-"Be ready to bring up in the wind, so we can tumble off, Bristles!"

-advised Fred, taking in the whole situation at a glance, in his

-comprehensive way.

-

-Bristles was already so excited that he came near upsetting the ice-boat

-by being too speedy about making the turn.  Both boys scrambled to their

-feet as soon as they possibly could, and hurried toward the place where a

-girl of about ten years of age was wringing her poor little hands, and

-trying to reach a boy who was clinging to the crumbling edge of the ice.

-He was up to his neck in the cold water of the river.

-

-"Hold fast, and we'll get you out of that!" cried Fred, as they drew

-near.  His quick eye had already taken note of the fact that a rail fence

-came down close to the water's edge just beyond, and it was straight

-toward this that he was now hurrying.  Bristles knew what he was going

-for, and he kept near the heels of his chum.

-

-The frightened girl thought they were deserting her, and redoubled her

-cries.

-

-"Help!  Oh! help us!  Please don't go away!  My poor brother will be

-drowned!  He can't hold on much longer!  Oh! come back and help get him

-out!"

-

-By that time Fred had reached the end of the fence, which ran into the

-water so as to keep the cows from straying out of their pasture.  He

-struggled with one of the rails, and managed to break it loose.

-

-"Get another, and chase after me, Bristles!" he shouted, as he once more

-turned and hastened toward the hole in the rotten ice, where the boy, who

-could not be more than twelve years of age, was trying as best he could

-to keep from being drawn under by the sucking force of the strong

-current.

-

-Once close up, Fred dropped on his knees, shoving the rail ahead of him.

-In this fashion he was able to push it directly to the imperiled boy.

-Bristles had been so rapid in his actions that he was hardly ten seconds

-behind the leader.  He immediately copied Fred's example, so that there

-were now two rails reaching out in the direction of the hole, their

-further ends actually overtopping the gap in the ice.

-

-"Stay here, Bristles, and do whatever I tell you!" Fred told his chum,

-when, having arranged the rails as he wished, he started out along them.

-

-His weight being now distributed over a wide surface there was no danger

-of the rotten ice giving way under him.  That is the essential point

-about nearly all rescues on the ice, and what every boy should bear in

-mind the moment his services are needed in order to save an imperiled

-companion.

-

-Fred was now enabled to approach the very edge of the hole, so that he

-could hold out his hand to the boy in the water, who had been constantly

-telling the girl to keep back lest she too fall in.  Between them it was

-possible to accomplish the rescue, for while Fred pulled, the boy also

-exerted himself to the utmost, and presently crawled over the edge.

-

-"Keep your weight as much as you can on the rails, because with your

-clothes soaked, you weigh twice as much as I do," Fred kept telling him;

-and yard by yard he drew the other along until finally they could get to

-their feet, and make for the shore.

-

-The girl was crying hysterically now, although she had shown considerable

-bravery before.

-

-"Oh!  Brother Sammy, what if you had let go, and the current had drawn

-you under the ice!  I think I'd have wanted to jump in, too, because I'd

-have nothing left to live for then!" she kept repeating, as she patted

-his cold hand tenderly, and tried to warm it.

-

-Fred knew that unless something was done immediately, the boy would be

-very apt to be taken down sick, after all that nervous exhaustion, and

-the cold bath he had suffered.   The air was chilly, and must strike him

-keenly.

-

-"Here, you can't go home in that way, no matter how near by you live," he

-went on to say, in his cheery way.

-

-"Home!" repeated the girl, and her eyes exchanged a strange look with her

-brother.  "But what can we do, for there isn't any farmhouse around here?

-We were coming across the river, and Sammy went too near a hole.  Then

-the ice broke, and all I could do was to scream.  He wouldn't let me come

-near him, but kept trying to climb out himself.  Every time he got up on

-the ice it broke again, and he went in.  Oh! it was just terrible,

-terrible!  But he'll freeze now, mister, if we don't find a house soon."

-

-"No he won't, not if we know it," said Fred.  "Here, slap your arms about

-you this way as hard as you can, and jump up and down as if you were

-crazy.  Never mind how it looks, if only you get the blood to circulating

-good.  Bristles, it's up to you and me to start a fire booming in a

-hurry."

-

-"Here's as good a place as any, Fred, for there's plenty of loose wood

-around."

-

-Fred was already busily engaged in hunting all manner of small bits of

-dry fuel under the sheltered sides of the logs, and in hollow stumps.  As

-soon as he had gathered a few handfuls of this tinder, he drew out a

-match, and started it burning.

-

-Fred was a clever hand at making a fire, and this one did not fail him.

-Bristles had in the meantime brought an armful of wood, and, selecting

-the smaller pieces, the two soon had a fine, large blaze going, that

-began to send out a considerable amount of welcome heat.

-

-"Back up here, and see how this feels, Sammy," Fred told the shivering

-lad.  When the other had done so, he added, "Now, just as soon as you

-feel warm on one side, change to the other.  You know what they say, 'one

-good turn deserves another,'  and here's where it applies.  Keep up your

-exercising, because all that is going to help prevent you from taking

-cold.  If I only had some hot tea or coffee, I'd give you some, but we'll

-have to do without it, I'm afraid."

-

-He kept talking to the boy and girl as he worked at the fire, and

-Bristles continued to carry fresh supplies of wood, laboring like a good

-fellow.  In this way Fred managed to learn that the name of the boy they

-had rescued was Sam Ludson and that he lived with Corny Ludson; though

-when he asked how far away it was they lived the answer was an evasive

-one.

-

-"A good distance away," was about all the boy would say, and Fred could

-not help noticing that he again exchanged uneasy looks with his sister.

-

-There was certainly something very queer about these two, though Fred

-could not understand why they should feel backward about telling where

-they lived, and especially to a couple of boys who had just done them a

-great favor.

-

-Still, Fred was not unduly curious about it.  If the brother and sister

-did not want to take him into their confidence, he was not the one to

-persist.  So far as he could remember, Ludson was a name he had never

-heard before, so it did not seem as though they could ever have lived

-around Riverport.  Bristles later on also declared that it was strange to

-him, and he had been born there, while Fred was comparatively a newcomer,

-having arrived only a couple of years previous to this time.

-

-His particular business, as Fred saw it, was not to poke into other

-people's private affairs, but to get the clothes of Sam dry as soon as

-possible.  Then he would feel that he and Bristles had finished their

-duty.

-

-So he continued to keep the fire burning, and have Sam turned around

-every little while.  At first the child steamed at a tremendous rate, but

-as by degrees the moisture was absorbed by the heat, he began to feel

-much more comfortable.

-

-"I guess I'll go now, mister," Sammy remarked, finally, as though anxious

-to get away from these kind friends before they took to asking him any

-awkward questions.

-

-"Just hold up a little while longer, and then you'll be all right, Sam,"

-he was told by Fred, and like a great many other fellows, the boy fell

-into a habit of observing the wishes of this leader among the scholars at

-Riverport High.

-

-"Whatever you say, mister, goes," he observed, with humility.  "You've

-sure done me a great service, and I ain't going to forget it, either.  I

-don't reckon it'll happen that I c'n pay you back, but if the chance ever

-does hit me, I'm agoin' to do it, sure thing."

-

-"Are you feeling as good as ever again, Sammy?" asked his sister, who was

-rather a pretty girl, Bristles thought, as he looked her over, from the

-wretched little hat she wore on her bonny brown hair, the odd cheap pin

-at her throat, the faded dress, to the coarse shoes that gaped badly at

-the toes.

-

-"I certainly am," he responded, caressing the hand she had laid on the

-sleeve of his ragged jacket.  Somehow it struck Fred right then and there

-that mutual suffering must have drawn these two frail looking beings

-closer together than the average brother and sister.

-

-"Well, then you can make off home if you feel fit," Fred told them, "and

-let me tell you my friend here and myself both feel mighty glad we

-happened to be as close by as we were.  It taught you a lesson, I expect,

-Sam, and you'll fight shy of blow-holes in the rotten ice after this,

-won't you?"

-

-"You bet I will, mister; and say, I guess I'm gladder'n you c'n be about

-that same thing; because the river is awful swift around here, and I kept

-getting colder and weaker all the while.  Couldn't have held out much

-longer.  I want to thank both of you for what you did.  I ain't goin' to

-ever forget it either, see if I do, though, shucks!  I don't 'spect I'll

-ever have a chance to pay you back."

-

-He shook hands with both Fred and Bristles, as did also the little girl,

-now looking both grave and pleased.  Then they walked away, making for

-the nearby road that led from Mechanicsburg to some other town many miles

-away, and leaving the vicinity of the Mohunk.

-

-Fred and Bristles prepared to seek once more the ice-boat, and resume

-their interrupted cruise, this time heading for home.  Both of them were

-thrilled with a deep satisfaction on account of having been given such a

-splendid chance to effect a rescue, for nothing pleases the average boy

-more than to realize that he has been enabled to play the part of a hero.

-

-They were not the ones to boast of such a thing as that.  Indeed, neither

-of them considered that they had been in the slightest danger at any

-time.  Had one of them found it necessary to jump into the cold waters of

-the Mohunk in order to save the drowning boy, that might have been a

-different matter.

-

-"This fire does feel pretty fine," Bristles remarked, as they got ready

-to depart, "and I kind of hate to leave it, because, as you know, Fred, I

-always worship a camp fire.  No need to put this one out, is there?

-because it couldn't set these woods afire if it tried its best, while

-everything's covered with snow.

-

-"Ready to make the start?  What'd you think of Sam and his sister, Sadie

-Ludson, eh?  Mysterious sort of pair, weren't they?  Didn't want to tell

-us anything about themselves, at all.  I'm trying to knock my head and

-say where I've heard that name before, but so far it gets me.  Well, we

-never may see them again, so what's it matter?  I'm glad, though, you

-pulled Sam out of the river.  He owes his life to you, Fred."

-

-"To us, you mean, Bristles, for you had just as much to do with it as any

-one," insisted Fred; and afterwards, whenever he told the story, he

-always maintained that Bristles had stood by him, and done his share of

-the rescue work.

-

-They managed to make the return trip safely, and Bristles took it upon

-himself later on to try to find out if anybody knew the Ludsons, but he

-met with little success, and with Fred was compelled to put the thing

-down as a mystery that could not be solved.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER V

-

-LOOKING OVER THE COURSE

-

-

-"One thing sure, Fred, we couldn't have a better day for taking a spin

-over the ground, and finding out what we'll be up against on the great

-day."

-

-"Yes, we're in luck that far, Bristles.  The only thing I'm sorry about

-is that Sid couldn't come along.  What was it he told you, when you ran

-across him early this Saturday morning in Bramley's sporting goods

-store?"

-

-"Why, you see," continued Bristles, as he trotted easily alongside his

-friend, for they were in their running togs, and out upon the country

-road at the time, "when I went to look over my outfit, I found my shoes

-were partly worn, and that I needed a new pair.  I'd been looking at some

-cross-country running shoes Bramley got in last week, and liked their

-style.  They have a low broad heel, and spikes only in the sole.  Feel as

-easy as anything I've ever worn, and don't seem to rub my heels like the

-old ones always did."

-

-"You're getting there, Bristles; keep going right along," laughed Fred,

-because the other had a reputation for being what boys call "long

-winded."  It sometimes took him double the time to tell a story that any

-other fellow would have consumed.

-

-"Oh!  I was only going to say Sid was in there doing something, and he

-asked me to tell you to excuse him on our trial spin to-day, as his

-father had laid out a little trip for him.  Sid looked mighty

-disappointed, I could see.  He'd like to be along, for even if this run

-of ours is only to spy out the land, it may count big."

-

-"Well, we may have another chance to go over the route, after we know

-just what the committee has mapped out," said Fred.

-

-"This is only guess work on our part, of course," continued the other,

-"but then everybody seems to think that it's bound to be the course

-chosen in the end."

-

-"Yes," Fred added, reflectively, "because it offers a great variety of

-country---level roads, then trails through the woods, crossing creeks,

-and after that a stretch over country roads made up of soft dirt."

-

-"Of course they'll have stations all along the route, as usual?" ventured

-Bristles.

-

-"No question about it," Fred told him.  "That's done so every runner may

-register in his own handwriting, and mark down the time he stopped at

-each station.  In such a way the committee will have a complete record of

-what every contestant did, and there can be no suspicion of cheating."

-

-"Whew! you don't think any fellow would be so small and mean as to try a

-thing like that, do you, Fred?"

-

-"I'd hate to think so," returned the other, "but this is done in order

-that no one may even be suspected by outsiders.  It's what you might call

-an insurance against any rank work."

-

-"How could a runner cheat, tell me?" asked Bristles.

-

-"Well," replied Fred, "there's likely to be one or more places where he

-could cut across lots and never show up at some advanced station at all.

-In that way he'd be saved a mile or two of the gruelling run, and that

-might be enough to give him a big lead on the home stretch."

-

-"Then I only hope they have every kind of safeguard against cheating,

-that can be used," declared Bristles, indignantly, "because for one I'd

-die before I'd try to win a thing by trickery."

-

-"I reckon everyone knows that, Bristles," Fred told him, "because there

-never was a boy with a straighter record than you.  You've got faults, as

-who hasn't, but being sly and tricky, like Buck Lemington, isn't one of

-them."

-

-"I hear the scheme has created no end of excitement over at

-Mechanicsburg," Bristles hastened to say, turning a little red though

-with pleasure, at those words of confidence which Fred gave him.

-

-"And at Paulding I'm told the whole town is on edge, with boys in running

-togs spinning along every country lane, in pairs or singly," Fred

-observed.

-

-"Well," the boy with the mop of bristly hair went on to say, "once again

-will good old Riverport have to hustle for all that's going, to hold her

-own at the head of the procession."

-

-"We mustn't expect too much," said Fred, modestly.  "Up to now we've been

-pretty lucky to pull down the plums, but there may come a change any day,

-and we've got to show that we can stand defeat just as well as victory."

-

-"They've got some good long distance runners over there in the mill

-town," Bristles remarked, seriously.

-

-"Equal to anything we can show, I should say, and it's going to take a

-head, as well as flying feet, to beat them at the game, Bristles."

-

-"Of course," added Fred's companion, "none of us have ever gone as much

-as twenty-five miles in a single run, so we don't know what we can do,

-but, for that matter, I don't believe a Mechanicsburg or Paulding fellow

-has, either."

-

-"But we mean to cover the course in a trial run before the great day

-comes, you know," Fred told him.  "I'm laying great store on one fellow

-we've got."

-

-"Of course you mean long-legged Colon, Fred?"

-

-"Yes," replied Fred, "our fastest sprinter, a fellow who can hump himself

-like a grayhound or a kangaroo in action, and cover more ground at the

-finish than anybody I ever saw."

-

-"But the most Colon's ever gone is ten miles," remarked Bristles, "and we

-don't know what his staying qualities are.  He may give out before

-fifteen miles have been covered.  If anybody asked me, I'd say we had

-more chance with a husky fellow like you, for instance, who never has

-been known to get tired, and can use his head as well as his heels."

-

-"Then there's Sid and Brad," remarked Fred, hastily, "who have made up

-their minds to be in the line when the signal is given; both of them are

-known to be stayers.  Of course I'll do my level best, but I hope none of

-you pin your faith to a single runner.  A little team work, or strategy,

-sometimes helps out in cases of this kind."

-

-"How can that be, when everyone has to run for himself, until hopelessly

-distanced, if I read the rules straight?" asked Bristles.

-

-"Only in this way," replied Fred.  "If there are three entered from a

-school, one of them might take the lead, and set the pace for a while.

-When he had covered, say a third of the distance, he would fall back, and

-a second forge to the front, leaving the last fellow to cover the home

-stretch.  It's been done in other races, though I believe some people

-frown on it.  Still, there's no ban on the practice."

-

-"Why, no, this is a race between rival schools," said Bristles, "and

-every fellow is supposed to be willing to sacrifice individual chances

-for the good of the lot, just as team-work pays in baseball or anything

-else."

-

-"Well, let's cut out the talk for a while, and put on more steam,"

-advised Fred.  "Here's a good chance for a spurt, down the grade, and

-then along two miles of level road."

-

-"Go you, Fred!"

-

-The two runners went flying along like the wind until they had reached

-the foot of a steep hill, which it would be folly to attempt to climb at

-more than a walk.  Once beyond this, a fine stretch of country opened

-before them, with farms and woodland on every side.

-

-Fred had a pretty fair map of the region, which he had made from picking

-up information on every side.  One of his motives in making this tour on

-Saturday morning, was to verify its truth.  Once the route of the

-Marathon race had been issued, all those who expected to compete would

-have the privilege of going over the ground as often as they pleased.  If

-any fellow were smart enough to discover how he could cut off a hundred

-yards or two, and yet report at every station, he was at liberty to do

-so.

-

-A knowledge of the course often counts heavily in a Marathon race, as it

-does in many other things.  That is why most baseball clubs play better

-on their home grounds, where they know the lay of the land, the presence

-of treacherous little hillocks, the usual slant of the wind, the value of

-sending their balls toward a certain fence where home-runs count heavily,

-and all that sort of thing.

-

-Five miles farther on, and the boys had come to a place where Fred, on

-consulting his map, observed:

-

-"The road runs away around, and by cutting across the woods here as much

-as two miles can be saved.  I understand that the contestants will have

-that privilege offered to them if they choose to take it.

-

-"Why, of course everybody will grab the chance," remarked Bristles.

-

-"I'm not so sure about that," he was told by his companion, "and for this

-reason: while the shortcut saves considerable distance, it's bound to be

-harder going, and some runners might even get lost in the undergrowth, so

-they'd be cut out of the race."

-

-"Gee!  I never thought of that, Fred; but you're right."

-

-"Then if they have a hard time breaking through," continued Fred, "and

-finding the other road above the registering station, they may be winded,

-so that the other fellow who's gone all the way around would be in much

-better shape for a gruelling finish."

-

-"It all depends, then, on knowing your ground?" pursued Bristles.

-

-"And that's what we want to make sure of as we go through the woods here

-right now," continued Fred.  "Both of us must take our bearings from

-certain trees as we push along.  If we strike a trail that leads to the

-right quarter, we'll manage to blaze it in some fashion that other

-fellows would never notice, though we can put our own crowd wise to the

-signs.

-

-"Here's where the head work comes in, eh, Fred?"

-

-"Only a small sample of it," laughed the other, "and there'll be plenty

-more to follow before we win this Marathon.  If any of the opposition

-crosses the tape ahead of Riverport, it'll be because they're better

-runners and managers than we are, that's all there is to it.  But come

-on, let's break away from the road."

-

-Upon that the two boys entered the woods, carefully marking the spot in

-their memories by noticing a certain bunch of white-barked birches that

-drooped over in a peculiar way, different from anything they had thus far

-seen.

-

-Fred had his little compass with him.  He had laid out his course

-exactly, so as to strike the other road at a certain spot, which it was

-believed would be just above the toll-gate, where he knew one of the

-registering stations was bound to be placed.

-

-Of course they could not expect to go in a straight line, or as the crows

-fly.  All sorts of obstacles interfered with such a scheme.  Now it was a

-deep gully that barred their progress; a little further on they came to a

-stretch of swampy ground, where a runner would find himself bogged and

-placed in a desperate condition, if he attempted to push through.  But

-wise Fred had early discovered what seemed to be a fairly well worn trail

-that seemed to lead in the direction they were intending to go.  At times

-it was exceedingly difficult to see the track, but both these boys had

-keen eyes, and used good judgment, so they managed to come upon it

-frequently.

-

-All the time they continued to make note of certain landmarks that would

-aid them later on, when again passing through this strip of woodland and

-jungle.  Possibly there would be a mile of it, against three by the road.

-Plainly then, if a runner could get through in fairly decent shape he

-would have saved more or less time in so doing.

-

-The two Riverport lads had perhaps gone half way, and were feeling well

-satisfied with the progress made, when Fred stopped and held up his hand.

-

-"Listen, Bristles!" he exclaimed, "what's all that racket do you think?"

-

-"Sounds like dogs barking and snarling, to me, Fred."

-

-"But away out here in the woods you wouldn't expect to hear a pack of

-dogs, unless they were running wild," urged Fred, still listening.

-

-"Whew! that reminds me of what I heard an old farmer tell in the market

-one day last week," exclaimed Bristles.  "He said he had lost three sheep

-this Spring from dogs, and that a pack of sheep killers was loose up

-around his section!"

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER VI

-

-THE WILD DOG PACK

-

-

-"How's that, Bristles, a pack of wild dogs running around, and killing

-sheep?"  Fred demanded, appearing to take uncommon interest in what his

-companion had just said.

-

-"Yes, and Fred, I honestly believe that farmer lives somewhere up in this

-region, because I heard him tell about having a runaway near the

-Belleville tollgate, and you know that's where we expect to fetch out on

-the road ahead."

-

-"Then that settle it, Bristles.  And there's no doubt we're hearing the

-yelping of that same pack right now.  I reckon they're on some track or

-other."

-

-"Whew!  I hope it isn't _our_ track then!" exclaimed the other lad, as he

-began hurriedly to look about him for a stout club, and eye the

-neighboring trees, as if an unpleasant alternative had forced itself upon

-his notice.

-

-"The sounds seem to come from back yonder, where we passed along,"

-remarked Fred; and as though in his mind an ounce of prevention might be

-better than a pound of cure, he too hastened to pick tip a heavy billet

-of wood, that was as large as an ordinary baseball club.

-

-"But what makes dogs act that way, and go wild?" asked Bristles.  "I

-never knew of any doing such a queer stunt."

-

-"It's this way," explained the other, quickly, as though he had recently

-been reading the matter up, and was full of information.  "Dogs are kin

-to wolves and foxes, you know.  Fact is, many a wolf I've seen looked

-just like a dog."

-

-"Yes, that's a fact, Fred!" admitted Bristles, nodding his head, and

-still noting the fact that the chorus of barks, yelps and snarls seemed

-to be gradually approaching all the time.

-

-"Well, every once in a while some dog seems to hear the call of the wild.

-He takes a dislike to confinement, hates human beings, and the first

-chance he gets puts out for the woods, where he lives just as a wolf

-would do, by the chase.  Sometimes farmers' watchdogs that are thought to

-be honest get this sheep-killing habit, and play tricks, covering their

-tracks so they go a long time without being found out, and then only by

-accident."

-

-"Yes, I've heard all about that, too, Fred, but because one dog goes

-wild, why should a whole lot of others follow after him, I want to know?"

-

-"Well," continued the other, "as far as I understand it, here's the

-reason.  Every dog has that same nature about him.  I've seen it proven

-many times.  We had an old dog named Mose, who was never known to chase

-anybody.  He used to lie there asleep on our front porch by the hour.

-Then next door there was a little cur that somehow took to chasing after

-wheels and wagons.  You've heard how dogs yap-yap whenever they do that,

-haven't you, Bristles?"

-

-"Lots of times," assented the other, nodding, and still earnestly

-listening.

-

-"It's about like some of that racket we hear now," Fred went on to

-explain.  "They say it excites a dog like everything.  When that little

-cur next door would start down the street with a yap-yap-yap, I've seen

-our poor old Mose jump up, as if he'd had a signal no living dog could

-resist, and go rushing out of the yard, to join in with the cur and some

-others that gathered like a flash.  That's what it means."

-

-"And these other dogs have got the fever in their veins by this time too,

-eh, Fred?"

-

-"Yes, and they are satisfied to chase around after the leader, perhaps

-taking an humble part in his kills.  But Bristles, I'm afraid we're going

-to see for ourselves what the pack looks like."

-

-"You mean they're coming this way fast now?" observed Bristles,

-tightening his grip on the club he had selected from many that lay under

-a tree shattered by a bolt of lightning the previous Summer.

-

-"There's no doubt about it!" declared Fred, steadily.

-

-"Course we could shin up a tree if we wanted to, Fred, but that'd go

-against my grain.  I feel like standing my ground, and trying to get a

-whack at that sheep-killing leader of the pack.  Gee! wouldn't the

-farmers give us a vote of thanks if we did manage to put him out of the

-running?"

-

-"We may have the chance sooner than we expected," Fred went on to say,

-grimly, for the tempest of sounds seemed to be very close now, and they

-could actually hear the rush of the advancing pack.

-

-"How many are there, do you think?" asked Bristles, and if his voice

-trembled a little, Fred believed it was from excitement rather than fear,

-because he had seen this local comrade tested many times, and knew that

-he never flinched.

-

-"At least four," Fred replied, "because I can make out that many

-different yelpings, and there may be six, with some small runts coming

-along in the rear."

-

-"I only wish I had more duds on, and a pair of leather leggings in the

-bargain," muttered Bristles, glancing rather ruefully down at his bare

-shins, which of course were wholly unprotected.

-

-"Here they come!" announced Fred, suddenly.

-

-There was a rush of pattering feet, together with a fierce series of

-yelps, and then through the thicket came pouring a string of hustling

-animals, heading directly toward the two boys.

-

-"Whew! he _is_ a dandy, sure enough!" exclaimed Bristles, referring of

-course to the large animal in the lead.

-

-This was a dun-colored beast about the size of a wolf and not unlike one

-in many of his attributes.  He presented a really terrifying front now,

-with his open jaws that disclosed shining fangs and a red tongue, and his

-blazing eyes, together with the bristles that stood up on his neck very

-much like those of a wild hog.

-

-"Give 'em a shout!" exclaimed Fred, who remembered at that moment that

-most dogs have learned to respect the sound of a human voice, and this

-might serve to bring about a halt in the onrush of the savage pack.

-

-Accordingly both of the young men started swinging their clubs wildly

-about their heads and yelling at the top of their voices.  This

-threatening demonstration did have some effect on the milder elements of

-the pack, those dogs that had been lured into wrong-doing, and were not

-viciously inclined.  Three immediately fell back, and one of these even

-turned tail and started to run away at breakneck speed as though the

-sight of those cudgels inspired him with respect, on account of a

-recollection of some previous beating.

-

-There were three, however, that still kept on, the leader of the pack,

-and a couple of others.  If ever Fred Fenton in all his life wished

-heartily for a gun of some kind it must have been just then, when, with

-only a single companion to stand alongside, he found himself about to be

-attacked by a trio of furious dogs gone wild, and running through the

-woods.

-

-It would not have been so bad had there been only two, for then each of

-them could manage an adversary;  but that odd beast bothered him.

-

-"Tackle the leader, and leave the others to me; I'll help you as soon as

-I send them flying!" was what Fred exclaimed, as the three dogs bore down

-upon them.

-

-"All right; I'm on, Fred!"

-

-There was no time for another word, because the animals were upon them.

-They came with a rush, as though furious at seeing the bare-legged boys

-in their hunting preserves.  That leader must have taken a decided hatred

-of all human kind, and when backed by his followers, seemed ready for any

-deed of daring.

-

-Fred and Bristles had their hands full from the very start.  It was their

-object to do all the damage they could without allowing any of the dogs a

-chance to sink their teeth into their legs, or leap upon their backs, as

-they appeared desirous of doing.

-

-Luckily both boys were sturdy and agile.  More than this, they realized

-the desperate nature of their position, for no help could reach them

-there.  If they hoped to come out of the fight with credit, they must

-depend wholly upon their own valor and ability.

-

-Bristles whacked the dun-colored beast soundly, as he made a ferocious

-leap up toward his throat, and had the satisfaction of seeing him whirl

-headlong.  It was only a temporary backset, however, for as soon as the

-animal recovered his feet he made another mad rush, so that the boy was

-kept busy prodding him, using his club right and left as an Irishman

-might his shillalah, and in every way possible trying to beat the brute

-off.

-

-All the while Bristles kept up a shouting that was intended to nerve his

-own arm, and possibly help to strike terror into the hearts of the

-four-footed assailants.

-

-"You will, eh?  Take that for a starter, and plenty more where that came

-from!  Try to catch me off my guard, will you?  Whoop! that was a beauty

-of a crack!  Hope I made you see stars that time, you snarling beast,

-you!  Get back there!  Shinny on your own side, can't you?" and he gave a

-sudden kick at one of the smaller dogs, that, taking advantage of the

-row, had tried to creep in and nip him on the leg.

-

-While all this was going on, Fred had his hands full with the other two

-dogs.  If they lacked some of the ferocity and daring of the leader of

-the pack, it was made up in the fact of their being a pair to watch, and

-keep from closing in with him.

-

-Fast his club flew, and hearty were the whacks he gave right and left.

-One after the other he had sent his assailants headlong, thanks to lucky

-shots.  When they returned to the scrap, they began to give evidence that

-this sort of thing had begun to pall upon their liking, and this

-encouraged the boy to work harder than ever.

-

-Just then, imagine the delight of the two hard pressed boys when they

-heard a cheery shout close by, and saw a lithe figure, also in running

-trunks, come leaping toward the spot.

-

-No need for them to ask themselves who this could be, for well did they

-know the most remarkable method of getting over the ground peculiar to

-Colon, and which some people likened to the singular hopping of a

-kangaroo.

-

-He already had a club in his hand, and he immediately started in to wield

-it with telling effect on one of Fred's assailants.  The consequence was

-that this particular dog turned tail, and ran off at top speed.  Its

-mate, as though realizing the folly of keeping up an unequal combat,

-hastened to do the same.

-

-This left the savage leader of the pack alone to face three antagonists.

-Fred could not help but feel something akin to admiration for the defiant

-beast as he attacked first one and then another of them.  Evidently the

-idea of running, and saving his hide, had not as yet appealed to the

-enraged dog.

-

-"Keep knocking him, everybody!" shrieked Bristles, now more than ever

-determined on finishing the terror of the neighboring farmers.  "We've

-just got to nail him, boys.  Don't let him shoot past you!  Pound him on

-the head!  Knock him galleywest!  That was a socker, Fred; you've got him

-down, I tell you!  Now, everyone pile in and we'll end his sheep-killing

-career for him!"

-

-There was a concerted rush from three sides.  The half dazed beast could

-not recover in time to leap upon anyone of his foes, though he snapped

-his jaws together so that his terrible teeth met with a clicking sound.

-

-For a short time the clubs rained blows on his head, until Fred finally

-called out:

-

-"That's enough, fellows; he's thrown up the sponge!"

-

-"Hurrah for us; we've cleaned the ugly pack out, boys!" cried Bristles,

-thought so short of breath after his exertions that he could hardly stand

-erect.

-

-Yes, the sheep-killing dog had been slain, and while Fred was of course

-very well pleased over the outcome of the fight, at the same time he

-looked down with considerable respect upon the dun-colored beast that

-could exhibit such desperate courage, and put up such a game defense

-against three foes.

-

-Bristles insisted upon shaking hands with each one of his mates, and then

-he and Fred turned upon the long-legged Colon with a look of wonder on

-their faces, as though they could not understand how it was he had shown

-up at such a lucky moment.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER VII

-

-THE SHORT-CUT WAY

-

-

-"Now, where did you drop down from, Colon?" asked Bristles.

-

-"Me?" exclaimed the tall chum, with a broad smile on his face.  "Why,

-straight from town, if you want to know.  You see, I found out, after

-all, I could get off, and hurried to where you said you'd start, but

-Fred's ma told me you had half an hour the lead of me.  Still, as I

-happened to know the layout of the trip, I made up my mind I'd follow

-along, and hump myself a little to overtake you fellows.

-

-"But how'd you know where we left the road, and started across the

-woodland, tell me, Colon?" asked Bristles;  whereupon the other nodded

-his head, and looked wise.

-

-"Oh! well!" he explained, "you see, Fred told me about where he expected

-to break away and so of course I kept looking; and I saw that you'd

-turned out just about under that bunch of birch trees.  Why, you left a

-plain track in the dust on the road.  After that I used my eyes and my

-head, and kept pushing right along.  I'm reckoned something of a scout in

-the woods, you must know."

-

-"You certainly have done a big thing in that line this time, Colon,"

-asserted Fred, vigorously; "I never would have believed him, if someone

-told me you'd done it.  And let me remark that you certainly came in on

-us at the right time."

-

-"I should say he did," assented Bristles, joyfully.  "I was getting tired

-of swinging my club, and whacking that terrible critter.  Talk to me

-about being able to stand punishment,---I never before saw a dog that

-could come up fresh every time you keeled him over.  Most curs would run

-away, howling like mad, but he just set his teeth, and took a fresh grip.

-Whew!  I'm sure glad it's all over."

-

-"Either of you get nipped anywhere?" asked Colon, anxiously.

-

-"I hope not," Fred replied, "it's a dangerous thing to have a dog bite

-you, because you never know what's going to happen.  Often the scratch

-from the claws of a tiger or a lion is followed by blood poisoning,

-because they tear their prey, you know.  I was sent over once, and seem

-to have a few scratches on my shins, but they came from the stones and

-thorns.  How about you, Bristles?"

-

-"I kicked one of those smaller runts that tried to bite me, but I don't

-think he got his teeth in my leg.  Those blood marks are scratches, where

-I ran into the thorn bush while I was jumping around so lively.  Oh! it's

-all right, and no damage done, boys.  Everything's lovely, and the goose

-hangs high!"

-

-"But what does all this rumpus mean?"  Colon wanted to know.  "Whose dogs

-were they, and what had you done to make the push mad?"

-

-Bristles undertook to tell him, passing on some of the information which

-he had received from Fred.

-

-"Now I'm posted.  I seem to get a grip on the business," Colon confessed,

-"and I want to tell you I'm mighty glad I made up my mind to follow

-after, and see if I couldn't come up before you got back home again."

-

-"And believe me we're happy to know you did, Colon," Bristles assured

-him, "because there's no telling what sort of a hard time we'd have been

-up against, with that pack trying their level best to pull us down.  We

-might have had to climb up in a tree, and sit there all night, for all we

-know.  But Fred, what'd we better do about it now?"

-

-"About what?" asked the other.

-

-"This dog here," continued Bristles, pointing down at the animal that

-looked so fierce even in death.

-

-"I was just thinking," Fred told him, "whether we had better lift him

-into the fork of a tree, so he could be found if we let the farmers know

-about it, or try to drag him along to the tollgate house."

-

-"It can't be so very far away, I should think," observed Colon, "and I'd

-be willing to take my turn at dragging him there."

-

-"Nothing like showing the proof, when you tell a whopping big story,"

-declared Bristles, "and I know a lot of fellows who'll like as not lift

-their eyebrows, and grin to beat the band when they hear about this warm

-time we've had.  We want to be able to stamp the yarn as true as anything

-that ever happened.  So take hold of one leg, Colon, and I'll manage the

-other.  Sho! that's easy enough going, and for one I don't mind it a

-bit."

-

-"Call on me to take my turn any time, boys," announced Fred, as he

-started off in the lead.

-

-The wild dog pack had evidently been effectually broken up by the

-energetic action of the Riverport runners.  Not a single bark or yelp was

-to be heard in any direction.  Scattered to the four winds the dogs were

-apt to return to their respective homes, and change their bad habits.

-With the loss of their savage ringleader, the impulse to live a wild life

-would possibly leave them all.

-

-Fred once more began to figure on their course.  He knew that the faint

-trail he and Bristles had been following through the woods had begun to

-bear away in a quarter that made it impossible for them to pursue it any

-longer, if they expected to come out near the Belleville tollgate.

-

-Thanks to his possession of the compass, and something of a knowledge of

-the general conditions, Fred was able to decide on this without much

-trouble.

-

-They did not make any attempt at speed indeed, that would have been

-utterly impossible, while they continued to drag the slain dog along

-after them.  Colon finally gave a hint that he was ready to abandon the

-idea of showing the result of their encounter to the toll-gate keeper,

-notwithstanding that through him all the farmers in that neighborhood

-would eventually learn of their good luck.

-

-"But I don't like to quit anything I've started on," objected Bristles,

-when the long-legged runner had thus casually mentioned that it was no

-fun dragging the big beast over rough ground.  "Think how far we've kept

-it up already.  Huh! want to have that work just wasted?  Not much for

-me!  If you're tired, Colon, just say the word, and I'll lug him along by

-myself, or else Fred ahead there might lend me a helping hand."

-

-"Me tired?  Why, whatever put that silly notion in your head, Bristles?

-I didn't know you set such great store by showing the old thing; but

-since I see you do, why of course I'm game to hold out to the finish.

-Hope you don't want to get the blooming dog stuffed, and keep him mounted

-in your den at home."

-

-"Well, that'd be the limit!" exclaimed Bristles, laughing at the idea.

-"I feel right now that he's going to visit me lots of times in my dreams,

-with all that double row of white teeth showing, and his red lips drawn

-back!  Ugh!  I'll not forget in a hurry how he looked, I tell you, Colon.

-And didn't he take the punishment I heaped on him, though?  I used up

-every ounce of strength I had in slinging my club.  You notice that I'm

-toting that along, don't you?"

-

-"Oh! that's the racket, is it?  A bow of blue ribbon tied to the club,

-and hang it on the wall of your room at home?  Well, Bristles, I don't

-blame you much, because he was an ugly customer.  If he'd ever gotten you

-down, it'd been tough on you."

-

-"Here, let up on that style of talk, will you, Colon?  It makes me have a

-cold chill run up and down my spinal column.  Let's talk about something

-more cheerful.  What d'ye think about this shortcut through the woods?

-Fred says it's going to save a lot, and that nearly every fellow will

-like as not take to it.  A mile of this goes against three by the road."

-

-"So long as every contestant knows the ground, it might pay to take the

-cut-off," Colon remarked, "but I noticed some swampy ground that I'd hate

-to get lost in.  If any runner fails to show up at the tape, they'll have

-to send out a searching party to look for him through this section."

-

-"That'll be his lookout, then," observed Bristles, calmly.  "Everybody

-shinny on his own side.  Preparation is part of the battle.  The fellow

-who is too lazy to go over the course in advance will have to take big

-chances, that's all.  He won't deserve to win."

-

-"This is certainly a dreary place, all right," the tall runner went on to

-say, as he looked to the right, and then to the left.  "Why, I didn't

-know there was such a desolate stretch of woodland within twenty miles of

-Riverport.  Some of it's good farming land too, if part is boggy, and

-even that would make a cranberry marsh, if anyone wanted to try it out."

-

-"It's all second growth timber, though," called back Fred, who was still

-just a dozen paces in the lead, and pushing his way through brush that

-often entirely concealed the ground.

-

-"Sure it is," Bristles went on to say.  "Long ago the original timber was

-cut down, and sent to the sawmills.  Listen to the frogs croaking over

-that way; must be a pond somewhere around."

-

-"I was going to ask you if you'd run across any snakes yet?"  Colon

-inquired, with considerable show of interest, because, as well known

-among his friends, the tall runner had always felt a decided antipathy

-for all crawling things, and would never handle even an inoffensive

-garter-snake; indeed, slimy greenbacked frogs he abominated, claiming

-that they had the same clammy feeling as snakes.

-

-"Why, yes, a couple whipped across the trail back there," Bristles

-admitted.

-

-"Not rattlers, I hope?" ejaculated Colon, coming to a sudden stop, as he

-turned an apprehensive look upon his companion.

-

-"No," Bristles told him, with a scornful inflection in his voice, for he

-did not share Colon's antipathy toward crawling reptiles, and could not

-understand how any fellow could be so foolish as to shiver at sight of a

-mere wriggling object.  "Fred says it's too early for rattlers to show

-out of their dens.  One was a fair-sized black snake, and the other might

-have been an adder; he was short and stumpy, and had a flat head."

-

-"Just as poisonous as anything that crawls," said Colon, with a shudder,

-and an involuntary hasty look around him.  As a rule, he was far from

-being nervous, and yet when a stick that had bent under Fred's weight

-suddenly sprang back into shape again, the tall runner gave a low cry of

-alarm, and even dropped the leg of the dog that he had been clinging to

-so sturdily all that distance.

-

-Not liking to be joked about his fears, Colon made out that a thorn had

-jabbed him in the leg, and bending down he started to rubbing vigorously

-at his ankle.  Bristles, apparently, was aware of the true state of

-affairs, for he grinned as he waited for the other to assist him once

-more.

-

-"These thorns do stick you right smart when they get a chance at a bare

-shin, for a fact, Colon," he went on to observe, grimly, "but so long as

-they don't draw blood, the damage's not apt to amount to much, I reckon.

-There's Fred disappeared from sight, and we'll have to hurry if we want

-to catch up with him before we strike that road, which I calculate can't

-be a great way off."

-

-It happened that they were passing over some rather rough country just

-then, with a number of dark-looking gullies intersecting their course.

-In places it was even necessary for them to drop down into these and then

-climb up on the opposite side.  This took time, but the boys fancied they

-must be close to the road they had been aiming to reach.

-

-"See anything of Fred, yet?" asked Bristles.  "You're such a tall fellow

-you c'n spy a heap farther than me."

-

-Colon looked, and then shook his head.

-

-"He's nowhere around, as far as I c'n see," he remarked, and dropping his

-share of the burden, Colon sprang back in alarm, as a voice seemed to

-come up out of the very earth at their feet, saying:

-

-"Keep back there, you fellows, or you'll be tumbling down on top of me!"

-

-"Hello! there, Fred, where under the sun are you?" demanded Bristles,

-looking around him in sheer amazement.

-

-"I've fallen into some sort of cave here, that's all!" came back in a

-muffled voice.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER VIII

-

-THE TELL-TALE PIN

-

-

-Colon and Bristles stood there, and looked at each other in dismay, upon

-hearing Fred say that he had met with such a strange misfortune.

-

-"Well, if that doesn't beat my time!" the latter exclaimed.  "And to

-think that while you and I talked back there, our chum was lying down in

-some old black hole.  What if he's broken his leg, or even sprained an

-ankle,---Riverport will miss a good man in this Marathon race, believe

-me!"

-

-"Let's see if we can find the hole where Fred slipped down," suggested

-Colon.

-

-"And be careful we don't go the same way, too," added Bristles, drily.

-

-At that they started to move carefully forward, closely examining every

-foot of the way as they went.  In a short time Colon uttered a cry.

-

-"Found it, have you?" demanded Bristles, with a disappointed grunt, for

-he had hoped to be the lucky one himself.

-

-"Look there where that root sticks up!" the other called out, pointing as

-he explained.  "Seems to me there might be a gap of some sort.  Let's

-creep a little closer and find out.  Yes, that's the hole, and no

-mistake, Bristles.  And Fred---he must have slipped down so fast he just

-couldn't grab hold of anything.  If he did, it gave way, and went down

-along with him."

-

-They accordingly crept forward, and began to stare down through the

-opening.

-

-"Why, what's this I see?" ejaculated Bristles.  "Somebody's got a light

-working down there, Colon!"

-

-"It's our chum, I reckon," the tall boy told him, after another look.

-

-"What, Fred?" persisted Bristles.  "But whatever would he be striking a

-match for, I want to know?"

-

-"To look around, I should say," Colon informed him, and the statement

-seemed so simple that it apparently convinced Bristles on the spot, for

-he hastened to remark:

-

-"Well, that sure would be just like Fred now, to think of finding out

-what sort of a coop he'd dropped into, the first thing.  Hello! down

-there!"

-

-"Hello! yourself, Bristles!" came back the cheery answer.

-

-"First of all, tell us if you got hurt any, Fred!" called Bristles, who

-could not get the notion out of his head that the other may have been

-seriously injured.

-

-"Why, no, nothing to mention," came the ready answer.  "A few more little

-scratches, it might be, but then they don't count.  Kind of knocked the

-breath out of my body at first, and took me a little while to recover,

-but no damage done, boys."

-

-"What are you doing with the light, Fred?"  Colon wanted to know.

-

-"I only wanted to see what sort of a place this is, that's all," Fred

-told him, as his match expired, and the darkness came again.

-

-"And did you find out?" continued Bristles, eagerly, possibly his mind

-beginning to wrestle with all sorts of strange ideas concerning hidden

-treasure vaults, and, mysterious hiding-places where counterfeiters

-carried on their illegal trade.

-

-"It seems to be only an ordinary cave, like others we've run across,"

-Fred told them.  "If you felt like coming down, I think it would be easy

-enough."

-

-"Not the way you tried it, Fred; you'll have to excuse me," laughed

-Bristles.  "But I think I can feel the rough rocks here, and seems as if

-a fellow as spry as Colon might manage to shuffle down.  Anyhow, I'm

-going to try it.  I've got a few matches of my own in my pocket, that we

-could use to look around with."

-

-"Take it slow, and no hurry, boys," warned Fred, at the same time moving

-out of the way, so that if a stone were dislodged in their passage, it

-would not come in contact with his head.

-

-For a couple of minutes there could be heard a scraping noise, as the two

-boys lowered themselves down into the opening.  Fred struck another

-match, which he held up in order to give them the benefit of the feeble

-illumination.  Assisted by this light, both of the newcomers managed to

-reach the side of their chum without encountering any serious difficulty.

-

-"Well, here we are, fellows, all down!" Bristles declared, with a sigh of

-relief.  "I only hope that when we try to climb up again, it won't be an

-all day job."

-

-"Much easier than coming in," Colon told him.  "It always is, when you're

-mounting a steep cliff; because then you can see just where you're going.

-When starting down you hardly know where to put each foot, and when you

-look to see, it makes you giddy to find how far below the bottom lies."

-

-"Did you see anything when you looked around, that made you want to take

-a second peep, Fred?" asked Bristles, still clinging to his suspicion.

-

-"I don't know," replied Fred.  "It's like this.  The match was going out

-when I thought I glimpsed something on the rocky floor that looked like

-the ashes of a dead fire!  And after that I thought I'd like to make sure

-before I left here,---just to satisfy my curiosity, you know, boys."

-

-"A fire, eh?" ventured Bristles.  "Well, since no wild animal was ever

-known to start such a thing, that tells us this same cave must have

-sheltered human beings some time or other."

-

-"Hoboes, most likely," observed Colon; "trust them for finding such a

-snug hiding-place, after they've gone and robbed some country postoffice,

-or a farmer's chicken coop."

-

-"I'll strike a light, then, and Fred, you show us where the ashes lie,"

-and with these words Bristles drew a match hastily along the seat of his

-trousers, causing it to burst into a bright flame.

-

-"Over this way, boys," Fred told them, as he stepped across the rocky

-floor of the cave that had been found in such a queer way.

-

-It was just as he had said, for there on the stones they could see the

-plain marks of a fire.  Colon knew a thing or two about woodcraft, and

-the very first indication of this was when he thrust his hand into the

-ashes.

-

-"As cold as they can be," he observed, immediately.

-

-"Which shows that the fire hasn't been burning lately at all," Bristles

-hastened to add, to prove that he understood what Colon meant to infer.

-

-"Whoever camped in here cooked a meal or two, that's plain," Fred

-remarked, as he pointed to some chicken bones that were strewn around.

-

-"Tramps, as sure as anything, and they've been raiding the hencoops

-around this region, too," Colon ventured to say.

-

-"And that poor old wild dog had to stand the blame for it all," said

-Bristles.  "It's nearly always that way; give a dog a bad name, and

-everybody condemns him.  For all we know, some of the sheep that have

-been killed might have been pulled down by an innocent looking shaggy dog

-belonging to the farmer himself, but it's so easy to saddle the blame on

-the wicked one.  What was that you picked up, Colon?"

-

-"As near as I can make out it looks like one of those tin biscuit boxes

-you see at the store," the tall boy replied, holding the object up.

-"It's got a rubber band around it.  Queer thing for tramps to buy.  Only

-imported biscuits are put up this way, Miss Fletcher told me, and she

-ought to know because she's English, and won't eat any other kind."

-

-"Let me see that tin, will you please, Colon?" asked Fred, suddenly.

-

-After he had looked sharply at it, inside and out, he nodded his head.

-

-"I thought it might be like that," Fred remarked, mysteriously.  This

-manner of talking caused his comrades to stare, and Colon cried out:

-

-"Now, whatever is there about that old tin to make you speak like that,

-Fred?  If you'd picked up a clue to some robbery, you couldn't look more

-pleased.

-

-"Perhaps we have," said Fred, meaningly.  "Take another look at this tin

-box, both of you.  Notice how the heavy rubber band has been fastened

-underneath, so it couldn't get lost.  You never heard of such a thing

-being done where there were just plain crackers in a tin, did you?  Of

-course not.  Well, don't you see that this would make a splendid

-receptacle for papers, or securities?  And just before your match went

-out, Bristles, I thought I could see a little scrap of paper sticking in

-a corner.  That would prove it had held such things."

-

-Bristles could be heard uttering a series of exclamations, as he started

-to get another match going.

-

-"If this doesn't take the cake!  Why, all of us ought to remember how old

-Mr. Periwinkle complained that someone had entered his house and hooked a

-sum of money, as well as some papers he kept in a tin box in his desk.

-Why, this must be the same tin box, fellows!  We ought to keep it, and

-show it to him."

-

-They examined the thing once more, while the match was burning.

-

-"Guess you're right, Bristles, and this is the box old Periwinkle kept

-his valuables in," Colon pursued,  "but mighty little comfort it's going

-to do him to set eyes on the same again.  Would you care to have the

-shells turned back to you, after somebody'd gone and gobbled up the fat

-kernel of the nut?"

-

-"It will settle the fact that the robber, whoever he could have been,

-must have stayed in this cave lately," said Fred, seriously.  "I don't

-think these ashes are very old, perhaps not more than a couple of days,

-at most.  So you see that tells us the thief must be around here still."

-

-"Watching out for a bigger haul, more'n likely!" Bristles declared,

-somewhat excitedly.  "I don't believe he got much at Periwinkle's place,

-because the old man is poor as Job's turkey; leastways he makes out to

-be, though some folks say he's a sort of miser.  But there are farmers

-that keep quite a sum of money around, and it might be this hobo is

-waiting to get a chance at a big haul."

-

-"How do we know but what he aims to clean out the Riverport bank some

-fine night; that sort of thing has been done lots of times in other

-places?" remarked Colon.

-

-"All of which makes our duty the plainer, boys," Fred told them, "which

-is to keep this tin box, and show it to Chief Sutton.  He'll know what to

-do about it, and if he says we ought to tell Mr. Periwinkle, why, we'll

-take a turn up there to-night.  I heard that he'd offered a small reward

-for the return of the papers, and no questions asked; which was a bid to

-the thief to send the same back, and get paid for doing it."

-

-"And to think of you falling down into this cave the way you did, Fred,"

-Colon continued.  "Do you reckon that hole up there might be the only way

-in and out?"

-

-"Well, as far as I could see around, it's only a small affair, so I

-wouldn't be surprised if that turned out to be the case," was the reply

-Fred made.

-

-Bristles apparently had brought a bountiful supply of matches along, and

-did not mean to spare them, if by striking successive lights he could

-satisfy his curiosity.

-

-The others saw him bend forward, and act as though he had picked some

-small object from the rocky floor of the cave.

-

-"What did you find, Bristles?" demanded Fred.

-

-"Share and share alike," called out Colon.  "If you've discovered a

-diamond, why we all ought to have a part of what you get for the same.

-What's that, Bristles?  Well, I declare, if it isn't a sort of breastpin,

-as sure as you live!  But such a cheap affair isn't worth ten cents.  If

-that's the stuff this robber has got his pockets lined with, it won't pay

-the Chief much to chase him down.  Only a flimsy little old plated

-breastpin, with a red stone in it.  Huh!"

-

-But the face that Bristles turned on Fred Fenton expressed a vast amount

-of uneasiness, surprise and concern.

-

-"Gee!  I wonder now, if that could be?" he was muttering, so that even

-Fred began to see that Bristles had struck some sort of clue calculated

-to stagger him more or less.

-

-"What ails you, Bristles?"  Fred asked him, pointedly, as the match went

-out.

-

-"Why, Fred, as sure as my name is Andy Carpenter, which I sometimes hear

-it is, I've seen this same silly little pin before!"

-

-"Where?" demanded Fred, almost holding his breath as though he

-anticipated the answer that was coming.

-

-"That little girl had it on the day we pulled her brother, Sam Ludson,

-out of the river," was the startling reply.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER IX

-

-AT THE TOLL-GATE

-

-

-"Are you sure of that, Bristles?" asked Fred, upon hearing his chum make

-such an astonishing assertion with regard to that tawdry breastpin picked

-up in the cave.

-

-"Fred, you c'n see for yourself that while this is a mighty cheap old

-thing, it's made in a queer shape," Bristles went on to say.

-

-"All of which is true, I admit," the other confessed.

-

-"Well, you know I've always been a great hand for noticing things," said

-Bristles.

-

-"Sure you have," interrupted Colon, who was listening intently, although

-it was all "Greek" to him; "and  'specially when they happen to be

-connected with a pretty girl."

-

-Bristles grinned as he turned on the tall chum.

-

-"Oh! rats!" he exclaimed, "you're off your base this time, Colon, because

-she was a homely little thing, and with clothes on that I'd hate to see a

-sister of mine wearing.  But I say again, and I'll keep on saying

-it---Sadie, if that was her name, was wearing this same brooch the day we

-pulled her brother Sam out of the river, when he'd broke into an

-airhole."

-

-"You understand what that might mean, don't you, Bristles?" pursued Fred.

-

-"Why, I reckon now you're trying to make me see that the boy'n girl might

-have had something to do with the stealing of Mr. Periwinkle's money and

-papers," was the way Bristles answered him.

-

-"If the girl was here, the boy must have been, too," said Fred.

-

-"But gee whiz!  Fred, that youngster didn't look as if he had half enough

-nerve to do a thing like that," urged Bristles, scornfully.

-

-"Oh! he had nerve enough, never fear," Fred went on to remark, "for you

-may remember he never gave a single peep himself, and it was the girl who

-did the shouting for help."

-

-"Might have been scared too much," suggested Colon, wanting to have some

-say in the matter.

-

-"No, I don't think he was," replied Fred, "because the girl told us he

-kept urging and demanding that she hold back and not try to help him,

-because his one fear seemed to be she would fall in too.  But there's one

-thing we haven't seemed to figure on before, Bristles."

-

-"Say, I just bet you're going to spring that uncle on ne," remarked the

-other, with surprising quickness.

-

-"Why not," demanded Fred, "when we have learned that Corny Ludson has

-charge of the boy and girl, and must have been here in this cave with

-them.  There was a man here, because I've found signs of his smoking

-several cheap cigars, throwing the stubs around afterwards."

-

-"What's that?" cried Colon, just then; "say that name again for me, won't

-you?"

-

-"Why, Corny Ludson, a man who seems to be uncle or guardian or something

-to the boy we pulled out of the Mohunk, the last time we ran my iceboat

-up river," Bristles informed him.

-

-Colon looked happy.  No longer was he to remain "sitting on the fence,"

-without feeling he had any particular interest in the game.

-Circumstances had managed it so that he could now enter the free-for-all

-race, and take his place in line.

-

-"Now that's a rather odd name, you'll admit, boys," he started to say in

-his slow, shrewd fashion, "and it's not likely that there'd be two Corny

-Ludsons around this section of country; likewise having a couple of

-half-grown kids along in the bargain."

-

-"Go on, Colon; it begins to look like you knew something we want to hear

-the worst way," Bristles urged.

-

-"Here's the way it stands, then, fellows," the obliging Colon continued.

-"At first I didn't just catch the last name when you spoke about Sam and

-Sadie.  That is why I didn't break in sooner.  But Ludson gives it away.

-He's the same man Mr. Peets the butcher was talking about one day some

-little time ago."

-

-"Yes, but tell us what he said, can't you?" urged Bristles.

-

-"You see, I was in there waiting to be served, and the butcher was

-talking with Judge Wallace.  I don't know how it came about they got to

-arguing, but seemed that Mr. Peets wanted to back up something he said,

-and so he started in to tell about a man that had just left the shop,

-having two children along, after buying the cheapest kind of a cut.  Said

-his name was Corny Ludson, and that once he used to be a rich man over in

-New Brunswick, but he'd lost all he had, and now depended on his wits for

-a mighty poor living."

-

-"That all sounds pretty, interesting, Colon; but if there's any more,

-suppose you get along and give us the same," Bristles told him.

-

-"I remember I heard Mr. Peets say he didn't like the looks of the man,"

-continued the one who was giving the story; "and then he went on to

-explain that he considered himself a good reader of character, which

-allowed him to size the said Ludson up as a trickster who wouldn't stop

-at taking things belonging to other people, if he believed he could do it

-without getting caught!"

-

-"Bully!" exclaimed Bristles; "that covers the bill to a dot, doesn't it

-Fred?  Sure Corny must have believed he saw a good chance to grab this

-tin box belonging to Mr. Periwinkle, and not get the hooks in him.  He

-did it, too, and has been living on the proceeds of the robbery ever

-since."

-

-"There must be something mysterious about the man, then," remarked Fred.

-"And it might pay for someone to get in touch with the people over in New

-Brunswick, so as to find out whether he did live there once, a rich man,

-and why he cleared out."

-

-"That's right, Fred," observed Bristles.  "When people fight shy of their

-native place, it pays to learn the reason.  Course sometimes they have a

-good cause for keeping away, but lots of 'em do so because they dassen't

-go back.  But I'm meaning to keep this queer little pin."

-

-"And if you happen to run across Sadie Ludson again, you'll give it back

-to her, won't you?"  Fred asked him.

-

-"Just what I had in mind, to a dot," admitted Bristles.  "I might tell

-her where I picked it up, too, and see what she'd say."

-

-"Well, even if you did get her to admit that she'd been here, that

-wouldn't prove anything, would it?" queried Colon.

-

-"We'd know Corny had been camping in this cave," said Bristles, sturdily,

-"and from the fact that we picked up this same tin box, _empty_, it'd

-look pretty much as if he ought to know something about it.  They'd call

-that circumstantial evidence."

-

-"And if the boy and girl had to be questioned by Judge Wallace they might

-he coaxed to confess that they'd seen their uncle handling this tin box,"

-added Fred.  "That would fix the blame without any question."

-

-"Something may come of our find," Colon went on to say, now feeling that

-he had a perfect right to count himself in the game, "and on that account

-I reckon you'd be doing the right thing to keep both the pin and the box,

-boys."

-

-"And all we ask of you, Colon," Bristles suggested, "is that you stick

-mum.  Let Fred run the thing.  If he wants any help, he'll tell us, so we

-c'n assist."

-

-"Oh!  I'll be a clam," asserted the tall runner with a chuckle, "and once

-I give my word, nobody ever knew me to break it.  But say, doesn't it

-feel kind of chilly down here?   Remember we haven't any too much on in

-the way of clothes, and for one I was a little heated after my run to

-catch up with you fellows."

-

-"That's where your head is level, Colon," Fred told him, "and so we might

-as well climb out of this.  I'm happy to know I didn't even sprain an

-ankle when I dropped down through that hole."

-

-They found no great difficulty in gaining the outside world again, for

-the stones offered a substantial footing.  So it came about that

-presently the three chums were once more moving along at a fair pace,

-being desirous of throwing off that chilly feeling.

-

-It turned out that Fred's calculations were correct "to a hair," as

-Bristles triumphantly declared, when they burst upon the road just fifty

-yards above the Belleville toll-gate.

-

-"That's figuring some for you!" he exclaimed, as soon as they had sighted

-the inclined pole that signified the presence of the barrier where every

-vehicle had to halt and pay the regular tariff, according to the number

-of wheels, or of the horses it took to draw the load.

-

-They had hung on to the defunct dog in spite of all their hurrying, for

-that plan to let the farmers of the community know they were rid of their

-greatest pest still clung to the boys' minds.

-

-Bristles was looking ahead as they advanced along the road, and about

-this time was heard to give vent to an exclamation.

-

-"Would you believe it?" he cried.  "If there isn't the wagon at the

-toll-gate belonging to that old farmer I heard telling about the dogs

-that'd played havoc with his sheep!  And I reckon now, he'll be right

-glad to see the leader of the pack laid out as we've got him!"

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER X

-

-BRISTLES' SURPRISE PARTY

-

-

-"That's a queer coincidence, if you'd care to call it by that name,"

-remarked Colon, who liked once in a while to make use of some long word.

-

-"It simply shows that we had long heads when we made up our minds to lug

-this old tramp dog all the way here, just to prove our story," Fred

-observed.

-

-"That was your scheme, Fred, all right," Bristles quickly asserted.

-

-"No more than the rest of you," he was instantly told, for Fred never

-liked to be given sole credit for anything unusual, when he had chums

-along.  "All the same, I guess the old farmer will be tickled half to

-death to know the sheep-killing pack has been broken up for good."

-

-"You think our knocking the leader out is going to do that, do you,

-Fred?" asked Colon.

-

-"In nine cases out of ten that's the way things go.  There's a keystone

-to every arch, and when you remove that, the whole thing tumbles down."

-

-"My idea to a dot," asserted Bristles, doggedly.  "Chances are the rest

-of those curs have started on the run for their old homes before this;

-and unless another leader springs up, which isn't likely, we've seen the

-last of the sheep-killers.  But hold on, fellows, perhaps we can have a

-little fun with the old farmer."

-

-"How?" asked Colon, not at all unwilling.

-

-"He doesn't seem to be about his wagon just now, you notice?" ventured

-Bristles.

-

-"Knows the toll-gate keeper right well," explained Colon, "because he's

-been coming past here, year in and year out, a long time now.  Like as

-not he's stepped in to sit and talk, or else sample something wet.  But I

-hope now, Bristles, you don't mean to start the team off on the run, or

-something like that, just to see an old man rush after 'em?"

-

-"What d'ye take me for?" demanded the other, indignantly.  "I leave all

-such mean tricks to Buck Lemington, Clem Shooks, Ben Cushing and that

-crowd.  Here's where we might play an innocent little joke on the farmer,

-and he'll laugh as hard as we do when he catches on.  It's the

-dog---let's sneak up back of the wagon, and lift the thing in.  Then you

-leave the rest to me."

-

-Colon waited to hear what Fred said.  He was accustomed to depending to

-some extent on the opinion of this chum, to whom the boys usually looked

-as their leader.

-

-"I should think that was fair enough, Bristles," Fred quickly announced.

-"We're intending to give the farmer a pleasant little surprise party,

-that's all.  Have it your way, then.  Here, let's move around a little,

-so they won't sight us from the open door of the toll-gate house."

-

-It was a very simple matter to do this, and presently they had deposited

-the already stiffening body of the sheep-destroying dog in the bed of the

-wagon, where it certainly presented a very gruesome appearance, with its

-four feet sticking up in the air.

-

-This done, the boys walked around, and onto the little porch that was

-spread out before the door of the cottage.

-

-Voices reached their ears, and it was evident that their presence had

-been discovered, for two men immediately came out.  Bristles noticed that

-the old farmer was even then brushing the back of his hand across his

-lips, thus indicating that he had been sampling a glass of hard cider, a

-specialty of the toll-gate keeper.

-

-"Hello!  Mr. Jenks!" remarked Bristles, who, it seemed, knew the keeper.

-"We're up here to look over the ground for the big Marathon race that's

-coming off before long."

-

-The farmer had started toward his team, but hearing this, he stopped to

-listen.

-

-"I reckoned as much as soon as I see you boys in your running togs," the

-tollgate keeper went on to say, affably enough, "because there was a gent

-up here only yesterday that said he represented the committee, and that

-they expected to have what they called a registering station here at the

-toll-gate, though I don't just know what that really means."

-

-"Why, you see, in a long gruelling run of twenty-five miles," explained

-Bristles, "it's necessary to have certain places a few miles apart, and

-especially at turns in the course, where every contestant enters his name

-in his own handwriting, as well as the time he passed there."

-

-"You don't tell me!" exclaimed Mr. Jenks.  "But what's all that

-tomfoolery for?  Strikes me they go to a heap of trouble for next to

-nothing."

-

-"Why, you see," continued Bristles, "these races have to be above

-suspicion.  The committee doesn't want anybody to be able to say there

-was any crooked work about the run.  The fellow who wins must have beaten

-every competitor fairly.  And by this system of registering they have a

-complete record of the race.  No one can cut across lots and cheat,

-without its showing in the record."

-

-"Oh! now I understand you, my lad, and I guess it's a good thing.  That

-gent was a fine one, and he said I had the best---but never mind what he

-said.  How far have you come this time, boys?"

-

-"This is over half the distance," explained Fred, "and we're on the home

-stretch right now.  But we're not trying for a record to-day.  Fact is,

-we're just feeling out the ground.  The next time we come we'll stop only

-a minute, as if we were registering, and be off, for that's when we'll be

-trying it out to see what our time is."

-

-"Oh! excuse me," said Bristles, as he saw the old farmer once more turn

-toward his rig, as though he felt he must be going on, "but didn't I hear

-you telling someone in the market the other day that you'd lost a number

-of sheep lately?"

-

-The old man frowned, and shook his head sadly.

-

-"Three of my best, and I reckons that if things keep on the way they're

-goin', I won't have any flock left purty soon, boy," he replied.

-

-"And you said the damage had all been done by a pack of wild dogs, didn't

-you?" continued Bristles.

-

-"Anybody with one eye could see that, by the way the sheep was mangled,

-and the pad of the prints around.  They're gettin' to be a terror up

-here.  Jenks kin tell you how he's heard the lot carrying on like Cain

-over in the woods there nights."

-

-"Did you ever see the pack, mister?" asked Bristles.

-

-"Well, I can't say as I really and truly has, son, but I do believe I

-knows what the wust of the lot looks like," the farmer told him.

-

-"How was that, sir?" asked the boy, eagerly.  He saw the old man shrug

-his broad shoulders, while a whimsical look appeared on his sunburned

-face.

-

-"Jest because I set on a limb, and looked down at the critter three whole

-hours, till he got so pizen hungry he slunk off, and let me get home.  He

-come nigh ketchin' me afore I cud git up in a tree; and from the looks of

-them ugly fangs, chances are he'd a-tore me right bad."

-

-"Then I should think you'd know that dog again if ever you saw him?"

-suggested Bristles, with a wink toward his chums.

-

-"I hopes I'll never have the bad luck to see him alive again!" declared

-the old farmer, as he started to climb up to the seat of his wagon.

-

-"Now watch the circus!" hissed Bristles.

-

-The farmer had just about drawn himself up when they heard him give

-utterance to a startled exclamation, for he found himself facing the

-uninvited passenger in the back of his open wagon bed.  Had Bristles been

-more inclined to be cruel, he might have fixed the dog so that he would

-appear lifelike, and in the attitude of springing.

-

-The farmer remained there as though turned into stone.  Then he managed

-to recover his wits, and burst out into a shout.

-

-"It's the same pizen critter!" he exclaimed joyously, "and keeled over at

-last!  But I'd like to know---say, you don't meant to tell me now, boys,

-'twas you that done for that turrible beast?"

-

-"Well," said Bristles, trying hard not to look too important, "they

-tackled us in the woods, and it was either us or him, so we managed to

-pound the leader until he kicked the bucket, and the rest of the pack lit

-out.  I guess that combine's broken up for good, mister.  You won't lose

-any more of your sheep, believe me."

-

-The old man got down, and insisted upon shaking hands all around, he felt

-so delighted over the new turn affairs had taken.

-

-"And the next time I go to Riverport, I'll tell what a fine thing you

-boys did up here," he remarked, as the three runners prepared to start

-down the road, heading for the home town.

-

-On the way it was finally decided that they would go to the office of the

-Chief of Police and tell him about finding the empty tin box, but not say

-a thing in connection with that pin.  Afterwards, Fred said, they might

-see Mr. Periwinkle, So as to learn whether the tin box was really his

-property.

-

-They felt uncertain as to just what their duty might be in a case like

-this, for while it seemed only right that the guilty one should suffer,

-at the same time both Fred and Bristles remembered what sorrowful faces

-that brother and sister had, and they could not find it in their hearts

-to do anything likely to add to the burdens the children already had to

-bear.

-

-So the case rested as the days passed.  Though unknown to the boys, a

-time was coming, and near at hand, when the mystery of the tin box was

-bound to be explained.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XI

-

-ON THE GREEN CAMPUS

-

-

-A group of merry boys and girls, after school hours, had gathered on the

-campus, and were chatting at a lively rate.  This was a week after Fred

-and his two companions had gone over the course that previous Saturday,

-to judge of the difficulties they were likely to encounter when the great

-race came off.

-

-Preparations had gone steadily on, and the time that must elapse before

-the Marathon was run could be measured in days.  The greatest excitement

-reigned among the young people of Riverport, and it was said that both

-the neighboring towns were worked up to fever-heat on account of the

-prospective race.

-

-Mechanicsburg welcomed another chance to even the score, which had too

-often been in favor of her closest rival, and even Paulding boasted that

-long distance running might be called her "best hold," since she had

-several lads who were apt to prove wonders at that game.

-

-On the whole, such intense interest had never before been aroused in

-school circles in the three rival towns.  Hundreds could hardly wait for

-the day to come when, in the presence of unequaled crowds, the question

-of supremacy would be decided once for all.

-

-There was Flo Temple, a very pretty, attractive girl, whom Fred always

-took to dances, and skated with on the river; her chum Cissie Anderson, a

-little addicted to slang, though witty, and "fetching," as Sid Wells was

-heard to admit many a time, even when she had rubbed it into him pretty

-hard; and last, but not least, that energetic sister of Sid's, Mame

-Wells, a girl who could play almost any game that boys did, and fairly

-well at that.

-

-The girls seemed to be having no end of fun about something or other, and

-the crowd laughed at their sallies.  Even the victims themselves, took it

-goodnaturedly, knowing that it was all in good sport.

-

-"The chosen few who are going to do the honors for Riverport in this

-wonderful race!" Cissie was saying, with a look of pretended concern on

-her pink and white face.  "Don't we pity them, though, girls?  They say

-they're at the training table now, and have to give up pies, and all

-sorts of other good things.  Look at their faces, and see what a

-woebegone expression has settled there.  Every time I glimpse at Sid and

-Fred, I have to think of a funeral, or a famine."

-

-"Yes, it must be a dreadful thing to have to actually starve yourself,

-and all for the sake of getting in what they call condition," Mame Wells

-remarked.  "Why, for the first time in all his life, Sid has to get up

-from the table before the dessert comes on.  He says he just couldn't

-stand for it to stay, and see us all enjoying ourselves while he's shut

-out.  Poor boy, I wish it was over for his sake."

-

-"Why, they'll all be like walking skeletons if this keeps on much

-longer," Flo Temple, the doctor's daughter, broke in with.  "I even told

-Fred he'd have to walk with a heavy cane, like an old man, before long,

-and I offered him one of father's, but he must have felt ashamed to take

-it, though I just know he wanted to."

-

-"Oh! well," observed Corney Shay, slyly, "a heavy stick like that is a

-mighty nice thing to have along with you, when you're coming home awful

-late at night," and of course that caused a great laugh, as well as the

-blushes to flash up in the cheeks of pretty Flo.

-

-"But don't any of you try to pity us, and think we're suffering for want

-of a decent meal," Fred told them.  "Training table simply means that

-you've got to drop pastry, and all such silly things as that.  We eat

-beefsteak and chops and eggs just as much as we want to, most vegetables,

-fish and fruits, and even plain cake.  Why, it's the finest thing a boy

-can do, to try training for a month, and every fellow would be better off

-for doing it."

-

-"Then the daily runs we take, and the other exercise in the bargain,"

-added Sid, "is making our flesh as hard as nails.  Just feel that muscle,

-will you?" and he flexed his arm as he held it out toward the gray-eyed

-Cissie, who of course, after duly feeling of it, gave Sid a sly pinch

-that made him jump.

-

-Everybody knew that Fred and Flo were good chums, and were nearly always

-together.  It was that very fact that had made Buck Lemington dislike

-Fred so much in the beginning.  Buck had aspirations in that quarter

-himself, and there had been a time, before the other boy came to town,

-that he acted as escort to the doctor's pretty daughter, when they were

-all much younger than now.

-

-"I hear that the course has all been laid out at last," remarked a small

-but lively high school boy, a cousin of Colon.  He really had a first

-name, though most people seemed to have forgotten to say "Harrison," for

-everywhere he went by the appellation of Semi-Colon, as compared with the

-lengthy one.

-

-"We were told the same thing," Flo ventured to say, "but twenty-five

-miles seems a terribly long way to run.  My father is to examine every

-applicant, because they say it would be dangerous for any boy not in the

-best of condition to start out, and undergo the strain that a long race

-causes.  So if any of you has a weak heart I'm sorry for you."

-

-"Don't waste your pity on Fred, then, Flo," said Cissie, "because you

-ought to know his heart's all right.  Besides, we've seen him put to the

-test, and feel sure he'll do good old Riverport High credit.  So will

-they all.  There isn't a girl in town but firmly believes the race is

-bound to come to our school," and she gave Sid an arch look that caused

-him to nod his head in delight.

-

-"One thing sure," said Fred, gallantly, "every fellow is bound to make

-the greatest effort of his life, after learning how the Riverport girls

-have faith in him.  I can speak for myself and Sid here, as well as

-Bradley Morton and Colon, who are absent.  If we all fail to land the

-prize, it'll be because there are better long distance runners in the

-other towns, and not on account of our flunking."

-

-"They say that to-morrow the four who have been selected to be Riverport

-entries expect to make the run from start to finish, just to get

-acquainted with the course, and time themselves; is that so, Fred?" asked

-Mame, who undoubtedly sincerely mourned the fact, as she had often done

-before, that she was a girl, and hence debarred from all these glorious

-times.

-

-"Yes, we expect to do something like that, if the weather allows," Fred

-admitted, "but of course time isn't going to cut much of a figure in it

-with us.  We'll leave all that to the big day, and content ourselves by

-getting familiar with the lay of the land, finding out all the bad

-places, and figuring how best to save a minute here or half of one there.

-That's what is going to count in the final reckoning, the chances are."

-

-"Yes, and it stands for the Fred Fenton type of highest strategy," said

-Sid, who could praise a friend without feeling the slightest touch of

-envy.  "Being prepared means a heap, in war or in sporting matters.

-That's one reason we're dieting right now, so as to put ourselves in the

-finest possible physical condition."

-

-"And lots of people just think when there's a Marathon race like this,"

-ventured little Semi-Colon, "that a pack of crazy boys just strip to

-their running togs and start pell mell across country without a particle

-of system whatever.  It's all wrong, because every move is mapped out

-beforehand by the wise ones.  They know just what they can do in the way

-of speed, and how much reserve they're holding back against the rush over

-the home stretch.  That last is where the agony always comes in,

-'specially if the race is a close one.  Many a fellow's been known to

-just crawl under the tape, too weak to stand up, yet wild to win."

-

-"Well, let's hope nothing like that happens in our Marathon," said Mame,

-with a solicitous look toward her handsome brother, of whom she was very

-fond.

-

-"Oh! well," Sid hastened to explain, to allay her fears, "this is only a

-boys' run, you know; when regular athletes compete they set a faster pace

-than any of us can show; and then the distance is generally much further

-than twenty-five miles."

-

-"Here comes Colon now," remarked Cissie, who often tormented the tall

-athlete with her witty remarks.

-

-"He looks more mysterious than ever," remarked Mame Wells, "and I

-shouldn't be surprised now if Colon were hatching up some bright game for

-that glorious day of the long race.  Not that he'd play any trick that

-wasn't honest, but you all know how he likes to pretend to be beaten

-until close to the end, and then fairly fly ahead of every competitor."

-

-"Colon is going to make Riverport proud of him, you mark my words," said

-Fred, lowering his voice, for the object of their conversation was now

-close by, and covering ground at a tremendous pace with those long legs

-of his, which some of the boys had often compared to a pair of

-architect's dividers.

-

-"Hello, everybody!" Colon called out, as he came up.  Then, crooking his

-finger toward Fred, he went on to say, "Would you mind stepping aside,

-Fred, and giving me just a minute or two?  Something important, or I

-wouldn't bother you."

-

-Of course the group of boys and girls laughed, and called them a pair of

-conspirators, planning some sly game whereby victory might perch on the

-purple and gold banner of Riverport High.

-

-"What's up, Colon?" asked Fred, as soon as they were beyond earshot of

-the noisy crowd, for he saw that the tall fellow looked quite serious

-indeed.

-

-"Remember what we said about that Corny Ludson, don't you, Fred?"

-

-"Why, yes, we concluded to let matters rest, and wait to see if anything

-new would turn up," replied the other, "but why do you say that, Colon?"

-

-"Oh! because Corny's shown up in Riverport again, and it might mean he's

-got another sly robbery in view," Colon calmly remarked.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XII

-

-LAYING PLANS

-

-

-"Did you see him yourself, Colon, or did some one tell you?"  Fred

-inquired calmly, although he rubbed his forehead, as though bothered a

-little by this latest news.

-

-"Well, you know strangers don't come to town in droves these days, and so

-when I happened to set eyes on a party I didn't recognize, who had just

-been talking with Hi Jimmerson, the livery stable man, I asked him who it

-was.  Don't know just why that bumped into my head, but I had an errand

-with Hi, anyhow, you understand."

-

-"And he told you it was Corny Ludson, did he?" asked Fred.

-

-"Yes, that's what he did," came the ready reply.  "It seems he used to

-know the man over in New Brunswick years ago.  If you and Bristles had

-run across Hi when you were trying to find out something about Corny,

-you'd have struck a gold mine.  He told me a lot of queer things about

-him, and none of 'em that were to his credit, either."

-

-"What did Corny want with the livery man?" asked Fred.

-

-"Oh! tried to strike him for a little loan on account of old times," the

-other replied.  "Said he'd been up against it harder than flint, and had

-a couple of kids to feed, left to him by his brother.  Hi is an easy

-mark, you know, with a great big heart, and he staked Corny to the extent

-of a dollar, though he did tell him money was scarce, and that would be

-the limit."

-

-Fred seemed to be pondering, for he was somewhat slow about speaking

-again.

-

-"Well, it may be we've been wronging Corny by making up our minds he

-stole that stuff from old Mr. Periwinkle," he finally went on to say,

-"though the miser did tell us he would recognize the tin box among a

-thousand.  I hardly know what we ought to do about this thing."

-

-"If you told the Chief all you know, what d'ye reckon he'd do?" inquired

-Colon.

-

-"He's such a peppery and ready-to-act little chap," answered Fred, "that

-I'm of the opinion he'd round Corny up in a rush.  That might turn out to

-be the right thing.  And again there's a chance it'd play him a mean

-trick.  What if he were innocent after all?  We'd feel that we'd done him

-a great wrong."

-

-This thought worked upon Colon's mind at once, for he had a very tender

-heart.

-

-"Yes," he added, reflectively.  "And then, how about that boy and girl?

-Like as not they're in some place out of town, right now, depending on

-their uncle to fetch home the bacon.  They'd have to go hungry a long

-time if Corny were locked up in the cooler.  I'd hate to think of that

-same happening, from what you and Bristles told me about the poor kids."

-

-"That leaves us up in the air, you see," pursued Fred.  "We don't know

-what our duty is---to tell the Chief, or wait to see what happens."

-

-"Now, by that I reckon you mean wait and see if anything is pulled off

-again in town, or around here?" suggested Colon; "that is, in the way of

-a robbery like old Mr. Periwinkle's loss of his money and papers.  Whew!

-I must say it's getting interesting all of a sudden."

-

-"I was wondering," Fred ventured, "if Corny, provided he did rob the old

-miser, and has spent the small sum of money that was taken, could have

-heard that Mr. Periwinkle has said he'd pay a certain sum, and no

-questions asked, for the safe return of his papers!"

-

-At that Colon puckered up his thin lips, and emitted a soft whistle, as

-if to thus display his surprise.

-

-"Queer I never thought of that idea, Fred," he said, nodding his head in

-a way to indicate that on the whole he was inclined to agree with what

-his companion had advanced.

-

-"It's always possible, you know," he was told.  "If only the papers could

-be returned without Corny showing his face!  Now, he may have some sort

-of a plan like that to play, which would account for his coming to town

-again.  I wonder if it'd be the right thing for me to see Mr. Periwinkle,

-and kind of put him on his guard?"

-

-"Could you do it without telling him all about Corny?" demanded Colon.

-

-"That's the question," admitted Fred.  "That's where the hitch seems to

-come in the scheme.  The old miser is apt to jump at conclusions, if he

-sees a chance to get his papers back, and bag the thief at the same time.

-Once he suspects that I know who was in that cave where the empty tin

-cracker box was found, he'll insist on sending for Chief Sutton, and

-laying some sort of clever trap."

-

-"Well, if Corny is really guilty, he ought to suffer for it; and I

-wouldn't care a single pin only for that boy and girl.  If we knew where

-they were kept right now, so we could bring 'em into town, and get folks

-interested in putting both in good families, I'd say go ahead and have

-Corny caught."

-

-"I wonder what Bristles would say about it," mused Fred.

-

-"Huh!  I c'n tell you that," grunted the tall boy, immediately.

-

-"Then suppose you do, Colon."

-

-"Bristles," continued the other, confidently, "would hunch his shoulders

-this way, as he nearly always does, and then he'd say: whatever you think

-is the right caper, Fred, count me in.  I'm ready to sneeze every time

-you take snuff!' That's the way Bristles would talk, mark my words."

-

-Fred laughed.  He could not help feeling flattered at such an evidence of

-confidence on the part of these two chums; yet he feigned to disagree

-with Colon.

-

-"I don't know about that, Colon, Bristles has a mind of his own, and

-sometimes it takes a lot of argument to convince him.  You've got to

-batter down his walls, and knock all the props out from under him before

-he'll throw up the white flag.  If I get half a chance to run across lots

-to-night, I'll try to see him.  He ought to be put wise to what's going

-on.

-

-"That's only fair, Fred, because he was there when we struck that cave.

-And if I remember aright, Bristles was the first to discover about Corny

-having been the one who used that cooking fire."

-

-"Don't pass the word around, Colon, mind," cautioned Fred.

-

-"You didn't need to say that, my boy," remarked the other, with a vein of

-reproach in his voice, "because you ought to know I'm not one of the

-blabbing kind.  I c'n keep a secret better'n anybody in our class.  They

-might pump me forever and never learn a thing."

-

-"When was it you saw Corny?"  Fred asked, as though desirous of obtaining

-the fullest information possible.

-

-"Why, just a little while ago," Colon confided.  "Fact is, my first

-thought was to look you up, and tell you.  I went to your house first,

-because your hours are a heap shorter than the regular scholars, at

-school, and they said you'd gone off an hour before.  And then, well, I

-kind of guessed Flo Temple would be starting for home about this time,

-and it might be you'd happen along to carry her hooks, as you always used

-to.  And I was right," with a sly glance at the little packet Fred had at

-that very moment under his left arm.

-

-"Oh that's all right, Colon," he remarked, laughingly; "just from force

-of habit, you know.  Flo kind of expects me to drop around, and seems

-sort of disappointed when anything keeps me away.  That's the way we

-spoil our girl friends, you see.  But let's speak of serious things.  I

-don't see that we're called on to inform about Corny, with only

-circumstantial evidence against him.  If there did happen to be another

-robbery while we knew he was close by, of course then it would be another

-thing.  We just couldn't keep quiet any longer."

-

-"That's what you've decided on, then, is it, Fred?"

-

-"Yes, to hold off, and wait," he was told in a decisive way.

-

-"All right then, and I want to say that I think you're playing safe in

-the game.  You're holding off on account of that pair of poor kids, I

-know you are.  Corny c'n thank them for being let alone.  And Fred, seems

-to me you're going on the policy of the old saying that tells you to give

-a rascal rope enough, and he'll hang himself."

-

-"If anything happens, I promise to go straight to Chief Sutton and put

-him in possession of all the facts I know," affirmed Fred.  "And in case

-I'm not able to get over to Bristles' place to-night, I'll call him up on

-the wire, and tell him how the case stands."

-

-"You'll have to be careful what you say, then," remarked Colon, with a

-grin; "if you happen to have any curious old maid on your party wire, as

-we have."

-

-"Well, it saves the cost of the weekly paper, you know," laughed Fred.

-"But you can make sure, Colon, if I do talk with Bristles over the wire,

-I'll fix things so no one could tell what it was all about, and yet he'll

-understand what I mean."

-

-"Say I wanted to tell you, Fred, about that same Corny," Colon observed,

-taking hold of his chum's sleeve, as he thought he detected an uneasiness

-about Fred's actions.  Flo was looking their way, and frowning, as though

-she considered that this mysterious consultation had gone on about long

-enough, even if it did concern important plans for the coming Marathon

-run.

-

-"I'd be glad to hear it then, Colon," the tall boy was told.

-

-"I didn't like his looks a little bit," Colon continued, seriously.

-

-"By that style of talk I should imagine you thought he'd just as soon

-steal from a miser as eat a square meal; is that what you mean?"  Fred

-demanded.

-

-"He looks mean as dirt," the other went on to say.  "There's a slick way

-he's got of rubbing his hands together when he's talking, and looking up

-from the tail of his eye, to see how you're taking his patter.  Now, I'm

-only a boy, and I don't make out to be able to read character any great

-shakes, but, Fred, I'd be willing to eat my hat if that Corny isn't a bad

-egg every time."

-

-"Everybody seems to think the same way there," he was told, "and I've yet

-to hear the first word in his favor.  We'll consider that settled, then,

-Colon.  And if you get wind of anything being pulled off around Riverport

-to-night, or later on, don't let the grass grow under your feet about

-giving me a tip."

-

-"You just bet I won't, Fred.  But I hope there'll be some way of finding

-out about that pair of kids.  Somehow I seem to have cottoned to 'em just

-from what you'nd our other chum told me, and without ever havin' set eyes

-on either the boy or the girl that I know about.  I'm meaning to sound my

-ma about how it could be fixed, so they'd have decent homes, in case

-anything happened."

-

-"That sentiment does you credit, Colon, and I promise that when the time

-comes, if it ever does, I'll back you up to the limit."

-

-"Shake hands on that, Fred!" exclaimed impulsive Colon, and then and

-there they exchanged a grip that cemented the bargain.

-

-"I certainly do hope that finishes the wonderful consultation!" called

-out a clear girlish voice, and Flo Temple came toward them, with a little

-pout on her pretty red lips.   "We've grown tired of standing here, and

-waiting, while you laid out your great plan of campaign.  I should think

-there was plenty of time for all that between now and the day of the

-Marathon race.  And Fred, you forget you promised to walk out in the

-woods with me, and see if the first wild flowers hadn't popped up.  This

-is the only chance I've had so far this week, and it'll be late before we

-get fairly started."

-

-Of course Fred declared that nothing stood in the way of their immediate

-departure, and as Sid and Cissie had agreed to go along, it may be

-assumed they had a merry time of it.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XIII

-

-THE MUFFLED VOICE

-

-

-"Fred, someone wants you on the 'phone!"

-

-"All right, Sis, tell him I'll be right down, and to hold the wire!"

-

-At the time his younger sister, Josie, called him.  Fred was sitting in

-his own room at home.  It was around eight o'clock, and he had just been

-studying, so as to get such matters off his mind until Monday swung

-around again.  The next day being Saturday, he and the other selected

-contestants for honors in the big race expected to cover the course at a

-pretty good pace, so as to familiarize themselves with its numerous

-shortcomings and advantages.

-

-Not wishing to keep anyone waiting, and suspecting that it must be either

-Colon or Bristles who had some sort of communication to make, Fred

-hurried down to the lower hail where the 'phone hung.

-

-"Hello!" he called.

-

-Evidently the other party was waiting, for immediately there came an

-answer.

-

-"That you, Fred?"

-

-"Yes," replied Fred, at the same time wondering who it could be, because

-there did not seem to be anything familiar about the half muffled tones.

-

-"This is Bristles!" came the voice.

-

-"What's that?" exclaimed Fred, wondering if his friend could be trying to

-play some trick on him by pretending to change his voice.

-

-"Bristles, don't you know?  Wait a minute till I cough," and then

-followed a series of explosive barks that sounded wonderfully realistic

-over the wire, after which the muffled voice continued: "Seem to have

-taken a beastly cold somehow, after school.  Sneezing to beat the band,

-in the bargain.  But I want to see you, the worst way, Fred.  Can't you

-come over to my house, for I oughtn't to go out in the night air with

-this cold?"

-

-"Now, you mean, Bristles?"

-

-"Sure, right away.  It's only eight o'clock, and I've got something to

-tell you that'll make you sit up and take notice.  Excuse me while I bark

-a few times, Fred," which he accordingly did in a way that made the other

-remove the receiver from close contact with his ear.

-

-"Well, you do seem to have a good dose of it, Bristles," Fred remarked,

-laughingly, when the bombardment had finally ceased.  "I'm almost afraid

-that cold will be catching over the wire.  Hope it won't be anything

-serious, old fellow."

-

-"Oh!  I'm not bothering about that, Fred," he was told, "but I'm just

-aching to tell you something great.  You'll be tickled half to death when

-you hear what it is.  Never mind asking me, either, because I won't

-whisper a word over the wire."

-

-"All right, then, Bristles."

-

-"You'll sure come, Fred?" anxiously asked his unseen chum.

-

-"Why, of course I will," Fred hastened to assure him.  "I meant to run

-over to your place to-night, anyway, because I've got a little news you

-ought to hear."

-

-"And Fred, you'll take the short-cut, of course?"

-

-"It's mighty seldom I go any other way, Bristles.  Why do you ask?"

-

-"I was only afraid you might have some errand down-town that'd take you

-the long way around, that's all, Fred.  Now, hurry up, because I'll bust

-if I have to hold this great thing in much longer.  So long, Fred!"

-

-As the thick voice ceased to come over the wire Fred put the receiver on

-the hook, and there was a little frown on his face.

-

-"Now I wonder if he's happened to learn about that Corny Ludson, and

-means to explode it on me?"  Fred was saying, as he picked up his hat.

-As he did so, his glance happening to fall upon a heavy cane with a

-crooked handle belonging to his father, he took possession of it.

-

-Perhaps it was the recollection of what pretty Flo Temple had said when

-jokingly telling him that he would presently be needing a walking stick,

-if he kept on dieting for the Marathon race, that suddenly tempted Fred

-to take this cane, for he had certainly never done it on any previous

-occasion.

-

-Later on he was inclined to believe there might be some truth in that

-fable of the sea, to the effect that there is a "little cherub aloft,

-looking after the affairs of poor Jack," and keeping him in times of

-sudden peril.  At any rate the sudden whim of Fred's, when he thought to

-play a joke on Bristles, and pretend that he needed a crutch or a cane,

-since he was becoming lame and decrepit, was fated to turn out one of the

-finest things he ever did.

-

-When Fred stepped out of the front door, he found that it was fairly

-dark, as the moon happened to be past its full, and consequently had not

-as yet appeared above the eastern horizon.

-

-When Fred and Bristles wished to exchange visits they were in the habit

-of taking a short-cut, that saved considerable distance.  It wound in and

-out over the open lots, though there was only one fence to climb.  So

-frequently had the boys made use of this way, in their endeavor to save

-themselves from needless steps, that they knew every foot of it like a

-book.  Indeed, a plain trail had been worn by these innumerable trips.

-

-Bristles had often declared he could go from his house to that of Fred

-with his eyes bandaged, and never once get off the track.  No doubt it

-was the same way with the Fenton boy, who had impressed every little

-peculiarity of that short-cut on his mind.

-

-Swinging the heavy walking-stick around by the crook, Fred hurried along,

-climbing the fence on the other side of the road.  Just at that moment he

-chanced to notice a figure coming up the street, and while astride the

-topmost rail of the fence he stopped to see if his suspicions were

-confirmed, for he thought he ought to know that peculiar gait.

-

-When the other started in at the Fenton gate Fred called softly:

-

-"Hello there, Colon!"

-

-The tall figure turned around at being thus addressed from across the

-street.

-

-"That you, Fred?" he asked, starting to cross over.

-

-"Nobody else," replied the other, with a chuckle, "and you happened along

-just in the nick of time, let me tell you.  I'd have been gone in three

-shakes of a lamb's tail."

-

-"Going across lots to Bristles's shack, I reckon?" ventured the tall boy,

-as he reached the side of his friend.

-

-"Just what I'm meaning to do," he was told.  "Bristles called up before I

-was ready to start across, and wanted me to hurry over.  Said he had

-something to tell me that was simply great."

-

-"You don't say!" exclaimed Colon.

-

-"And I've been wondering whether he could have learned about that man

-being in town," continued Fred.

-

-"Meaning Corny?" queried Colon.

-

-"Yes," Fred replied, still sitting on the rail of the fence.  "If you saw

-him, there'd be a chance that Bristles might have heard something along

-those lines.  You know he's the greatest fellow going for picking up

-information about all sorts of things."

-

-"It might be," mused the other, "and we could have some fun with Bristles

-by springing the racket on him before he got a chance to let the cat out

-of the bag."

-

-"You'll go over with me, then?" asked Fred.

-

-"That's my present intention," said Colon.  "Fact is, I strolled around

-to see if you expected to drop in on Bristles, and put him wise.  Didn't

-have anything else to do, this being Friday night, you know.  And I'm

-that full of the race I seem to want to talk it over all the time.  But

-what are you carrying that heavy walking-stick for?  Hope there wasn't

-any truth in what Flo Temple said, and that you're getting weak in the

-knees, Fred?"

-

-"I just happened to remember all that joshing," Fred told him, "when I

-saw dad's stick.  So I picked it up, thinking I'd play a joke on

-Bristles, and make out to be lame.  But looks a little as if we mightn't

-have Bristles along with us to-morrow."

-

-"How's that?"  Colon wanted to know, instantly.

-

-"Why, it seems he's gone and taken a terrible cold all of a sudden," Fred

-told him.  "You'd never have guessed who it was talking over the wire to

-me.  He had to tell me who it was."

-

-"When was this?" asked Colon, "because I called him up after I got home

-this evening, to sort of say we _might_ be around, and I didn't notice

-anything out of the way with him then."

-

-"Is that so?" remarked Fred, as though a little puzzled.  Then he added,

-"Oh! these colds in the head come on with a rush, sometimes.  He barked

-like a dog, and I even had to hold the receiver away from my ear.  I told

-him he'd give it to me over the wire.  But chances are he'll not be in a

-fit state for a twenty-five mile run to-morrow, more's the pity.  It's

-queer about that heavy cold taking him so sudden, though, come to think

-of it."

-

-"He wanted you to come over, you say?" continued Colon, as he threw one

-of his long legs across the top rail, and prepared to follow Fred, who

-had already dropped down on the other side of the fence, and was in the

-field that was to be crossed first of all, in following the short-cut to

-the Carpenter home.

-

-"Yes, that was why he called me up," replied Fred.  "And he kept urging

-me not to hold off a minute, because he said what he had to tell was so

-important he'd just burst if he held in much longer.  And then he wanted

-to make sure I'd take this path across lots."

-

-"But why would he say that, Fred?" continued the tall boy, as side by

-side they started off, with Fred keeping on the path, which could be seen

-readily enough in the starlight, once his eyes had become accustomed to

-the night.

-

-"He said, Colon, he was afraid I might try to kill two birds with one

-stone, and go down-town first, to do some errand, and he just couldn't

-wait a minute longer than was necessary."

-

-"Huh! that's funny," grunted Colon, as though he failed to understand

-exactly why the said Bristles should have been so very particular.

-

-They walked along, with Colon clutching the left arm of his chum, for he

-depended upon Fred to show the way, not being very familiar with the

-crooked path himself.

-

-They kept on talking as they walked, for there were any amount of things

-that interested them jointly, from the mystery concerning the actions of

-Corny Ludson, to the plans they had in mind concerning the winning of the

-glorious Marathon.

-

-Here and there clumps of bushes caused them to turn aside, but that was

-the way the trail ran, very much like what Fred called a "cow-path."

-Indeed, it meandered along in a zigzag fashion, though always heading for

-the opposite side of the field.

-

-The two boys were just in the act of passing the densest patch of bushes

-that the cow-pasture boasted, when without the slightest warning three

-figures suddenly confronted them.  They leaped from the covert where they

-had been lying concealed, and, as though all their plans had been

-arranged beforehand, two of the figures instantly sprang past, so that

-from all sides of a triangle Fred and Colon found themselves furiously

-assailed.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XIV

-

-A PLOT THAT FAILED

-

-

-Although taken completely by surprise Fred and Colon were not the kind of

-boys to flinch, or run from sudden danger.

-

-They could see that the three fellows who surrounded them were gotten up

-just as might have been expected under such circumstances.  When men or

-boys lay out to do a mean thing, they generally try to arrange it so that

-their identity may not be disclosed.  These fellows had their hats drawn

-low down, their coat collars turned up, and, unless Fred's eyes deceived

-him, they also had handkerchiefs or some other kind of disguise fastened

-over the lower part of their faces, just as they may have read of

-desperate footpads doing out West, when holding up stage coaches.

-

-There was really no time to note anything more.  Uttering all sorts of

-angry cries in falsetto voices, the assailants bore down upon the two

-chums.

-

-"Whoop! give it to 'em, Fred!" cried Colon, his long arms immediately

-taking on the appearance of a couple of old-fashioned flails, such as

-farmers used before the time of machine threshers.

-

-Fred was already busily engaged.  A thrill of satisfaction seemed to fill

-his boyish heart over the inspiration that had caused him to pick up that

-heavy walking-stick before sallying forth to cross over to Bristles'

-house.

-

-It was certainly a handy thing to have around just then, with the odds

-against them, and that whirlwind attack on in full force.

-

-After Fred had swung his stick a few times, and several loud thumps told

-that it had landed on each occasion, grunts began to change into groans.

-Of course it hurt, no matter where it landed, and once a fellow ran up

-against such punishment, the chances were he would not feel just the same

-savage inclination to press the attack that he had before "taking his

-medicine."

-

-Colon, too, was doing gallant work, though he possessed no club or cane,

-and had to depend upon his fists alone.  He was tall, and had a terrific

-reach, so that he could land his clever blows without being severely

-punished in return.

-

-One thing the two chums were careful to do,---not separate.  Although

-they had had no chance to settle on any plan of campaign, they seemed to

-just naturally understand that in their case union meant strength.

-Accordingly they kept back to back, and in that way managed to hold off

-all assailants.

-

-Afterwards Colon used to say that their defence had been conducted along

-the famous "hollow square" plan, peculiar to British troops for

-centuries, in that they kept their faces to their foes, and their lines

-intact.

-

-Of course this sort of vigorous work could not last very long.  It was

-too one-sided, with Fred pounding two of the unknown fellows with his

-father's walking-stick, as though that might be the regular mission of

-such heavy canes.

-

-There was a final scramble, in which blows were given and taken on both

-sides.  Then a gruff voice, considerably the worse for wear and lack of

-breath, gasped out:

-

-"Scoot, fellows! it's all off!"

-

-Immediately the three mysterious assailants turned and ran away.  Fred

-noticed with more or less satisfaction that a couple of them seemed to

-wabble considerably, thanks to the whacks he had managed to get in with

-his heavy stick.

-

-"Go it, you cowards!" shouted Colon after them.  "For three cents I'd

-give chase, and hand you a few more good ones.  But unless I miss my

-guess, one of you'll have a black eye to-morrow, for I plunked you

-straight.  Whew!  I'm out of wind with all that rapid action work, Fred!"

-

-Fred himself was breathing rather hard, because of the way in which he

-had been compelled to exert himself in the melee.  So neither of them

-made the slightest move to advance any further, content to stand there,

-puffing heavily.

-

-Then Colon began to chuckle, louder and louder, until he broke out into a

-hearty laugh, at the same time doubling up like a hinge, after an odd way

-he had.

-

-"Got 'em going and coming, didn't we, Fred?" he wanted to know, when his

-merriment had subsided in some degree.  "They caught us napping, that's

-right, but say, did it do 'em much good?  Not that you could notice.  Let

-me tell you that's a sore lot of fellows to limp all the way home to

-Mechanicsburg to-night."

-

-"What makes you say that, Colon?"

-

-"About Mechanicsburg, you mean?" remarked the tall boy.  "Why what else

-would we think, but that the trick was planned, and carried out by some

-of that gang of up-river fellows?   Haven't we run up against the same

-lot before, and would you put it past them to try to lame a fellow, so he

-couldn't take part in a race, and let their side have a clear field?

-Huh! easy as falling off a log to see how the ground lies."

-

-"But Colon," objected Fred, "remember what Felix Wagner said to us about

-playing the game fair and square?  I don't believe he'd descend to any

-such mean dodge as this, nor most of the other fellows up

-there---Sherley, Gould, Hennessy, Boggs and then some.  If this was a

-set-up job, I'd rather believe it originated nearer home than

-Mechanicsburg."

-

-"A set-up job!" roared Colon.  "You never heard of one with more of the

-ear-marks of a lowdown game than this has.  Why, they planned to get you

-to cross here all by yourself, and then lay you out so you couldn't run

-for a month.  Didn't I see how they kept kicking at my shins all the

-time, and I reckon that's what they did with you.  I've a welt on my leg

-right now from a heavy brogan;  and I'd like to bet you they put on that

-sort of foot-wear so as to make their kicks hurt like fun."

-

-"Yes, they did seem to keep kicking at me, every chance they found,"

-admitted Fred, as though partly convinced by the other's argument.

-

-"See?" flashed Colon.  "I told you how it was.  They had that all laid

-out, and after it was carried through you'd be laid up and lame for the

-whole of the Spring.  When a fellow means to run a twenty-five mile race,

-he's got to keep in tiptop condition right along, or he'll get soft; and

-if you couldn't practice every day, why what would be the use of your

-starting in?  Five miles would make your ankle so sore you'd have to be

-carried home on a hayrick."

-

-"They tried their level best not to give themselves away," continued

-Fred.

-

-"Hardly ever used their voices,---only when they just had to grunt and

-groan, after you touched 'em up with that bully walking-stick.  Fred."

-

-"And," continued Fred, "they had their hats pulled down over their faces,

-collars turned up, and some sort of thing over their chins, so their best

-friend wouldn't have recognized one of them."

-

-"Oh! it certainly was a pretty smart trap, and it failed to work on

-account of a few things the plotters hadn't thought of," observed Colon,

-with a vein of satisfaction in his voice.

-

-"One of which was my great luck in having you along with me, Colon."

-

-"Oh!  I don't know that that counted any to speak of," objected the

-other.  "Why, when I saw the way you slung about you with that

-walking-stick, Fred, I knew as sure as anything they were in the soup.

-And chances are, it'd have been just the same if you'd come along here by

-yourself.  The biggest piece of luck you had was when you took that

-notion to carry your dad's heavy cane."

-

-"Perhaps you're right, Colon," admitted Fred, as he felt of the heavy

-stick, and then remembered with what a vim he had applied it without

-stint wherever he could get an opening.  "And I ought to really thank Flo

-Temple for that, oughtn't I?  Only for the way she joked me about needing

-a crutch or a cane, I'd never have thought of playing it on Bristles.

-And I want to tell you I'd hate to have this thing laid on me, good and

-hard.  Wherever I struck, it's raised a whopping big welt, I calculate."

-

-"Well, if you could tell from the way they hollered every time it struck,

-that goes without saying," laughed Colon.  "And I'll have lots of fun out

-of this, every time I think of it.  Did you hear what that leader said

-when he knew they'd have to own up beat? 'Scoot, fellows!  it's all off!'

-I guess it was, for if they'd held out much longer, we'd have floored the

-whole bunch."

-

-"I was wondering what his voice sounded like," said Fred.

-

-"Oh!  I'd take my affidavit that he had a hickory nut in his cheek right

-then, so as to disguise his voice, if he did have to speak any," Colon

-went on to say, and in this way proving that he was ready to give their

-unknown assailants credit for utilizing every possible device that would

-insure the successful carrying out of their miserable scheme.

-

-"I knew a fellow who did that same thing once upon a time," Fred hinted.

-

-"Yes, and it was somebody we happen to know right well, too," agreed

-Colon; "in other words, Mister Buck Lemington, the clever and

-unscrupulous son of Sparks Lemington, one of Riverport's leading

-citizens, and a chap who lies awake nights hatching up plans for getting

-the better of a friend of mine."

-

-"Hold on, Colon, go a little slow about accusing anybody before we've got

-the least bit of evidence.  This might be a different crowd.  Perhaps

-it'll turn out they're from Paulding, where I've heard there's a certain

-sporting element that's taken to betting on baseball games and athletics

-and such things, now that horse racing and making pools have been knocked

-out by law."

-

-"Shucks! now, I hadn't thought of that before," assented the tall boy, in

-a grudging fashion, as though he disliked giving up any cherished idea

-that may have seized upon his mind with conviction.  "And if they've gone

-and put up money on Paulding breasting the tape first, why, of course

-they might plot to do something to lame the best runners in Riverport and

-Mechanicsburg.  But Fred, in that case they'd be apt to send men here to

-knock you.  These were boys!"

-

-"Yes, that's so, Colon, and it looks like a weak link in the chain,

-doesn't it?  But since the game didn't pan out the way they thought it

-would, perhaps these fellows will fight shy of trying anything like it

-again.  We'll take a look around to-morrow, and see if we can notice any

-signs of their being on the hurt list among Buck's crowd."

-

-"That's the ticket, Fred!" said Colon, jubilant.  "That black eye would

-tell the story, wouldn't it, now?  And then if Clem Shooks or Oscar Jones

-is seen to limp painfully, and grunt every step he takes, that ought to

-mark him as one of your poor victims."

-

-"The whole three of them galloped off, didn't they?" asked Fred just

-then.

-

-"I should say they did, and as fast as they could skip.  But what makes

-you ask that, Fred?"

-

-"I thought I heard a movement in this patch of bushes here, that's all;

-but it may have been a bird or a rabbit.  Shall we start along now,

-Colon?"

-

-"Just give me half a minute, will you, Fred?" begged the tall chum, who

-was fumbling in his vest pocket.

-

-"What do you want to do?" asked Fred.

-

-"Oh, strike a match, and take a little peep around," he was told.  "Never

-know what you might strike.  Remember picking up a sleeve button once,

-after I'd been set on by a couple of fellows in the dark; and it gave the

-game away.  Oh! yes, I returned the button, but my bruises felt a heap

-better after I'd given the fellow a double dose."

-

-He immediately snapped the match off, and began moving around close to

-the bushes.  Fred heard him sing out before half a dozen seconds had

-passed.

-

-"Well, this is great luck, Fred!" Colon exclaimed.  "Here I've found a

-hat trampled in the dirt.  Maybe now that will tell the story.  Hold it,

-please, while I strike another match.  Let's look inside.  What's this I

-see?  First thing is the well known trademark of our enterprising

-Riverport hat dealer.  Then here's some initials in gold fixed inside.

-What d'ye make 'em out to be, Fred?"

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XV

-

-CLINCHING EVIDENCE

-

-

-"As near as I can make out, they're C.J.," said Fred, after he had taken

-a look, before the match flickered, and went out in the night breeze.

-

-Colon burst into another laugh.

-

-"Told you so, Fred!" he remarked, triumphantly.  "You don't need to guess

-twice to know whom that set belongs to.  Let me mention his name to

-you---Conrad Jimmerson, and this is what proves it.  I'd just keep that

-old hat, and make him eat it, if I were you."

-

-There was another rustling in the bushes, and Fred glanced that way as

-though a trifle suspicious, but made no move to investigate.

-

-"Oh!  I don't know that I'll go as far as that," Fred observed, "because,

-while a fellow may have to eat crow once in a while, swallowing his own

-hat would be asking too much of him.  But there's another way to rub it

-in."

-

-"How?" asked Colon.

-

-"Suppose now I took this hat to school Monday," continued Fred, seriously

-enough, "and told the story of how we were waylaid by three mysterious

-chaps, who did their level best to injure us about the shins, and without

-any doubt meaning to knock us out from taking part in the big race?

-Don't you think nearly everybody would be warm about it?"

-

-"Hot about the collar as they could be, and ready to take it out of the

-hide of the three guilty ones, if only they knew who they were," the

-other boy affirmed in his positive way.

-

-"Well, I might put this old hat on exhibition, and ask every boy to take

-a good look at it before seeing the tell-tale initials inside.  Then we'd

-hear what they thought, and if any of them recognized the same.  In that

-way, Colon, it ought to be easy to run down the rascal."

-

-"Yes," added the tall boy, "and once you nailed him, it wouldn't be so

-hard to make him own up who his cronies were.  He's a coward, when you

-pin him down.  I'd dare him to stand up and have it out with me.  Then

-p'raps it was C.J. who rammed his old eye so hard against my fist, trying

-to feaze me.  Oh! the evidence is going to accumulate against him like a

-regular old mountain.  There's that rabbit of yours moving again, Fred.

-Queer all this row didn't start him off, isn't it?"

-

-"I just happened to think," remarked Fred, "that we're on a false

-mission, after all."

-

-"Right now, you mean, don't you, Fred?"

-

-"Yes, because it wasn't Bristles at all I was talking with, but one of

-this same crowd.  No wonder his voice sounded so queer to me, and

-muffled."  Then Fred had to laugh, after which he went on to say, "And to

-think how sly he was making out the cause of it to be that sudden cold

-he'd taken."

-

-"That was a mighty clever dodge, let me tell you," Colon went on to say.

-"You see, he knew you'd notice the difference in voices, for even over

-the wire it's easy to recognize a friend's way of speaking; so he fixed

-it up, with a nut in his cheek, and then told you about the cold."

-

-"And that cough, why, I tell you it was splendidly worked, and whoever

-carried it out was a sharp one, Colon."

-

-"However do you guess it was done?" asked the tall chum.

-

-"Well, there must have been a fourth member of the gang, who had his part

-of the game to play.  Chances were he was to go into some place downtown

-where they have a public 'phone booth, at exactly eight o'clock, and call

-me up.  The other three were to be hiding here before that time, waiting

-for me to cross over.  And I must say it worked out to a charm---only for

-the walking-stick, and you, Colon.  They didn't figure on my receiving

-such important reinforcements at the eleventh hour, as to turn the tide

-of battle."

-

-"Talk to me about Blucher coming up to help Wellington at Waterloo, you

-were in just as good luck to-night.  And the French didn't feel any more

-sore when they had to run, than Buck and his pals do right now.  I'd give

-thirty cents to see what the lot of them are doing this very minute;

-rubbing their bodies, and saying everything mean about us they can think

-of.  Ho! ho! ho!"

-

-Colon seemed to extract a considerable amount of amusement out of this

-unexpected happening.  He evidently considered that he had been in for

-more or less luck simply because he happened to be in Fred's company when

-the other ran into the ambuscade.  Colon was not averse to an occasional

-measure of excitement, and although not all considered a pugnacious

-fellow, he could at the same time hold his own when difficulties arose.

-

-"Of course," pursued Fred, "if I thought it worth while I could easily

-find out who sent that message to me, and played the part of Bristles."

-

-"You mean by going to telephone headquarters, and learning who connected

-with your number tonight about eight; is that it, Fred?"

-

-"And after they had told me it was, say, Dudley's drug store," Fred

-continued, as if figuring it all out, "I could step in there and ask

-Gussie Lightly what boy used the booth about that time."

-

-"Easy enough, because of course Gussie knows all the boys about town, and

-if it was Ben Cushing or Clem Shooks or Oscar Jones, he could tell you

-right off the reel.  Why don't you do it, Fred?"

-

-"I may when I get home, because it can all be done just as well over the

-wire you know," the other replied.  "Gussie is a good friend of mine, I

-feel sure, and if only he knew what a mean game had been set up on me,

-he'd do anything to square matters."

-

-"And at school Monday," Colon suggested, "it might be a good thing for

-you to be able to prove it was one of Buck's cronies that talked with

-you, making out to be Bristles, who hasn't any cold at all."

-

-"I'm glad of that, too," Fred observed, "because I was feeling that he

-couldn't go along with us tomorrow on the trial spin."

-

-"It was a dirty trick, Fred, but I must say pretty well worked out.  I

-can see the fine hand of our old friend, Buck, back of it all.  There

-isn't another fellow in all Riverport who could get up such a

-combination.  Buck's as full of schemes as an egg is of meat.  That's why

-the others all flock after him.  He's got the brains, and carries the

-money too."

-

-"Now, while it seems that Bristles didn't call me up, and beg me to come

-over, as we're already part way there, we might as well finish the lap,

-Colon."

-

-"Oh! you know I gave him to understand that maybe we might run in on

-him," he was told by the other.

-

-"But it's too bad," remarked Fred, grinning broadly.

-

-"About what?" demanded his friend.

-

-"We're going to be badly disappointed, I'm afraid."

-

-"We are, eh?  I'd like to know how that comes, Fred?"

-

-"Why, we laid out to hear the most thrilling thing that ever happened,

-you see," the other told him, in a voice of mock disappointment.  "When

-Bristles with the muffled voice and the bad cold told me he'd just burst

-if he didn't have someone to confide in right soon, he got me worked up

-to fever pitch.  Now I've had to cool down.  There isn't going to be any

-development.  Our hair won't have to stand tip on end like the quills of

-the fretful porcupine.  In so many words, Colon, it's all off, you know."

-

-"I'm afraid it is, Fred," admitted the other, sadly, "and I'm some

-disappointed, too, because you had my curiosity whetted up.  Why, I

-couldn't begin to tell you all I expected to hear when Bristles got busy.

-Course, knowing about that Corny as you did, it was easy to figure out

-how he might be the one Bristles meant to tell about.  Well, that ends

-it, and Fred, hadn't we better be hunching out of this, if you think

-there's no more hats or other trophies of the great victory lying

-around?"

-

-"Yes, we'll be over at Bristles' place inside of five minutes more," Fred

-announced.

-

-"If he happened to have his window open I wouldn't be surprised if he

-heard us carrying on high over here in the field," suggested Colon, and

-there was an air of expectancy in his voice, as though such a thing would

-not have been at all unpleasant to him.

-

-"One thing sure," Fred asserted, confidently, "he'll kick up an awful row

-just because he didn't happen to be in the little affair.  Bristles never

-wants anyone to get ahead of him, when there's action stirring."

-

-"No more he does," Colon echoed.  "Here, suppose you keep this old hat.

-I'm given to being careless, and I'd be apt to drop it somewhere.  No

-danger of you doing that, Fred; you're always as particular about such

-things as an old maid."

-

-"You can make your mind tip that when the evidence is needed to show up

-the owner of this hat at school, it will be forthcoming.  I'll take it

-home with me, and keep it safe and sound."

-

-The two boys were already moving off, heading across the field.  They

-could easily see the lights in the Carpenter house, which was only a

-short distance away, though if one went around by the road it would take

-some fifteen minutes to make the journey.

-

-They did not bother to look back after they had quitted the vicinity of

-the big cluster of bushes.  Had they done so, and the starlight been

-strong enough for them to see as a cat does at nighttime, Fred and Colon

-might have discovered a bare-headed figure that came creeping out of the

-bushes.  This wretched person looked after them with more or less

-grumbling and complaining, as though not at all relishing some of the

-things so recently spoken by the two chums.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XVI

-

-TELLING BRISTLES

-

-

-"Hello there, Fred, and you too, Colon; glad to see you both!  Step in,

-and come upstairs with me to my den, won't you?"

-

-In this fashion did Bristles meet the two visitors at the front door, and

-convinced by the warmth of the reception that they were going to be

-welcome guests, Fred and the tall boy fell in behind the one who had

-admitted them.  Presently they found themselves comfortably seated in

-such chairs as decorated the so-called "den," which was a small room on

-the top story, where Bristles kept his belongings and did his studying.

-

-"Glad to see your bad cold is a lot better, Bristles!" remarked Colon,

-with a sly wink over toward Fred, who chuckled.

-

-Bristles of course looked puzzled.

-

-"I suppose that's, some sort of a poor joke," he ventured, cautiously,

-glancing from one to the other of his visitors; "but me, I'm groping all

-around in the dark, and don't seem to catch on.  S'pose you open up, and

-explain how it works, Colon."

-

-The tall boy allowed his eyebrows to go up as though tremendously

-surprised.

-

-"Do you mean to tell me, Bristles Carpenter, that you didn't call up

-Fred, here, a little while back, and while begging him to hurry over, as

-you had something important to explain, say you'd taken such a cold you

-could hardly speak plain?"

-

-"What, me?  Say, you're dreaming, Colon.  I never said a word of that,

-and right now I haven't got the least bit of a cold!" exclaimed the

-other, indignantly.  At the same time he began to show a certain amount

-of curiosity, for his good sense warned him there must be a story back of

-Colon's strange accusation.

-

-"And you didn't interrupt yourself several times to say, 'Oh! excuse me,

-while I cough!' and then start in whooping it up so hard Fred here had to

-take the receiver down from his ear or go deaf?"

-

-"Oh!  Come off, and tell me what all this silly stuff means!" demanded

-the still more mystified boy.  "Has anybody been playing a rousing good

-joke on Fred, and making out to be me?"

-

-"That's about the size of it, isn't it, Fred," Colon assented, eagerly

-enough.  "It was a rousing enough joke, while it lasted, but the trouble

-is that it turned out to be one of those back-action, kicking jokes, that

-turns on the jokers, unexpected like.  This one left a black eye, and a

-whole lot of black and blue marks behind it---that is, we believe so, and

-have a pretty good reason, too."

-

-"All right, now tell me what it all means, please," Bristles pleaded,

-seeing that the tall chum was really in earnest.

-

-Colon explained, and as he finished, the astonished listener demanded:

-

-"But what d'ye reckon it all means?"

-

-"Both of us noticed that their main plan seemed to be to kick at our

-shins every chance they got," explained Fred, "and Colon says they had

-heavy brogans on, too.  It's a hard thing to say, Bristles, but we

-honestly believe they meant to lame us, so we couldn't be in shape to run

-to-morrow, and perhaps at the time of the great Marathon, too."

-

-Bristles clenched his hands, and looked savage.

-

-"Well, what d'ye think of that now for a savage trick?" he exclaimed.  "I

-wouldn't believe it of those Mechanicsburg athletes, who've always seemed

-a pretty decent bunch of fellows."

-

-"Hold on," said Fred.  "Go a little slow, Bristles."

-

-"What for?" demanded the other, impetuously and fiercely.

-

-"Because you're making the same mistake Colon here did at first," he was

-told.

-

-"About the boys up the river, you mean, Fred?"

-

-"Yes.  It isn't fair to accuse them without any proof," the other told

-him.

-

-"But the Paulding crowd---" stammered Bristles, evidently taken aback.

-

-"Get closer home," warned Colon.  "What d'ye want to go climbing all over

-the country for, when you've only got to use your nose to smell a rat

-right in old Riverport!"

-

-"Jupiter Pluvius! you must mean our old friend, Buck!" ejaculated

-Bristles, his elevated eyebrows indicating his astonishment.  "Tell me

-about that, will you?  Has he actually come to life again, and been up to

-his old tricks?"

-

-"We're dead sure of it," Colon told him, nodding his head at a lively

-rate.

-

-"Then chances are you recognized one of the bunch?" suggested Bristles.

-

-"No," said Fred, "we couldn't do that very well, because they changed

-their voices, and had their faces hidden by their hats, coat collars, and

-even some sort of cloth that seemed to be tied about their jaws.  But

-after the scrap was over, we picked up a clue that we think will give the

-game away."

-

-"What, Fred?"

-

-"Take a look at this old hat, Bristles," continued the other, as he drew

-the article in question from his pocket.

-

-"Well, I'm looking at it," he was told.

-

-"Ever see it before?" asked Colon, eagerly.

-

-"Of course I wouldn't like to raise my hand, and swear to it," remarked

-Bristles, slowly, "but I want to say this looks mighty like a

-yellow-colored hat I've seen a certain fellow wear, time and again."

-

-"Suppose you go a little further, then, and mention his name," proposed

-Fred.

-

-"Conrad Jimmerson!" promptly replied the other.

-

-Colon laughed gleefully.

-

-"Now turn the hat around, Bristles," he cried, "and look inside!"

-

-Upon doing so the other uttered an exclamation.

-

-"Here they are, two letters that give the thing away---C.J. as plain as

-print could be!" was his cry.

-

-"Glad that you think the same way we do," Colon told him.  "And now, I

-reckon you wonder what Fred's going to do about it."

-

-"If it were myself, I'd take this hat to Cooney, and ask him if it was

-his," Bristles went on to say, in his fiery fashion.  "Course he'd have

-to acknowledge the corn, and then I'd proceed to give him the licking he

-deserves."

-

-"We'd kind of expect that of you, Bristles," remarked Colon,

-magnanimously, "but you see, Fred'n me, we made up our minds that we'd

-given that bunch a pretty good layout as it was.  What they need is

-something to show the people of this town what a tough lot that Buck

-Lemington is dragging around with him."

-

-"But how could you do that?" the other asked.

-

-"Fred thought of taking the hat to school, and telling the story around,

-to the teachers and the pupils," Colon explained, in his accommodating

-way.  "When they learned how these toughs meant to injure Riverport's

-chances of winning the great Marathon, just to gratify a little private

-spite, the town would soon get too hot for Buck and his cronies.  They'd

-have to emigrate for a little while, till the storm blew over."

-

-"That sounds good to me!" declared Bristles, changing his way of

-thinking, for while a very determined boy, he could always be reached by

-argument, and was open to conviction,  "and I hope you carry the plan

-out, Fred.  I'd just like to see those boys put under the ban for a

-while.  Some of them by rights ought to be in the State Reformatory,

-according to my notion.  They're getting too fresh with what they call

-their pranks, and don't even stop at endangering human life."

-

-"Well, of course we're glad that you haven't such a terrible cold,

-Bristles," remarked Fred, "but all the same Colon here is sorry for one

-thing."

-

-"What might that be?" asked the said Colon.

-

-"You see," continued Fred, "after I told him about how you called me up,

-and wanted an interview right away, because you had something important

-to tell, Colon here began to get terribly excited.  He kept wondering

-what it was you meant to explain;  and I know that after we'd run that

-mob off, nearly the first thing he said was that he felt cheated out of a

-sensation, because you didn't want me so bad after all."

-

-At that Bristles laughed loud and long, at the same time looking queerly

-at his guests out of the tail of his eye.

-

-"Too bad to disappoint you, isn't it, fellows?" he went on, in a tone of

-mock sympathy, "but say, maybe I might scare up some little news after

-all, that'd kind of take the place of the thrilling story they hatched up

-for me."

-

-"Let it be on the strict level then, Bristles," warned Colon, severely,

-as he shook his forefinger at the other; "we don't want you to invent any

-old yarn just to please us."

-

-"What I'm going to tell you," began Bristles, very solemnly, "is straight

-goods, believe me.  I don't know whether Fred here will think it of much

-importance, but late this afternoon I chanced to run across an old

-acquaintance.  Guess who it was, boys."

-

-"Huh!  I bet you it was Corny Ludson!" exclaimed Colon, quick as a flash.

-

-Bristles started, and looked keenly at the long-legged chum.

-

-"Well, you hit mighty close to the bull's-eye, then, Colon," he remarked;

-"but you forget I never saw that same Corny Ludson in my life that I know

-of, and so how could he be an old acquaintance.  But he's got a little

-girl named Sadie, a niece, or ward, or something like that, you may

-remember."

-

-"Then you saw her?" asked Fred, eagerly enough, for he had been wondering

-lately what could have become of those two children.

-

-"Not only saw her," continued the other, "but talked with her."

-

-"Tell us about it, Bristles," urged Colon.

-

-"Why, it was this way," began the other, complying briskly.  "She was

-just coming out of the cheap grocery, and had several bundles in her

-arms, as if she might have been buying bread, and some such things.  I

-knew her just as soon as I set eyes on her, for she wore that same old

-frowsy red dress, and had a little tad of a shawl pinned over her

-shoulders.  The poor thing looked like a wind'd blow her away, with her

-thin, pinched face, and big startled eyes."

-

-"Oh! let all that drop, Bristles," expostulated Colon.  "What we want to

-know is, how did you come to speak to her, and did she remember you?"

-

-Bristles was bound to tell his story in his own way.  Without paying any

-attention to this nagging on the part of the tall chum, he kept facing

-Fred, and went on deliberately.

-

-"There was a horse and buggy standing at the curb, and say, you never in

-all your life saw such a dilapidated outfit.  Talk to me about the famous

-'one hoss shay,' it couldn't have been a circumstance beside that rig.

-Everywhere the shafts were tied up to hold, the harness patched till it

-looked all strings, and the animal, well, he was a walking skeleton.  Any

-other time I'd have laughed myself sick, but I couldn't do that then,

-with that poor little thing being the one that drove such an outfit."

-

-"What did you say to her?" asked Fred.

-

-"Oh!  I said 'howdy-do, Sadie, don't you remember me?' and she looked

-scared at first, and then she actually smiled.  She said she hadn't

-forgotten the two boys on the river, who had been so kind to Sam and her.

-I asked her where she'd been all this time, and she looked kind of

-confused and said, 'Oh! around everywhere!'  as if they might be a pack

-of regular Gypsies, and never knew what it was to have a home of their

-own."

-

-"But you say she had some sort of a rig with her," expostulated Colon at

-this point of the narrative,  "and wouldn't that look as if they'd

-squatted down somewhere or other, for a spell?"

-

-"Maybe it would," replied Bristles, "but the chances are they only

-borrowed the outfit for the occasion from some poor farmer, paying for

-its use by fetching him home some supplies from town.  But just then I

-remembered about that pin we found in the cave, and I took it out of my

-pocket, unwrapping the paper, and all of a sudden holding it before her."

-

-"Did she recognize the breast pin?"  Colon asked.

-

-"You'd have thought so by the way her little face lighted up," said the

-other, "and reaching out the hand that didn't carry a package, she took

-bold of it.  Then I made a fool move, just like my silly ways.  I sprung

-the trap too soon!"

-

-"You told her where you'd found it, said you thought it might be hers,

-just because you remembered her wearing something like that, didn't you?"

-asked Fred.

-

-"Sure I did, and you just ought to have seen the scared look that came

-over her face," Bristles admitted.  "She looked all around as if she was

-afraid that Corny'd be popping up, and then shook her head again and

-again, saying the pin wasn't hers.  But, Fred, I know the poor little

-girl was telling a fib, because she was afraid if she owned up to the old

-piece of fake jewelry that she seemed to value so much, it might get

-somebody in a peck of trouble;  and we know who that is, don't we?"

-

-"We certainly do!" replied Fred; and he started to tell Bristles how

-Colon learned Corny Ludson had also been in Riverport that afternoon,

-acting in a suspicious manner.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XVII

-

-LINING UP FOR THE TRIAL SPIN

-

-

-The next morning opened cloudy, and rather warm for the season, much to

-the regret of all those fellows who had planned to take a spin over the

-twenty-five mile course laid out by the committee of arrangements.

-

-So long as it did not rain, they were not to be kept from carrying out

-their ambitious plans.  About eight o'clock Bristles and Colon, standing

-in front of the picket fence that divided the Carpenter garden from the

-road, saw Fred coming up the street.

-

-"There's Fred," announced Colon, "and I hope Sid shows up soon, because

-we'd better be making an early start."

-

-The way in which he looked up at the sky when saying this caused Bristles

-to instantly remark:

-

-"Now, I reckon you're thinking it's going to rain on us before we get

-back home again.  That left leg of yours that you got hurt once, is a

-regular old barometer, it seems, Colon."

-

-"I don't know just how it comes," admitted the other, "but nearly every

-time it gets to itching and burning, we do have a spell of bad weather.

-Over at my house when they see me rubbing that leg, they begin to hunt up

-rubbers and raincoats to beat the band.  It's gotten to be next door to

-infallible, dad says."

-

-"All right, we'll forgive you if you do bring a dash of rain to-day,"

-warned the other, "but be mighty careful how you let that leg get to

-itching toward the end of next week.  Why, a rain'd play the dickens with

-all our plans for that glorious long run."

-

-"You don't smash a thermometer every time it tells you how hot or cold it

-is, do you?" demanded Colon.  "Then why d'ye want to blame things on my

-leg barometer?  Just as if it had anything to do with the weather, 'cept

-to warn you ahead.  Seems to me I ought to have a gold medal, instead of

-abuse.  But here's Fred, and looking as if he was in apple pie trim for

-making the grand rounds to-day."

-

-Of course all of them were in their running outfits, which consisted of

-trunks, sleeveless jerseys, shoes with spikes in the soles, and an excuse

-of a hat, though Bristles declined to wear anything on his mop of hair.

-

-"All here but Sid, now, Fred," announced Colon, as the other joined them.

-

-"We're a little ahead of the time that was set," remarked Fred, who

-seemed to be unusually sober it appeared to the sharp-eyed Colon, "and

-Sid will be along soon.  I saw him heading for town, and he called across

-lots that he had a little errand, but would join us as soon as he could

-get back home, and pile into his running togs.  Let's sit down somewhere,

-and take it easy, boys."

-

-"A good idea, too," commented Bristles, "because, with a twenty-five mile

-run before us, we'll have all the standing on our feet we want.  Chances

-are it'll be a pretty tired bunch of boys that'll turn up here some hours

-from now."

-

-They found a place to settle down, and after a little talk about the

-weather, during which Colon was called upon to once more prophesy as to

-the chances for rain, he suddenly turned to Fred, to say:

-

-"What's bothering you this morning, Fred?"

-

-"Why do you ask me that?" returned the other, with a little smile.

-

-"Well," Colon continued, "I'm used to watching faces, and it struck me

-when you came up, there was a worried look on your face.  Hope you're not

-feeling anyway off?"

-

-"Never felt in better condition in my life," Fred assured him.  "One or

-two little bruises from that business of last night, but nothing to

-mention, and I don't expect to even think of them again."

-

-"What happened, then?" asked Bristles.

-

-"Only that our house was entered last night!" Fred observed, calmly.

-

-The other boys gave expression to their astonishment in various

-exclamations.

-

-"Burglarized, you mean, Fred?" cried Colon.

-

-"Well, yes, I guess you might call it that, though it seems only one

-particular thing was carried off," Fred replied.

-

-"You've got us guessing good and hard," said Bristles.  "Was that your

-dad's pocketbook, his watch, the piano, or what could it be?"

-

-"A hat," explained Fred.

-

-Bristles and Colon fairly gasped upon hearing this.

-

-"D'ye mean to tell us, Fred, that a desperate burglar would take all the

-chances of breaking into a house where he might get shot, just to steal a

-hat!" Colon demanded, as though suspecting they were being made the

-victims of a joke, although as a rule Fred seldom allowed himself to

-attempt anything of the kind.

-

-"Sometimes even a hat may be a mighty important thing, if you stop to

-think of it, fellows," he informed them.

-

-"Great smoke!  Fred, do you mean that hat?" exclaimed Bristles, suddenly

-remembering something.

-

-"The one we picked up on the battlefield!" added Colon, helplessly.

-

-"That's the one I mean," they were told by the other, with a positive

-tone that could not be mistaken.  "When I got home I tossed it onto the

-hall table.  It wasn't there this morning, and I asked the girl, and

-everyone about the house if they'd seen it, but nobody had.  And what was

-plain evidence of a robbery was the fact that a window was found open in

-the sitting-room, which my dad says he is sure he shut and locked before

-he went to bed."

-

-"It was Cooney Jimmerson, of course?" suggested Colon.

-

-"He's always been too clever with his fingers," Bristles gave as his

-opinion.  "Maybe you remember, Colon, because it was before Fred's time

-here, how Cooney used to sneak into the coat-rooms at school, and go

-through the pockets of our reefers looking for pennies or tops or any old

-thing.  He got in a peck of trouble on account of his sly tricks.  If

-anybody could turn the catch of a window, and crawl in, I'd put it up to

-him."

-

-"But Fred, how would he know you'd found his old hat?" asked Colon.

-

-"We'll have to guess at that," he was told.  "Look back, Colon, and

-you'll be likely to remember that several times we heard a rustling sound

-in that clump of bushes, while we were standing there talking, after

-finding the hat."

-

-"Yes, and you thought it might be only a rabbit, or a chipmunk, or

-something like that," assented Colon, promptly.

-

-"Now that the hat we were keeping as evidence has been stolen from my

-house," Fred continued, "I'm more than sure that must have been Cooney

-himself.  He'd missed his hat, and afraid that we might find it, he came

-creeping back to get into that bunch of brush, where he could hear every

-word we spoke.  So he knew I was keeping his hat to prove who was in the

-crowd that tackled us unawares."

-

-"He just knew that if his hat were ever shown, he'd be in the soup,"

-observed Colon, "so he thought it worth while to take all kinds of

-chances in the hope of copping it again.  But let me tell you, the boy

-who'd open a window, and creep into a neighbor's house night times, is

-pretty close to the line.  He's on the road to being a regular

-professional thief when he grows up, because it shows he likes that sort

-of thing."

-

-"You know they say, 'as the twig's inclined, the tree is bent,'" Bristles

-told them, ponderously, "and we all can guess what'll become of Buck

-Lemington some day.  He'll either make a striking figure in finance, or

-else head some big swindle that'll send him up for twenty years."

-

-"But with the evidence gone," Colon remarked, "of course that ends the

-plan to show Cooney up at school?"

-

-"Yes, and that was what he took such big chances for," Fred admitted.

-"We might tell the whole story, but without any positive evidence there

-would always seem to be a weak link in it.  Some folks might even say we

-were prejudiced.  They'd rather believe the attack came from one of the

-other towns.  People always like to believe bad things about rival places

-rather than the home town.  So we'd better shut down on that hat part of

-the story, and keep it quiet."

-

-"Course it doesn't matter if we let it be known we were set upon, only we

-mustn't say we suspect any particular boys," Colon went on to remark,

-with a little confusion that told Fred he must have already been telling

-something about the encounter, though not mentioning names.

-

-"Call that settled, then," Bristles added, "but it's too bad, when you

-had the case framed up against Cooney for fair and keeps.  He'd have

-found himself the most unpopular fellow in Riverport, that's, right."

-

-"The main thing with me," Fred explained, "was the hope that when

-everybody got to pointing the finger of scorn at Cooney, he'd feel so

-mean and small that, not wanting to stand for all the abuse alone, he'd

-up and confess that it was Buck who had started the racket.  But as our

-plans have missed fire, we'll have to forget all about it.  We've got our

-hands full as it is with this race, and getting ready to do our level

-best to win."

-

-"I think I see Sid coming," Colon told them just then, and as he had an

-advantage over the rest by reason of his long neck, nobody disputed his

-word.

-

-"We haven't forgotten anything, I hope?"  Bristles observed, as they

-arose to their feet, and began to stretch themselves, boy fashion.

-

-Fred carried a little pouch at his side that he did not believe would

-interfere at all with his running, though of course even this would be

-discarded when the great Marathon test was on.  In this he carried

-matches, a small but reliable compass, and a few simple remedies that

-might come in handy in case any of them happened to be seized with colic

-or cramps from drinking water when overheated.

-

-"Nothing that I know of, Bristles," Fred announced, as he touched this

-small pouch which, in the woods among old hunters would probably be

-called a "ditty-bag," and contain all manner of little odds and ends

-likely to be needed from time to time.

-

-Sid was now running.  The mere fact that he might be a little behind time

-would hardly seem to be sufficient excuse for his starting off in this

-way.  Fred eyed the newcomer as he approached them.  He fancied that Sid

-was bringing news of some kind.

-

-Sid was breathing a little fast.  That was to be expected in the start,

-though when he got his "second wind" he would very likely be good for a

-long, hard run.

-

-"Give me five minutes, fellows, to rest up in, so we can all start even,"

-Sid went on to say, "and besides, I've got something to tell you."

-

-All of them dropped down again on the fresh green grass that the recent

-warm weather had caused to sprout forth luxuriantly in places.

-

-"We're listening," Bristles told him, placing the cup of a hand back of

-his ear, as though he wanted to make sure of not losing a single word,

-while Colon assumed an eager attitude, with his eyes glued on Sid's

-flushed face.

-

-"None of you happened to go down-town this morning, I reckon?" was the

-first thing Sid said, and as three heads were vehemently shaken in the

-negative, he continued, "Well, then it'll give you something of a

-surprise to know that it's happened again."

-

-"Not a fire in the high school?" exclaimed Colon, for a serious event of

-this kind had taken place in the near past, that had created something of

-a panic in Riverport.

-

-Sid shook his head in the negative.

-

-"This was a robbery," he went on to say, in a way that gave the other

-three a severe shock; "just as when old Periwinkle was robbed.  This time

-it was Mrs. Merriweather, the rich widow, who owns so many houses, and

-gets her rents in on the first.  Somebody broke in there, and she never

-knew till this morning that her desk had been pried open, and three

-hundred dollars taken!"

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XVIII

-

-CAUGHT BY THE STORM

-

-

-"That settles it, boys!" said Fred, compressing his lips.

-

-"Some more of Corny's smart work, I guess you mean?" ventured Bristles.

-

-"Well, we happen to know he was in town again yesterday afternoon, and

-putting things together, it looks bad for Corny," Fred explained.

-

-"And I take it you mean to do what you said," Colon remarked; "that is,

-you promised us if there was another robbery, and that man was seen

-around, you'd tell everything to Chief Sutton and let him start a hunt to

-find Corny?  Have I got it straight, Fred?"

-

-"You certainly have, Colon, and that ought to be attended to before we

-start out on our run," Fred continued.

-

-"Sure thing, because when a fellow has broken open a house and taken as

-much as three hundred dollars in cash, he's likely to get busy right

-away, and hide somewhere.  That other time it was in a cave, and now

-Corny may have another secret den.  It'll be up to the Chief to locate

-him."

-

-"But I say, Fred, I hope now this won't interfere any with our plans

-to-day?" expostulated Bristles, while both Sid and Colon immediately

-looked anxious.

-

-"Only to hold us back ten minutes or so," Fred told them.

-

-"You won't bother going to town, and seeing the Chief personally, will

-you, Fred, when we've got a 'phone handy right here?" demanded the

-Carpenter boy, starting in the direction of the front gate close by.  The

-others followed.

-

-"I could answer all the questions he'll want to ask, over the wire just

-as well as if I were down at headquarters," Fred announced, at which an

-expression of relief was seen to sweep over three eager faces.

-

-Fortunately the head of the local force was at his desk, engaged in his

-customary morning duties.  Fred lost no time in getting down to facts,

-and from what the other boys, listening close by, heard him say, his

-astonishing communication must have created quite a lively panic at

-headquarters.

-

-For some time after telling what they had learned when passing through

-that particular stretch of woods the week before, Fred was kept busy

-answering questions.  He explained just why they had seen fit not to

-mention the matter before, and the reason that ban of secrecy was now

-removed.

-

-When finally Fred hung up the receiver, and turned around with a smile on

-his face, as though perfectly satisfied with what he had done, not more

-than ten minutes had elapsed since their entering the house.

-

-"Thank goodness that business is over with," he remarked, "and now it's

-up to the police to find the thief,---if they can."

-

-"Huh! my opinion is that this same Corny is a heap too smart to be nabbed

-by a country cop," asserted Colon, and Chief Sutton, who was a very

-consequential little officer, would have felt terribly hurt could he have

-heard the disdainful laugh that went around at these scornful words.

-

-"But let's be making a start!" begged Colon, anxious to be up and doing,

-for he had told the others he felt like a wild colt that morning, being

-fairly crazy to get to running.

-

-In five minutes they were far beyond the town limits, running two and two

-along the road, and taking things fairly easily in the start.

-

-A wise athlete never pushes a willing horse to begin with.  After getting

-well warmed up, it is safe to increase the pace, always holding in the

-very best for the emergency that is apt to come in every race, some time

-or other.

-

-Several miles were soon put behind them.  Fred and Colon led, with the

-other two at their heels, and all running easily.  Indeed, though it is

-not considered the best thing to do when running, the two leaders

-occasionally exchanged a few words, cutting their sentences down to as

-brief a span as possible.  As a rule they maintained silence, each having

-his teeth set, and breathing through his nose as much as he possibly

-could.

-

-These lads had learned all the known rules affecting long distance

-running, and they had also found more or less benefit from practicing

-them.  Time did not enter into their calculations on this occasion, to

-any great extent at least.  Of course they sprinted occasionally, and the

-minutes were noted at such times in an effort to learn a little about the

-probable period between certain points, where they figured on making

-their gains.

-

-Possibly of the four Bristles showed more signs of being pressed than any

-of them.  He had always been a short distance runner, like Felix Wagner

-of Mechanicsburg, but this year both boys hoped to break into the long

-distance class.  Neither Bristles nor Sid happened to be built just right

-for such a task.  On the other hand, Colon was long and rangy, and

-capable of tremendous speed, while Fred had the staying qualities so

-necessary in Marathon runners.

-

-As a rule it will be found that the best long distance runners are the

-stocky, small men, like the wonderful Englishman, Shrubb, who astonished

-everybody in our own country by his great record some years back.  While

-hardly reckoned small, Fred Fenton was in just that same class, for his

-muscles were as hard as they could possibly be, and he always kept

-himself in prime condition for work.

-

-When, after a certain length of time, the four boys arrived at the birch

-trees by which Fred had marked the place where they could turn into the

-woods in attempting that short-cut, they had seen no other competitor on

-the road.  No doubt at some time during the day all of those who meant to

-take part in the great run expected to cover the whole course, so as to

-get familiar with its peculiarities, but Fred and his mates were just as

-well pleased not to run across any of them thus early in the morning.

-

-"Now, here's where we want to keep our eyes about us," remarked Fred, "so

-as to know the trail by heart.  All of us but Sid have already been

-across to the other road, but on that account don't think you know it

-all.  Observe everything around, and make a mental map of the course.

-It'll be a great help, I tell you."

-

-"Point out the blazes you were speaking about, so I can watch for them,"

-Sid asked them, as they stood there in a bunch, breathing hard, and

-cooling off, for it had been a warm run, and the atmosphere felt

-unusually heavy.

-

-"There's one good thing," Fred went on to say, "we don't have to pay any

-attention to the other side of the trail.  What I mean by that is this:

-lots of fellows can take notice of how a trail looks, and think they've

-got it down pat in their minds, but let them start back over it, and the

-landmarks will never be the same, so it's the easiest thing going to get

-lost on the return trip, where the blazes you made fail to show.  It

-happens that we have to pass through here only one way."

-

-"Great Caesar! wasn't that a growl of thunder?" cried Colon in dismay.

-

-"Nothing more nor less than that," replied Fred, "and if thunder stands

-for anything, we're going to get that rain after all."

-

-"Shucks! why couldn't the measly old storm have held off till we reached

-home?"  Bristles wanted to know.  "Here we are more'n ten miles away from

-town, and dressed in the airiest duds going.  If we get soaked, we'll be

-shivering like fun."

-

-"What's the answer, Fred?  Tell us your opinion, and whether we'd better

-turn back, or try to push on through this neck of woodland and marsh?"

-When he put this question, Colon betrayed a trace of uneasiness, for the

-prospect was not a very pleasant one, no matter how they looked at it.

-

-"There's no use turning back," the leader explained, "because the nearest

-house would be several miles away.  I don't know just how it might be if

-we kept along the road here.  But there's that tollgate and shanty on the

-other road; if we could only make that, we'd find shelter."

-

-"Move we try," snapped Bristles, who was for action all the time, and

-liked to settle questions as Alexander is said to have cut the Gordian

-knot, decisive work, rather than sitting down to unravel problems.

-

-There being not a single dissenting voice raised, the proposition was

-declared carried, and with that the four runners plunged immediately into

-the heavy undergrowth alongside the road.

-

-Fred used his eyes and his memory to advantage.  He knew that it would

-not do to make any mistake, and be lost in that jungle.  With a storm

-coming on, the fierceness of which none of them could more than guess,

-the one thing they must make sure of above all others was to stick to the

-trail through thick and thin.

-

-"Say, it's beginning to rain!" called out Bristles, from the far rear,

-Sid being just in front of him, and Colon back of the leader's heels.

-

-"What makes you say that?" asked Colon, who did not like to be told of so

-disagreeable a fact.

-

-"Felt a drop on my face," Bristles explained, "and you could too, if you

-tried.  There! that was another!  It is starting in, boys, believe me!"

-

-"He's right about that," Fred called back over his shoulder.

-

-They could run only a small fraction of the time while threading the

-winding trail through the woods, so that hurrying was utterly out of the

-question.  Thunder had been heard several additional times, and it seemed

-to be coming closer, if its increasing rumble counted for anything.

-

-The drops began to fall faster and faster, and it became evident that in

-a few minutes they could expect a downpour.

-

-"One good thing," said the cheerful Sid, "we won't be apt to ruin our

-best Sunday go-to-meeting glad rags by getting them soaked."

-

-"Good for you, Sid!" called out Fred, "always seeing the silver lining of

-the cloud, no matter how dark it grows.  Whew! that was close by," he

-added, as a loud crash of thunder sounded.

-

-The rain fell in sheets for a short time; then the thunder died away,

-though there was no let-up to the fall of water.

-

-"I think we're close to that poor farm," was the announcement Fred made,

-as he noticed several landmarks that he remembered well.

-

-"Bless you, Fred, for saying that!" cried Colon, "because I'm shivering

-as if I'd drop to pieces.  What do I see over there on the left right

-now?"

-

-"It's the old rookery of a barn!" Fred told him.  "Come on, we'll crawl

-in, for it's perfectly safe, now that the lightning has gone.  By

-bunching together under the hay, we'll warm each other, more or less,

-while we wait for the rain to stop."

-

-They saw no sign of anyone around, and as their necessity was very great,

-the four thinly clad and shivering runners crept under the hay, where

-they huddled together as Fred had advised.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XIX

-

-THE BOY IN THE HAYMOW

-

-

-"This is a whole lot better than out there in the downpour," Colon was

-heard to say, after they had been cowering in the hay for a short time,

-keeping as close to one another as they could so as to gain additional

-warmth.

-

-"I should say it was," acknowledged Sid, "and Bristles here is a regular

-toaster in the bargain.  He's as snug and warm as a stove.  I'd like to

-come over and bunk with you, Bristles, some of the coldest winter

-nights."

-

-"Any boy ought to be warm that's got a decent amount of flesh on him!"

-declared the one in question;  "now, here's Colon who's so thin he hardly

-throws a shadow at noon; you couldn't expect him to do anything but

-shake."

-

-"I'd hate to try to sleep in this old place nights," observed Colon, who

-had been thinking of other things, it seemed, than warmth.  "Chances are

-she's plum full of rats and mice.  If you listen real hard, you'll hear

-'em carrying on right now, squealin'  and squawkin' like."

-

-Accordingly all of them now turned their attention to listening, this

-avowal on the part of Colon having aroused their curiosity.

-

-"There!" cried the tall boy triumphantly, "didn't you get it that time;

-and wasn't that a plain rat gurgle, though?  They c'n make the queerest

-noises, seems like, when they want to."

-

-Fred started to move.

-

-"That was no rat, boys," he remarked, in a tone of conviction.

-

-"Wasn't, eh?" exclaimed Colon; "then what'd you call it, Fred?"

-

-"A groan!" replied the other, immediately, at which the others began to

-sit up, and in various ways denote newly aroused interest.

-

-"A groan, Fred!" echoed Sid.

-

-"Do you mean a human groan?" demanded Bristles.

-

-"There it is again," Fred told them; "if you pay attention, you'll soon

-say what I do---that it is a human groan."

-

-"But whoever would be grunting like that in this old rookery, I'd like to

-know?"  Bristles continued as though unable to fully grasp the idea.

-

-"For my part," said Fred, bluntly, "I can't explain it.  How about you,

-Colon?"

-

-"Yes, how is that, Colon?"  Bristles hastened to add, as if to lend

-weight to the sudden demand.

-

-"Me?  What should I know about a groan, except that I happened to be the

-first one to notice the same, and thought it was rats fighting?"  Colon

-expostulated.

-

-"Well, for one thing," Fred told him, "we happen to know that some time

-ago you had a strong notion you could throw your voice, like the fellow

-on the stage who makes the dummies in the trunk talk, and say funny

-things.  And it struck me that perhaps you might be trying it out on the

-dog, meaning your good and faithful chums."

-

-That aroused Colon as few other things might have done.

-

-"Give you my word of honor, Fred, I never thought of such a thing," he

-said, in the most tragic of ways.  "You c'n put your ear close to my

-mouth, and wait till it sounds again, when you'll find I haven't got any

-hand in that grunting.  Maybe it's a poor pig that's half drowned by the

-rain coming into its pen near by."

-

-"I know how hogs grunt," Fred told him, "and it wasn't along that line at

-all.  This must be a human being in pain!"

-

-"Whew! if we don't just strike queer happenings wherever we go!" declared

-Bristles, though from his wide-awake manner it was evident that he did

-not feel at all averse to these lively episodes coming right along, but

-rather enjoyed the excitement they brought in their train.

-

-"We ought to do something, oughtn't we, Fred?" asked Sid.  "If it did

-turn out there was a sick man in this old shook, and we learned later

-that he'd died for want of a little attention, we'd feel mighty sorry."

-

-"First of all, back out, everybody," said Fred.  "Then once clear of the

-mow, we can talk it over, and lay some sort of plan.  Push along there,

-Bristles, you're blocking the line of retreat."

-

-Of course Bristles would not stand for this, and so he began to back out,

-following the line of least resistance, which in this case was the tunnel

-by means of which they had crept under the haymow.

-

-Once free and clear, the four runners clustered together, and proceeded

-to listen attentively again, almost holding their breath in the effort to

-locate the sound that had startled them so.

-

-"There it is, boys!" exclaimed Fred.

-

-"And louder than before," added Colon, "though that may be caused by our

-coming out from under the hay."

-

-"No, we're certainly closer to it than before," Fred affirmed, "and that

-proves it to be over this way."

-

-He started slowly forward.  The others followed, it is true, but

-strangely enough not one of them seemed overly anxious to outdistance

-Fred, and occupy the position of leader.

-

-It quickly became patent that Fred was right when he said the sound came

-from that end of the old barn, because, as they continued to advance

-slowly they could hear it louder and louder.  The rain had dropped to a

-mere drizzle, showing that the storm was about to cease shortly, possibly

-with the same speed that had marked its opening.  As the big drops ceased

-pattering like hail on the roof, sending many a little rivulet through

-the holes, they could hear much more easily.

-

-"I see something, Fred!" whispered Colon, in a hoarse tone.

-

-He pointed with a trembling finger as he spoke, and directed by this

-sign-post all of the other boys were able to distinguish an object that

-seemed to be extended on the hay.

-

-"Looks like a man or a boy!" gasped Bristles.

-

-"I think it is a well-grown boy!" Fred declared.  "And now let's find out

-what ails him, that he keeps on groaning like that."

-

-He held back no longer, but made straight for the object that had caught

-their attention.  As they came up, all of them could see plainly enough

-that it was a human being, a fairly well-grown boy, who was lying there

-on his face.

-

-With every breath he seemed to groan, more or less, and occasionally this

-would rise to a louder key.  This latter was the sound that had reached

-them while they were under the haymow.

-

-Now Fred was bending over the recumbent figure.  Gently but firmly he

-started to turn it over, when a yell broke out.

-

-"My leg!  Oh! my leg's broke all to splinters!" they heard the unknown

-shriek.  Then he seemed to shut his teeth hard together, as though

-determined that not another cry should leave his lips if he died for it.

-

-Fred had always taken more or less interest in matters pertaining to

-surgery, at least as far as it is desirable that a boy should dabble in

-such things.  He had borrowed many books from Dr. Temple, and on two

-occasions had set a broken arm in a fashion that won him words of praise

-from the physician.

-

-"Let me take a look at your leg, please," he said, soothingly, as he bent

-down over the half-grown boy, who might be the hand about the poor farm,

-for he looked thin, and illy nourished, as far as Fred could see at a

-glance.  "Perhaps I can be of some assistance to you, poor fellow.  I

-know a little about setting bones, and such things.  And we promise to

-stay with you, and do what we can to help."

-

-He proceeded to make an examination without any delay or squeamishness.

-The result was that he discovered a serious fracture of both bones of the

-leg.  Fortunately the break was some inches above the ankle, and if

-properly attended to, would not result in any permanent injury.

-

-Fred did all that was possible under such conditions, while his three

-chums hovered near, ready to lend a hand whenever he asked it.  The

-injured boy cried out and moaned a number of times during the time Fred

-was working, but after Fred had made the rudest kind of a splint, and

-wrapped the leg with some rags torn from an old linen fly-net that was

-hanging from a hook near by, the wounded lad admitted that he felt a

-"heap better."

-

-For the first time Fred began to take notice of him other than as a

-patient.  He found that the boy kept his head lowered, as though

-endeavoring to avoid curious eyes, and Fred wondered why this should be

-so, when they had certainly proven themselves to be very good friends of

-his.

-

-The mystery was, however, soon explained, when Colon was heard to give

-utterance to a sudden exclamation, and cry out:

-

-"Why, what's this?  I've sure met this chap before, or my name isn't

-Colon.  It's Tom Flanders, don't you see, Bristles?  He's been gone from

-home a long while now, and his folks didn't know what'd come of him, and

-to think that he's been working on this measly little old farm in the

-bush here all the time."

-

-Fred became intensely interested in his patient.  He had not happened to

-know the Tom Flanders mentioned, but then he had heard more or less about

-him.  It was easy enough now to know why the other was so embarrassed.

-He had been hiding from everybody, no doubt working here under another

-name, and hearing not a word as to how affairs in Riverport were

-progressing.

-

-"Are you Tom Flanders?" he asked the other, quickly.

-

-The wounded boy had turned white and then red several times under the

-flow of fear, distress and other emotions.  He now looked into Fred's

-eyes boldly.

-

-"I s'pose it ain't no use in denyin' that same, because Bristles

-Carpenter and Colon here know me," he went on to say, doggedly, after

-drawing a long breath.  "Might as well own up anyway, 'cause I reckon I'm

-goin' to die.  They can't send a dying boy to the Reform School, can

-they?"

-

-"Have you been working here at this place ever since you disappeared from

-Riverport?" asked Bristles.

-

-"Jest about all the time, and gettin' nigh starved in the bargain, 'case

-they ain't got enough here to feed us," the boy replied, dejectedly.

-

-"First of all," said Fred, "get that idea out of your head that you're

-going to die, just because of a plain fractured leg.  In a month from now

-you'll be walking around again, and before three months are gone, you

-wouldn't know anything had ever happened to you."

-

-"That's right kind o' you to say such nice things, mister," Tom Flanders

-muttered, "but a feller that's headed straight for the Reform School

-ain't carin' much whether he lives or dies."

-

-Fred looked around at his three chums.

-

-"We'd better tell him, hadn't we?" he asked, in a whisper.

-

-"Sure, the poor fellow's suffered enough as it is, I reckon," Bristles

-replied.

-

-"Just what I say too," added Colon.

-

-"So go ahead, Fred, and open his eyes.  I only hope it'll be a lesson

-he'll never forget, and start him along a different road after this," Sid

-gave as his opinion.

-

-"Look here, Tom," began Fred, "you've been hiding-out for weeks now, and

-all the time believing that they'd send you to the electric chair or the

-Reform School at any rate, just because you deliberately shoved that

-little Willie Brandon into the river, and it looked as if he had been

-drowned.  But Tom, they worked over him long enough to bring him back to

-life again.  You ran away before anyone could tell you, and your folks

-have been nearly crazy trying to find you.  Tom, you can come home again,

-and nobody's going to punish you.  It's all right, Tom, and we'll see

-that you get to where your folks can have you, before to-night!"

-

-The wretched boy looked at Fred for a full minute as though he could

-hardly believe the glad tidings;  then he began to cry like a baby.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XX

-

-WHEN THE CIRCUS CAME TO RIVERPORT

-

-

-"You'll go home if we can get you there, won't you, Tom?" asked Fred,

-after a little time had clasped, and the poor fellow on the hay seemed

-better able to reply, having mastered his emotions.

-

-"I'd be a fool not to say yes!" he exclaimed, eagerly.  "'Specially when

-you tell me my folks they want me home again.  I've lived a dog's life

-ever since I run away.  Hain't never dared to ask about news from

-Riverport, 'case I reckoned Chief Sutton he must be alookin' everywhere

-for me.  I'll go home, and thank you, fellers; you jest better b'lieve I

-will!"

-

-That settled one thing; Fred knew he could not expect to finish that run.

-Indeed, the roads were not in the best of condition after the storm for

-anything like comfort, and perhaps it might be just as well for them all

-to give up trying to foot it along the rest of the course.

-

-Having hastily considered this matter, he broached the subject to the

-others.

-

-"Let's look at the thing, boys," he began, as they gathered around him,

-knowing that a plan of campaign was being considered.  "What we wanted

-most of all was to get familiar with this cut-off up here."

-

-"No trouble about the rest of the route," ventured Colon, "because it's

-going to be along the open roads, and every fellow can get it down pat

-from studying the map they've posted.  But this cut-off is left blank."

-

-"Meaning that you can go all the way around, making three miles, or else

-take your chance in cutting across country," Bristles added.

-

-"Well, my plan is something like this," continued Fred.  "Let's pick out

-the first good afternoon next week, get a car from somewhere, if we can

-borrow one, and run up here.  Then we can cross over to the toll-gate,

-and back again.  That ought to fix things so we'll never miss the way

-when the big date comes along."

-

-"Hear! hear!" cried Bristles.

-

-"We like your plan, Fred," replied Sid, "and for one I'm ready to call

-this run off.  The weather is against us, and we'd have a high old time

-splattering through the mud for about thirteen miles."

-

-"Besides," added Colon, "we think we ought to be along when you take Tom

-Flanders home to his folks.  I happen to know how bad they've felt about

-his being gone!"

-

-That seemed to settle the matter in so far as continuing the trial spin

-went.  Fred was not sorry, because he felt that he would enjoy having his

-cheery chums along with him.

-

-"Then the next question is, how we're going to get home?" and he turned

-to the injured boy, to say; "You haven't told us just how you came to

-break your leg, Tom, and why you didn't manage to crawl to the house so

-as to get help?"

-

-"I knowed the old man an' his wife they was all away to-day, that's why,"

-was the reply Tom made; "an'  as for my accident, it happened so quick I

-couldn't hardly tell about it.  Reckon I ketched my foot in some loose

-board up in that leetle loft, where I was adoin' somethin'.  Fust thing I

-knowed I felt myself flyin'  every which way, over the edge, and kim down

-on the ground, with my leg doubled under me.  Then I jest seen things

-aswimmin' all around me.  Guess I fainted, for next thing was when I kim

-to, an' found myself groanin'  bad.  When I moved ever so little it nigh

-made me jest scream."

-

-"How long do you suppose you've been lying here?" asked Bristles, softly,

-for he had been much affected by what he saw and heard.

-

-"Mebbe hours, for all I know, Bristles.  They went off jest after

-daylight, meanin' to take the load to Peyton, where they deals in the

-grocery line.  Wouldn't let me do it, 'case they meant to buy the old

-woman a 'frock, you see.  Is it near night time, now, Bristles?"

-

-"Oh! no, the morning isn't more than half over, Tom," replied Bristles.

-"But how about some sort of rig we could borrow, to give you a lift to

-Riverport?  Have the old couple taken the only outfit along.  Tom?"

-

-"I hear a horse munching hay over there somewhere," announced Colon.

-

-"Yes, there is a critter in here," Tom admitted, with the nearest

-approach to a smile that had thus far come upon his wan and pain-racked

-face; "and under the shed stands what you might call a wagon, if you shut

-your eyes, an' didn't care much what you was asayin'.  If old Dominick

-didn't keel over, and kick the bucket on the way, he might pull us ten

-miles or so; always providin'  you give him some oats before you started

-him, and then kept temptin'  him on the road with more of the same."

-

-Bristles gave a shout.

-

-"Oh! we'll fix old Dominick, never you fear, Tom.  I'll look up the oats

-right away, and let him get busy, while the rest of you pull that wagon

-out of the shed, and find something in the way of harness.  We don't care

-a red cent for looks, as long as we get there.  The end justifies the

-means.  You remember we learned that lots of times at school.  Get a move

-on, boys; everyone to his duty!"

-

-Thus inspired, and spurred on, the others hastened to do their part.  Two

-of them hunted until they found the lean-to, under which a ramshackle

-wagon stood that excited the laughter of Colon.

-

-"If Bristles thought the vehicle that little girl had along with her in

-Riverport was a terror, what'll he ever say to this?" he remarked, after

-he had doubled up several times in explosive merriment.  "Now, if the

-hoss is anything like what Tom says, I c'n see what a sensation we'll

-kick up when we strike town.  Why, they'll ring the fire bells, and get

-the chemical engine out to parade after us.  Guess they'll think the

-circus has struck Riverport early this year."

-

-Meanwhile Bristles had succeeded in discovering a small amount of oats in

-a bin, and he emptied a generous lot of these in the trough of the

-antiquated looking horse.  The animal had started whinnying the instant

-he heard the boy moving over in that corner, where he must have known the

-grain was kept, though he seldom had more than a handful at a time.

-

-It was a whole hour before they managed to get the rig fixed up.  Indeed,

-only by the united efforts of all the boys was the bony horse dragged

-away from his feed trough, where he had kept munching the oats

-delightedly.

-

-Then they hunted up all the old horse blankets, and empty gunny-sacks

-they could find about the place, and made a soft bed in the wagon.  A

-stretcher was also improvised from some boards, and when four of them

-took hold they managed to carry poor Tom to the nearby vehicle, and

-deposit him on the sacks.

-

-Being guided by directions which Tom gave them, they found how a road

-wound through the woods to the road, striking the main thoroughfare just

-above where they had come out on their previous trip, and with the

-toll-gate in sight.

-

-"Here's where we gain something, boys," Fred told them, "and this Good

-Samaritan job may count in our favor next week when we make that run."

-

-Fred had been thoughtful enough to write a little note, addressed to the

-owner of the wretched outfit, whose name it seemed was Ezekial Parsons.

-In it he explained just how they happened to find poor Tom, and that they

-had borrowed the rig to get him to his home, where he could have proper

-care.

-

-He had also promised that the horse and wagon should be returned in due

-time, and hinted that his father and mother might be expected to run up

-and make the acquaintance of the old couple who had been so kind to Tom,

-although not really able to keep a hand about the place.

-

-The man at the toll-gate stared, as well he might, when that antiquated

-rig came in sight, with the four boys partly bundled in faded horse

-blankets and gunny-sacks.  The weather had not yet cleared, and the air

-was chilly for fellows as devoid of clothing as runners always are.

-

-When he heard about the accident that had happened to Tom, he was loud in

-his praise of the action of the boys in giving up their trial spin just

-to get the injured boy home.

-

-"If I had a hoss myself, I'd gladly loan him to you, boys," he told them.

-

-"Oh! never fear but we'll be able to get there before sun-down,"

-laughingly declared Fred, while Bristles ran around in front, and held

-the measure of oats close to the nose of the horse, starting him to

-snorting wildly, and taking a step forward in the effort to obtain the

-feed, kept so tantalizingly just beyond his reach.

-

-Bristles continued backing away, and always keeping just so far in front,

-so that the horse was impelled to move along quite briskly.  If he lagged

-at any time the measure was moved closer, and once Bristles even let him

-thrust his nose into it.

-

-On the wagon the boys had a very merry time of it, singing, and laughing

-at the actions of the poor old horse.

-

-"Please don't excite him too much, Bristles," begged Sid, "for he's

-likely to strain so he'll smash this beautiful harness all to flinders."

-

-So they kept up the work, Bristles and Colon between them dancing on

-ahead, and tempting the animal between the shafts to renewed exertions.

-With that measure of oats held within smelling distance of his nose he

-kept plodding steadily along, and mile after mile was placed in their

-rear.

-

-Once they halted, and watered old Dominick at a wayside spring, besides

-letting him have a delightful five-minute communion with the oat crop.

-Then the forward movement was begun, again, and the boy who held the

-measure of oats continued to dance just ahead of the deluded Dominick.

-

-It was about two o'clock on that Saturday afternoon when a great

-commotion broke out in the outskirts of Riverport.  Boys and girls

-flocked to the spot, and loud cheers rent the air.  Indeed, plenty of

-people actually made sure that the circus must have arrived ahead of

-time, and as this was an event in which every citizen was supposed to be

-interested, since he would be compelled to take his youngsters to the

-show, plenty of men were in the throng that gathered.

-

-Dogs barked, chickens set up a cackling and crowing, and there was a

-perfect Bedlam of sounds along the main street.  Down this came that

-wonderful vehicle with sundry creaks and dismal groanings, as though

-threatening to break down at any minute.  Ahead strode a boy in running

-costume, tempting the tired old horse to walk along by holding a peck

-measure under his nose, and occasionally just letting him snap up a few

-of the oats.

-

-Three other fellows sat in the wagon some of them trying to keep warm by

-covering themselves with gunny-sacks, and all laughing, and joining in

-the cheers of the crowd.

-

-Of course everybody thought it was only a boyish prank, but when they saw

-the old wagon draw up in front of the Flanders home, and then those four

-boys start to gently lift a figure out from the bed of the vehicle, the

-noise ceased as if by magic.

-

-"Why, it's sure enough Tom Flanders come back home, after his folks had

-given him up for lost!" one good woman told a new arrival.  "They do say

-Fred and the running boys found him up-country, where he'd broke his leg.

-Poor fellow, he looks that peaked and pale I reckon he's had a terrible

-time.  And see how his maw hangs over him, like she was the happiest

-woman in all Riverport this day.  And we all hope that Tom'll turn over a

-new leaf after this, and make his folks proud of him.  But wasn't it fine

-of Fred and his friends to bring him home that way?"

-

-And certainly, when those four lads witnessed the wild delight of that

-mother and father at having their only son restored to them again, as

-well as noted how the erring boy cried when he allowed himself to be

-carried into the house, none of them had the slightest reason to regret

-that circumstances had caused them to take refuge from the storm in that

-old barn standing near the trail through the woods.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXI

-

-THE GREATEST OF DAYS

-

-

-When the day set for the great Marathon race came around, everybody in

-Riverport agreed that the weather clerk had certainly outdone himself in

-order to give the runners an ideal occasion.  There was not a cloud in

-the sky.  Then, while the air was sparkling and inclined to be cool, the

-breeze was not so strong that it would make running difficult.

-

-Early in the day crowds began to arrive from the two neighboring towns.

-They came in all manner of conveyances, from farm wagons to the finest of

-automobiles.  Music could be heard in the air, for the Riverport Brass

-Band had decided to honor the great occasion by playing at intervals all

-day long.

-

-Ample preparations had been made for seeing the grand finish, which, as

-with the start, was to take place on the great level commons bordering

-the town, and alongside of which the main road ran.

-

-Here a grand stand had been erected for the use of the honored guests

-from Mechanicsburg and Paulding, as well as several other smaller places,

-each of which was also sending its quota of eager eyed strong-lunged boys

-to root for their favorite team.

-

-The race was scheduled to start at exactly one o'clock.  This had been

-settled on as the best hour, since it would allow everybody who expected

-to be present to reach town, and also give the runners plenty of time to

-cover the course.

-

-No doubt that morning dragged along worse than any boy in Riverport had

-ever known time to drag before.  They wandered back and forth in droves,

-all excited, and anxious to hear the latest reports concerning the

-condition of those who were expected to compete.

-

-Several startling rumors were circulated.  One was to the effect that

-Colon had been taken with cholera morbus in the night, and was a complete

-wreck that morning, which would eliminate him from the race.  Another

-went on to tell how Fred Fenton had cut his foot, when chopping wood just

-to keep himself in condition, and it would be utterly out of the question

-for him to enter the competition.

-

-These things gave the loyal rooters for Riverport a terrible shock, and

-messengers were instantly dispatched to the homes of the two heroes to

-ascertain whether there could be any truth in the wild rumors.  When they

-came back and reported that both Fred and Colon were in the pink of

-condition, and simply taking things easy so as not to tire themselves out

-before the time, the shouts that arose caused people to rush to their

-doors and windows, wondering if the race had been prematurely started.

-

-Still the crowds kept pouring into Riverport, until the streets became

-fairly congested with the throngs.  Business, except for feeding this

-vast multitude, and selling them little flags and buttons, seemed to be

-absolutely suspended, so that many stores were shut up at noon, not to be

-opened again until the question of supremacy had been fully settled.

-

-Fred had not forgotten to get that forlorn rig back to the owners, and in

-so doing he had had occasion to make the acquaintance of the old couple.

-His father and mother drove up that very Sunday afternoon, and from what

-Fred heard them say after returning, he felt sure that things were going

-to improve very much with the Parsons.  Mrs. Fenton expected to get a

-number of her friends interested in some fancy work she had examined, and

-there were numerous other ways by means of which the couple could be

-assisted without allowing them to feel that they were objects of charity

-to the community.

-

-Of course the four boys had managed to secure a car, by means of which

-they ran up on Wednesday afternoon after school hours.  There was time

-enough before the shadows began to gather for them to go over the cut-off

-several times.  They examined every foot of the way, and just as Fred had

-said, it was found that by following the obscure road that led from the

-Parsons farm to the main highway above the toll-gate, they could save at

-least seven precious minutes.

-

-This was bound to be of considerable importance to them, provided none of

-their rivals from the other towns discovered the same thing, for of

-course it was expected that nearly every contestant would take advantage

-of the cut-off.  Indeed, very likely all of them had been prowling around

-before now, the idea being to become familiar with the ground.

-

-Fred had called the others up over the wire about the middle of the

-morning, and what Colon called a  "grand powwow" was held at his house.

-Sid, Bristles and Colon gathered there to talk matters over with Fred,

-and learn if any new development had taken place which might prove

-important in the result.

-

-Of course, after the start it was supposed that every contestant would

-run his own course, and hence Fred believed it to be good policy that the

-Riverport contestants should be in full sympathy with the plan of

-campaign.

-

-Some of the other high school boys, particularly chums like Brad Morton,

-who had expected to be in the race until he sprained his ankle and had to

-give up all hope of competing, Dave Hanshaw, Semi-Colon, Corney Shays,

-and Dick Hendricks, hung around the Fenton house, hoping to get an

-occasional glimpse of their representatives, who, they knew, were in

-consultation.

-

-At half-past eleven Fred gave his three friends a little lunch, but he

-had exercised great care with regard to the character of the food, which

-his mother prepared with her own hands.  It was calculated to give them

-endurance without any bad after effect.

-

-"We're all invited over to Sid's house for dinner to-night, remember,"

-Fred told them, as they sat around the table, with the rest of the family

-waiting on them just as though they might already be looked upon in the

-light of heroes, "and let's hope we'll have a jollification there, with

-the prize for winning the Marathon in the safe keeping of good old

-Riverport High for this year."

-

-"So long as we win, and fairly at that," said Sid, "none of us cares very

-much who crosses the line first, though of course everyone hopes to have

-that great honor.  But from what I know of this bunch, there isn't a

-single fellow present who would hesitate to eliminate himself, if by

-doing so he could advance the interests of the school!"

-

-"Hear! hear!" cried Colon, "that's our sentiment, every time, Sid.

-Riverport High first, and self next in this sort of rivalry.  And believe

-me, we're going to keep that Marathon prize right here in town this

-year."

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXII

-

-"THEY'RE OFF!"

-

-

-"Somebody please give me the official list of entries; I'm not sure I

-have it right," and as Cissie Anderson said this she looked around her at

-the clump of enthusiastic school friends, both boys and girls,

-surrounding her seat in the grandstand.

-

-There were Flo Temple, Mame Wells, and several other girls, as well as

-Semi-Colon, Cornelius Shays and a few other fellows who believed in being

-comfortable during the long wait, while the contestants were absent.

-

-"That's me, Cissie," Semi-Colon spoke up, flourishing a paper proudly.

-"I've just come from the blackboard where they've posted the names of the

-entries.  You know each school was to be limited to four contestants?"

-

-"Yes, but please give me the list," said Cissie, impatiently.  "They're

-beginning to gather around the starting line, and I want to be sure I've

-got everything correct.  Just think how small I'd feel if I cheered the

-wrong one."

-

-"You can cheer everybody," Flo told her, "until the time comes to welcome

-the first runner, and then Riverport hopes to do herself proud."

-

-"Mechanicsburg has four entries," Semi-Colon announced, purposely raising

-his rather puny voice so that every one within a radius of twenty feet

-might profit by his knowledge,  "and they are Dolan, Wagner, Waterman,

-and Ackers.  The last named is called the Mechanicsburg Wonder, and they

-all say he's going to win this Marathon in a walk."

-

-At that there were scornful exclamations from the faithful Riverport

-rooters.

-

-"We've seen Ackers run plenty and good, when he played left tackle on

-their football eleven!" announced one boy, jeeringly.

-

-"And if I remember rightly he didn't run fast enough to make many

-touchdowns, eh, fellows?" exclaimed another Riverport student.

-

-"You wait and see, that's all!" they were told by an indignant girl

-nearby, who undoubtedly had her home in the up-river town.

-

-"Yeth," added her companion, a boy who lisped terribly, but was not

-prevented by this affliction from speaking his mind in behalf of his

-native town, "they thay thosth that laugh lasth laugh loudetht.  Justh

-wait, and thee which thide of your mouth you laugh from, fellowth."

-

-"Well, I've got Mechanicsburg down all pat, Semi-Colon," observed Cissie,

-who had smiled sweetly while this side talk was going on, "and now how

-about Paulding?"

-

-"Only three entries there," the answer came, "because Ogden was hurt on a

-practice run yesterday afternoon, and it was too late to grind a

-substitute into decent condition."

-

-"Then they are Collins, Everett and Badger; is that right?" asked Cissie,

-as she poised her lead pencil over her little pad.

-

-"Correct," Semi-Colon announced.  "You all know who Riverport's boys are

-going to be, but all the same I'll just mention them.  Their names seem

-to roll off my tongue as easy as anything---Sid Wells, Colon, Bristles

-Carpenter, and last hut far from least, our splendid all-around athlete,

-Fred Fenton."

-

-There was a generous clapping of hands around that section of the

-grandstand; although the pair from Mechanicsburg looked scornful, and

-shrugged their shoulders in truly loyal style, for they were faithful

-rooters for their home town.

-

-"There is no such thing as a handicap in this race, I understand?"

-remarked a gentleman who apparently was a stranger in the vicinity, for

-no one seemed to know him.

-

-"Oh, no sir, such a thing isn't ever considered in a Marathon race,"

-Semi-Colon immediately told him.  "Every tub has to rest on its own

-bottom, and the fellow who can stand the gruelling run best is going to

-come in ahead of the string."

-

-"There are eleven entries, I believe you said?" continued the gentleman,

-who was evidently looking for general information, not being much of a

-sporting patron, "and if they all start out in a bunch, I should think

-there might be some little confusion."

-

-"Not at all, sir," the boy assured him.  "Each runner has a big number

-fastened to his breast and back, so that he can be known at a distance.

-In that way the judges can see any trickery that may be attempted.  And

-besides, although they may start off in a clump, before three miles have

-been run the chances are they'll be strung all along the road, and with

-numerous little hot sprints to get the lead."

-

-"And while waiting for them to come in sight, what is going to happen

-here?" continued the gentleman, waving his hand toward the open space

-before the grandstand where preparations had evidently been made for

-other entertainments.

-

-"Oh! amuse the crowd, and keep them from getting too anxious," Semi-Colon

-told him, readily enough, for his greatest delight was to spread

-information.  "The committee on sports has arranged several comical

-entertainments.  There's going to be several sack races to begin with;

-climbing the greased pole for another thing; catching a greased pig for

-another; and a three-foot race to wind up with."

-

-"A three-foot race!" repeated the gentleman:

-"I don't know that I've ever heard of that; would you mind explaining a

-little further, my lad?"

-

-"Oh! the contestants are entered in pairs, you see," Semi-Colon told him.

-"They are bound together that way, one fellow having his left leg

-fastened to his partner's right.  It's a great sight to see how they

-blunder along, and fall all over themselves.  I know some fellows who

-have been practicing the stunt;  but even then, in the excitement they're

-apt to get into a terrible muss."

-

-"Well, all that ought to keep the people in good humor while the time is

-passing, I should think," the stranger remarked, laughingly.  "And now,

-would you mind telling me a little about the rules of the great race?  I

-understand that the course covers twenty-five miles in all?"

-

-"Yes, sir, if any contestant chooses to go over the entire distance," he

-was informed by the willing Semi-Colon, who kept one anxious eye on the

-spot where the various runners were now gathering, as though the time for

-starting might be drawing very close now.

-

-"What do you mean by saying that, please?  Is there any way by which they

-may shorten the distance?" continued the gentleman.

-

-"That's just it, sir; at the upper end they can cut off three miles by

-taking a short-cut through the woods and along the border of a marsh,

-coming out on the other road at the toll-gate, and then turning toward

-home."

-

-"I understand what you mean, and I suppose that every one will undertake

-that shortening of the journey?"

-

-"Well, I hear there's some talk of a Mechanicsburg fellow who means to

-run it out on the road all the way," Semi-Colon told his persistent

-questioner.

-

-"What reason would he have for doing so, son?"

-

-"The old one of the hare and the tortoise, sir," the Riverport student

-remarked, with a shrewd look.  "You see, there's always some chance that

-the fellows who try to make that cut-off may get confused, and lose their

-way.  If they strike the other road below the toll-gate, why they're

-compelled to go all the way back so as to register."

-

-"Register!" exclaimed the other, in a puzzled tone.

-

-"Why, it's this way," he was informed by the willing and talkative

-Semi-Colon, "the committee has laid out registering stations at certain

-places along the course, where every runner has to sign his name in his

-own fist, also the exact time of his arrival; then he is at liberty to

-shoot off again as he pleases.  One of these is just below where the

-cutoff begins, and another at the toll-gate on the home road."

-

-"Oh!  I begin to grasp what you mean now," the stranger in Riverport

-remarked, as he nodded his head.  "All this is done so that there shall

-not be the slightest taint of unfairness or cheating about the race?"

-

-"You better believe there won't be, sir!" declared Cornelius Shays.

-"Nobody will ever be able to say Riverport won on a foul, or by taking

-any unfair advantage of her rivals.  It's going to be a clean game and a

-great victory!"

-

-"When they line up, please tell me the numbers of your friends, and also

-those from the other schools.  I happen to have a pair of field-glasses

-with me, and when the first runner comes in sight away up the road

-yonder, I may be able to return your kindness by telling you positively

-what his number is before you could distinguish it with the naked eye."

-

-"There they are lining up now, Semi!" exclaimed Cissie, eagerly, and as

-Sid Wells was a very particular friend of hers, it can be set down as

-certain that her eyes picked him out of the eleven just as quickly as his

-sister Mame could have done.

-

-Accordingly, as the line swayed there, with the contestants listening to

-the last plain instructions from the master of ceremonies, warning them

-of what penalties would be sure to follow any fouling in the race,

-Semi-Colon told the stranger in Riverport just which number represented

-each entry.

-

-"The first four numbers belong to Mechanicsburg, you see, Ackers leading

-as One, Dolan Two, Waterman Three, and Wagner Four.  Then come our

-fellows, with Sid Wells Five, Fred Fenton Six, Colon Seven, and Bristles

-Carpenter Eight.  Number Nine is Collins of Paulding, with Everett Ten,

-and Badger Eleven.  There is no Twelve, you see, sir, because Ogden is

-knocked out."

-

-"Hold up now, Semi-Colon, they're going to make the start, and we don't

-want to keep hearing you talking forever," a boy in the second row behind

-called out; at which the shortened edition of the Colon family cast an

-aggrieved glance back that way, but nevertheless held his tongue.

-

-"Now, watch, he's going to fire the pistol!" gasped Cissie Anderson, with

-her eyes fairly glued upon the line of young athletes who expected to

-compete for the honor of winning the great Marathon.

-

-Then came a spiteful little crack of the pistol the starter had been

-elevating.

-

-"They're off!" shrieked hundreds of voices, and a tremendous billow of

-cheers rang out, to send the eleven runners on their way with a firm

-determination lodged in each and every breast to strain himself to the

-utmost in order to be the fortunate winner.

-

-Up the road they went at a furious speed, bunched together in the

-beginning, yet with several already showing signs of breaking away, and

-taking the lead.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXIII

-

-THE MARATHON RUNNERS

-

-

-The same general principles that might apply in a mile run, or a two

-hundred yard dash, would not be worth while attempting in this long race.

-Those contestants who managed to cover the entire distance were bound to

-be so exhausted when the last mile was reached that they could not be

-expected to have much stamina left, so as to make a "Garrison finish."

-

-On this account there would be little holding back on the part of the

-runners.  Besides, they knew that it would be desirable if there was a

-break in the bunch in the early stages of the game.  There would thus be

-no crowding, the weaker falling back, though still keeping on in the hope

-that something might happen to the leaders when their chances would still

-be good.

-

-Here and there along the first five miles little groups of schoolboys had

-assembled in order to cheer their favorites along.  They did not string

-out any further than this because everyone wished to hurry back to the

-"Green" in order to see something of the humorous contests, as well as to

-be in position there when the first tired runner turned the bend half a

-mile up the road.

-

-Some of these enthusiastic boys even ran alongside for a short time, as

-though in this way they could put fresh heart in their chums.  To their

-credit be it said that not in a single instance did they offer to detain

-one of the rival runners, or interfere in the slightest degree with his

-free passage; though of course in their partisan fashion they managed to

-send out a few taunts after him, to the effect that he was only "wasting

-his time."

-

-During that five miles those who remained in the lead could be counted on

-the fingers of one hand.  They were Ackers, Colon, Fred Fenton and

-Badger; and this alignment at least gave promise of a keen competition

-between the three rival schools, since each of them was represented

-there.

-

-About this time Fred picked up, and pressed Ackers hard.  He was

-following out the plan that had been arranged between himself and his

-chums, whereby the one who was reckoned the most dangerous of all

-outsiders might be harried.  Fred had never really run in a race against

-this so-called "Wonder," and he was anxious to discover just what he had

-in the way of speed.

-

-Of course he knew at the same time that it was endurance that would be

-apt to win this race.  Speed is all very well, and in part quite

-necessary, but with twenty-five miles to be covered the main thing is

-always staying qualities.

-

-So he and Ackers had a merry little sprint, in which Fred gained until he

-passed the other.  Upon that, Ackers, realizing that this sort of thing

-if persisted in would utterly ruin his chances, even though Fred dropped

-out also, fell back to his old style of plodding steadily along in a

-regular grid, just content to keep ahead of the other two.

-

-Fred kept on increasing his lead until he had some little ground between

-himself and the Wonder.  One of his reasons for doing this was to be able

-to register at the road station just short of where the cut-off came in.

-He hoped to be able to vanish under the marked birch trees before Ackers

-could sight him, and in this way make the other choose his own place for

-leaving the road.

-

-If Ackers went in below, he would strike the marsh, and in this way block

-his own progress but no doubt Ackers knew this, since he and his friends

-had been down to examine the course, and must have done considerable

-prowling around here.

-

-Upon arriving at the station, Fred lost not a second in seizing the

-pencil offered to him by the waiting keeper, and jotting down his name,

-as well as the time indicated upon the face of the little clock that was

-placed in plain view.

-

-He did not say half a dozen words to the other, because he felt that he

-needed every bit of his breath.  There was a runner just turning the bend

-below, and from his number being One he knew that it was the "terrible"

-Ackers.

-

-So off Fred bounded, and the keeper, looking after him smiled with

-satisfaction, he being a Riverport gentleman, and reckoned very fair and

-square.

-

-"In splendid shape after running more than ten miles, I should say," he

-told himself, "and this other fellow coming on like a whirlwind seems to

-be just as well off.  There's a third close behind him, too.  That makes

-it an interesting and exciting race.  I'm only sorry I have to be up

-here, and wait for the last to come past before I can jump in my car and

-speed back to town to be in at the finish."

-

-Fred had figured closely, for when he reached the birch trees Ackers had

-not as yet appeared around the bend above the station.  In this way he

-was able to plunge in among the bushes without giving the other runner an

-opportunity to follow him, something Fred did not wish to have happen.

-

-Once in the woods, Fred pushed on steadily.

-

-He knew that speed was not of so much value to him now as accuracy.  If

-he became confused in his bearings, and lost the trail, it would ruin his

-chances for coming in ahead of his competitors.

-

-Accordingly Fred bent every energy to observing where he was going.

-Colon would be sure to follow in his track, regardless of what Ackers had

-done.  By taking that road leading from the old farm of Ezekial Parsons,

-where they had found Tom Flanders lying in the haymow with a broken leg,

-they believed they could gain from five to eight minutes on anyone who

-pushed through the thickets and trailed around the tongue of the marsh.

-

-One thing Fred was glad of,---the favorable condition of the weather.  He

-could not help remembering how that early Spring thunderstorm had burst

-upon them at the time he and his chums were investigating this region for

-the first time.  What a lucky thing it was the weather clerk had ordered

-up such a grand day for the long race, with the sun not too hot, and

-never a cloud in the blue sky overhead.

-

-Fred, though keeping all his senses on the alert, so that he might see

-the "blazes" made on their former trip, and not lose his way, was

-nevertheless not blind or deaf to other things around him.

-

-He loved the wide open woods, and was never so happy as when surrounded

-by their solitude.  The cawing of the crows, the tapping of the

-sapsucker, the rat-tat-tat of the bold red-headed woodpecker inviting

-insects in the rotten limb to look out, and he gobbled up, the frisking

-of the red squirrel as he darted like a flash around to the other side of

-a tree trunk---all these and more he noted as he pushed sturdily forward.

-

-Once arrived in the vicinity of the old, ramshackle barn where he and his

-comrades had sought shelter from the rain, Fred planned to leave the

-zigzag trail and take to the farmer's road.  This would bring him to a

-point just above the toll-gate where the next registering booth was

-located.

-

-As the old couple had been made aware of the stirring event of that

-particular day, Fred would not be surprised to see them on the lookout,

-ready to give him a cheery wave of the hand as he passed by.

-

-He counted himself as lucky to get along over that rough section of his

-journey without any accident.  There was always a possibility of catching

-his foot in some unseen vine, and finding himself thrown violently to the

-ground.  Even a slight injury to his knee might work to his disadvantage,

-since it was bound to cripple him at some time during the remaining

-thirteen or more miles that must be passed over before the goal was

-reached.

-

-Now he discovered a stump of a tree that had been cut down recently, and

-which he remembered lay close to where they were standing at the time

-they headed for the shelter of the old barn.  This assured him that he

-must have covered the worst of the trail, and was about to strike easier

-going.  Fred thought he would not be averse to this, since it had been

-hard pushing through the scrub, where lowhanging branches of trees

-continually threatened to strike him in the eyes, and all manner of

-hidden traps awaited the feet of the unwary.

-

-He did not doubt in the least but that by taking the road he would so

-increase his speed over one who stuck to the crooked trails, that he must

-arrive at the toll-gate station quite a little time ahead of Ackers.

-

-Well, every minute would be apt to count, for like each one of the other

-Riverport contestants Fred had been told all sorts of amazing stories

-about the ability of the Mechanicsburg "Wonder" to recuperate, and come

-in at the end of a long race apparently fresh.  That had been one of the

-reasons for his brush with Ackers;  he had tried to run him off his feet,

-and test this feature of his make-up.

-

-There was the old barn at last.  Fred saw its familiar outlines with the

-greatest satisfaction.  So far as he could tell he had carried out every

-part of his work with clock-like fidelity, for he had counted on reaching

-this point at a given time, and expected to be registering again far in

-advance of all others.

-

-Bursting from the shelter of the woods Fred gave a single glance back of

-him.  He saw no sign of Colon, and yet felt positive that the other must

-even then be threading his tortuous way through the undergrowth, and

-would arrive within a few minutes at most.

-

-Of course it was far from Fred's policy to wait for his chum.  If Colon's

-wind and endurance stood the severe test, he would have the chance of

-overtaking any who might be ahead of him, during that run home.

-Otherwise he must "take his medicine;" but it would be the utmost folly

-for the leader to waste even five seconds for the privilege of exchanging

-a few sentences with his chum.

-

-They had arranged all this in advance, and meant to keep strictly to the

-line of action laid out.  Should Fred falter in the last mile, and the

-wonderful Ackers begin to overhaul him, Colon hoped to be within striking

-distance.  If he were in fit trim, he could then outstrip the

-Mechanicsburg contestant by a display of some of that queer jumping style

-of running that had been likened to the progress of a kangaroo.

-

-A shout told Fred that the old farmer and his wife were on the watch, and

-had recognized him.  They were standing in the doorway of their humble

-cottage, and waved to him as he flitted past.

-

-He only turned to answer their greeting, and having by then reached the

-private road which connected the farm with the main thoroughfare, started

-along it.  Now it was possible for Fred to increase his pace to a regular

-run, though there was still a necessity for keeping his eyes about him,

-since the way was far from being smooth.

-

-As he reached a point where a turn would shut out a view of what lay

-behind, Fred glanced back over his shoulder, wondering if Colon might be

-in sight.  There was no sign of the long-legged runner, however.  Fred

-whipped around the curve.

-

-He was wondering how Ackers was running, and he really hoped that the

-Mechanicsburg runner might not lose himself, in his eagerness to shorten

-the distance across lots.  That would take all the snap out of the race,

-making it a dead sure thing for Riverport, with two of their entries

-leading on the home stretch.  Fred thought of those thousands of eager

-spectators, and how bitterly many of them were sure to be disappointed if

-there was no hot finish to the grand Marathon, with the winner just

-nosing in as it were, amidst the most intense suspense.

-

-All at once Fred became conscious of a new sound nearby.  This time it

-did not have any connection with the voices of the woods.  On the

-contrary he believed it to be the agonized cry of a child.

-

-It grew louder as he ran along, proving that he must be rapidly

-approaching the spot where something was going on.  Fred remembered that

-stirring event on the frozen river, when he and Bristles had been able to

-rescue the boy who had fallen in through the air-hole.  Somehow it struck

-him that he was listening once more to the plaintive voice of little

-Sadie Ludson as she cried so pitifully for help.

-

-Increasing his speed, Fred presently burst into full view of what was

-going on there under the trees, and his whole soul filled with

-indignation as well as anger as he comprehended the reason for those

-pleading cries.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXIV

-

-WHEN DUTY CALLED

-

-

-"Oh! please don't strike him any more!"

-

-That was what Fred heard in the shrill voice of Sadie Ludson, and every

-word seemed to be filled with frantic fear.  One look had told the

-Marathon runner why the girl betrayed such terror.  She was clinging

-desperately to the uplifted arm of a hulking man, who clutched a stick in

-his hand.  This he had undoubtedly been bringing down with more or less

-force upon the writhing figure he held with his other hand, and which

-Fred immediately recognized as the unfortunate boy Sam Ludson.

-

-Of course he did not need to be told that the man must be Corny Ludson,

-the uncle and self-styled guardian of the two wretched children.  From

-his appearance it looked as though Corny might have been indulging a

-little too freely in strong drink.  This probably had the effect of

-dulling his wits, and making him more of a brute than he might be when in

-his proper senses.

-

-At any rate he was engaged in whipping poor Sam to his heart's content,

-possibly for some slight infraction of the law he chose to lay down for

-the guidance of the pair over whom he had control.

-

-The girl tried her best to keep the angry man from continuing his rain of

-blows.  He growled at her and shook her hand off, after which he

-proceeded to use the rod of correction again.

-

-Fred could hear the writhing boy groan, and cry out, in spite of all his

-efforts to keep from giving tongue.  The girl continued sobbing, and

-vainly trying to prevent further punishment.  Even as Fred came in sight

-of the scene the infuriated man, as if bothered by the way she interfered

-with his wretched work, gave her a fling that sent the girl headlong to

-the ground.

-

-When she struggled to her knees, she was holding a hand to her head, as

-though she had hurt it by rough contact with the stones.

-

-Fred Fenton's blood fairly boiled.  He forgot all about the fact that he

-was engaged in a great Marathon race, and that his school looked to him

-to do everything that was honorable in order to win the victory.

-

-The sight of that great brute abusing these two children whom a

-misfortune had placed in his power was too much for him to stand.  No

-matter if a dozen races had to be forfeited, Fred could never run past,

-and feel that he had done right.

-

-None of the actors in the thrilling little drama had so far discovered

-him, for he had come pattering softly along the road.  He immediately

-turned aside, and leaped straight for the spot, meaning to hurl himself

-on the man, and endeavor to overcome him.  The fact that Corny had been

-drinking, and seemed a bit unsteady on his feet, was likely to aid Fred,

-he believed.  It would have been all the same had other conditions

-prevailed, for the boy was fully aroused.

-

-Although the girl had been crying so frantically, it had not been in

-hopes of anyone hearing and coming to the rescue.  She was simply trying

-to influence the man to forego his use of that stick, with which he had

-amused himself, making cruel welts upon the tender flesh of the

-struggling and helpless boy.

-

-Fred rushed upon Corny like a young whirlwind.  The girl was the first to

-notice his coming, and she could not help giving a cry of delight.  This

-it turned out was the worst thing that could have happened, for it must

-have reached the ear of the man, warning him in time to turn and see

-Fred.

-

-The runner had gone too far now to hesitate, and so he continued his

-forward progress.  He sprang straight at Corny, and received a

-half-hearted blow from the other, who was really too much surprised at

-sight of the boy to get himself in full readiness.

-

-They clinched, and struggled desperately.  The man was of course much the

-stronger of the two, but his condition took away considerable of this

-advantage, so that after all the match was not so unequal.

-

-Fred knew that his best chance was simply to push the other back by the

-sheer weight of his attack, in the hope that Corny might catch his heel

-in some upturned root, and measure his length on the ground.

-

-The boy had been released, of course, for Corny needed both hands with

-which to defend himself.  Immediately the girl threw a protecting arm

-around her gasping brother, and the pair crouched close by, watching with

-startled eyes as the terrible struggle went on.

-

-As it began to look as though their young champion might fail in his

-attempt to subdue the ogre, the girl, who apparently had more spirit than

-her brother, crept out and tried the best she could to offer Fred a stout

-stick which she had picked up from the ground.

-

-Desperately as he fought, Fred was himself beginning to believe that he

-might not be able alone and unaided to subdue the other, who was really

-next door to a giant in size.  In his proper senses Corny Ludson would

-undoubtedly have been equal to several boys like Fred, but he had put

-himself in the power of a master inclined to weaken his resources.

-

-Failing to run across a friendly projecting root that would do the

-business for the clumsy feet of the struggling man, Fred began to believe

-he would be compelled to accept the stick which Sadie was holding out,

-and use it on the other's head.

-

-As he fought, Corny was wild with rage, and uttering all sorts of ugly

-threats as to what he would visit upon the head of this rash boy who had

-attacked him.  It was plainly evident that the man was in a dangerous

-mood.  This told Fred he would be justified in doing almost anything, in

-order to save those children, not to speak of himself.

-

-In the struggle he had not come off without several knocks himself, and

-there was always a chance that the man might succeed in clutching him by

-the throat.  The consequences of such a happening appalled Fred, and,

-resolved to end the battle once and for all, he watched his opportunity,

-and the next time they whirled close to the crouching figure of little

-Sadie, he snatched the stick out of her hand.

-

-It took all of his nerve to be able to actually strike the man on the

-head.  Indeed, the act sent a cold chill all through him, for never

-before in all his life could Fred remember of having struck anyone with a

-club.

-

-Though the blow was hardly more than a severe tap, it crumpled Corny up,

-all the same.  Fred felt him become immediately limp in his grasp, and as

-he drew back the man fell to the ground in a dazed condition.

-

-"Good shot!" exclaimed a well-known voice close by, and Colon came

-limping up.

-

-At sight of his chum Fred uttered an exclamation of dismay.

-

-"Oh!  I'm sorry I did it;" he declared; "if I'd only known you were so

-near by, I'd have held out a little longer, and that's right, Colon."

-

-"Well, that would only have made me do the little act then," said the

-other with a grin, "and p'raps I'd have tapped him harder than you did.

-I guess his head's all fuddled anyway, and that just finished the

-mix-up."

-

-He turned to look at the boy and girl, who were again clasped in each

-other's arms.

-

-"I reckon now these must be Sam and Sadie, aren't they, Fred?"  Colon

-went on to say, though besides being lame he was also rather short of

-wind, truth to tell.  "I know the man all right, to be that ugly Corny.

-And what was he doing to make you jump him, Fred?"

-

-"Beating the boy while the girl tried to hold his hand," the other

-replied as he frowned down upon the prostrate bully.  "When he flung her

-to the ground, it was the last straw for me, and---well, you saw what

-happened."

-

-"He'd been drinking pretty heavily, hadn't he?"  Colon continued, "but

-able to put up a stiff fight for all that.  Well, you got the better of

-him, Fred, and this ought to wind up his treating these children as he

-does.  You know the police are looking out for him right now.  I wouldn't

-be a bit surprised if they could tell us all about the doings of Corny,

-and whether he did those jobs of robbery."

-

-He limped toward the boy and girl, and as before it was little Sadie who

-spoke up without hesitation, to say:

-

-"He is our uncle, and he treats us very bad.  Yes, and he takes things

-that belong to other people.  We know because we've watched him counting

-the money, and he always gets mad when he sees us looking on.  He had

-some papers in a tin box too; they are in his pocket right now.  Oh! we

-hope you can take us away from him, for he beats us cruelly."

-

-"There, didn't I tell you so, Fred?" exclaimed Colon, triumphantly, "and

-between us now, we've got to fix it so this old scoundrel doesn't get a

-chance to beat Sam again, or rob another farmhouse.  I'll manage to fix

-him up, somehow or other, and stay here to watch him.  You go on and win

-this race for Riverport, Fred."

-

-"But how about you, Colon?"  Fred hastened to say, between his set teeth;

-"I'm sure you've set your heart on coming in ahead of the string, just as

-much as anyone."

-

-Colon shook his head sadly.

-

-"The game's all up with me, Fred!" he exclaimed, hurriedly; "I must have

-run a measly thorn in my foot just about the time I heard you scrapping

-with that man.  Didn't you notice how I had to limp?  Why, I couldn't

-keep up the pace for three miles more.  No, you've just got to leave me

-to take care of this scamp.  I saw some wood choppers coming through the

-Woods back there, and can call them up after you go."

-

-"But I hate to do it, Colon; it's a terrible disappointment to you," Fred

-told him, knowing the other as he did.

-

-"Forget all about me, and think only of winning that prize for Riverport

-High!" the tall chum exclaimed, and then actually pushing Fred away from

-him, he continued, "Now be off with you, Fred, and please, oh! please

-beat that Mechanicsburg Wonder over the line!"

-

-Fred saw that there was nothing else he could do.  The boy and girl were

-safe, and Colon had commenced making ready to tie the man's hands behind

-his back with a stout red bandanna handkerchief he carried.  Then, too,

-Colon had seen several husky wood-choppers nearby, who could be depended

-upon to lend a helping hand.

-

-Just as Colon had said, there was indeed need of haste.  All these

-happenings had consumed more or less time, and possibly Ackers would have

-registered at the toll-gate station before Fred, reached there.  So

-waving his hand to his chum in farewell, Fred shot away down the road,

-running with the speed of the wind.

-

-Colon looked after him with a smile on his face.  If he felt a keen

-regret that misfortune had tossed him out of the great race, he certainly

-failed to show it.

-

-"I surely believe Fred will come in first, if anybody can beat that

-Wonder they boast so much about," he was telling himself, as he worked

-with the make-shift bonds.

-

-Then as he caught sight of moving figures back among the trees, Colon

-shouted until the three woodchoppers came hurrying up.  It did not take

-him long to let them know that if they helped get the man, now coming

-back to his senses, to Riverport, it would be the best day's work they

-had done that year.

-

-And on seeing how happy Sam and his sister looked at the prospect of

-being forever relieved from the brutal guardian who had made life so

-terrible for them, Colon must have realized that there may be

-compensations, even for a fellow who has been cheated out of his chance

-to win a Marathon race.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXV

-

-THE VICTORY---CONCLUSION

-

-

-"Oh! there's the cannon!  A runner must be in sight!"

-

-When that great assemblage heard the deep boom of the big gun belonging

-to the local artillery company, every eye was instantly focussed on the

-bend of the road half a mile away.  Yes, a runner had suddenly turned the

-corner, and was heading in a direct line for the finish!

-

-He ran in a wobbly fashion, as though utterly fatigued, a fact that was

-apparent to everyone.  They could hear the far-off howls of those who had

-waited up the track to welcome the runners.  A crowd followed his

-progress, but was wisely prevented from breaking in upon the roadway, so

-that those in the grandstand were enabled to see all that went on.

-

-"Oh! who is it?" cried Cissie Anderson shrilly, as she stood up, everyone

-being on tiptoe with excitement.

-

-"Fred Fenton!" shouted Cornelius Shays, apparently taking it for granted

-that their favorite athlete would be the first to come in.

-

-"No! no, it can't be Fred, because he was Number Six, and that seems more

-like a Seven!" another boy shouted; at which Flo Temple turned really

-pale with bitter disappointment, for she had hoped it would be Fred.

-

-"Colon!  Hurrah for Colon!" whooped several enthusiastic Riverport

-rooters.

-

-"Look again, and perhaps you won't crow so loud!" the saucy girl from

-Mechanicsburg exclaimed, her eyes dancing with eagerness.  "I've got

-pretty good sight, and that looks like a Figure One to me.  Besides, I

-ought to know how Billie Ackers runs, for he happens to be my own

-brother!"

-

-The stranger in town had raised his field-glasses meanwhile, and he

-hastened to remark, turning sideways toward Flo Temple and Cissie:

-

-"Yes, that is a Figure One, most assuredly!"

-

-As though the adherents of the up-river school had discovered this

-gratifying truth for themselves, wild cheers now began to be heard,

-coupled with the Mechanicsburg favorite school song, sung by a glee club

-that suddenly sprang into view, waving flags, and throwing up their hats

-in enthusiasm.

-

-"It's the Mechanicsburg Wonder!"

-

-"We told you he had their measure taken, didn't we?" shouted Sherley, the

-football quarterback.

-

-Boom!

-

-"Another runner has just turned the bend, and see him gaining on Ackers,

-would you?  Why, what's this I see---that number looks like Eleven, and

-didn't Badger of the Pauldings carry that?  Will you see him tearing off

-the space on your tired-out Wonder?  It's good-night to Ackers,

-Mechanicsburg!"

-

-"That may be, but where do you fellows here in Riverport come in?"

-shrilled the girl from up river whose brother was plainly being beaten.

-

-Boom!

-

-"Oh! there's a third runner in sight, and just see how he is tearing

-along like a scared wolf.  We ought to know that style, Riverport, and

-nobody but Fred Fenton could show such terrific speed at the close of a

-twenty-five mile race.  That's because he pays more attention to

-condition than speed!"

-

-"Will he overtake the other runners before they get to the goal?"

-shrieked an almost crazy rooter, as he stood on his seat, and waved both

-arms wildly again and again.

-

-Thousands of anxious eyes watched the approaching figures of the three

-contestants.  It was still an open question who would come in ahead.  The

-Wonder was evidently at almost his last gasp, while Badger, the Paulding

-runner, could hardly be said to show much better form, for he too wobbled

-constantly from side to side, as though kept going only by sheer grit.

-

-Fred, coming strong from the rear, was speedily overtaking them both.

-When Badger, looking over his shoulder, saw this, he started a feeble

-little spurt, but it excited only derisive whoops from the frenzied

-crowd.

-

-"No use, Badger, you've shot your bolt!  Give way to a better man!"

-shouted the captain of the Riverport cheer squad through his megaphone.

-

-"And look at the poor old riddled Wonder wobble, would you?  There, if he

-hasn't taken a header in the bargain!  It's all up, boys, all over but

-the shouting!"

-

-"Oh! the poor fellow has gone down in a heap!" gasped Flo Temple, as

-Ackers after stumbling fell to his knees in his weakness.

-

-"Look at him trying to get up, but he can't do it!" cried Cornelius

-Shays.  "The tape is only thirty feet away, and Ackers is trying to crawl

-there on his hands and knees.  Now Fred is on him, and has passed to the

-front, with poor Ackers rolling over like a log in a dead faint!"

-

-Such a tumult of wild shouting as broke out when Fred Fenton, pale of

-face, and bearing the marks of his hard run in the agonized expression of

-his face, staggered past the judges, and fell into the arms of several

-friends who were anticipating some such collapse at the end of the

-fiercely contested Marathon.

-

-Nor were the plucky Ackers and Badger forgotten by either friends or

-rivals in the many wild cheers that followed.

-

-"Where's Colon?" a dozen people were asking anxiously, for a strange

-rumor had flashed around through the great crowd, to the effect that

-because the second favorite had not shown up at all, he had fallen and

-broken his ankle.

-

-Fred quickly set these stories at rest by telling just what did detain

-Colon, and how having been injured by running a thorn in his foot, he had

-decided to stay there by the two children to watch the man who had been

-caught beating the boy.

-

-Later on, of course, all of those who had been left up in the woods

-arrived in town, having been met on the way by Chief Sutton in a car, and

-given a lift.  Colon saw to it that the three woodchoppers were well paid

-for their part in the affair.

-

-Fred walked home with Flo Temple that evening, not a particle spoiled,

-she really believed, on account of all the praise showered upon him by

-the pleased partisans of Riverport High.

-

-Other rivalries would likely have to be settled between these neighboring

-towns, with their lively high schools, but it would be a long time before

-the assembled crowds could ever experience such tremendous excitement as

-came about when Fred Fenton caught up with Badger and the Mechanicsburg

-Wonder on the home-stretch of the twenty-five mile Marathon, and managed

-to win by a scant fifteen feet.

-

-Corny Ludson being taken in charge by the police was in due time placed

-on trial charged with serious offenses.  There was no difficulty in

-proving him guilty of both robberies, and of course he received a long

-sentence, which would keep him from preying on the public, or annoying

-the children left in his charge by an unsuspicious brother.

-

-Upon investigation by Judge Wallace it was found that while he had really

-been the legally appointed guardian of his nephew and niece, and had

-squandered all the spare money he could get his hands on, there was quite

-a snug amount in securities that he could not touch.

-

-This would be ample to provide Sam and Sadie with all necessary comforts

-while they went to school, and grew up.  They were speedily placed in a

-comfortable home with an old couple who would take the part of parents to

-them, and it may be easily understood how from that time on both of them

-rested in the belief that there was no fellow in all Riverport quite the

-equal of Fred Fenton, because he had had so much to do with bringing them

-their present happiness.

-

-They do say that Flo Temple inclines the same way, for she and Fred

-continue to be good friends, and are seen together at all the dances, and

-other entertainments.

-

-The End

-

-

-

-

-

-

-End of Project Gutenberg's Fred Fenton Marathon Runner, by Allen Chapman

-

-*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30094 ***

+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30094 ***
+
+FRED FENTON MARATHON RUNNER
+
+The Great Race at Riverport School
+
+
+By Allen Chapman
+
+
+File uses:
+   _italic_ notation
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+CHAPTERS
+    I. In the Snow
+   II. The Battle Between Old Rivals
+  III. Up the Mohunk on an Ice-boat
+   IV. The Rescue, and a Mystery
+    V. Looking Over the Course
+   VI. The Wild Dog Pack
+  VII. The Short-Cut Way
+ VIII. The Tell-Tale Pin
+   IX. At the Toll-Gate
+    X. Bristles' Surprise Party
+   XI. On the Green Campus
+  XII. Laying Plans
+ XIII. The Muffled Voice
+  XIV. A Plot That Failed
+   XV. Clinching Evidence
+  XVI. Telling Bristles
+ XVII. Lining Up for the Trial Spin
+XVIII. Caught by the Storm
+  XIX. The Boy in the Haymow
+   XX. When the Circus Came to Riverport
+  XXI. The Greatest of Days
+ XXII. "They're Off!"
+XXIII. The Marathon Runners
+ XXIV. When Duty Called
+  XXV. The Victory---Conclusion
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+IN THE SNOW
+
+
+"Now then, let's see who can put a shot through that round hole in the
+tree-trunk up there.  Take a try, Sid."
+
+"Must be twenty yards away from here, if a foot, eh, Bristles?"
+
+"More like twenty-five to me, Colon; and looks farther than from first
+base to third, on the diamond."
+
+"Line up, everybody, and we'll soon find out who takes the cake at making
+a center shot.  But hadn't we better bar out Fred Fenton?"
+
+"What for, Bristles?"
+
+"Why, because he's the regular pitcher on the Riverside High School nine:
+he's used to putting 'em over the plate for a steady diet."
+
+"That's a fact, and Fred, you'll have to consider yourself handicapped in
+this little contest of skill."
+
+"Anyhow, wait till we've had our fling, Fred; and then if nobody seems to
+get a bull's-eye, you might show us how to do the job."
+
+"All right, boys, that suits me.  And while you bombard that poor old
+tree, I'll be amusing myself making one good firm snowball, against the
+time my turn comes."
+
+"Go at it, fellows!  There, did you see me smack one just a foot below
+the hole?  Gee! that was a sure-enough dandy hit of yours, Bristles;
+closer by six inches than mine.  Everybody put your best licks in!"
+
+The hard balls flew thick and furiously, for it happened that the rather
+heavy fall of snow was just moist enough to be easily pressed into the
+finest of missiles for boyish use.
+
+Many of these swiftly thrown balls missed the tree-trunk entirely.
+Others splattered here and there against the bark, leaving a tell-tale
+white mark.  A few came dangerously near the yawning opening; but not a
+single one thus far had managed to disappear within the gap.
+
+The boy who had been called Fred Fenton, having manipulated a single
+snowball in his hands, stood there watching the onslaught, and
+occasionally speaking words of encouragement to those who were taking
+part in the spirited contest.
+
+"That was a corker, Sid Wells, and it would have done the business if
+you'd only put an ounce more of speed in your throw, so as to have raised
+it three inches.  Good boy, Brad, you left a mark just alongside the
+hole, so some of it must have spattered in the hollow!  Not quite so
+fierce, Bristles; that one would have landed, if you'd been a little less
+powerful in your throw!"
+
+Presently some of the boys began to grow weary of the sport.
+
+"What's the use of our trying to hit that mark so far away?" grumbled
+Bristles; which expression of defeat was something strange to hear from
+his lips, because the owner of the shock of heavy hair that stood
+upright, and had gained him such a peculiar nick-name, was as a rule very
+stubborn, and ready to stick to the very end.
+
+"Let Fred show us how!" suggested Sid Wells, who was known as the
+particular chum of the pitcher, he being the son of a retired professor,
+now engaged in wonderful experiments which might some day astonish the
+world.
+
+The rest of the boys seemed ready to join in the chorus, and make way for
+the ball flinger.  They had watched this same Fred send his dazzling
+shots over the plate with such wonderful speed and accuracy that he held
+the strike-out record for the high school league.
+
+"Remember I'm hardly in practice just now," Fred told them, laughingly;
+"though Sid and myself have been putting over a few, just to warm up
+these days when it feels as if Spring might be flirting with Winter.  On
+that account I hope you won't expect too much from me; and give me three
+chances to make a bull's-eye."
+
+"Sure we will, Fred!" exclaimed Bristles.
+
+"Take six if you want to," added the generous Colon, who was a very
+long-legged fellow, a magnificent sprinter, with a peculiar habit of
+leaping as he ran, that often reminded people of the ungainly jumps of a
+kangaroo.  But he nearly always  "got there with the goods."
+
+"No, three ought to be plenty!" declared Fred, as he prepared to send his
+first one in.
+
+It struck just below the edge of the opening, being really a better shot
+than any of the scores that had marked the tree-trunk up to that time.
+The rest of the half dozen boys gave a shout.
+
+"Clipped the edge of the plate that time, Fred!" cried Bristles, whose
+real name was Andy Carpenter.
+
+"Two inches higher, and it would have gone straight in.  Now you've found
+the rubber, strike him out, Fred.  You can do it!  I ought to know,
+because haven't I been your backstop many a time, and watched them spin
+straight across?" and Sid Wells handed his chum a ball he had squeezed
+into a shape that was as nearly round as anything could be, and also as
+hard as ice.
+
+Bristles, too, presented his contribution, so that the candidate for
+honors stood there with a missile in each hand.  He looked carefully at
+the trees as though measuring the distance and height with that practiced
+eye of his.  Then they saw him draw back his arm after the same manner in
+which he delivered the ball during an exciting part of a hotly contested
+game of ball.
+
+The shot went true to the mark, and as they saw it vanish in the cavity,
+a shout arose from the five boys.  This burst out in redoubled violence
+when, as quick as a flash, Fred sent the second snowball exactly after
+the first, so that it too went straight into the dark hole.
+
+While they continue to express their delight, by shouts, and slapping
+Fred on the back, perhaps it might be well to say a few words concerning
+Fred Fenton and his friends.
+
+They were all Riverport boys, and attended the high school there.  Fred
+and two of the others were taking a post graduate course, meaning to
+enter college during the following season.
+
+In the pages of the first volume of this series, entitled "_Fred Fenton,
+the Pitcher_," we had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of most of
+the boys who were to play prominent parts in the events taking place
+along the banks of the Mohunk River, where two other towns,
+Mechanicsburg, three miles up, and Paulding, seven miles down the river,
+were rivals of Riverport.
+
+Turning from baseball, as the Summer waned, the boys of Riverport
+naturally took to the gridiron, and their struggles for supremacy with
+rival teams are to be found in the second story, called: "_Fred Fenton in
+the Line_."
+
+When Summer came again, other sports took the energetic lads of the river
+town by storm.  With such splendid opportunities for boating, as were
+presented by the Mohunk River, of course they availed themselves of the
+chance to again enter into competition with those whose one ambition
+seemed to be to defeat Riverport.   These lively encounters are set forth
+in the pages of the third volume, entitled "_Fred Fenton on the Crew_."
+
+The next Winter the three towns became so filled with enthusiasm over the
+great advantages of athletic training, that fine gymnasiums were
+organized through public subscription.  In time a meet had been
+organized, and there were some fierce struggles for supremacy between the
+rival towns.  Just how the boys of Riverport carried themselves in these
+exciting happenings, and what measure of success perched on their banner,
+you will find narrated in the pages of the fourth volume, just preceding
+this book, under the title of "_Fred Fenton on the Track_."
+
+The Winter had now almost reached its conclusion, though some of the boys
+who claimed to be weather-wise declared that they would very likely have
+just one more cold snap before the final break-up.
+
+They hoped it might be severe enough to give them a last chance to skate
+upon the Mohunk, and use their ice-boat again.  The ice had become pretty
+"punky," as Bristles called it, with numerous airholes that threatened
+disaster in case one went too close, so that for several days Fred and
+his chums had avoided the river.
+
+This trip up into the woods on Saturday afternoon had been taken just to
+enjoy the first real tramp of the season, and to get together to talk of
+plans for the coming Spring athletics.  As boys can never resist the
+temptation to throw snowballs when the moist white covering seems just
+suited to such conditions, every little while one of them discovered some
+sort of target at which they could exercise their skill.
+
+Once it had been a venturesome bluejay that had wintered near the Mohunk;
+but the wary bird was awing before the first snowball struck near its
+perch.  Then a crow dared them, and fled amidst a shower of missiles and
+uproarious shouts, each fellow claiming that it must have been his shot
+that had struck the limb just where the cawing bird had been sitting.
+
+They were possibly two miles from town, and in the midst of the Budge
+woods, a section that always had a certain charm for the boys of both
+Riverport and Mechanicsburg, as it lay half-way between the two towns,
+and not far from the river.
+
+Which brief but necessary digression again brings us to the occasion when
+Fred's chums were applauding his double hit, after he had sent two
+successive snowballs so cleverly into the hole Bristles had selected as a
+mark.
+
+"Same old accuracy," chanted Colon.
+
+"I'm sorry for poor Paulding, and the other town above us, when Fred
+steps into the box again this year.  He's got 'em as straight as a rifle
+ball.  No trouble for him to put three over when he's in a hole."
+
+Sid Wells had hardly said this when something came to pass that was
+entirely unexpected by the six Riverport boys.  Through the air a cloud
+of solid icy balls came hurtling with what seemed like an angry hiss.
+Some struck around them, spattering against the tree-trunks with loud
+thuds; but several, being better aimed, came in contact with the persons
+of the astonished boys, producing more or less of a stinging sensation,
+as icy balls are apt to do.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+THE BATTLE BETWEEN OLD RIVALS
+
+
+"Hey!  What's all this mean?" shouted Bristles, as he dodged another
+shower of smartly-thrown missiles that came from a point close at hand.
+
+There was hardly any use asking, because all of the lads had by then
+discovered the flitting forms of half a dozen boys about their own age,
+who must have piled up plenty of ammunition, to judge from the reckless
+way in which they were hurling snowballs in the direction of Fred and his
+chums.
+
+"The Mechanicsburg crowd, that's who it is!" snapped Colon, who, being so
+much taller than the others, had a better chance to see over the tops of
+the bushes.
+
+"They're in for a snowball fight, fellows!" exclaimed Brad Morton, who
+was the captain of the football team, as well as track manager in all
+athletic meets.
+
+"Give 'em Hail Columbia, fellows!  Riverport High to the fore!  Now,
+altogether, and send 'em in as hot as you can make 'em!"
+
+That was Dave Hanshaw whooping it up.  Dave had always been known as the
+heavy batter when he was feeling right, and many a time had he knocked
+out a home run, to the wild delight of the Riverport rooters.
+
+The scene immediately took on a lively air.  Fred and his five chums were
+feeling in just the right trim for a warm scrimmage with their
+Mechanicsburg rivals, who had always managed to give them a hard task
+before confessing to defeat, and were said to be breathing all manner of
+threats with regard to evening up the score at the very next available
+opportunity.
+
+It seemed as though there were about the same number of lads on the other
+side, and they had one advantage in the fact that, knowing of the
+presence of the Riverport fellows, they had secretly prepared an enormous
+number of fine round balls, so firmly pressed as to be almost as hard as
+stones.
+
+Preparation is all very good, but there is something that, as a rule,
+proves even better.  This is organization and leadership, backed up by
+pluck; and here the Riverside boys were in a class by themselves.
+
+Somehow, when an emergency like this suddenly arose, they were accustomed
+to looking to Fred Fenton as leader.  It may have been because Nature had
+fashioned him in such a way that others readily believed in his ability
+to win; past experiences had considerable to do with it, and they had
+known him to carry off the honors for the home school on many a hotly
+contested field.
+
+For a short time the air was filled with flying snowballs, most of which
+were fruitlessly thrown, though the better marksmen managed to now and
+then get in a telling hit, that gave them more or less satisfaction.
+
+Fred soon saw, however, that this sort of play would lead to nothing.
+One side or the other might become exhausted, and call a truce; but there
+would be little satisfaction in such a tame victory.  What he wanted was
+an exhibition of strategy, by means of which the enemy would be fairly
+routed.
+
+"Brad, take Colon and Dave, and work off to the right, while the rest of
+us turn their other flank!" he explained to the track captain, as they
+dodged a new flurry of deftly thrown missiles.
+
+"That's the ticket, and we're on to the game, Fred!" came the immediate
+response, showing how ready the others were to follow up any scheme which
+Fred proposed.
+
+"Lay in a stock of ammunition first of all," cautioned Fred; "and when I
+sing out, make your start.  We'll round up that lively bunch in a hurry,
+mark me."
+
+His confidence filled his mates with enthusiasm, as it always did.  A
+belief in one's self goes a great way toward winning the battle, no
+matter how the odds may seem to stand against success.
+
+There was a hasty making of half a dozen balls apiece, all they could
+conveniently carry, and when Fred had managed to supply himself with that
+many rounds, he gave Brad the order to advance.
+
+With new shouts that were intended to strike alarm to the hearts of the
+Mechanicsburg boys, the two detachments now pushed along, making
+something of a swinging movement, with the idea of turning the flanks of
+the enemy.
+
+Of course the other fellows understood just what was up, and could also
+divide their force, so as to meet the conditions; but when they found
+themselves between two fires, with hard snowballs striking them in the
+back, their valor began to give way to uneasiness, that was apt soon to
+merge into a regular panic.
+
+That was what Fred called strategy.  It was of a different kind from that
+of the great Napoleon, who used to plan to divide his enemy's army, and
+then strike quickly at first one-half, and then the other, before they
+could unite again.
+
+In this case the main idea Fred had in mind was to be able to pour in
+showers of missiles from two opposite quarters.  In this way, while his
+own men would be scattered, and could dodge any shot that seemed likely
+to cause trouble, the enemy remained bunched, and presented a splendid
+target.
+
+The thing that was likely to tell most of all was the fact that even
+though a snowball happened to miss the boy at whom it had been aimed,
+there was always a good chance of its finding a mark in the back of
+another fellow, who, being struck so unexpectedly, must cringe, and feel
+like running away.
+
+Loud rang out the cries of the rival fighters, and all the while the
+attacking force kept working closer and closer to the group of almost
+exhausted fellows from up-river way.
+
+"Soak it to 'em!" pealed Bristles, who was surely in his element, as he
+dearly loved action of any sort;  "three hits for every one we've taken,
+and then some.  Put your muscle into every throw, fellows!  Rap 'em hard.
+They started it, and we'll do the winding up, and make the peace terms.
+It's a surrender, or run away.  Now, all together again!"
+
+By this time the Mechanicsburg boys had had quite enough.  Every one of
+them was nursing some wound.  One had indeed even started off through the
+woods, holding a hand to his eye, as though he had failed to dodge a
+throw quickly enough; several others were hugging the tree-trunks
+closely, and showing that they had had about all the snowball fight they
+wanted.
+
+There was one heavy-set but athletic looking chap who appeared to be the
+ringleader of the assailants.  His name was Felix Wagner, and in times
+gone by he had given the Riverport boys many a hard tussle to subdue him;
+though he had a reputation for square dealing second to none.
+
+Seeing that his side had given up the fight, since he was the only one
+still hurling missiles, at the advancing enemy, Felix knew it was folly
+to try to keep it up any longer.
+
+"Hi! hold your horses, you Riverside tigers!" he called, laughingly, as
+well as his almost exhausted condition allowed; "guess we've had about
+all we want of this sort of thing for once.  My cheek stings like fun,
+and I think I'll have something of a black eye to-morrow.  I only hope I
+gave as good as I took, that's all."
+
+"Do you own up beaten, then, Wagner?" demanded the pugnacious Bristles,
+"because we're still as fresh as daisies, and bound to put it over on
+you, now that you've started the fight?"
+
+"Oh sure!  With such a crippled army, what else can a fellow do?" replied
+the leader of the other crowd.  "We throw up the sponge, and wave the
+white rag.  You're too much for us, that's what.  I reckoned it'd be that
+way when I saw Fred Fenton was along.  He put you up to that game of
+dividing your forces, and getting us under a cross-fire, I'll be bound.
+And that rattled us more'n anything else you did; for when you get a
+crack on the back of the head, it sort of knocks your calculations silly,
+and you can't pay attention to what you're doing.  We surrender, all
+right."
+
+Besides Wagner there were some of the other baseball stars in the
+defeated set---Dolan, who guarded the middle garden, Sherley whose domain
+was away off in right, Boggs, the energetic shortstop, Hennessy the
+catcher, who had taunted Fred and his chums So persistently whenever they
+came to bat, in hopes of making them nervous, and Gould the agile second
+baseman.
+
+A number were rubbing their heads, or their faces, where red marks told
+of a "strike," and while one here and there grumbled, wanting to know if
+the Riverport boys put stones in their snowballs, the majority took their
+punishment in good part.
+
+"It was a lively scrimmage while it lasted, let me tell you," Fred
+remarked, as he rubbed his icy hands together in order to induce
+circulation.
+
+"As fierce as any I've been in this year," admitted the big Hennessy,
+whose favorite feat of throwing out runners at second had gained him a
+great name, and who must have been responsible for a number of hits which
+the Riverport boys had suffered during the "late unpleasantness."
+
+"Getting to be an old story to have you Riverport fellows crow over us,"
+grumbled Boggs, who had been the one to walk away while the battle was
+still on; he had his handkerchief crushed in his hand, having wet it with
+melted snow, and in this fashion was trying to relieve the smarting, as
+well as prevent his eye from becoming discolored---something the average
+boy dislikes more than almost any other punishment that can be imagined.
+
+"Is there anything that we can beat you in?" demanded Sherley, frowning;
+"because I'd give something to know it.  We've tried our level best, and
+for two years now only picked up a few crumbs of comfort, while the
+feast's been spread for Riverport.  And yet Mechanicsburg has just as
+good athletes as you can boast.  We manage to win now and then, sometimes
+by sheer hard work, and again by a fluke.  But they seem to be only the
+minor events; all the big plums go to your crowd."
+
+"That's Fred's diplomacy, Sherley, don't you understand?" said Bristles,
+with one of his wide grins.  "He looks out for it that we get our best
+licks in the things that count.  We've got a billiard and pool table at
+our house, and when we play pool don't we go after all the big balls
+first? what's the use knocking the One in a pocket, except it's your only
+shot, and gives you a chance to get at larger game?"
+
+Felix Wagner looked at the speaker, and gave a low whistle.
+
+"Shucks!  I believe that's what's been the trouble all along," he went on
+to say, presently, as though he had been awakened from a sound sleep;
+"and to think none of us got on to that racket before.  Sure, we've been
+chasing after the Number One ball just as hard as we have after the
+Fifteen.  All looked alike to us.  Much obliged for giving me the tip,
+Bristles; we'll see if we can't do better next time.  And if all the talk
+about having a regular Marathon race this Spring turns out right, that's
+where Riverport is going to run up against her Waterloo!"
+
+"Glad to hear you talk so smartly, Wagner," said Fred, cheerfully, for
+such methods never had the slightest weight with him, or affected his own
+confidence.  "If you go at things that way, there's a chance we'll have a
+glorious run, in case that Marathon race does come off.  All of us are
+pulling the hardest we know how to get it fixed up; and we hope you
+fellows and Paulding will put in your oars.  It will be a great event, if
+we can spring it this season."
+
+"Chances look pretty bright up our way," said Wagner, as he and his
+friends prepared to start toward their home town; "and after the tip
+Bristles was so good as to hand us, I wouldn't be surprised if
+Mechanicsburg managed to show you down-river fellows her dust, this time
+for keeps.  So-long, everybody!"
+
+"Good talk, Wagner; may the best man win, we all say!" called out
+generous Bristles.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+UP THE MOHUNK ON AN ICE-BOAT
+
+
+As Fred and Bristles, as well as Sid Wells, were all taking a post
+graduate course, they got out much earlier than any of the other
+scholars.  This was how on Monday afternoon Bristles turned up at the
+Fenton home close to the river, he having arranged with Fred to have a
+last spin on the ice-boat which the Carpenter boy had made himself, and
+used with more or less success during the past Winter.
+
+The weather had indeed hardened over Sunday, so that the slush was turned
+into ice again.  The surface of the river was not as smooth as they could
+have wished, but then since it promised to be their very last chance to
+make use of the _Meteor_ that year, the boys could not complain, or let
+the opportunity pass by.
+
+"We'll have to be careful about some of the blowholes in the ice,"
+Bristles was saying, as they headed for the bank where he kept his craft
+in a shed he had built for the purpose, and which was close to Fred's
+home.  "Everybody says the ice seems to be thin around where the water
+bubbles up.  I'd hate to drop in and have to go home wringing wet, to
+scare ma half out of her wits."
+
+"Oh! no need of doing that, even if we should have the hard luck to get
+wet," Fred told him.  "I always carry a waterproof matchsafe, so we could
+go in the woods somewhere, start up a bully hot fire, and dry off.  All
+the same, here's hoping we don't have to try that stunt out.  It sounds
+well enough, but in this cold air a fellow'd shiver so he'd think his
+teeth were dropping out.  We'll keep a bright watch for those same
+blow-holes, believe me, Bristles."
+
+Fred was a careful hand at everything he undertook, from driving a horse
+or a car, to manipulating an ice-boat.  So Bristles, who had the utmost
+confidence in his superior merits, did not feel the slightest uneasiness
+as he led the way down the bank to the shed that sheltered his home-made
+but very satisfactory ice craft.
+
+Of course he had a padlock on the door.  This was not because the
+sprawling craft was so very valuable;  but Bristles had expended
+considerable time and money in fashioning the flier; and he did not mean
+to put it in the power of any malicious boy to injure or steal, if a mere
+padlock could prevent such a catastrophe.
+
+There were some pretty mean boys in Riverport, as indeed you can always
+find in any town.  The leading spirit among this class of young rascals
+was Buck Lemington, who had once been the bully of Riverport, until Fred,
+coming to town, succeeded in breaking up the combination that had so long
+held sway.
+
+Ever since that time the Lemington boy had lost no opportunity to try to
+get back at Fred Fenton.  He had played several tricks on the other, and
+his chosen friends, who also came under the condemnation of Buck; but as
+a rule the vicious leader of the bad set had had these things recoil on
+his own head.
+
+Still, knowing how gladly Clem Shooks, Oscar Jones, Conrad Jimmerson and
+Ben Cushing, the cronies of Buck, would seize upon a chance to destroy
+his pet ice-boat, Bristles had always kept it under lock and key when not
+in use.
+
+"Everything seems to be lovely," said Bristles, opening the door of the
+shed.  "Somehow I never count on finding my things as I left 'em, because
+often I've seen one of that bunch hanging around the river here, as if he
+were only waiting for half a chance to get even with me.  Why, each time
+the fire bells have rung at night time this Winter, I've climbed into my
+duds with the feeling that it was good-bye to my bully old _Meteor_."
+
+"Oh!  I hardly think they'd dare do anything as bad as that, after the
+lesson they had before," Fred went on to say, as he bent over to help the
+owner drag the rather clumsy craft out toward the nearby shore.
+
+"Well, when you're dealing with such a tough gang as that," explained
+Bristles, "there's only one thing to do, and that's believe 'em equal to
+anything.  I warrant you now that many a time it's only been the fear
+they have for our hustling little fire eater of a police officer, Chief
+Sutton, that's kept Buck and his crowd from trying a heap more stunts
+than they did.  Remember when they cut the wires, and left that big
+meeting in pitch darkness?  Yes, and that other time they turned loose a
+dozen mice at the bazaar, and set the ladies to shrieking and fainting?
+But thank goodness I've got through the Winter without losing my boat,
+and I'm calling myself Lucky Jim."
+
+They soon had the queer craft ready for service, with its mast rigged,
+and the few ropes in place.  Bristles secured a couple of old
+comfortables to serve them in place of cushions, which more elaborate
+ice-boats carried.  These were tied on the boards in a way to suit the
+needs of those who would soon be sprawled out under the swinging boom.
+
+"If the ice were only a whole lot smoother, I'd call this a jolly day for
+a spin," the skipper of the craft went on to say, while continuing his
+preparations.
+
+"Yes," added Fred, standing there, and having completed his arrangements
+to his complete satisfaction,  "the sun shines with just a taste of
+Springtime about it; and the breeze is neither too hard nor too squally.
+It comes from the best quarter we could wish for, across from the west,
+so we'll be able to run up or down the river without trying to tack, and
+that's always a hard job on a narrow stream, when you're booming along so
+fast."
+
+"Well, everything's ready, Fred, so hop aboard."
+
+"Is it up or down this time?" demanded the other.
+
+"Whichever you say, it doesn't matter a pin to me either way," Bristles
+continued.
+
+"On the whole, I rather think we'd better head up-river this time," said
+Fred.  "We went down the last trip we made, yes, and the one before that
+too, because of a poor wind, and the river being wider below, so we could
+tack better.  I'd like to go past Mechanicsburg and as far up as we can,
+for the last time this year."
+
+"Call it settled then, Fred.  Let's point her nose that way and get a
+move on us in a jiffy."
+
+Some small boys were skating near the shore, and had come around to watch
+the starting of the iceboat, which was a familiar sight with them, though
+they never seemed to grow weary of watching it go forth on its swift
+cruise.  Bristles had waited only long enough to make use of the padlock
+again, so that no one might meddle with such things as he kept in the
+shed.  Then he was ready to raise the sail, and spin up the river like
+the wind.
+
+Just as Fred had said, they were apt to have an unusually hazardous trip
+on this particular afternoon, partly on account of the rough ice opening
+up chances for an upset, and then again because of the presence of so
+many weak places, where the recent thaw had started blow-holes.
+
+Of course the very swiftness of their passage would be one means of
+safety; for the ice-boat could skim across a small stretch where a skater
+would most surely break in.  But Fred did not mean to take any more
+chances than necessity demanded;  and Bristles, though commonly known as
+a reckless fellow, had promised to steer clear of any spot which his
+companion told him was unsafe.
+
+Both of the boys were very fond of this sort of sport.  It was a delight
+to them to feel themselves being carried along over the ice at a merry
+clip, with the steel runners singing a sweet tune, and the wind humming
+through the dangling ropes.
+
+The shore fairly flew past them, once the iceboat got fairly started; and
+it seemed almost no time before they glimpsed the smoke from the
+factories of Mechanicsburg, which was just three miles above their home
+town, and on the same bank of the frozen Modunk.
+
+"Keep a bright outlook while we're passing!" called out Fred; "they may
+have been cutting ice up here, as they were early in the Winter, though
+the openings froze over again."
+
+"Looks a bit suspicious over to the right, and I'll hug this shore.  Give
+me a call if you see any hole ahead, so I can sheer off, Fred."
+
+"That's what I will, Bristles, you can depend on it!"
+
+Already they had come abreast the lower houses.  The breeze had even
+freshened a little, or else the bank was somewhat lower, so they caught
+its full force.  At any rate, they fairly rushed past the busy
+manufacturing town, where there were a number of big mills and factories,
+giving employment to hundreds of hands.
+
+"Somebody's waving his hat to us on the bank up there, and shouting in
+the bargain," called Bristles, who was too busily engaged in looking
+straight ahead to turn his eyes aslant.
+
+"Yes, and I think it's Felix Wagner," admitted Fred.  "Looked like his
+figure, but I can't squirm around so as to see again.  Doesn't matter
+much anyway.  Hi! there, turn out a little more, Bristles; you're heading
+for a hole!  Not too far, because there's another just as bad stretching
+out from the other side.  Careful now, boy; a little too much either way,
+and we're in for a ducking!"
+
+"Just room enough to get through, I reckon, Fred.  Whee! that's going to
+be a tight hole for us.  I hope we can make the riffle, all right!"
+
+"Steady, a little bit more to the left; now a quick swing the other way,
+and we're over safely enough.  Say, that was as pretty handling of an
+ice-boat as I ever saw done.  You deserve a heap of credit for that job,
+Bristles, and that's straight!"
+
+"Thanks, awfully, Fred," said the other, in rather an unsteady voice;
+"but all the same, I'm glad we're well across the narrow pass.  My heart
+seemed to climb right up into my throat.  I tell you I never would have
+made it only for you tipping me off the way you did."
+
+"Yes you would, Bristles, even if you'd been alone, because you must have
+seen how the lay of the ice ran for yourself.  But I hope we don't strike
+another place like that above.  I don't think we shall, though they cut
+ice and let it float down till it gets opposite the town; but that's done
+only on one side, as a rule."
+
+They had quickly left the smoky town far behind them, and on both sides
+of the river could now be seen snow-covered farms, patches of woods,
+sloping hillsides, and now and then little hamlets.  Once they passed
+what seemed to be a lumber camp, at which some sturdy men were at work,
+getting logs ready to float down the river with the usual Spring freshet.
+
+Occasionally it was not so easy to make progress.  This was when the
+crooked river took a sudden turn, and they had the breeze from a
+different quarter.  But since Bristles knew how to manage his strange
+craft very well, they overcame all such difficulties, and continued to
+make rapid headway for some little time.
+
+"The holes seem to be getting worse up around here," remarked Bristles,
+after he had had to execute several speedy movements in order to avoid
+running into dangerous spots.
+
+"Yes, and as it's getting rougher in the bargain, as well as narrow
+between the banks, perhaps we'd better call a halt, and start back,"
+suggested Fred.
+
+"Let's make that turn up yonder," urged the skipper.  "I remember there's
+something of a wider span there, and I'd like to try swinging around
+without stopping, if I can.  Last time I made a stab at doing the same, I
+piled up ashore in a wreck;  but the wind's in my favor to-day.  You
+can't down a Carpenter, that's all there is to it."
+
+"Just as you say, Bristles; I'm game to stick it out with you.  Swing
+over a little farther, so as to get all the space you can for turning.
+Listen, wasn't that somebody screaming; or could it have been a
+locomotive whistling for a crossroad?"
+
+"I heard it too, Fred," said Bristles, hastily, "and give you my word for
+it I think it came from around the bend there.  We'll turn in before you
+can count twenty.  There it is again, Fred, and worse than before.
+Somebody's in, the chances are, and I only hope we get on hand in time to
+be of help."
+
+As the flying ice-boat turned the bend and they could begin to see the
+wider stretch of the Mohunk, both boys eagerly waited to discover what
+the cause of all that screaming could be.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+THE RESCUE, AND A MYSTERY
+
+
+"Look there, Fred!" cried Bristles, "over nearer the shore, to the left!"
+
+"I see them!" replied the other, almost instantly.
+
+"It's a girl, and she acts as if she might be trying to get at somebody
+in the water," the skipper of the ice-boat shouted, as he headed the
+flying craft straight toward the spot.
+
+"Be ready to bring up in the wind, so we can tumble off, Bristles!"
+advised Fred, taking in the whole situation at a glance, in his
+comprehensive way.
+
+Bristles was already so excited that he came near upsetting the ice-boat
+by being too speedy about making the turn.  Both boys scrambled to their
+feet as soon as they possibly could, and hurried toward the place where a
+girl of about ten years of age was wringing her poor little hands, and
+trying to reach a boy who was clinging to the crumbling edge of the ice.
+He was up to his neck in the cold water of the river.
+
+"Hold fast, and we'll get you out of that!" cried Fred, as they drew
+near.  His quick eye had already taken note of the fact that a rail fence
+came down close to the water's edge just beyond, and it was straight
+toward this that he was now hurrying.  Bristles knew what he was going
+for, and he kept near the heels of his chum.
+
+The frightened girl thought they were deserting her, and redoubled her
+cries.
+
+"Help!  Oh! help us!  Please don't go away!  My poor brother will be
+drowned!  He can't hold on much longer!  Oh! come back and help get him
+out!"
+
+By that time Fred had reached the end of the fence, which ran into the
+water so as to keep the cows from straying out of their pasture.  He
+struggled with one of the rails, and managed to break it loose.
+
+"Get another, and chase after me, Bristles!" he shouted, as he once more
+turned and hastened toward the hole in the rotten ice, where the boy, who
+could not be more than twelve years of age, was trying as best he could
+to keep from being drawn under by the sucking force of the strong
+current.
+
+Once close up, Fred dropped on his knees, shoving the rail ahead of him.
+In this fashion he was able to push it directly to the imperiled boy.
+Bristles had been so rapid in his actions that he was hardly ten seconds
+behind the leader.  He immediately copied Fred's example, so that there
+were now two rails reaching out in the direction of the hole, their
+further ends actually overtopping the gap in the ice.
+
+"Stay here, Bristles, and do whatever I tell you!" Fred told his chum,
+when, having arranged the rails as he wished, he started out along them.
+
+His weight being now distributed over a wide surface there was no danger
+of the rotten ice giving way under him.  That is the essential point
+about nearly all rescues on the ice, and what every boy should bear in
+mind the moment his services are needed in order to save an imperiled
+companion.
+
+Fred was now enabled to approach the very edge of the hole, so that he
+could hold out his hand to the boy in the water, who had been constantly
+telling the girl to keep back lest she too fall in.  Between them it was
+possible to accomplish the rescue, for while Fred pulled, the boy also
+exerted himself to the utmost, and presently crawled over the edge.
+
+"Keep your weight as much as you can on the rails, because with your
+clothes soaked, you weigh twice as much as I do," Fred kept telling him;
+and yard by yard he drew the other along until finally they could get to
+their feet, and make for the shore.
+
+The girl was crying hysterically now, although she had shown considerable
+bravery before.
+
+"Oh!  Brother Sammy, what if you had let go, and the current had drawn
+you under the ice!  I think I'd have wanted to jump in, too, because I'd
+have nothing left to live for then!" she kept repeating, as she patted
+his cold hand tenderly, and tried to warm it.
+
+Fred knew that unless something was done immediately, the boy would be
+very apt to be taken down sick, after all that nervous exhaustion, and
+the cold bath he had suffered.   The air was chilly, and must strike him
+keenly.
+
+"Here, you can't go home in that way, no matter how near by you live," he
+went on to say, in his cheery way.
+
+"Home!" repeated the girl, and her eyes exchanged a strange look with her
+brother.  "But what can we do, for there isn't any farmhouse around here?
+We were coming across the river, and Sammy went too near a hole.  Then
+the ice broke, and all I could do was to scream.  He wouldn't let me come
+near him, but kept trying to climb out himself.  Every time he got up on
+the ice it broke again, and he went in.  Oh! it was just terrible,
+terrible!  But he'll freeze now, mister, if we don't find a house soon."
+
+"No he won't, not if we know it," said Fred.  "Here, slap your arms about
+you this way as hard as you can, and jump up and down as if you were
+crazy.  Never mind how it looks, if only you get the blood to circulating
+good.  Bristles, it's up to you and me to start a fire booming in a
+hurry."
+
+"Here's as good a place as any, Fred, for there's plenty of loose wood
+around."
+
+Fred was already busily engaged in hunting all manner of small bits of
+dry fuel under the sheltered sides of the logs, and in hollow stumps.  As
+soon as he had gathered a few handfuls of this tinder, he drew out a
+match, and started it burning.
+
+Fred was a clever hand at making a fire, and this one did not fail him.
+Bristles had in the meantime brought an armful of wood, and, selecting
+the smaller pieces, the two soon had a fine, large blaze going, that
+began to send out a considerable amount of welcome heat.
+
+"Back up here, and see how this feels, Sammy," Fred told the shivering
+lad.  When the other had done so, he added, "Now, just as soon as you
+feel warm on one side, change to the other.  You know what they say, 'one
+good turn deserves another,'  and here's where it applies.  Keep up your
+exercising, because all that is going to help prevent you from taking
+cold.  If I only had some hot tea or coffee, I'd give you some, but we'll
+have to do without it, I'm afraid."
+
+He kept talking to the boy and girl as he worked at the fire, and
+Bristles continued to carry fresh supplies of wood, laboring like a good
+fellow.  In this way Fred managed to learn that the name of the boy they
+had rescued was Sam Ludson and that he lived with Corny Ludson; though
+when he asked how far away it was they lived the answer was an evasive
+one.
+
+"A good distance away," was about all the boy would say, and Fred could
+not help noticing that he again exchanged uneasy looks with his sister.
+
+There was certainly something very queer about these two, though Fred
+could not understand why they should feel backward about telling where
+they lived, and especially to a couple of boys who had just done them a
+great favor.
+
+Still, Fred was not unduly curious about it.  If the brother and sister
+did not want to take him into their confidence, he was not the one to
+persist.  So far as he could remember, Ludson was a name he had never
+heard before, so it did not seem as though they could ever have lived
+around Riverport.  Bristles later on also declared that it was strange to
+him, and he had been born there, while Fred was comparatively a newcomer,
+having arrived only a couple of years previous to this time.
+
+His particular business, as Fred saw it, was not to poke into other
+people's private affairs, but to get the clothes of Sam dry as soon as
+possible.  Then he would feel that he and Bristles had finished their
+duty.
+
+So he continued to keep the fire burning, and have Sam turned around
+every little while.  At first the child steamed at a tremendous rate, but
+as by degrees the moisture was absorbed by the heat, he began to feel
+much more comfortable.
+
+"I guess I'll go now, mister," Sammy remarked, finally, as though anxious
+to get away from these kind friends before they took to asking him any
+awkward questions.
+
+"Just hold up a little while longer, and then you'll be all right, Sam,"
+he was told by Fred, and like a great many other fellows, the boy fell
+into a habit of observing the wishes of this leader among the scholars at
+Riverport High.
+
+"Whatever you say, mister, goes," he observed, with humility.  "You've
+sure done me a great service, and I ain't going to forget it, either.  I
+don't reckon it'll happen that I c'n pay you back, but if the chance ever
+does hit me, I'm agoin' to do it, sure thing."
+
+"Are you feeling as good as ever again, Sammy?" asked his sister, who was
+rather a pretty girl, Bristles thought, as he looked her over, from the
+wretched little hat she wore on her bonny brown hair, the odd cheap pin
+at her throat, the faded dress, to the coarse shoes that gaped badly at
+the toes.
+
+"I certainly am," he responded, caressing the hand she had laid on the
+sleeve of his ragged jacket.  Somehow it struck Fred right then and there
+that mutual suffering must have drawn these two frail looking beings
+closer together than the average brother and sister.
+
+"Well, then you can make off home if you feel fit," Fred told them, "and
+let me tell you my friend here and myself both feel mighty glad we
+happened to be as close by as we were.  It taught you a lesson, I expect,
+Sam, and you'll fight shy of blow-holes in the rotten ice after this,
+won't you?"
+
+"You bet I will, mister; and say, I guess I'm gladder'n you c'n be about
+that same thing; because the river is awful swift around here, and I kept
+getting colder and weaker all the while.  Couldn't have held out much
+longer.  I want to thank both of you for what you did.  I ain't goin' to
+ever forget it either, see if I do, though, shucks!  I don't 'spect I'll
+ever have a chance to pay you back."
+
+He shook hands with both Fred and Bristles, as did also the little girl,
+now looking both grave and pleased.  Then they walked away, making for
+the nearby road that led from Mechanicsburg to some other town many miles
+away, and leaving the vicinity of the Mohunk.
+
+Fred and Bristles prepared to seek once more the ice-boat, and resume
+their interrupted cruise, this time heading for home.  Both of them were
+thrilled with a deep satisfaction on account of having been given such a
+splendid chance to effect a rescue, for nothing pleases the average boy
+more than to realize that he has been enabled to play the part of a hero.
+
+They were not the ones to boast of such a thing as that.  Indeed, neither
+of them considered that they had been in the slightest danger at any
+time.  Had one of them found it necessary to jump into the cold waters of
+the Mohunk in order to save the drowning boy, that might have been a
+different matter.
+
+"This fire does feel pretty fine," Bristles remarked, as they got ready
+to depart, "and I kind of hate to leave it, because, as you know, Fred, I
+always worship a camp fire.  No need to put this one out, is there?
+because it couldn't set these woods afire if it tried its best, while
+everything's covered with snow.
+
+"Ready to make the start?  What'd you think of Sam and his sister, Sadie
+Ludson, eh?  Mysterious sort of pair, weren't they?  Didn't want to tell
+us anything about themselves, at all.  I'm trying to knock my head and
+say where I've heard that name before, but so far it gets me.  Well, we
+never may see them again, so what's it matter?  I'm glad, though, you
+pulled Sam out of the river.  He owes his life to you, Fred."
+
+"To us, you mean, Bristles, for you had just as much to do with it as any
+one," insisted Fred; and afterwards, whenever he told the story, he
+always maintained that Bristles had stood by him, and done his share of
+the rescue work.
+
+They managed to make the return trip safely, and Bristles took it upon
+himself later on to try to find out if anybody knew the Ludsons, but he
+met with little success, and with Fred was compelled to put the thing
+down as a mystery that could not be solved.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+LOOKING OVER THE COURSE
+
+
+"One thing sure, Fred, we couldn't have a better day for taking a spin
+over the ground, and finding out what we'll be up against on the great
+day."
+
+"Yes, we're in luck that far, Bristles.  The only thing I'm sorry about
+is that Sid couldn't come along.  What was it he told you, when you ran
+across him early this Saturday morning in Bramley's sporting goods
+store?"
+
+"Why, you see," continued Bristles, as he trotted easily alongside his
+friend, for they were in their running togs, and out upon the country
+road at the time, "when I went to look over my outfit, I found my shoes
+were partly worn, and that I needed a new pair.  I'd been looking at some
+cross-country running shoes Bramley got in last week, and liked their
+style.  They have a low broad heel, and spikes only in the sole.  Feel as
+easy as anything I've ever worn, and don't seem to rub my heels like the
+old ones always did."
+
+"You're getting there, Bristles; keep going right along," laughed Fred,
+because the other had a reputation for being what boys call "long
+winded."  It sometimes took him double the time to tell a story that any
+other fellow would have consumed.
+
+"Oh!  I was only going to say Sid was in there doing something, and he
+asked me to tell you to excuse him on our trial spin to-day, as his
+father had laid out a little trip for him.  Sid looked mighty
+disappointed, I could see.  He'd like to be along, for even if this run
+of ours is only to spy out the land, it may count big."
+
+"Well, we may have another chance to go over the route, after we know
+just what the committee has mapped out," said Fred.
+
+"This is only guess work on our part, of course," continued the other,
+"but then everybody seems to think that it's bound to be the course
+chosen in the end."
+
+"Yes," Fred added, reflectively, "because it offers a great variety of
+country---level roads, then trails through the woods, crossing creeks,
+and after that a stretch over country roads made up of soft dirt."
+
+"Of course they'll have stations all along the route, as usual?" ventured
+Bristles.
+
+"No question about it," Fred told him.  "That's done so every runner may
+register in his own handwriting, and mark down the time he stopped at
+each station.  In such a way the committee will have a complete record of
+what every contestant did, and there can be no suspicion of cheating."
+
+"Whew! you don't think any fellow would be so small and mean as to try a
+thing like that, do you, Fred?"
+
+"I'd hate to think so," returned the other, "but this is done in order
+that no one may even be suspected by outsiders.  It's what you might call
+an insurance against any rank work."
+
+"How could a runner cheat, tell me?" asked Bristles.
+
+"Well," replied Fred, "there's likely to be one or more places where he
+could cut across lots and never show up at some advanced station at all.
+In that way he'd be saved a mile or two of the gruelling run, and that
+might be enough to give him a big lead on the home stretch."
+
+"Then I only hope they have every kind of safeguard against cheating,
+that can be used," declared Bristles, indignantly, "because for one I'd
+die before I'd try to win a thing by trickery."
+
+"I reckon everyone knows that, Bristles," Fred told him, "because there
+never was a boy with a straighter record than you.  You've got faults, as
+who hasn't, but being sly and tricky, like Buck Lemington, isn't one of
+them."
+
+"I hear the scheme has created no end of excitement over at
+Mechanicsburg," Bristles hastened to say, turning a little red though
+with pleasure, at those words of confidence which Fred gave him.
+
+"And at Paulding I'm told the whole town is on edge, with boys in running
+togs spinning along every country lane, in pairs or singly," Fred
+observed.
+
+"Well," the boy with the mop of bristly hair went on to say, "once again
+will good old Riverport have to hustle for all that's going, to hold her
+own at the head of the procession."
+
+"We mustn't expect too much," said Fred, modestly.  "Up to now we've been
+pretty lucky to pull down the plums, but there may come a change any day,
+and we've got to show that we can stand defeat just as well as victory."
+
+"They've got some good long distance runners over there in the mill
+town," Bristles remarked, seriously.
+
+"Equal to anything we can show, I should say, and it's going to take a
+head, as well as flying feet, to beat them at the game, Bristles."
+
+"Of course," added Fred's companion, "none of us have ever gone as much
+as twenty-five miles in a single run, so we don't know what we can do,
+but, for that matter, I don't believe a Mechanicsburg or Paulding fellow
+has, either."
+
+"But we mean to cover the course in a trial run before the great day
+comes, you know," Fred told him.  "I'm laying great store on one fellow
+we've got."
+
+"Of course you mean long-legged Colon, Fred?"
+
+"Yes," replied Fred, "our fastest sprinter, a fellow who can hump himself
+like a grayhound or a kangaroo in action, and cover more ground at the
+finish than anybody I ever saw."
+
+"But the most Colon's ever gone is ten miles," remarked Bristles, "and we
+don't know what his staying qualities are.  He may give out before
+fifteen miles have been covered.  If anybody asked me, I'd say we had
+more chance with a husky fellow like you, for instance, who never has
+been known to get tired, and can use his head as well as his heels."
+
+"Then there's Sid and Brad," remarked Fred, hastily, "who have made up
+their minds to be in the line when the signal is given; both of them are
+known to be stayers.  Of course I'll do my level best, but I hope none of
+you pin your faith to a single runner.  A little team work, or strategy,
+sometimes helps out in cases of this kind."
+
+"How can that be, when everyone has to run for himself, until hopelessly
+distanced, if I read the rules straight?" asked Bristles.
+
+"Only in this way," replied Fred.  "If there are three entered from a
+school, one of them might take the lead, and set the pace for a while.
+When he had covered, say a third of the distance, he would fall back, and
+a second forge to the front, leaving the last fellow to cover the home
+stretch.  It's been done in other races, though I believe some people
+frown on it.  Still, there's no ban on the practice."
+
+"Why, no, this is a race between rival schools," said Bristles, "and
+every fellow is supposed to be willing to sacrifice individual chances
+for the good of the lot, just as team-work pays in baseball or anything
+else."
+
+"Well, let's cut out the talk for a while, and put on more steam,"
+advised Fred.  "Here's a good chance for a spurt, down the grade, and
+then along two miles of level road."
+
+"Go you, Fred!"
+
+The two runners went flying along like the wind until they had reached
+the foot of a steep hill, which it would be folly to attempt to climb at
+more than a walk.  Once beyond this, a fine stretch of country opened
+before them, with farms and woodland on every side.
+
+Fred had a pretty fair map of the region, which he had made from picking
+up information on every side.  One of his motives in making this tour on
+Saturday morning, was to verify its truth.  Once the route of the
+Marathon race had been issued, all those who expected to compete would
+have the privilege of going over the ground as often as they pleased.  If
+any fellow were smart enough to discover how he could cut off a hundred
+yards or two, and yet report at every station, he was at liberty to do
+so.
+
+A knowledge of the course often counts heavily in a Marathon race, as it
+does in many other things.  That is why most baseball clubs play better
+on their home grounds, where they know the lay of the land, the presence
+of treacherous little hillocks, the usual slant of the wind, the value of
+sending their balls toward a certain fence where home-runs count heavily,
+and all that sort of thing.
+
+Five miles farther on, and the boys had come to a place where Fred, on
+consulting his map, observed:
+
+"The road runs away around, and by cutting across the woods here as much
+as two miles can be saved.  I understand that the contestants will have
+that privilege offered to them if they choose to take it.
+
+"Why, of course everybody will grab the chance," remarked Bristles.
+
+"I'm not so sure about that," he was told by his companion, "and for this
+reason: while the shortcut saves considerable distance, it's bound to be
+harder going, and some runners might even get lost in the undergrowth, so
+they'd be cut out of the race."
+
+"Gee!  I never thought of that, Fred; but you're right."
+
+"Then if they have a hard time breaking through," continued Fred, "and
+finding the other road above the registering station, they may be winded,
+so that the other fellow who's gone all the way around would be in much
+better shape for a gruelling finish."
+
+"It all depends, then, on knowing your ground?" pursued Bristles.
+
+"And that's what we want to make sure of as we go through the woods here
+right now," continued Fred.  "Both of us must take our bearings from
+certain trees as we push along.  If we strike a trail that leads to the
+right quarter, we'll manage to blaze it in some fashion that other
+fellows would never notice, though we can put our own crowd wise to the
+signs.
+
+"Here's where the head work comes in, eh, Fred?"
+
+"Only a small sample of it," laughed the other, "and there'll be plenty
+more to follow before we win this Marathon.  If any of the opposition
+crosses the tape ahead of Riverport, it'll be because they're better
+runners and managers than we are, that's all there is to it.  But come
+on, let's break away from the road."
+
+Upon that the two boys entered the woods, carefully marking the spot in
+their memories by noticing a certain bunch of white-barked birches that
+drooped over in a peculiar way, different from anything they had thus far
+seen.
+
+Fred had his little compass with him.  He had laid out his course
+exactly, so as to strike the other road at a certain spot, which it was
+believed would be just above the toll-gate, where he knew one of the
+registering stations was bound to be placed.
+
+Of course they could not expect to go in a straight line, or as the crows
+fly.  All sorts of obstacles interfered with such a scheme.  Now it was a
+deep gully that barred their progress; a little further on they came to a
+stretch of swampy ground, where a runner would find himself bogged and
+placed in a desperate condition, if he attempted to push through.  But
+wise Fred had early discovered what seemed to be a fairly well worn trail
+that seemed to lead in the direction they were intending to go.  At times
+it was exceedingly difficult to see the track, but both these boys had
+keen eyes, and used good judgment, so they managed to come upon it
+frequently.
+
+All the time they continued to make note of certain landmarks that would
+aid them later on, when again passing through this strip of woodland and
+jungle.  Possibly there would be a mile of it, against three by the road.
+Plainly then, if a runner could get through in fairly decent shape he
+would have saved more or less time in so doing.
+
+The two Riverport lads had perhaps gone half way, and were feeling well
+satisfied with the progress made, when Fred stopped and held up his hand.
+
+"Listen, Bristles!" he exclaimed, "what's all that racket do you think?"
+
+"Sounds like dogs barking and snarling, to me, Fred."
+
+"But away out here in the woods you wouldn't expect to hear a pack of
+dogs, unless they were running wild," urged Fred, still listening.
+
+"Whew! that reminds me of what I heard an old farmer tell in the market
+one day last week," exclaimed Bristles.  "He said he had lost three sheep
+this Spring from dogs, and that a pack of sheep killers was loose up
+around his section!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+THE WILD DOG PACK
+
+
+"How's that, Bristles, a pack of wild dogs running around, and killing
+sheep?"  Fred demanded, appearing to take uncommon interest in what his
+companion had just said.
+
+"Yes, and Fred, I honestly believe that farmer lives somewhere up in this
+region, because I heard him tell about having a runaway near the
+Belleville tollgate, and you know that's where we expect to fetch out on
+the road ahead."
+
+"Then that settle it, Bristles.  And there's no doubt we're hearing the
+yelping of that same pack right now.  I reckon they're on some track or
+other."
+
+"Whew!  I hope it isn't _our_ track then!" exclaimed the other lad, as he
+began hurriedly to look about him for a stout club, and eye the
+neighboring trees, as if an unpleasant alternative had forced itself upon
+his notice.
+
+"The sounds seem to come from back yonder, where we passed along,"
+remarked Fred; and as though in his mind an ounce of prevention might be
+better than a pound of cure, he too hastened to pick tip a heavy billet
+of wood, that was as large as an ordinary baseball club.
+
+"But what makes dogs act that way, and go wild?" asked Bristles.  "I
+never knew of any doing such a queer stunt."
+
+"It's this way," explained the other, quickly, as though he had recently
+been reading the matter up, and was full of information.  "Dogs are kin
+to wolves and foxes, you know.  Fact is, many a wolf I've seen looked
+just like a dog."
+
+"Yes, that's a fact, Fred!" admitted Bristles, nodding his head, and
+still noting the fact that the chorus of barks, yelps and snarls seemed
+to be gradually approaching all the time.
+
+"Well, every once in a while some dog seems to hear the call of the wild.
+He takes a dislike to confinement, hates human beings, and the first
+chance he gets puts out for the woods, where he lives just as a wolf
+would do, by the chase.  Sometimes farmers' watchdogs that are thought to
+be honest get this sheep-killing habit, and play tricks, covering their
+tracks so they go a long time without being found out, and then only by
+accident."
+
+"Yes, I've heard all about that, too, Fred, but because one dog goes
+wild, why should a whole lot of others follow after him, I want to know?"
+
+"Well," continued the other, "as far as I understand it, here's the
+reason.  Every dog has that same nature about him.  I've seen it proven
+many times.  We had an old dog named Mose, who was never known to chase
+anybody.  He used to lie there asleep on our front porch by the hour.
+Then next door there was a little cur that somehow took to chasing after
+wheels and wagons.  You've heard how dogs yap-yap whenever they do that,
+haven't you, Bristles?"
+
+"Lots of times," assented the other, nodding, and still earnestly
+listening.
+
+"It's about like some of that racket we hear now," Fred went on to
+explain.  "They say it excites a dog like everything.  When that little
+cur next door would start down the street with a yap-yap-yap, I've seen
+our poor old Mose jump up, as if he'd had a signal no living dog could
+resist, and go rushing out of the yard, to join in with the cur and some
+others that gathered like a flash.  That's what it means."
+
+"And these other dogs have got the fever in their veins by this time too,
+eh, Fred?"
+
+"Yes, and they are satisfied to chase around after the leader, perhaps
+taking an humble part in his kills.  But Bristles, I'm afraid we're going
+to see for ourselves what the pack looks like."
+
+"You mean they're coming this way fast now?" observed Bristles,
+tightening his grip on the club he had selected from many that lay under
+a tree shattered by a bolt of lightning the previous Summer.
+
+"There's no doubt about it!" declared Fred, steadily.
+
+"Course we could shin up a tree if we wanted to, Fred, but that'd go
+against my grain.  I feel like standing my ground, and trying to get a
+whack at that sheep-killing leader of the pack.  Gee! wouldn't the
+farmers give us a vote of thanks if we did manage to put him out of the
+running?"
+
+"We may have the chance sooner than we expected," Fred went on to say,
+grimly, for the tempest of sounds seemed to be very close now, and they
+could actually hear the rush of the advancing pack.
+
+"How many are there, do you think?" asked Bristles, and if his voice
+trembled a little, Fred believed it was from excitement rather than fear,
+because he had seen this local comrade tested many times, and knew that
+he never flinched.
+
+"At least four," Fred replied, "because I can make out that many
+different yelpings, and there may be six, with some small runts coming
+along in the rear."
+
+"I only wish I had more duds on, and a pair of leather leggings in the
+bargain," muttered Bristles, glancing rather ruefully down at his bare
+shins, which of course were wholly unprotected.
+
+"Here they come!" announced Fred, suddenly.
+
+There was a rush of pattering feet, together with a fierce series of
+yelps, and then through the thicket came pouring a string of hustling
+animals, heading directly toward the two boys.
+
+"Whew! he _is_ a dandy, sure enough!" exclaimed Bristles, referring of
+course to the large animal in the lead.
+
+This was a dun-colored beast about the size of a wolf and not unlike one
+in many of his attributes.  He presented a really terrifying front now,
+with his open jaws that disclosed shining fangs and a red tongue, and his
+blazing eyes, together with the bristles that stood up on his neck very
+much like those of a wild hog.
+
+"Give 'em a shout!" exclaimed Fred, who remembered at that moment that
+most dogs have learned to respect the sound of a human voice, and this
+might serve to bring about a halt in the onrush of the savage pack.
+
+Accordingly both of the young men started swinging their clubs wildly
+about their heads and yelling at the top of their voices.  This
+threatening demonstration did have some effect on the milder elements of
+the pack, those dogs that had been lured into wrong-doing, and were not
+viciously inclined.  Three immediately fell back, and one of these even
+turned tail and started to run away at breakneck speed as though the
+sight of those cudgels inspired him with respect, on account of a
+recollection of some previous beating.
+
+There were three, however, that still kept on, the leader of the pack,
+and a couple of others.  If ever Fred Fenton in all his life wished
+heartily for a gun of some kind it must have been just then, when, with
+only a single companion to stand alongside, he found himself about to be
+attacked by a trio of furious dogs gone wild, and running through the
+woods.
+
+It would not have been so bad had there been only two, for then each of
+them could manage an adversary;  but that odd beast bothered him.
+
+"Tackle the leader, and leave the others to me; I'll help you as soon as
+I send them flying!" was what Fred exclaimed, as the three dogs bore down
+upon them.
+
+"All right; I'm on, Fred!"
+
+There was no time for another word, because the animals were upon them.
+They came with a rush, as though furious at seeing the bare-legged boys
+in their hunting preserves.  That leader must have taken a decided hatred
+of all human kind, and when backed by his followers, seemed ready for any
+deed of daring.
+
+Fred and Bristles had their hands full from the very start.  It was their
+object to do all the damage they could without allowing any of the dogs a
+chance to sink their teeth into their legs, or leap upon their backs, as
+they appeared desirous of doing.
+
+Luckily both boys were sturdy and agile.  More than this, they realized
+the desperate nature of their position, for no help could reach them
+there.  If they hoped to come out of the fight with credit, they must
+depend wholly upon their own valor and ability.
+
+Bristles whacked the dun-colored beast soundly, as he made a ferocious
+leap up toward his throat, and had the satisfaction of seeing him whirl
+headlong.  It was only a temporary backset, however, for as soon as the
+animal recovered his feet he made another mad rush, so that the boy was
+kept busy prodding him, using his club right and left as an Irishman
+might his shillalah, and in every way possible trying to beat the brute
+off.
+
+All the while Bristles kept up a shouting that was intended to nerve his
+own arm, and possibly help to strike terror into the hearts of the
+four-footed assailants.
+
+"You will, eh?  Take that for a starter, and plenty more where that came
+from!  Try to catch me off my guard, will you?  Whoop! that was a beauty
+of a crack!  Hope I made you see stars that time, you snarling beast,
+you!  Get back there!  Shinny on your own side, can't you?" and he gave a
+sudden kick at one of the smaller dogs, that, taking advantage of the
+row, had tried to creep in and nip him on the leg.
+
+While all this was going on, Fred had his hands full with the other two
+dogs.  If they lacked some of the ferocity and daring of the leader of
+the pack, it was made up in the fact of their being a pair to watch, and
+keep from closing in with him.
+
+Fast his club flew, and hearty were the whacks he gave right and left.
+One after the other he had sent his assailants headlong, thanks to lucky
+shots.  When they returned to the scrap, they began to give evidence that
+this sort of thing had begun to pall upon their liking, and this
+encouraged the boy to work harder than ever.
+
+Just then, imagine the delight of the two hard pressed boys when they
+heard a cheery shout close by, and saw a lithe figure, also in running
+trunks, come leaping toward the spot.
+
+No need for them to ask themselves who this could be, for well did they
+know the most remarkable method of getting over the ground peculiar to
+Colon, and which some people likened to the singular hopping of a
+kangaroo.
+
+He already had a club in his hand, and he immediately started in to wield
+it with telling effect on one of Fred's assailants.  The consequence was
+that this particular dog turned tail, and ran off at top speed.  Its
+mate, as though realizing the folly of keeping up an unequal combat,
+hastened to do the same.
+
+This left the savage leader of the pack alone to face three antagonists.
+Fred could not help but feel something akin to admiration for the defiant
+beast as he attacked first one and then another of them.  Evidently the
+idea of running, and saving his hide, had not as yet appealed to the
+enraged dog.
+
+"Keep knocking him, everybody!" shrieked Bristles, now more than ever
+determined on finishing the terror of the neighboring farmers.  "We've
+just got to nail him, boys.  Don't let him shoot past you!  Pound him on
+the head!  Knock him galleywest!  That was a socker, Fred; you've got him
+down, I tell you!  Now, everyone pile in and we'll end his sheep-killing
+career for him!"
+
+There was a concerted rush from three sides.  The half dazed beast could
+not recover in time to leap upon anyone of his foes, though he snapped
+his jaws together so that his terrible teeth met with a clicking sound.
+
+For a short time the clubs rained blows on his head, until Fred finally
+called out:
+
+"That's enough, fellows; he's thrown up the sponge!"
+
+"Hurrah for us; we've cleaned the ugly pack out, boys!" cried Bristles,
+thought so short of breath after his exertions that he could hardly stand
+erect.
+
+Yes, the sheep-killing dog had been slain, and while Fred was of course
+very well pleased over the outcome of the fight, at the same time he
+looked down with considerable respect upon the dun-colored beast that
+could exhibit such desperate courage, and put up such a game defense
+against three foes.
+
+Bristles insisted upon shaking hands with each one of his mates, and then
+he and Fred turned upon the long-legged Colon with a look of wonder on
+their faces, as though they could not understand how it was he had shown
+up at such a lucky moment.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+THE SHORT-CUT WAY
+
+
+"Now, where did you drop down from, Colon?" asked Bristles.
+
+"Me?" exclaimed the tall chum, with a broad smile on his face.  "Why,
+straight from town, if you want to know.  You see, I found out, after
+all, I could get off, and hurried to where you said you'd start, but
+Fred's ma told me you had half an hour the lead of me.  Still, as I
+happened to know the layout of the trip, I made up my mind I'd follow
+along, and hump myself a little to overtake you fellows.
+
+"But how'd you know where we left the road, and started across the
+woodland, tell me, Colon?" asked Bristles;  whereupon the other nodded
+his head, and looked wise.
+
+"Oh! well!" he explained, "you see, Fred told me about where he expected
+to break away and so of course I kept looking; and I saw that you'd
+turned out just about under that bunch of birch trees.  Why, you left a
+plain track in the dust on the road.  After that I used my eyes and my
+head, and kept pushing right along.  I'm reckoned something of a scout in
+the woods, you must know."
+
+"You certainly have done a big thing in that line this time, Colon,"
+asserted Fred, vigorously; "I never would have believed him, if someone
+told me you'd done it.  And let me remark that you certainly came in on
+us at the right time."
+
+"I should say he did," assented Bristles, joyfully.  "I was getting tired
+of swinging my club, and whacking that terrible critter.  Talk to me
+about being able to stand punishment,---I never before saw a dog that
+could come up fresh every time you keeled him over.  Most curs would run
+away, howling like mad, but he just set his teeth, and took a fresh grip.
+Whew!  I'm sure glad it's all over."
+
+"Either of you get nipped anywhere?" asked Colon, anxiously.
+
+"I hope not," Fred replied, "it's a dangerous thing to have a dog bite
+you, because you never know what's going to happen.  Often the scratch
+from the claws of a tiger or a lion is followed by blood poisoning,
+because they tear their prey, you know.  I was sent over once, and seem
+to have a few scratches on my shins, but they came from the stones and
+thorns.  How about you, Bristles?"
+
+"I kicked one of those smaller runts that tried to bite me, but I don't
+think he got his teeth in my leg.  Those blood marks are scratches, where
+I ran into the thorn bush while I was jumping around so lively.  Oh! it's
+all right, and no damage done, boys.  Everything's lovely, and the goose
+hangs high!"
+
+"But what does all this rumpus mean?"  Colon wanted to know.  "Whose dogs
+were they, and what had you done to make the push mad?"
+
+Bristles undertook to tell him, passing on some of the information which
+he had received from Fred.
+
+"Now I'm posted.  I seem to get a grip on the business," Colon confessed,
+"and I want to tell you I'm mighty glad I made up my mind to follow
+after, and see if I couldn't come up before you got back home again."
+
+"And believe me we're happy to know you did, Colon," Bristles assured
+him, "because there's no telling what sort of a hard time we'd have been
+up against, with that pack trying their level best to pull us down.  We
+might have had to climb up in a tree, and sit there all night, for all we
+know.  But Fred, what'd we better do about it now?"
+
+"About what?" asked the other.
+
+"This dog here," continued Bristles, pointing down at the animal that
+looked so fierce even in death.
+
+"I was just thinking," Fred told him, "whether we had better lift him
+into the fork of a tree, so he could be found if we let the farmers know
+about it, or try to drag him along to the tollgate house."
+
+"It can't be so very far away, I should think," observed Colon, "and I'd
+be willing to take my turn at dragging him there."
+
+"Nothing like showing the proof, when you tell a whopping big story,"
+declared Bristles, "and I know a lot of fellows who'll like as not lift
+their eyebrows, and grin to beat the band when they hear about this warm
+time we've had.  We want to be able to stamp the yarn as true as anything
+that ever happened.  So take hold of one leg, Colon, and I'll manage the
+other.  Sho! that's easy enough going, and for one I don't mind it a
+bit."
+
+"Call on me to take my turn any time, boys," announced Fred, as he
+started off in the lead.
+
+The wild dog pack had evidently been effectually broken up by the
+energetic action of the Riverport runners.  Not a single bark or yelp was
+to be heard in any direction.  Scattered to the four winds the dogs were
+apt to return to their respective homes, and change their bad habits.
+With the loss of their savage ringleader, the impulse to live a wild life
+would possibly leave them all.
+
+Fred once more began to figure on their course.  He knew that the faint
+trail he and Bristles had been following through the woods had begun to
+bear away in a quarter that made it impossible for them to pursue it any
+longer, if they expected to come out near the Belleville tollgate.
+
+Thanks to his possession of the compass, and something of a knowledge of
+the general conditions, Fred was able to decide on this without much
+trouble.
+
+They did not make any attempt at speed indeed, that would have been
+utterly impossible, while they continued to drag the slain dog along
+after them.  Colon finally gave a hint that he was ready to abandon the
+idea of showing the result of their encounter to the toll-gate keeper,
+notwithstanding that through him all the farmers in that neighborhood
+would eventually learn of their good luck.
+
+"But I don't like to quit anything I've started on," objected Bristles,
+when the long-legged runner had thus casually mentioned that it was no
+fun dragging the big beast over rough ground.  "Think how far we've kept
+it up already.  Huh! want to have that work just wasted?  Not much for
+me!  If you're tired, Colon, just say the word, and I'll lug him along by
+myself, or else Fred ahead there might lend me a helping hand."
+
+"Me tired?  Why, whatever put that silly notion in your head, Bristles?
+I didn't know you set such great store by showing the old thing; but
+since I see you do, why of course I'm game to hold out to the finish.
+Hope you don't want to get the blooming dog stuffed, and keep him mounted
+in your den at home."
+
+"Well, that'd be the limit!" exclaimed Bristles, laughing at the idea.
+"I feel right now that he's going to visit me lots of times in my dreams,
+with all that double row of white teeth showing, and his red lips drawn
+back!  Ugh!  I'll not forget in a hurry how he looked, I tell you, Colon.
+And didn't he take the punishment I heaped on him, though?  I used up
+every ounce of strength I had in slinging my club.  You notice that I'm
+toting that along, don't you?"
+
+"Oh! that's the racket, is it?  A bow of blue ribbon tied to the club,
+and hang it on the wall of your room at home?  Well, Bristles, I don't
+blame you much, because he was an ugly customer.  If he'd ever gotten you
+down, it'd been tough on you."
+
+"Here, let up on that style of talk, will you, Colon?  It makes me have a
+cold chill run up and down my spinal column.  Let's talk about something
+more cheerful.  What d'ye think about this shortcut through the woods?
+Fred says it's going to save a lot, and that nearly every fellow will
+like as not take to it.  A mile of this goes against three by the road."
+
+"So long as every contestant knows the ground, it might pay to take the
+cut-off," Colon remarked, "but I noticed some swampy ground that I'd hate
+to get lost in.  If any runner fails to show up at the tape, they'll have
+to send out a searching party to look for him through this section."
+
+"That'll be his lookout, then," observed Bristles, calmly.  "Everybody
+shinny on his own side.  Preparation is part of the battle.  The fellow
+who is too lazy to go over the course in advance will have to take big
+chances, that's all.  He won't deserve to win."
+
+"This is certainly a dreary place, all right," the tall runner went on to
+say, as he looked to the right, and then to the left.  "Why, I didn't
+know there was such a desolate stretch of woodland within twenty miles of
+Riverport.  Some of it's good farming land too, if part is boggy, and
+even that would make a cranberry marsh, if anyone wanted to try it out."
+
+"It's all second growth timber, though," called back Fred, who was still
+just a dozen paces in the lead, and pushing his way through brush that
+often entirely concealed the ground.
+
+"Sure it is," Bristles went on to say.  "Long ago the original timber was
+cut down, and sent to the sawmills.  Listen to the frogs croaking over
+that way; must be a pond somewhere around."
+
+"I was going to ask you if you'd run across any snakes yet?"  Colon
+inquired, with considerable show of interest, because, as well known
+among his friends, the tall runner had always felt a decided antipathy
+for all crawling things, and would never handle even an inoffensive
+garter-snake; indeed, slimy greenbacked frogs he abominated, claiming
+that they had the same clammy feeling as snakes.
+
+"Why, yes, a couple whipped across the trail back there," Bristles
+admitted.
+
+"Not rattlers, I hope?" ejaculated Colon, coming to a sudden stop, as he
+turned an apprehensive look upon his companion.
+
+"No," Bristles told him, with a scornful inflection in his voice, for he
+did not share Colon's antipathy toward crawling reptiles, and could not
+understand how any fellow could be so foolish as to shiver at sight of a
+mere wriggling object.  "Fred says it's too early for rattlers to show
+out of their dens.  One was a fair-sized black snake, and the other might
+have been an adder; he was short and stumpy, and had a flat head."
+
+"Just as poisonous as anything that crawls," said Colon, with a shudder,
+and an involuntary hasty look around him.  As a rule, he was far from
+being nervous, and yet when a stick that had bent under Fred's weight
+suddenly sprang back into shape again, the tall runner gave a low cry of
+alarm, and even dropped the leg of the dog that he had been clinging to
+so sturdily all that distance.
+
+Not liking to be joked about his fears, Colon made out that a thorn had
+jabbed him in the leg, and bending down he started to rubbing vigorously
+at his ankle.  Bristles, apparently, was aware of the true state of
+affairs, for he grinned as he waited for the other to assist him once
+more.
+
+"These thorns do stick you right smart when they get a chance at a bare
+shin, for a fact, Colon," he went on to observe, grimly, "but so long as
+they don't draw blood, the damage's not apt to amount to much, I reckon.
+There's Fred disappeared from sight, and we'll have to hurry if we want
+to catch up with him before we strike that road, which I calculate can't
+be a great way off."
+
+It happened that they were passing over some rather rough country just
+then, with a number of dark-looking gullies intersecting their course.
+In places it was even necessary for them to drop down into these and then
+climb up on the opposite side.  This took time, but the boys fancied they
+must be close to the road they had been aiming to reach.
+
+"See anything of Fred, yet?" asked Bristles.  "You're such a tall fellow
+you c'n spy a heap farther than me."
+
+Colon looked, and then shook his head.
+
+"He's nowhere around, as far as I c'n see," he remarked, and dropping his
+share of the burden, Colon sprang back in alarm, as a voice seemed to
+come up out of the very earth at their feet, saying:
+
+"Keep back there, you fellows, or you'll be tumbling down on top of me!"
+
+"Hello! there, Fred, where under the sun are you?" demanded Bristles,
+looking around him in sheer amazement.
+
+"I've fallen into some sort of cave here, that's all!" came back in a
+muffled voice.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+THE TELL-TALE PIN
+
+
+Colon and Bristles stood there, and looked at each other in dismay, upon
+hearing Fred say that he had met with such a strange misfortune.
+
+"Well, if that doesn't beat my time!" the latter exclaimed.  "And to
+think that while you and I talked back there, our chum was lying down in
+some old black hole.  What if he's broken his leg, or even sprained an
+ankle,---Riverport will miss a good man in this Marathon race, believe
+me!"
+
+"Let's see if we can find the hole where Fred slipped down," suggested
+Colon.
+
+"And be careful we don't go the same way, too," added Bristles, drily.
+
+At that they started to move carefully forward, closely examining every
+foot of the way as they went.  In a short time Colon uttered a cry.
+
+"Found it, have you?" demanded Bristles, with a disappointed grunt, for
+he had hoped to be the lucky one himself.
+
+"Look there where that root sticks up!" the other called out, pointing as
+he explained.  "Seems to me there might be a gap of some sort.  Let's
+creep a little closer and find out.  Yes, that's the hole, and no
+mistake, Bristles.  And Fred---he must have slipped down so fast he just
+couldn't grab hold of anything.  If he did, it gave way, and went down
+along with him."
+
+They accordingly crept forward, and began to stare down through the
+opening.
+
+"Why, what's this I see?" ejaculated Bristles.  "Somebody's got a light
+working down there, Colon!"
+
+"It's our chum, I reckon," the tall boy told him, after another look.
+
+"What, Fred?" persisted Bristles.  "But whatever would he be striking a
+match for, I want to know?"
+
+"To look around, I should say," Colon informed him, and the statement
+seemed so simple that it apparently convinced Bristles on the spot, for
+he hastened to remark:
+
+"Well, that sure would be just like Fred now, to think of finding out
+what sort of a coop he'd dropped into, the first thing.  Hello! down
+there!"
+
+"Hello! yourself, Bristles!" came back the cheery answer.
+
+"First of all, tell us if you got hurt any, Fred!" called Bristles, who
+could not get the notion out of his head that the other may have been
+seriously injured.
+
+"Why, no, nothing to mention," came the ready answer.  "A few more little
+scratches, it might be, but then they don't count.  Kind of knocked the
+breath out of my body at first, and took me a little while to recover,
+but no damage done, boys."
+
+"What are you doing with the light, Fred?"  Colon wanted to know.
+
+"I only wanted to see what sort of a place this is, that's all," Fred
+told him, as his match expired, and the darkness came again.
+
+"And did you find out?" continued Bristles, eagerly, possibly his mind
+beginning to wrestle with all sorts of strange ideas concerning hidden
+treasure vaults, and, mysterious hiding-places where counterfeiters
+carried on their illegal trade.
+
+"It seems to be only an ordinary cave, like others we've run across,"
+Fred told them.  "If you felt like coming down, I think it would be easy
+enough."
+
+"Not the way you tried it, Fred; you'll have to excuse me," laughed
+Bristles.  "But I think I can feel the rough rocks here, and seems as if
+a fellow as spry as Colon might manage to shuffle down.  Anyhow, I'm
+going to try it.  I've got a few matches of my own in my pocket, that we
+could use to look around with."
+
+"Take it slow, and no hurry, boys," warned Fred, at the same time moving
+out of the way, so that if a stone were dislodged in their passage, it
+would not come in contact with his head.
+
+For a couple of minutes there could be heard a scraping noise, as the two
+boys lowered themselves down into the opening.  Fred struck another
+match, which he held up in order to give them the benefit of the feeble
+illumination.  Assisted by this light, both of the newcomers managed to
+reach the side of their chum without encountering any serious difficulty.
+
+"Well, here we are, fellows, all down!" Bristles declared, with a sigh of
+relief.  "I only hope that when we try to climb up again, it won't be an
+all day job."
+
+"Much easier than coming in," Colon told him.  "It always is, when you're
+mounting a steep cliff; because then you can see just where you're going.
+When starting down you hardly know where to put each foot, and when you
+look to see, it makes you giddy to find how far below the bottom lies."
+
+"Did you see anything when you looked around, that made you want to take
+a second peep, Fred?" asked Bristles, still clinging to his suspicion.
+
+"I don't know," replied Fred.  "It's like this.  The match was going out
+when I thought I glimpsed something on the rocky floor that looked like
+the ashes of a dead fire!  And after that I thought I'd like to make sure
+before I left here,---just to satisfy my curiosity, you know, boys."
+
+"A fire, eh?" ventured Bristles.  "Well, since no wild animal was ever
+known to start such a thing, that tells us this same cave must have
+sheltered human beings some time or other."
+
+"Hoboes, most likely," observed Colon; "trust them for finding such a
+snug hiding-place, after they've gone and robbed some country postoffice,
+or a farmer's chicken coop."
+
+"I'll strike a light, then, and Fred, you show us where the ashes lie,"
+and with these words Bristles drew a match hastily along the seat of his
+trousers, causing it to burst into a bright flame.
+
+"Over this way, boys," Fred told them, as he stepped across the rocky
+floor of the cave that had been found in such a queer way.
+
+It was just as he had said, for there on the stones they could see the
+plain marks of a fire.  Colon knew a thing or two about woodcraft, and
+the very first indication of this was when he thrust his hand into the
+ashes.
+
+"As cold as they can be," he observed, immediately.
+
+"Which shows that the fire hasn't been burning lately at all," Bristles
+hastened to add, to prove that he understood what Colon meant to infer.
+
+"Whoever camped in here cooked a meal or two, that's plain," Fred
+remarked, as he pointed to some chicken bones that were strewn around.
+
+"Tramps, as sure as anything, and they've been raiding the hencoops
+around this region, too," Colon ventured to say.
+
+"And that poor old wild dog had to stand the blame for it all," said
+Bristles.  "It's nearly always that way; give a dog a bad name, and
+everybody condemns him.  For all we know, some of the sheep that have
+been killed might have been pulled down by an innocent looking shaggy dog
+belonging to the farmer himself, but it's so easy to saddle the blame on
+the wicked one.  What was that you picked up, Colon?"
+
+"As near as I can make out it looks like one of those tin biscuit boxes
+you see at the store," the tall boy replied, holding the object up.
+"It's got a rubber band around it.  Queer thing for tramps to buy.  Only
+imported biscuits are put up this way, Miss Fletcher told me, and she
+ought to know because she's English, and won't eat any other kind."
+
+"Let me see that tin, will you please, Colon?" asked Fred, suddenly.
+
+After he had looked sharply at it, inside and out, he nodded his head.
+
+"I thought it might be like that," Fred remarked, mysteriously.  This
+manner of talking caused his comrades to stare, and Colon cried out:
+
+"Now, whatever is there about that old tin to make you speak like that,
+Fred?  If you'd picked up a clue to some robbery, you couldn't look more
+pleased.
+
+"Perhaps we have," said Fred, meaningly.  "Take another look at this tin
+box, both of you.  Notice how the heavy rubber band has been fastened
+underneath, so it couldn't get lost.  You never heard of such a thing
+being done where there were just plain crackers in a tin, did you?  Of
+course not.  Well, don't you see that this would make a splendid
+receptacle for papers, or securities?  And just before your match went
+out, Bristles, I thought I could see a little scrap of paper sticking in
+a corner.  That would prove it had held such things."
+
+Bristles could be heard uttering a series of exclamations, as he started
+to get another match going.
+
+"If this doesn't take the cake!  Why, all of us ought to remember how old
+Mr. Periwinkle complained that someone had entered his house and hooked a
+sum of money, as well as some papers he kept in a tin box in his desk.
+Why, this must be the same tin box, fellows!  We ought to keep it, and
+show it to him."
+
+They examined the thing once more, while the match was burning.
+
+"Guess you're right, Bristles, and this is the box old Periwinkle kept
+his valuables in," Colon pursued,  "but mighty little comfort it's going
+to do him to set eyes on the same again.  Would you care to have the
+shells turned back to you, after somebody'd gone and gobbled up the fat
+kernel of the nut?"
+
+"It will settle the fact that the robber, whoever he could have been,
+must have stayed in this cave lately," said Fred, seriously.  "I don't
+think these ashes are very old, perhaps not more than a couple of days,
+at most.  So you see that tells us the thief must be around here still."
+
+"Watching out for a bigger haul, more'n likely!" Bristles declared,
+somewhat excitedly.  "I don't believe he got much at Periwinkle's place,
+because the old man is poor as Job's turkey; leastways he makes out to
+be, though some folks say he's a sort of miser.  But there are farmers
+that keep quite a sum of money around, and it might be this hobo is
+waiting to get a chance at a big haul."
+
+"How do we know but what he aims to clean out the Riverport bank some
+fine night; that sort of thing has been done lots of times in other
+places?" remarked Colon.
+
+"All of which makes our duty the plainer, boys," Fred told them, "which
+is to keep this tin box, and show it to Chief Sutton.  He'll know what to
+do about it, and if he says we ought to tell Mr. Periwinkle, why, we'll
+take a turn up there to-night.  I heard that he'd offered a small reward
+for the return of the papers, and no questions asked; which was a bid to
+the thief to send the same back, and get paid for doing it."
+
+"And to think of you falling down into this cave the way you did, Fred,"
+Colon continued.  "Do you reckon that hole up there might be the only way
+in and out?"
+
+"Well, as far as I could see around, it's only a small affair, so I
+wouldn't be surprised if that turned out to be the case," was the reply
+Fred made.
+
+Bristles apparently had brought a bountiful supply of matches along, and
+did not mean to spare them, if by striking successive lights he could
+satisfy his curiosity.
+
+The others saw him bend forward, and act as though he had picked some
+small object from the rocky floor of the cave.
+
+"What did you find, Bristles?" demanded Fred.
+
+"Share and share alike," called out Colon.  "If you've discovered a
+diamond, why we all ought to have a part of what you get for the same.
+What's that, Bristles?  Well, I declare, if it isn't a sort of breastpin,
+as sure as you live!  But such a cheap affair isn't worth ten cents.  If
+that's the stuff this robber has got his pockets lined with, it won't pay
+the Chief much to chase him down.  Only a flimsy little old plated
+breastpin, with a red stone in it.  Huh!"
+
+But the face that Bristles turned on Fred Fenton expressed a vast amount
+of uneasiness, surprise and concern.
+
+"Gee!  I wonder now, if that could be?" he was muttering, so that even
+Fred began to see that Bristles had struck some sort of clue calculated
+to stagger him more or less.
+
+"What ails you, Bristles?"  Fred asked him, pointedly, as the match went
+out.
+
+"Why, Fred, as sure as my name is Andy Carpenter, which I sometimes hear
+it is, I've seen this same silly little pin before!"
+
+"Where?" demanded Fred, almost holding his breath as though he
+anticipated the answer that was coming.
+
+"That little girl had it on the day we pulled her brother, Sam Ludson,
+out of the river," was the startling reply.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+AT THE TOLL-GATE
+
+
+"Are you sure of that, Bristles?" asked Fred, upon hearing his chum make
+such an astonishing assertion with regard to that tawdry breastpin picked
+up in the cave.
+
+"Fred, you c'n see for yourself that while this is a mighty cheap old
+thing, it's made in a queer shape," Bristles went on to say.
+
+"All of which is true, I admit," the other confessed.
+
+"Well, you know I've always been a great hand for noticing things," said
+Bristles.
+
+"Sure you have," interrupted Colon, who was listening intently, although
+it was all "Greek" to him; "and  'specially when they happen to be
+connected with a pretty girl."
+
+Bristles grinned as he turned on the tall chum.
+
+"Oh! rats!" he exclaimed, "you're off your base this time, Colon, because
+she was a homely little thing, and with clothes on that I'd hate to see a
+sister of mine wearing.  But I say again, and I'll keep on saying
+it---Sadie, if that was her name, was wearing this same brooch the day we
+pulled her brother Sam out of the river, when he'd broke into an
+airhole."
+
+"You understand what that might mean, don't you, Bristles?" pursued Fred.
+
+"Why, I reckon now you're trying to make me see that the boy'n girl might
+have had something to do with the stealing of Mr. Periwinkle's money and
+papers," was the way Bristles answered him.
+
+"If the girl was here, the boy must have been, too," said Fred.
+
+"But gee whiz!  Fred, that youngster didn't look as if he had half enough
+nerve to do a thing like that," urged Bristles, scornfully.
+
+"Oh! he had nerve enough, never fear," Fred went on to remark, "for you
+may remember he never gave a single peep himself, and it was the girl who
+did the shouting for help."
+
+"Might have been scared too much," suggested Colon, wanting to have some
+say in the matter.
+
+"No, I don't think he was," replied Fred, "because the girl told us he
+kept urging and demanding that she hold back and not try to help him,
+because his one fear seemed to be she would fall in too.  But there's one
+thing we haven't seemed to figure on before, Bristles."
+
+"Say, I just bet you're going to spring that uncle on ne," remarked the
+other, with surprising quickness.
+
+"Why not," demanded Fred, "when we have learned that Corny Ludson has
+charge of the boy and girl, and must have been here in this cave with
+them.  There was a man here, because I've found signs of his smoking
+several cheap cigars, throwing the stubs around afterwards."
+
+"What's that?" cried Colon, just then; "say that name again for me, won't
+you?"
+
+"Why, Corny Ludson, a man who seems to be uncle or guardian or something
+to the boy we pulled out of the Mohunk, the last time we ran my iceboat
+up river," Bristles informed him.
+
+Colon looked happy.  No longer was he to remain "sitting on the fence,"
+without feeling he had any particular interest in the game.
+Circumstances had managed it so that he could now enter the free-for-all
+race, and take his place in line.
+
+"Now that's a rather odd name, you'll admit, boys," he started to say in
+his slow, shrewd fashion, "and it's not likely that there'd be two Corny
+Ludsons around this section of country; likewise having a couple of
+half-grown kids along in the bargain."
+
+"Go on, Colon; it begins to look like you knew something we want to hear
+the worst way," Bristles urged.
+
+"Here's the way it stands, then, fellows," the obliging Colon continued.
+"At first I didn't just catch the last name when you spoke about Sam and
+Sadie.  That is why I didn't break in sooner.  But Ludson gives it away.
+He's the same man Mr. Peets the butcher was talking about one day some
+little time ago."
+
+"Yes, but tell us what he said, can't you?" urged Bristles.
+
+"You see, I was in there waiting to be served, and the butcher was
+talking with Judge Wallace.  I don't know how it came about they got to
+arguing, but seemed that Mr. Peets wanted to back up something he said,
+and so he started in to tell about a man that had just left the shop,
+having two children along, after buying the cheapest kind of a cut.  Said
+his name was Corny Ludson, and that once he used to be a rich man over in
+New Brunswick, but he'd lost all he had, and now depended on his wits for
+a mighty poor living."
+
+"That all sounds pretty, interesting, Colon; but if there's any more,
+suppose you get along and give us the same," Bristles told him.
+
+"I remember I heard Mr. Peets say he didn't like the looks of the man,"
+continued the one who was giving the story; "and then he went on to
+explain that he considered himself a good reader of character, which
+allowed him to size the said Ludson up as a trickster who wouldn't stop
+at taking things belonging to other people, if he believed he could do it
+without getting caught!"
+
+"Bully!" exclaimed Bristles; "that covers the bill to a dot, doesn't it
+Fred?  Sure Corny must have believed he saw a good chance to grab this
+tin box belonging to Mr. Periwinkle, and not get the hooks in him.  He
+did it, too, and has been living on the proceeds of the robbery ever
+since."
+
+"There must be something mysterious about the man, then," remarked Fred.
+"And it might pay for someone to get in touch with the people over in New
+Brunswick, so as to find out whether he did live there once, a rich man,
+and why he cleared out."
+
+"That's right, Fred," observed Bristles.  "When people fight shy of their
+native place, it pays to learn the reason.  Course sometimes they have a
+good cause for keeping away, but lots of 'em do so because they dassen't
+go back.  But I'm meaning to keep this queer little pin."
+
+"And if you happen to run across Sadie Ludson again, you'll give it back
+to her, won't you?"  Fred asked him.
+
+"Just what I had in mind, to a dot," admitted Bristles.  "I might tell
+her where I picked it up, too, and see what she'd say."
+
+"Well, even if you did get her to admit that she'd been here, that
+wouldn't prove anything, would it?" queried Colon.
+
+"We'd know Corny had been camping in this cave," said Bristles, sturdily,
+"and from the fact that we picked up this same tin box, _empty_, it'd
+look pretty much as if he ought to know something about it.  They'd call
+that circumstantial evidence."
+
+"And if the boy and girl had to be questioned by Judge Wallace they might
+he coaxed to confess that they'd seen their uncle handling this tin box,"
+added Fred.  "That would fix the blame without any question."
+
+"Something may come of our find," Colon went on to say, now feeling that
+he had a perfect right to count himself in the game, "and on that account
+I reckon you'd be doing the right thing to keep both the pin and the box,
+boys."
+
+"And all we ask of you, Colon," Bristles suggested, "is that you stick
+mum.  Let Fred run the thing.  If he wants any help, he'll tell us, so we
+c'n assist."
+
+"Oh!  I'll be a clam," asserted the tall runner with a chuckle, "and once
+I give my word, nobody ever knew me to break it.  But say, doesn't it
+feel kind of chilly down here?   Remember we haven't any too much on in
+the way of clothes, and for one I was a little heated after my run to
+catch up with you fellows."
+
+"That's where your head is level, Colon," Fred told him, "and so we might
+as well climb out of this.  I'm happy to know I didn't even sprain an
+ankle when I dropped down through that hole."
+
+They found no great difficulty in gaining the outside world again, for
+the stones offered a substantial footing.  So it came about that
+presently the three chums were once more moving along at a fair pace,
+being desirous of throwing off that chilly feeling.
+
+It turned out that Fred's calculations were correct "to a hair," as
+Bristles triumphantly declared, when they burst upon the road just fifty
+yards above the Belleville toll-gate.
+
+"That's figuring some for you!" he exclaimed, as soon as they had sighted
+the inclined pole that signified the presence of the barrier where every
+vehicle had to halt and pay the regular tariff, according to the number
+of wheels, or of the horses it took to draw the load.
+
+They had hung on to the defunct dog in spite of all their hurrying, for
+that plan to let the farmers of the community know they were rid of their
+greatest pest still clung to the boys' minds.
+
+Bristles was looking ahead as they advanced along the road, and about
+this time was heard to give vent to an exclamation.
+
+"Would you believe it?" he cried.  "If there isn't the wagon at the
+toll-gate belonging to that old farmer I heard telling about the dogs
+that'd played havoc with his sheep!  And I reckon now, he'll be right
+glad to see the leader of the pack laid out as we've got him!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+BRISTLES' SURPRISE PARTY
+
+
+"That's a queer coincidence, if you'd care to call it by that name,"
+remarked Colon, who liked once in a while to make use of some long word.
+
+"It simply shows that we had long heads when we made up our minds to lug
+this old tramp dog all the way here, just to prove our story," Fred
+observed.
+
+"That was your scheme, Fred, all right," Bristles quickly asserted.
+
+"No more than the rest of you," he was instantly told, for Fred never
+liked to be given sole credit for anything unusual, when he had chums
+along.  "All the same, I guess the old farmer will be tickled half to
+death to know the sheep-killing pack has been broken up for good."
+
+"You think our knocking the leader out is going to do that, do you,
+Fred?" asked Colon.
+
+"In nine cases out of ten that's the way things go.  There's a keystone
+to every arch, and when you remove that, the whole thing tumbles down."
+
+"My idea to a dot," asserted Bristles, doggedly.  "Chances are the rest
+of those curs have started on the run for their old homes before this;
+and unless another leader springs up, which isn't likely, we've seen the
+last of the sheep-killers.  But hold on, fellows, perhaps we can have a
+little fun with the old farmer."
+
+"How?" asked Colon, not at all unwilling.
+
+"He doesn't seem to be about his wagon just now, you notice?" ventured
+Bristles.
+
+"Knows the toll-gate keeper right well," explained Colon, "because he's
+been coming past here, year in and year out, a long time now.  Like as
+not he's stepped in to sit and talk, or else sample something wet.  But I
+hope now, Bristles, you don't mean to start the team off on the run, or
+something like that, just to see an old man rush after 'em?"
+
+"What d'ye take me for?" demanded the other, indignantly.  "I leave all
+such mean tricks to Buck Lemington, Clem Shooks, Ben Cushing and that
+crowd.  Here's where we might play an innocent little joke on the farmer,
+and he'll laugh as hard as we do when he catches on.  It's the
+dog---let's sneak up back of the wagon, and lift the thing in.  Then you
+leave the rest to me."
+
+Colon waited to hear what Fred said.  He was accustomed to depending to
+some extent on the opinion of this chum, to whom the boys usually looked
+as their leader.
+
+"I should think that was fair enough, Bristles," Fred quickly announced.
+"We're intending to give the farmer a pleasant little surprise party,
+that's all.  Have it your way, then.  Here, let's move around a little,
+so they won't sight us from the open door of the toll-gate house."
+
+It was a very simple matter to do this, and presently they had deposited
+the already stiffening body of the sheep-destroying dog in the bed of the
+wagon, where it certainly presented a very gruesome appearance, with its
+four feet sticking up in the air.
+
+This done, the boys walked around, and onto the little porch that was
+spread out before the door of the cottage.
+
+Voices reached their ears, and it was evident that their presence had
+been discovered, for two men immediately came out.  Bristles noticed that
+the old farmer was even then brushing the back of his hand across his
+lips, thus indicating that he had been sampling a glass of hard cider, a
+specialty of the toll-gate keeper.
+
+"Hello!  Mr. Jenks!" remarked Bristles, who, it seemed, knew the keeper.
+"We're up here to look over the ground for the big Marathon race that's
+coming off before long."
+
+The farmer had started toward his team, but hearing this, he stopped to
+listen.
+
+"I reckoned as much as soon as I see you boys in your running togs," the
+tollgate keeper went on to say, affably enough, "because there was a gent
+up here only yesterday that said he represented the committee, and that
+they expected to have what they called a registering station here at the
+toll-gate, though I don't just know what that really means."
+
+"Why, you see, in a long gruelling run of twenty-five miles," explained
+Bristles, "it's necessary to have certain places a few miles apart, and
+especially at turns in the course, where every contestant enters his name
+in his own handwriting, as well as the time he passed there."
+
+"You don't tell me!" exclaimed Mr. Jenks.  "But what's all that
+tomfoolery for?  Strikes me they go to a heap of trouble for next to
+nothing."
+
+"Why, you see," continued Bristles, "these races have to be above
+suspicion.  The committee doesn't want anybody to be able to say there
+was any crooked work about the run.  The fellow who wins must have beaten
+every competitor fairly.  And by this system of registering they have a
+complete record of the race.  No one can cut across lots and cheat,
+without its showing in the record."
+
+"Oh! now I understand you, my lad, and I guess it's a good thing.  That
+gent was a fine one, and he said I had the best---but never mind what he
+said.  How far have you come this time, boys?"
+
+"This is over half the distance," explained Fred, "and we're on the home
+stretch right now.  But we're not trying for a record to-day.  Fact is,
+we're just feeling out the ground.  The next time we come we'll stop only
+a minute, as if we were registering, and be off, for that's when we'll be
+trying it out to see what our time is."
+
+"Oh! excuse me," said Bristles, as he saw the old farmer once more turn
+toward his rig, as though he felt he must be going on, "but didn't I hear
+you telling someone in the market the other day that you'd lost a number
+of sheep lately?"
+
+The old man frowned, and shook his head sadly.
+
+"Three of my best, and I reckons that if things keep on the way they're
+goin', I won't have any flock left purty soon, boy," he replied.
+
+"And you said the damage had all been done by a pack of wild dogs, didn't
+you?" continued Bristles.
+
+"Anybody with one eye could see that, by the way the sheep was mangled,
+and the pad of the prints around.  They're gettin' to be a terror up
+here.  Jenks kin tell you how he's heard the lot carrying on like Cain
+over in the woods there nights."
+
+"Did you ever see the pack, mister?" asked Bristles.
+
+"Well, I can't say as I really and truly has, son, but I do believe I
+knows what the wust of the lot looks like," the farmer told him.
+
+"How was that, sir?" asked the boy, eagerly.  He saw the old man shrug
+his broad shoulders, while a whimsical look appeared on his sunburned
+face.
+
+"Jest because I set on a limb, and looked down at the critter three whole
+hours, till he got so pizen hungry he slunk off, and let me get home.  He
+come nigh ketchin' me afore I cud git up in a tree; and from the looks of
+them ugly fangs, chances are he'd a-tore me right bad."
+
+"Then I should think you'd know that dog again if ever you saw him?"
+suggested Bristles, with a wink toward his chums.
+
+"I hopes I'll never have the bad luck to see him alive again!" declared
+the old farmer, as he started to climb up to the seat of his wagon.
+
+"Now watch the circus!" hissed Bristles.
+
+The farmer had just about drawn himself up when they heard him give
+utterance to a startled exclamation, for he found himself facing the
+uninvited passenger in the back of his open wagon bed.  Had Bristles been
+more inclined to be cruel, he might have fixed the dog so that he would
+appear lifelike, and in the attitude of springing.
+
+The farmer remained there as though turned into stone.  Then he managed
+to recover his wits, and burst out into a shout.
+
+"It's the same pizen critter!" he exclaimed joyously, "and keeled over at
+last!  But I'd like to know---say, you don't meant to tell me now, boys,
+'twas you that done for that turrible beast?"
+
+"Well," said Bristles, trying hard not to look too important, "they
+tackled us in the woods, and it was either us or him, so we managed to
+pound the leader until he kicked the bucket, and the rest of the pack lit
+out.  I guess that combine's broken up for good, mister.  You won't lose
+any more of your sheep, believe me."
+
+The old man got down, and insisted upon shaking hands all around, he felt
+so delighted over the new turn affairs had taken.
+
+"And the next time I go to Riverport, I'll tell what a fine thing you
+boys did up here," he remarked, as the three runners prepared to start
+down the road, heading for the home town.
+
+On the way it was finally decided that they would go to the office of the
+Chief of Police and tell him about finding the empty tin box, but not say
+a thing in connection with that pin.  Afterwards, Fred said, they might
+see Mr. Periwinkle, So as to learn whether the tin box was really his
+property.
+
+They felt uncertain as to just what their duty might be in a case like
+this, for while it seemed only right that the guilty one should suffer,
+at the same time both Fred and Bristles remembered what sorrowful faces
+that brother and sister had, and they could not find it in their hearts
+to do anything likely to add to the burdens the children already had to
+bear.
+
+So the case rested as the days passed.  Though unknown to the boys, a
+time was coming, and near at hand, when the mystery of the tin box was
+bound to be explained.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+ON THE GREEN CAMPUS
+
+
+A group of merry boys and girls, after school hours, had gathered on the
+campus, and were chatting at a lively rate.  This was a week after Fred
+and his two companions had gone over the course that previous Saturday,
+to judge of the difficulties they were likely to encounter when the great
+race came off.
+
+Preparations had gone steadily on, and the time that must elapse before
+the Marathon was run could be measured in days.  The greatest excitement
+reigned among the young people of Riverport, and it was said that both
+the neighboring towns were worked up to fever-heat on account of the
+prospective race.
+
+Mechanicsburg welcomed another chance to even the score, which had too
+often been in favor of her closest rival, and even Paulding boasted that
+long distance running might be called her "best hold," since she had
+several lads who were apt to prove wonders at that game.
+
+On the whole, such intense interest had never before been aroused in
+school circles in the three rival towns.  Hundreds could hardly wait for
+the day to come when, in the presence of unequaled crowds, the question
+of supremacy would be decided once for all.
+
+There was Flo Temple, a very pretty, attractive girl, whom Fred always
+took to dances, and skated with on the river; her chum Cissie Anderson, a
+little addicted to slang, though witty, and "fetching," as Sid Wells was
+heard to admit many a time, even when she had rubbed it into him pretty
+hard; and last, but not least, that energetic sister of Sid's, Mame
+Wells, a girl who could play almost any game that boys did, and fairly
+well at that.
+
+The girls seemed to be having no end of fun about something or other, and
+the crowd laughed at their sallies.  Even the victims themselves, took it
+goodnaturedly, knowing that it was all in good sport.
+
+"The chosen few who are going to do the honors for Riverport in this
+wonderful race!" Cissie was saying, with a look of pretended concern on
+her pink and white face.  "Don't we pity them, though, girls?  They say
+they're at the training table now, and have to give up pies, and all
+sorts of other good things.  Look at their faces, and see what a
+woebegone expression has settled there.  Every time I glimpse at Sid and
+Fred, I have to think of a funeral, or a famine."
+
+"Yes, it must be a dreadful thing to have to actually starve yourself,
+and all for the sake of getting in what they call condition," Mame Wells
+remarked.  "Why, for the first time in all his life, Sid has to get up
+from the table before the dessert comes on.  He says he just couldn't
+stand for it to stay, and see us all enjoying ourselves while he's shut
+out.  Poor boy, I wish it was over for his sake."
+
+"Why, they'll all be like walking skeletons if this keeps on much
+longer," Flo Temple, the doctor's daughter, broke in with.  "I even told
+Fred he'd have to walk with a heavy cane, like an old man, before long,
+and I offered him one of father's, but he must have felt ashamed to take
+it, though I just know he wanted to."
+
+"Oh! well," observed Corney Shay, slyly, "a heavy stick like that is a
+mighty nice thing to have along with you, when you're coming home awful
+late at night," and of course that caused a great laugh, as well as the
+blushes to flash up in the cheeks of pretty Flo.
+
+"But don't any of you try to pity us, and think we're suffering for want
+of a decent meal," Fred told them.  "Training table simply means that
+you've got to drop pastry, and all such silly things as that.  We eat
+beefsteak and chops and eggs just as much as we want to, most vegetables,
+fish and fruits, and even plain cake.  Why, it's the finest thing a boy
+can do, to try training for a month, and every fellow would be better off
+for doing it."
+
+"Then the daily runs we take, and the other exercise in the bargain,"
+added Sid, "is making our flesh as hard as nails.  Just feel that muscle,
+will you?" and he flexed his arm as he held it out toward the gray-eyed
+Cissie, who of course, after duly feeling of it, gave Sid a sly pinch
+that made him jump.
+
+Everybody knew that Fred and Flo were good chums, and were nearly always
+together.  It was that very fact that had made Buck Lemington dislike
+Fred so much in the beginning.  Buck had aspirations in that quarter
+himself, and there had been a time, before the other boy came to town,
+that he acted as escort to the doctor's pretty daughter, when they were
+all much younger than now.
+
+"I hear that the course has all been laid out at last," remarked a small
+but lively high school boy, a cousin of Colon.  He really had a first
+name, though most people seemed to have forgotten to say "Harrison," for
+everywhere he went by the appellation of Semi-Colon, as compared with the
+lengthy one.
+
+"We were told the same thing," Flo ventured to say, "but twenty-five
+miles seems a terribly long way to run.  My father is to examine every
+applicant, because they say it would be dangerous for any boy not in the
+best of condition to start out, and undergo the strain that a long race
+causes.  So if any of you has a weak heart I'm sorry for you."
+
+"Don't waste your pity on Fred, then, Flo," said Cissie, "because you
+ought to know his heart's all right.  Besides, we've seen him put to the
+test, and feel sure he'll do good old Riverport High credit.  So will
+they all.  There isn't a girl in town but firmly believes the race is
+bound to come to our school," and she gave Sid an arch look that caused
+him to nod his head in delight.
+
+"One thing sure," said Fred, gallantly, "every fellow is bound to make
+the greatest effort of his life, after learning how the Riverport girls
+have faith in him.  I can speak for myself and Sid here, as well as
+Bradley Morton and Colon, who are absent.  If we all fail to land the
+prize, it'll be because there are better long distance runners in the
+other towns, and not on account of our flunking."
+
+"They say that to-morrow the four who have been selected to be Riverport
+entries expect to make the run from start to finish, just to get
+acquainted with the course, and time themselves; is that so, Fred?" asked
+Mame, who undoubtedly sincerely mourned the fact, as she had often done
+before, that she was a girl, and hence debarred from all these glorious
+times.
+
+"Yes, we expect to do something like that, if the weather allows," Fred
+admitted, "but of course time isn't going to cut much of a figure in it
+with us.  We'll leave all that to the big day, and content ourselves by
+getting familiar with the lay of the land, finding out all the bad
+places, and figuring how best to save a minute here or half of one there.
+That's what is going to count in the final reckoning, the chances are."
+
+"Yes, and it stands for the Fred Fenton type of highest strategy," said
+Sid, who could praise a friend without feeling the slightest touch of
+envy.  "Being prepared means a heap, in war or in sporting matters.
+That's one reason we're dieting right now, so as to put ourselves in the
+finest possible physical condition."
+
+"And lots of people just think when there's a Marathon race like this,"
+ventured little Semi-Colon, "that a pack of crazy boys just strip to
+their running togs and start pell mell across country without a particle
+of system whatever.  It's all wrong, because every move is mapped out
+beforehand by the wise ones.  They know just what they can do in the way
+of speed, and how much reserve they're holding back against the rush over
+the home stretch.  That last is where the agony always comes in,
+'specially if the race is a close one.  Many a fellow's been known to
+just crawl under the tape, too weak to stand up, yet wild to win."
+
+"Well, let's hope nothing like that happens in our Marathon," said Mame,
+with a solicitous look toward her handsome brother, of whom she was very
+fond.
+
+"Oh! well," Sid hastened to explain, to allay her fears, "this is only a
+boys' run, you know; when regular athletes compete they set a faster pace
+than any of us can show; and then the distance is generally much further
+than twenty-five miles."
+
+"Here comes Colon now," remarked Cissie, who often tormented the tall
+athlete with her witty remarks.
+
+"He looks more mysterious than ever," remarked Mame Wells, "and I
+shouldn't be surprised now if Colon were hatching up some bright game for
+that glorious day of the long race.  Not that he'd play any trick that
+wasn't honest, but you all know how he likes to pretend to be beaten
+until close to the end, and then fairly fly ahead of every competitor."
+
+"Colon is going to make Riverport proud of him, you mark my words," said
+Fred, lowering his voice, for the object of their conversation was now
+close by, and covering ground at a tremendous pace with those long legs
+of his, which some of the boys had often compared to a pair of
+architect's dividers.
+
+"Hello, everybody!" Colon called out, as he came up.  Then, crooking his
+finger toward Fred, he went on to say, "Would you mind stepping aside,
+Fred, and giving me just a minute or two?  Something important, or I
+wouldn't bother you."
+
+Of course the group of boys and girls laughed, and called them a pair of
+conspirators, planning some sly game whereby victory might perch on the
+purple and gold banner of Riverport High.
+
+"What's up, Colon?" asked Fred, as soon as they were beyond earshot of
+the noisy crowd, for he saw that the tall fellow looked quite serious
+indeed.
+
+"Remember what we said about that Corny Ludson, don't you, Fred?"
+
+"Why, yes, we concluded to let matters rest, and wait to see if anything
+new would turn up," replied the other, "but why do you say that, Colon?"
+
+"Oh! because Corny's shown up in Riverport again, and it might mean he's
+got another sly robbery in view," Colon calmly remarked.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+LAYING PLANS
+
+
+"Did you see him yourself, Colon, or did some one tell you?"  Fred
+inquired calmly, although he rubbed his forehead, as though bothered a
+little by this latest news.
+
+"Well, you know strangers don't come to town in droves these days, and so
+when I happened to set eyes on a party I didn't recognize, who had just
+been talking with Hi Jimmerson, the livery stable man, I asked him who it
+was.  Don't know just why that bumped into my head, but I had an errand
+with Hi, anyhow, you understand."
+
+"And he told you it was Corny Ludson, did he?" asked Fred.
+
+"Yes, that's what he did," came the ready reply.  "It seems he used to
+know the man over in New Brunswick years ago.  If you and Bristles had
+run across Hi when you were trying to find out something about Corny,
+you'd have struck a gold mine.  He told me a lot of queer things about
+him, and none of 'em that were to his credit, either."
+
+"What did Corny want with the livery man?" asked Fred.
+
+"Oh! tried to strike him for a little loan on account of old times," the
+other replied.  "Said he'd been up against it harder than flint, and had
+a couple of kids to feed, left to him by his brother.  Hi is an easy
+mark, you know, with a great big heart, and he staked Corny to the extent
+of a dollar, though he did tell him money was scarce, and that would be
+the limit."
+
+Fred seemed to be pondering, for he was somewhat slow about speaking
+again.
+
+"Well, it may be we've been wronging Corny by making up our minds he
+stole that stuff from old Mr. Periwinkle," he finally went on to say,
+"though the miser did tell us he would recognize the tin box among a
+thousand.  I hardly know what we ought to do about this thing."
+
+"If you told the Chief all you know, what d'ye reckon he'd do?" inquired
+Colon.
+
+"He's such a peppery and ready-to-act little chap," answered Fred, "that
+I'm of the opinion he'd round Corny up in a rush.  That might turn out to
+be the right thing.  And again there's a chance it'd play him a mean
+trick.  What if he were innocent after all?  We'd feel that we'd done him
+a great wrong."
+
+This thought worked upon Colon's mind at once, for he had a very tender
+heart.
+
+"Yes," he added, reflectively.  "And then, how about that boy and girl?
+Like as not they're in some place out of town, right now, depending on
+their uncle to fetch home the bacon.  They'd have to go hungry a long
+time if Corny were locked up in the cooler.  I'd hate to think of that
+same happening, from what you and Bristles told me about the poor kids."
+
+"That leaves us up in the air, you see," pursued Fred.  "We don't know
+what our duty is---to tell the Chief, or wait to see what happens."
+
+"Now, by that I reckon you mean wait and see if anything is pulled off
+again in town, or around here?" suggested Colon; "that is, in the way of
+a robbery like old Mr. Periwinkle's loss of his money and papers.  Whew!
+I must say it's getting interesting all of a sudden."
+
+"I was wondering," Fred ventured, "if Corny, provided he did rob the old
+miser, and has spent the small sum of money that was taken, could have
+heard that Mr. Periwinkle has said he'd pay a certain sum, and no
+questions asked, for the safe return of his papers!"
+
+At that Colon puckered up his thin lips, and emitted a soft whistle, as
+if to thus display his surprise.
+
+"Queer I never thought of that idea, Fred," he said, nodding his head in
+a way to indicate that on the whole he was inclined to agree with what
+his companion had advanced.
+
+"It's always possible, you know," he was told.  "If only the papers could
+be returned without Corny showing his face!  Now, he may have some sort
+of a plan like that to play, which would account for his coming to town
+again.  I wonder if it'd be the right thing for me to see Mr. Periwinkle,
+and kind of put him on his guard?"
+
+"Could you do it without telling him all about Corny?" demanded Colon.
+
+"That's the question," admitted Fred.  "That's where the hitch seems to
+come in the scheme.  The old miser is apt to jump at conclusions, if he
+sees a chance to get his papers back, and bag the thief at the same time.
+Once he suspects that I know who was in that cave where the empty tin
+cracker box was found, he'll insist on sending for Chief Sutton, and
+laying some sort of clever trap."
+
+"Well, if Corny is really guilty, he ought to suffer for it; and I
+wouldn't care a single pin only for that boy and girl.  If we knew where
+they were kept right now, so we could bring 'em into town, and get folks
+interested in putting both in good families, I'd say go ahead and have
+Corny caught."
+
+"I wonder what Bristles would say about it," mused Fred.
+
+"Huh!  I c'n tell you that," grunted the tall boy, immediately.
+
+"Then suppose you do, Colon."
+
+"Bristles," continued the other, confidently, "would hunch his shoulders
+this way, as he nearly always does, and then he'd say: whatever you think
+is the right caper, Fred, count me in.  I'm ready to sneeze every time
+you take snuff!' That's the way Bristles would talk, mark my words."
+
+Fred laughed.  He could not help feeling flattered at such an evidence of
+confidence on the part of these two chums; yet he feigned to disagree
+with Colon.
+
+"I don't know about that, Colon, Bristles has a mind of his own, and
+sometimes it takes a lot of argument to convince him.  You've got to
+batter down his walls, and knock all the props out from under him before
+he'll throw up the white flag.  If I get half a chance to run across lots
+to-night, I'll try to see him.  He ought to be put wise to what's going
+on.
+
+"That's only fair, Fred, because he was there when we struck that cave.
+And if I remember aright, Bristles was the first to discover about Corny
+having been the one who used that cooking fire."
+
+"Don't pass the word around, Colon, mind," cautioned Fred.
+
+"You didn't need to say that, my boy," remarked the other, with a vein of
+reproach in his voice, "because you ought to know I'm not one of the
+blabbing kind.  I c'n keep a secret better'n anybody in our class.  They
+might pump me forever and never learn a thing."
+
+"When was it you saw Corny?"  Fred asked, as though desirous of obtaining
+the fullest information possible.
+
+"Why, just a little while ago," Colon confided.  "Fact is, my first
+thought was to look you up, and tell you.  I went to your house first,
+because your hours are a heap shorter than the regular scholars, at
+school, and they said you'd gone off an hour before.  And then, well, I
+kind of guessed Flo Temple would be starting for home about this time,
+and it might be you'd happen along to carry her hooks, as you always used
+to.  And I was right," with a sly glance at the little packet Fred had at
+that very moment under his left arm.
+
+"Oh that's all right, Colon," he remarked, laughingly; "just from force
+of habit, you know.  Flo kind of expects me to drop around, and seems
+sort of disappointed when anything keeps me away.  That's the way we
+spoil our girl friends, you see.  But let's speak of serious things.  I
+don't see that we're called on to inform about Corny, with only
+circumstantial evidence against him.  If there did happen to be another
+robbery while we knew he was close by, of course then it would be another
+thing.  We just couldn't keep quiet any longer."
+
+"That's what you've decided on, then, is it, Fred?"
+
+"Yes, to hold off, and wait," he was told in a decisive way.
+
+"All right then, and I want to say that I think you're playing safe in
+the game.  You're holding off on account of that pair of poor kids, I
+know you are.  Corny c'n thank them for being let alone.  And Fred, seems
+to me you're going on the policy of the old saying that tells you to give
+a rascal rope enough, and he'll hang himself."
+
+"If anything happens, I promise to go straight to Chief Sutton and put
+him in possession of all the facts I know," affirmed Fred.  "And in case
+I'm not able to get over to Bristles' place to-night, I'll call him up on
+the wire, and tell him how the case stands."
+
+"You'll have to be careful what you say, then," remarked Colon, with a
+grin; "if you happen to have any curious old maid on your party wire, as
+we have."
+
+"Well, it saves the cost of the weekly paper, you know," laughed Fred.
+"But you can make sure, Colon, if I do talk with Bristles over the wire,
+I'll fix things so no one could tell what it was all about, and yet he'll
+understand what I mean."
+
+"Say I wanted to tell you, Fred, about that same Corny," Colon observed,
+taking hold of his chum's sleeve, as he thought he detected an uneasiness
+about Fred's actions.  Flo was looking their way, and frowning, as though
+she considered that this mysterious consultation had gone on about long
+enough, even if it did concern important plans for the coming Marathon
+run.
+
+"I'd be glad to hear it then, Colon," the tall boy was told.
+
+"I didn't like his looks a little bit," Colon continued, seriously.
+
+"By that style of talk I should imagine you thought he'd just as soon
+steal from a miser as eat a square meal; is that what you mean?"  Fred
+demanded.
+
+"He looks mean as dirt," the other went on to say.  "There's a slick way
+he's got of rubbing his hands together when he's talking, and looking up
+from the tail of his eye, to see how you're taking his patter.  Now, I'm
+only a boy, and I don't make out to be able to read character any great
+shakes, but, Fred, I'd be willing to eat my hat if that Corny isn't a bad
+egg every time."
+
+"Everybody seems to think the same way there," he was told, "and I've yet
+to hear the first word in his favor.  We'll consider that settled, then,
+Colon.  And if you get wind of anything being pulled off around Riverport
+to-night, or later on, don't let the grass grow under your feet about
+giving me a tip."
+
+"You just bet I won't, Fred.  But I hope there'll be some way of finding
+out about that pair of kids.  Somehow I seem to have cottoned to 'em just
+from what you'nd our other chum told me, and without ever havin' set eyes
+on either the boy or the girl that I know about.  I'm meaning to sound my
+ma about how it could be fixed, so they'd have decent homes, in case
+anything happened."
+
+"That sentiment does you credit, Colon, and I promise that when the time
+comes, if it ever does, I'll back you up to the limit."
+
+"Shake hands on that, Fred!" exclaimed impulsive Colon, and then and
+there they exchanged a grip that cemented the bargain.
+
+"I certainly do hope that finishes the wonderful consultation!" called
+out a clear girlish voice, and Flo Temple came toward them, with a little
+pout on her pretty red lips.   "We've grown tired of standing here, and
+waiting, while you laid out your great plan of campaign.  I should think
+there was plenty of time for all that between now and the day of the
+Marathon race.  And Fred, you forget you promised to walk out in the
+woods with me, and see if the first wild flowers hadn't popped up.  This
+is the only chance I've had so far this week, and it'll be late before we
+get fairly started."
+
+Of course Fred declared that nothing stood in the way of their immediate
+departure, and as Sid and Cissie had agreed to go along, it may be
+assumed they had a merry time of it.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+THE MUFFLED VOICE
+
+
+"Fred, someone wants you on the 'phone!"
+
+"All right, Sis, tell him I'll be right down, and to hold the wire!"
+
+At the time his younger sister, Josie, called him.  Fred was sitting in
+his own room at home.  It was around eight o'clock, and he had just been
+studying, so as to get such matters off his mind until Monday swung
+around again.  The next day being Saturday, he and the other selected
+contestants for honors in the big race expected to cover the course at a
+pretty good pace, so as to familiarize themselves with its numerous
+shortcomings and advantages.
+
+Not wishing to keep anyone waiting, and suspecting that it must be either
+Colon or Bristles who had some sort of communication to make, Fred
+hurried down to the lower hail where the 'phone hung.
+
+"Hello!" he called.
+
+Evidently the other party was waiting, for immediately there came an
+answer.
+
+"That you, Fred?"
+
+"Yes," replied Fred, at the same time wondering who it could be, because
+there did not seem to be anything familiar about the half muffled tones.
+
+"This is Bristles!" came the voice.
+
+"What's that?" exclaimed Fred, wondering if his friend could be trying to
+play some trick on him by pretending to change his voice.
+
+"Bristles, don't you know?  Wait a minute till I cough," and then
+followed a series of explosive barks that sounded wonderfully realistic
+over the wire, after which the muffled voice continued: "Seem to have
+taken a beastly cold somehow, after school.  Sneezing to beat the band,
+in the bargain.  But I want to see you, the worst way, Fred.  Can't you
+come over to my house, for I oughtn't to go out in the night air with
+this cold?"
+
+"Now, you mean, Bristles?"
+
+"Sure, right away.  It's only eight o'clock, and I've got something to
+tell you that'll make you sit up and take notice.  Excuse me while I bark
+a few times, Fred," which he accordingly did in a way that made the other
+remove the receiver from close contact with his ear.
+
+"Well, you do seem to have a good dose of it, Bristles," Fred remarked,
+laughingly, when the bombardment had finally ceased.  "I'm almost afraid
+that cold will be catching over the wire.  Hope it won't be anything
+serious, old fellow."
+
+"Oh!  I'm not bothering about that, Fred," he was told, "but I'm just
+aching to tell you something great.  You'll be tickled half to death when
+you hear what it is.  Never mind asking me, either, because I won't
+whisper a word over the wire."
+
+"All right, then, Bristles."
+
+"You'll sure come, Fred?" anxiously asked his unseen chum.
+
+"Why, of course I will," Fred hastened to assure him.  "I meant to run
+over to your place to-night, anyway, because I've got a little news you
+ought to hear."
+
+"And Fred, you'll take the short-cut, of course?"
+
+"It's mighty seldom I go any other way, Bristles.  Why do you ask?"
+
+"I was only afraid you might have some errand down-town that'd take you
+the long way around, that's all, Fred.  Now, hurry up, because I'll bust
+if I have to hold this great thing in much longer.  So long, Fred!"
+
+As the thick voice ceased to come over the wire Fred put the receiver on
+the hook, and there was a little frown on his face.
+
+"Now I wonder if he's happened to learn about that Corny Ludson, and
+means to explode it on me?"  Fred was saying, as he picked up his hat.
+As he did so, his glance happening to fall upon a heavy cane with a
+crooked handle belonging to his father, he took possession of it.
+
+Perhaps it was the recollection of what pretty Flo Temple had said when
+jokingly telling him that he would presently be needing a walking stick,
+if he kept on dieting for the Marathon race, that suddenly tempted Fred
+to take this cane, for he had certainly never done it on any previous
+occasion.
+
+Later on he was inclined to believe there might be some truth in that
+fable of the sea, to the effect that there is a "little cherub aloft,
+looking after the affairs of poor Jack," and keeping him in times of
+sudden peril.  At any rate the sudden whim of Fred's, when he thought to
+play a joke on Bristles, and pretend that he needed a crutch or a cane,
+since he was becoming lame and decrepit, was fated to turn out one of the
+finest things he ever did.
+
+When Fred stepped out of the front door, he found that it was fairly
+dark, as the moon happened to be past its full, and consequently had not
+as yet appeared above the eastern horizon.
+
+When Fred and Bristles wished to exchange visits they were in the habit
+of taking a short-cut, that saved considerable distance.  It wound in and
+out over the open lots, though there was only one fence to climb.  So
+frequently had the boys made use of this way, in their endeavor to save
+themselves from needless steps, that they knew every foot of it like a
+book.  Indeed, a plain trail had been worn by these innumerable trips.
+
+Bristles had often declared he could go from his house to that of Fred
+with his eyes bandaged, and never once get off the track.  No doubt it
+was the same way with the Fenton boy, who had impressed every little
+peculiarity of that short-cut on his mind.
+
+Swinging the heavy walking-stick around by the crook, Fred hurried along,
+climbing the fence on the other side of the road.  Just at that moment he
+chanced to notice a figure coming up the street, and while astride the
+topmost rail of the fence he stopped to see if his suspicions were
+confirmed, for he thought he ought to know that peculiar gait.
+
+When the other started in at the Fenton gate Fred called softly:
+
+"Hello there, Colon!"
+
+The tall figure turned around at being thus addressed from across the
+street.
+
+"That you, Fred?" he asked, starting to cross over.
+
+"Nobody else," replied the other, with a chuckle, "and you happened along
+just in the nick of time, let me tell you.  I'd have been gone in three
+shakes of a lamb's tail."
+
+"Going across lots to Bristles's shack, I reckon?" ventured the tall boy,
+as he reached the side of his friend.
+
+"Just what I'm meaning to do," he was told.  "Bristles called up before I
+was ready to start across, and wanted me to hurry over.  Said he had
+something to tell me that was simply great."
+
+"You don't say!" exclaimed Colon.
+
+"And I've been wondering whether he could have learned about that man
+being in town," continued Fred.
+
+"Meaning Corny?" queried Colon.
+
+"Yes," Fred replied, still sitting on the rail of the fence.  "If you saw
+him, there'd be a chance that Bristles might have heard something along
+those lines.  You know he's the greatest fellow going for picking up
+information about all sorts of things."
+
+"It might be," mused the other, "and we could have some fun with Bristles
+by springing the racket on him before he got a chance to let the cat out
+of the bag."
+
+"You'll go over with me, then?" asked Fred.
+
+"That's my present intention," said Colon.  "Fact is, I strolled around
+to see if you expected to drop in on Bristles, and put him wise.  Didn't
+have anything else to do, this being Friday night, you know.  And I'm
+that full of the race I seem to want to talk it over all the time.  But
+what are you carrying that heavy walking-stick for?  Hope there wasn't
+any truth in what Flo Temple said, and that you're getting weak in the
+knees, Fred?"
+
+"I just happened to remember all that joshing," Fred told him, "when I
+saw dad's stick.  So I picked it up, thinking I'd play a joke on
+Bristles, and make out to be lame.  But looks a little as if we mightn't
+have Bristles along with us to-morrow."
+
+"How's that?"  Colon wanted to know, instantly.
+
+"Why, it seems he's gone and taken a terrible cold all of a sudden," Fred
+told him.  "You'd never have guessed who it was talking over the wire to
+me.  He had to tell me who it was."
+
+"When was this?" asked Colon, "because I called him up after I got home
+this evening, to sort of say we _might_ be around, and I didn't notice
+anything out of the way with him then."
+
+"Is that so?" remarked Fred, as though a little puzzled.  Then he added,
+"Oh! these colds in the head come on with a rush, sometimes.  He barked
+like a dog, and I even had to hold the receiver away from my ear.  I told
+him he'd give it to me over the wire.  But chances are he'll not be in a
+fit state for a twenty-five mile run to-morrow, more's the pity.  It's
+queer about that heavy cold taking him so sudden, though, come to think
+of it."
+
+"He wanted you to come over, you say?" continued Colon, as he threw one
+of his long legs across the top rail, and prepared to follow Fred, who
+had already dropped down on the other side of the fence, and was in the
+field that was to be crossed first of all, in following the short-cut to
+the Carpenter home.
+
+"Yes, that was why he called me up," replied Fred.  "And he kept urging
+me not to hold off a minute, because he said what he had to tell was so
+important he'd just burst if he held in much longer.  And then he wanted
+to make sure I'd take this path across lots."
+
+"But why would he say that, Fred?" continued the tall boy, as side by
+side they started off, with Fred keeping on the path, which could be seen
+readily enough in the starlight, once his eyes had become accustomed to
+the night.
+
+"He said, Colon, he was afraid I might try to kill two birds with one
+stone, and go down-town first, to do some errand, and he just couldn't
+wait a minute longer than was necessary."
+
+"Huh! that's funny," grunted Colon, as though he failed to understand
+exactly why the said Bristles should have been so very particular.
+
+They walked along, with Colon clutching the left arm of his chum, for he
+depended upon Fred to show the way, not being very familiar with the
+crooked path himself.
+
+They kept on talking as they walked, for there were any amount of things
+that interested them jointly, from the mystery concerning the actions of
+Corny Ludson, to the plans they had in mind concerning the winning of the
+glorious Marathon.
+
+Here and there clumps of bushes caused them to turn aside, but that was
+the way the trail ran, very much like what Fred called a "cow-path."
+Indeed, it meandered along in a zigzag fashion, though always heading for
+the opposite side of the field.
+
+The two boys were just in the act of passing the densest patch of bushes
+that the cow-pasture boasted, when without the slightest warning three
+figures suddenly confronted them.  They leaped from the covert where they
+had been lying concealed, and, as though all their plans had been
+arranged beforehand, two of the figures instantly sprang past, so that
+from all sides of a triangle Fred and Colon found themselves furiously
+assailed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+A PLOT THAT FAILED
+
+
+Although taken completely by surprise Fred and Colon were not the kind of
+boys to flinch, or run from sudden danger.
+
+They could see that the three fellows who surrounded them were gotten up
+just as might have been expected under such circumstances.  When men or
+boys lay out to do a mean thing, they generally try to arrange it so that
+their identity may not be disclosed.  These fellows had their hats drawn
+low down, their coat collars turned up, and, unless Fred's eyes deceived
+him, they also had handkerchiefs or some other kind of disguise fastened
+over the lower part of their faces, just as they may have read of
+desperate footpads doing out West, when holding up stage coaches.
+
+There was really no time to note anything more.  Uttering all sorts of
+angry cries in falsetto voices, the assailants bore down upon the two
+chums.
+
+"Whoop! give it to 'em, Fred!" cried Colon, his long arms immediately
+taking on the appearance of a couple of old-fashioned flails, such as
+farmers used before the time of machine threshers.
+
+Fred was already busily engaged.  A thrill of satisfaction seemed to fill
+his boyish heart over the inspiration that had caused him to pick up that
+heavy walking-stick before sallying forth to cross over to Bristles'
+house.
+
+It was certainly a handy thing to have around just then, with the odds
+against them, and that whirlwind attack on in full force.
+
+After Fred had swung his stick a few times, and several loud thumps told
+that it had landed on each occasion, grunts began to change into groans.
+Of course it hurt, no matter where it landed, and once a fellow ran up
+against such punishment, the chances were he would not feel just the same
+savage inclination to press the attack that he had before "taking his
+medicine."
+
+Colon, too, was doing gallant work, though he possessed no club or cane,
+and had to depend upon his fists alone.  He was tall, and had a terrific
+reach, so that he could land his clever blows without being severely
+punished in return.
+
+One thing the two chums were careful to do,---not separate.  Although
+they had had no chance to settle on any plan of campaign, they seemed to
+just naturally understand that in their case union meant strength.
+Accordingly they kept back to back, and in that way managed to hold off
+all assailants.
+
+Afterwards Colon used to say that their defence had been conducted along
+the famous "hollow square" plan, peculiar to British troops for
+centuries, in that they kept their faces to their foes, and their lines
+intact.
+
+Of course this sort of vigorous work could not last very long.  It was
+too one-sided, with Fred pounding two of the unknown fellows with his
+father's walking-stick, as though that might be the regular mission of
+such heavy canes.
+
+There was a final scramble, in which blows were given and taken on both
+sides.  Then a gruff voice, considerably the worse for wear and lack of
+breath, gasped out:
+
+"Scoot, fellows! it's all off!"
+
+Immediately the three mysterious assailants turned and ran away.  Fred
+noticed with more or less satisfaction that a couple of them seemed to
+wabble considerably, thanks to the whacks he had managed to get in with
+his heavy stick.
+
+"Go it, you cowards!" shouted Colon after them.  "For three cents I'd
+give chase, and hand you a few more good ones.  But unless I miss my
+guess, one of you'll have a black eye to-morrow, for I plunked you
+straight.  Whew!  I'm out of wind with all that rapid action work, Fred!"
+
+Fred himself was breathing rather hard, because of the way in which he
+had been compelled to exert himself in the melee.  So neither of them
+made the slightest move to advance any further, content to stand there,
+puffing heavily.
+
+Then Colon began to chuckle, louder and louder, until he broke out into a
+hearty laugh, at the same time doubling up like a hinge, after an odd way
+he had.
+
+"Got 'em going and coming, didn't we, Fred?" he wanted to know, when his
+merriment had subsided in some degree.  "They caught us napping, that's
+right, but say, did it do 'em much good?  Not that you could notice.  Let
+me tell you that's a sore lot of fellows to limp all the way home to
+Mechanicsburg to-night."
+
+"What makes you say that, Colon?"
+
+"About Mechanicsburg, you mean?" remarked the tall boy.  "Why what else
+would we think, but that the trick was planned, and carried out by some
+of that gang of up-river fellows?   Haven't we run up against the same
+lot before, and would you put it past them to try to lame a fellow, so he
+couldn't take part in a race, and let their side have a clear field?
+Huh! easy as falling off a log to see how the ground lies."
+
+"But Colon," objected Fred, "remember what Felix Wagner said to us about
+playing the game fair and square?  I don't believe he'd descend to any
+such mean dodge as this, nor most of the other fellows up
+there---Sherley, Gould, Hennessy, Boggs and then some.  If this was a
+set-up job, I'd rather believe it originated nearer home than
+Mechanicsburg."
+
+"A set-up job!" roared Colon.  "You never heard of one with more of the
+ear-marks of a lowdown game than this has.  Why, they planned to get you
+to cross here all by yourself, and then lay you out so you couldn't run
+for a month.  Didn't I see how they kept kicking at my shins all the
+time, and I reckon that's what they did with you.  I've a welt on my leg
+right now from a heavy brogan;  and I'd like to bet you they put on that
+sort of foot-wear so as to make their kicks hurt like fun."
+
+"Yes, they did seem to keep kicking at me, every chance they found,"
+admitted Fred, as though partly convinced by the other's argument.
+
+"See?" flashed Colon.  "I told you how it was.  They had that all laid
+out, and after it was carried through you'd be laid up and lame for the
+whole of the Spring.  When a fellow means to run a twenty-five mile race,
+he's got to keep in tiptop condition right along, or he'll get soft; and
+if you couldn't practice every day, why what would be the use of your
+starting in?  Five miles would make your ankle so sore you'd have to be
+carried home on a hayrick."
+
+"They tried their level best not to give themselves away," continued
+Fred.
+
+"Hardly ever used their voices,---only when they just had to grunt and
+groan, after you touched 'em up with that bully walking-stick.  Fred."
+
+"And," continued Fred, "they had their hats pulled down over their faces,
+collars turned up, and some sort of thing over their chins, so their best
+friend wouldn't have recognized one of them."
+
+"Oh! it certainly was a pretty smart trap, and it failed to work on
+account of a few things the plotters hadn't thought of," observed Colon,
+with a vein of satisfaction in his voice.
+
+"One of which was my great luck in having you along with me, Colon."
+
+"Oh!  I don't know that that counted any to speak of," objected the
+other.  "Why, when I saw the way you slung about you with that
+walking-stick, Fred, I knew as sure as anything they were in the soup.
+And chances are, it'd have been just the same if you'd come along here by
+yourself.  The biggest piece of luck you had was when you took that
+notion to carry your dad's heavy cane."
+
+"Perhaps you're right, Colon," admitted Fred, as he felt of the heavy
+stick, and then remembered with what a vim he had applied it without
+stint wherever he could get an opening.  "And I ought to really thank Flo
+Temple for that, oughtn't I?  Only for the way she joked me about needing
+a crutch or a cane, I'd never have thought of playing it on Bristles.
+And I want to tell you I'd hate to have this thing laid on me, good and
+hard.  Wherever I struck, it's raised a whopping big welt, I calculate."
+
+"Well, if you could tell from the way they hollered every time it struck,
+that goes without saying," laughed Colon.  "And I'll have lots of fun out
+of this, every time I think of it.  Did you hear what that leader said
+when he knew they'd have to own up beat? 'Scoot, fellows!  it's all off!'
+I guess it was, for if they'd held out much longer, we'd have floored the
+whole bunch."
+
+"I was wondering what his voice sounded like," said Fred.
+
+"Oh!  I'd take my affidavit that he had a hickory nut in his cheek right
+then, so as to disguise his voice, if he did have to speak any," Colon
+went on to say, and in this way proving that he was ready to give their
+unknown assailants credit for utilizing every possible device that would
+insure the successful carrying out of their miserable scheme.
+
+"I knew a fellow who did that same thing once upon a time," Fred hinted.
+
+"Yes, and it was somebody we happen to know right well, too," agreed
+Colon; "in other words, Mister Buck Lemington, the clever and
+unscrupulous son of Sparks Lemington, one of Riverport's leading
+citizens, and a chap who lies awake nights hatching up plans for getting
+the better of a friend of mine."
+
+"Hold on, Colon, go a little slow about accusing anybody before we've got
+the least bit of evidence.  This might be a different crowd.  Perhaps
+it'll turn out they're from Paulding, where I've heard there's a certain
+sporting element that's taken to betting on baseball games and athletics
+and such things, now that horse racing and making pools have been knocked
+out by law."
+
+"Shucks! now, I hadn't thought of that before," assented the tall boy, in
+a grudging fashion, as though he disliked giving up any cherished idea
+that may have seized upon his mind with conviction.  "And if they've gone
+and put up money on Paulding breasting the tape first, why, of course
+they might plot to do something to lame the best runners in Riverport and
+Mechanicsburg.  But Fred, in that case they'd be apt to send men here to
+knock you.  These were boys!"
+
+"Yes, that's so, Colon, and it looks like a weak link in the chain,
+doesn't it?  But since the game didn't pan out the way they thought it
+would, perhaps these fellows will fight shy of trying anything like it
+again.  We'll take a look around to-morrow, and see if we can notice any
+signs of their being on the hurt list among Buck's crowd."
+
+"That's the ticket, Fred!" said Colon, jubilant.  "That black eye would
+tell the story, wouldn't it, now?  And then if Clem Shooks or Oscar Jones
+is seen to limp painfully, and grunt every step he takes, that ought to
+mark him as one of your poor victims."
+
+"The whole three of them galloped off, didn't they?" asked Fred just
+then.
+
+"I should say they did, and as fast as they could skip.  But what makes
+you ask that, Fred?"
+
+"I thought I heard a movement in this patch of bushes here, that's all;
+but it may have been a bird or a rabbit.  Shall we start along now,
+Colon?"
+
+"Just give me half a minute, will you, Fred?" begged the tall chum, who
+was fumbling in his vest pocket.
+
+"What do you want to do?" asked Fred.
+
+"Oh, strike a match, and take a little peep around," he was told.  "Never
+know what you might strike.  Remember picking up a sleeve button once,
+after I'd been set on by a couple of fellows in the dark; and it gave the
+game away.  Oh! yes, I returned the button, but my bruises felt a heap
+better after I'd given the fellow a double dose."
+
+He immediately snapped the match off, and began moving around close to
+the bushes.  Fred heard him sing out before half a dozen seconds had
+passed.
+
+"Well, this is great luck, Fred!" Colon exclaimed.  "Here I've found a
+hat trampled in the dirt.  Maybe now that will tell the story.  Hold it,
+please, while I strike another match.  Let's look inside.  What's this I
+see?  First thing is the well known trademark of our enterprising
+Riverport hat dealer.  Then here's some initials in gold fixed inside.
+What d'ye make 'em out to be, Fred?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+CLINCHING EVIDENCE
+
+
+"As near as I can make out, they're C.J.," said Fred, after he had taken
+a look, before the match flickered, and went out in the night breeze.
+
+Colon burst into another laugh.
+
+"Told you so, Fred!" he remarked, triumphantly.  "You don't need to guess
+twice to know whom that set belongs to.  Let me mention his name to
+you---Conrad Jimmerson, and this is what proves it.  I'd just keep that
+old hat, and make him eat it, if I were you."
+
+There was another rustling in the bushes, and Fred glanced that way as
+though a trifle suspicious, but made no move to investigate.
+
+"Oh!  I don't know that I'll go as far as that," Fred observed, "because,
+while a fellow may have to eat crow once in a while, swallowing his own
+hat would be asking too much of him.  But there's another way to rub it
+in."
+
+"How?" asked Colon.
+
+"Suppose now I took this hat to school Monday," continued Fred, seriously
+enough, "and told the story of how we were waylaid by three mysterious
+chaps, who did their level best to injure us about the shins, and without
+any doubt meaning to knock us out from taking part in the big race?
+Don't you think nearly everybody would be warm about it?"
+
+"Hot about the collar as they could be, and ready to take it out of the
+hide of the three guilty ones, if only they knew who they were," the
+other boy affirmed in his positive way.
+
+"Well, I might put this old hat on exhibition, and ask every boy to take
+a good look at it before seeing the tell-tale initials inside.  Then we'd
+hear what they thought, and if any of them recognized the same.  In that
+way, Colon, it ought to be easy to run down the rascal."
+
+"Yes," added the tall boy, "and once you nailed him, it wouldn't be so
+hard to make him own up who his cronies were.  He's a coward, when you
+pin him down.  I'd dare him to stand up and have it out with me.  Then
+p'raps it was C.J. who rammed his old eye so hard against my fist, trying
+to feaze me.  Oh! the evidence is going to accumulate against him like a
+regular old mountain.  There's that rabbit of yours moving again, Fred.
+Queer all this row didn't start him off, isn't it?"
+
+"I just happened to think," remarked Fred, "that we're on a false
+mission, after all."
+
+"Right now, you mean, don't you, Fred?"
+
+"Yes, because it wasn't Bristles at all I was talking with, but one of
+this same crowd.  No wonder his voice sounded so queer to me, and
+muffled."  Then Fred had to laugh, after which he went on to say, "And to
+think how sly he was making out the cause of it to be that sudden cold
+he'd taken."
+
+"That was a mighty clever dodge, let me tell you," Colon went on to say.
+"You see, he knew you'd notice the difference in voices, for even over
+the wire it's easy to recognize a friend's way of speaking; so he fixed
+it up, with a nut in his cheek, and then told you about the cold."
+
+"And that cough, why, I tell you it was splendidly worked, and whoever
+carried it out was a sharp one, Colon."
+
+"However do you guess it was done?" asked the tall chum.
+
+"Well, there must have been a fourth member of the gang, who had his part
+of the game to play.  Chances were he was to go into some place downtown
+where they have a public 'phone booth, at exactly eight o'clock, and call
+me up.  The other three were to be hiding here before that time, waiting
+for me to cross over.  And I must say it worked out to a charm---only for
+the walking-stick, and you, Colon.  They didn't figure on my receiving
+such important reinforcements at the eleventh hour, as to turn the tide
+of battle."
+
+"Talk to me about Blucher coming up to help Wellington at Waterloo, you
+were in just as good luck to-night.  And the French didn't feel any more
+sore when they had to run, than Buck and his pals do right now.  I'd give
+thirty cents to see what the lot of them are doing this very minute;
+rubbing their bodies, and saying everything mean about us they can think
+of.  Ho! ho! ho!"
+
+Colon seemed to extract a considerable amount of amusement out of this
+unexpected happening.  He evidently considered that he had been in for
+more or less luck simply because he happened to be in Fred's company when
+the other ran into the ambuscade.  Colon was not averse to an occasional
+measure of excitement, and although not all considered a pugnacious
+fellow, he could at the same time hold his own when difficulties arose.
+
+"Of course," pursued Fred, "if I thought it worth while I could easily
+find out who sent that message to me, and played the part of Bristles."
+
+"You mean by going to telephone headquarters, and learning who connected
+with your number tonight about eight; is that it, Fred?"
+
+"And after they had told me it was, say, Dudley's drug store," Fred
+continued, as if figuring it all out, "I could step in there and ask
+Gussie Lightly what boy used the booth about that time."
+
+"Easy enough, because of course Gussie knows all the boys about town, and
+if it was Ben Cushing or Clem Shooks or Oscar Jones, he could tell you
+right off the reel.  Why don't you do it, Fred?"
+
+"I may when I get home, because it can all be done just as well over the
+wire you know," the other replied.  "Gussie is a good friend of mine, I
+feel sure, and if only he knew what a mean game had been set up on me,
+he'd do anything to square matters."
+
+"And at school Monday," Colon suggested, "it might be a good thing for
+you to be able to prove it was one of Buck's cronies that talked with
+you, making out to be Bristles, who hasn't any cold at all."
+
+"I'm glad of that, too," Fred observed, "because I was feeling that he
+couldn't go along with us tomorrow on the trial spin."
+
+"It was a dirty trick, Fred, but I must say pretty well worked out.  I
+can see the fine hand of our old friend, Buck, back of it all.  There
+isn't another fellow in all Riverport who could get up such a
+combination.  Buck's as full of schemes as an egg is of meat.  That's why
+the others all flock after him.  He's got the brains, and carries the
+money too."
+
+"Now, while it seems that Bristles didn't call me up, and beg me to come
+over, as we're already part way there, we might as well finish the lap,
+Colon."
+
+"Oh! you know I gave him to understand that maybe we might run in on
+him," he was told by the other.
+
+"But it's too bad," remarked Fred, grinning broadly.
+
+"About what?" demanded his friend.
+
+"We're going to be badly disappointed, I'm afraid."
+
+"We are, eh?  I'd like to know how that comes, Fred?"
+
+"Why, we laid out to hear the most thrilling thing that ever happened,
+you see," the other told him, in a voice of mock disappointment.  "When
+Bristles with the muffled voice and the bad cold told me he'd just burst
+if he didn't have someone to confide in right soon, he got me worked up
+to fever pitch.  Now I've had to cool down.  There isn't going to be any
+development.  Our hair won't have to stand tip on end like the quills of
+the fretful porcupine.  In so many words, Colon, it's all off, you know."
+
+"I'm afraid it is, Fred," admitted the other, sadly, "and I'm some
+disappointed, too, because you had my curiosity whetted up.  Why, I
+couldn't begin to tell you all I expected to hear when Bristles got busy.
+Course, knowing about that Corny as you did, it was easy to figure out
+how he might be the one Bristles meant to tell about.  Well, that ends
+it, and Fred, hadn't we better be hunching out of this, if you think
+there's no more hats or other trophies of the great victory lying
+around?"
+
+"Yes, we'll be over at Bristles' place inside of five minutes more," Fred
+announced.
+
+"If he happened to have his window open I wouldn't be surprised if he
+heard us carrying on high over here in the field," suggested Colon, and
+there was an air of expectancy in his voice, as though such a thing would
+not have been at all unpleasant to him.
+
+"One thing sure," Fred asserted, confidently, "he'll kick up an awful row
+just because he didn't happen to be in the little affair.  Bristles never
+wants anyone to get ahead of him, when there's action stirring."
+
+"No more he does," Colon echoed.  "Here, suppose you keep this old hat.
+I'm given to being careless, and I'd be apt to drop it somewhere.  No
+danger of you doing that, Fred; you're always as particular about such
+things as an old maid."
+
+"You can make your mind tip that when the evidence is needed to show up
+the owner of this hat at school, it will be forthcoming.  I'll take it
+home with me, and keep it safe and sound."
+
+The two boys were already moving off, heading across the field.  They
+could easily see the lights in the Carpenter house, which was only a
+short distance away, though if one went around by the road it would take
+some fifteen minutes to make the journey.
+
+They did not bother to look back after they had quitted the vicinity of
+the big cluster of bushes.  Had they done so, and the starlight been
+strong enough for them to see as a cat does at nighttime, Fred and Colon
+might have discovered a bare-headed figure that came creeping out of the
+bushes.  This wretched person looked after them with more or less
+grumbling and complaining, as though not at all relishing some of the
+things so recently spoken by the two chums.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+TELLING BRISTLES
+
+
+"Hello there, Fred, and you too, Colon; glad to see you both!  Step in,
+and come upstairs with me to my den, won't you?"
+
+In this fashion did Bristles meet the two visitors at the front door, and
+convinced by the warmth of the reception that they were going to be
+welcome guests, Fred and the tall boy fell in behind the one who had
+admitted them.  Presently they found themselves comfortably seated in
+such chairs as decorated the so-called "den," which was a small room on
+the top story, where Bristles kept his belongings and did his studying.
+
+"Glad to see your bad cold is a lot better, Bristles!" remarked Colon,
+with a sly wink over toward Fred, who chuckled.
+
+Bristles of course looked puzzled.
+
+"I suppose that's, some sort of a poor joke," he ventured, cautiously,
+glancing from one to the other of his visitors; "but me, I'm groping all
+around in the dark, and don't seem to catch on.  S'pose you open up, and
+explain how it works, Colon."
+
+The tall boy allowed his eyebrows to go up as though tremendously
+surprised.
+
+"Do you mean to tell me, Bristles Carpenter, that you didn't call up
+Fred, here, a little while back, and while begging him to hurry over, as
+you had something important to explain, say you'd taken such a cold you
+could hardly speak plain?"
+
+"What, me?  Say, you're dreaming, Colon.  I never said a word of that,
+and right now I haven't got the least bit of a cold!" exclaimed the
+other, indignantly.  At the same time he began to show a certain amount
+of curiosity, for his good sense warned him there must be a story back of
+Colon's strange accusation.
+
+"And you didn't interrupt yourself several times to say, 'Oh! excuse me,
+while I cough!' and then start in whooping it up so hard Fred here had to
+take the receiver down from his ear or go deaf?"
+
+"Oh!  Come off, and tell me what all this silly stuff means!" demanded
+the still more mystified boy.  "Has anybody been playing a rousing good
+joke on Fred, and making out to be me?"
+
+"That's about the size of it, isn't it, Fred," Colon assented, eagerly
+enough.  "It was a rousing enough joke, while it lasted, but the trouble
+is that it turned out to be one of those back-action, kicking jokes, that
+turns on the jokers, unexpected like.  This one left a black eye, and a
+whole lot of black and blue marks behind it---that is, we believe so, and
+have a pretty good reason, too."
+
+"All right, now tell me what it all means, please," Bristles pleaded,
+seeing that the tall chum was really in earnest.
+
+Colon explained, and as he finished, the astonished listener demanded:
+
+"But what d'ye reckon it all means?"
+
+"Both of us noticed that their main plan seemed to be to kick at our
+shins every chance they got," explained Fred, "and Colon says they had
+heavy brogans on, too.  It's a hard thing to say, Bristles, but we
+honestly believe they meant to lame us, so we couldn't be in shape to run
+to-morrow, and perhaps at the time of the great Marathon, too."
+
+Bristles clenched his hands, and looked savage.
+
+"Well, what d'ye think of that now for a savage trick?" he exclaimed.  "I
+wouldn't believe it of those Mechanicsburg athletes, who've always seemed
+a pretty decent bunch of fellows."
+
+"Hold on," said Fred.  "Go a little slow, Bristles."
+
+"What for?" demanded the other, impetuously and fiercely.
+
+"Because you're making the same mistake Colon here did at first," he was
+told.
+
+"About the boys up the river, you mean, Fred?"
+
+"Yes.  It isn't fair to accuse them without any proof," the other told
+him.
+
+"But the Paulding crowd---" stammered Bristles, evidently taken aback.
+
+"Get closer home," warned Colon.  "What d'ye want to go climbing all over
+the country for, when you've only got to use your nose to smell a rat
+right in old Riverport!"
+
+"Jupiter Pluvius! you must mean our old friend, Buck!" ejaculated
+Bristles, his elevated eyebrows indicating his astonishment.  "Tell me
+about that, will you?  Has he actually come to life again, and been up to
+his old tricks?"
+
+"We're dead sure of it," Colon told him, nodding his head at a lively
+rate.
+
+"Then chances are you recognized one of the bunch?" suggested Bristles.
+
+"No," said Fred, "we couldn't do that very well, because they changed
+their voices, and had their faces hidden by their hats, coat collars, and
+even some sort of cloth that seemed to be tied about their jaws.  But
+after the scrap was over, we picked up a clue that we think will give the
+game away."
+
+"What, Fred?"
+
+"Take a look at this old hat, Bristles," continued the other, as he drew
+the article in question from his pocket.
+
+"Well, I'm looking at it," he was told.
+
+"Ever see it before?" asked Colon, eagerly.
+
+"Of course I wouldn't like to raise my hand, and swear to it," remarked
+Bristles, slowly, "but I want to say this looks mighty like a
+yellow-colored hat I've seen a certain fellow wear, time and again."
+
+"Suppose you go a little further, then, and mention his name," proposed
+Fred.
+
+"Conrad Jimmerson!" promptly replied the other.
+
+Colon laughed gleefully.
+
+"Now turn the hat around, Bristles," he cried, "and look inside!"
+
+Upon doing so the other uttered an exclamation.
+
+"Here they are, two letters that give the thing away---C.J. as plain as
+print could be!" was his cry.
+
+"Glad that you think the same way we do," Colon told him.  "And now, I
+reckon you wonder what Fred's going to do about it."
+
+"If it were myself, I'd take this hat to Cooney, and ask him if it was
+his," Bristles went on to say, in his fiery fashion.  "Course he'd have
+to acknowledge the corn, and then I'd proceed to give him the licking he
+deserves."
+
+"We'd kind of expect that of you, Bristles," remarked Colon,
+magnanimously, "but you see, Fred'n me, we made up our minds that we'd
+given that bunch a pretty good layout as it was.  What they need is
+something to show the people of this town what a tough lot that Buck
+Lemington is dragging around with him."
+
+"But how could you do that?" the other asked.
+
+"Fred thought of taking the hat to school, and telling the story around,
+to the teachers and the pupils," Colon explained, in his accommodating
+way.  "When they learned how these toughs meant to injure Riverport's
+chances of winning the great Marathon, just to gratify a little private
+spite, the town would soon get too hot for Buck and his cronies.  They'd
+have to emigrate for a little while, till the storm blew over."
+
+"That sounds good to me!" declared Bristles, changing his way of
+thinking, for while a very determined boy, he could always be reached by
+argument, and was open to conviction,  "and I hope you carry the plan
+out, Fred.  I'd just like to see those boys put under the ban for a
+while.  Some of them by rights ought to be in the State Reformatory,
+according to my notion.  They're getting too fresh with what they call
+their pranks, and don't even stop at endangering human life."
+
+"Well, of course we're glad that you haven't such a terrible cold,
+Bristles," remarked Fred, "but all the same Colon here is sorry for one
+thing."
+
+"What might that be?" asked the said Colon.
+
+"You see," continued Fred, "after I told him about how you called me up,
+and wanted an interview right away, because you had something important
+to tell, Colon here began to get terribly excited.  He kept wondering
+what it was you meant to explain;  and I know that after we'd run that
+mob off, nearly the first thing he said was that he felt cheated out of a
+sensation, because you didn't want me so bad after all."
+
+At that Bristles laughed loud and long, at the same time looking queerly
+at his guests out of the tail of his eye.
+
+"Too bad to disappoint you, isn't it, fellows?" he went on, in a tone of
+mock sympathy, "but say, maybe I might scare up some little news after
+all, that'd kind of take the place of the thrilling story they hatched up
+for me."
+
+"Let it be on the strict level then, Bristles," warned Colon, severely,
+as he shook his forefinger at the other; "we don't want you to invent any
+old yarn just to please us."
+
+"What I'm going to tell you," began Bristles, very solemnly, "is straight
+goods, believe me.  I don't know whether Fred here will think it of much
+importance, but late this afternoon I chanced to run across an old
+acquaintance.  Guess who it was, boys."
+
+"Huh!  I bet you it was Corny Ludson!" exclaimed Colon, quick as a flash.
+
+Bristles started, and looked keenly at the long-legged chum.
+
+"Well, you hit mighty close to the bull's-eye, then, Colon," he remarked;
+"but you forget I never saw that same Corny Ludson in my life that I know
+of, and so how could he be an old acquaintance.  But he's got a little
+girl named Sadie, a niece, or ward, or something like that, you may
+remember."
+
+"Then you saw her?" asked Fred, eagerly enough, for he had been wondering
+lately what could have become of those two children.
+
+"Not only saw her," continued the other, "but talked with her."
+
+"Tell us about it, Bristles," urged Colon.
+
+"Why, it was this way," began the other, complying briskly.  "She was
+just coming out of the cheap grocery, and had several bundles in her
+arms, as if she might have been buying bread, and some such things.  I
+knew her just as soon as I set eyes on her, for she wore that same old
+frowsy red dress, and had a little tad of a shawl pinned over her
+shoulders.  The poor thing looked like a wind'd blow her away, with her
+thin, pinched face, and big startled eyes."
+
+"Oh! let all that drop, Bristles," expostulated Colon.  "What we want to
+know is, how did you come to speak to her, and did she remember you?"
+
+Bristles was bound to tell his story in his own way.  Without paying any
+attention to this nagging on the part of the tall chum, he kept facing
+Fred, and went on deliberately.
+
+"There was a horse and buggy standing at the curb, and say, you never in
+all your life saw such a dilapidated outfit.  Talk to me about the famous
+'one hoss shay,' it couldn't have been a circumstance beside that rig.
+Everywhere the shafts were tied up to hold, the harness patched till it
+looked all strings, and the animal, well, he was a walking skeleton.  Any
+other time I'd have laughed myself sick, but I couldn't do that then,
+with that poor little thing being the one that drove such an outfit."
+
+"What did you say to her?" asked Fred.
+
+"Oh!  I said 'howdy-do, Sadie, don't you remember me?' and she looked
+scared at first, and then she actually smiled.  She said she hadn't
+forgotten the two boys on the river, who had been so kind to Sam and her.
+I asked her where she'd been all this time, and she looked kind of
+confused and said, 'Oh! around everywhere!'  as if they might be a pack
+of regular Gypsies, and never knew what it was to have a home of their
+own."
+
+"But you say she had some sort of a rig with her," expostulated Colon at
+this point of the narrative,  "and wouldn't that look as if they'd
+squatted down somewhere or other, for a spell?"
+
+"Maybe it would," replied Bristles, "but the chances are they only
+borrowed the outfit for the occasion from some poor farmer, paying for
+its use by fetching him home some supplies from town.  But just then I
+remembered about that pin we found in the cave, and I took it out of my
+pocket, unwrapping the paper, and all of a sudden holding it before her."
+
+"Did she recognize the breast pin?"  Colon asked.
+
+"You'd have thought so by the way her little face lighted up," said the
+other, "and reaching out the hand that didn't carry a package, she took
+bold of it.  Then I made a fool move, just like my silly ways.  I sprung
+the trap too soon!"
+
+"You told her where you'd found it, said you thought it might be hers,
+just because you remembered her wearing something like that, didn't you?"
+asked Fred.
+
+"Sure I did, and you just ought to have seen the scared look that came
+over her face," Bristles admitted.  "She looked all around as if she was
+afraid that Corny'd be popping up, and then shook her head again and
+again, saying the pin wasn't hers.  But, Fred, I know the poor little
+girl was telling a fib, because she was afraid if she owned up to the old
+piece of fake jewelry that she seemed to value so much, it might get
+somebody in a peck of trouble;  and we know who that is, don't we?"
+
+"We certainly do!" replied Fred; and he started to tell Bristles how
+Colon learned Corny Ludson had also been in Riverport that afternoon,
+acting in a suspicious manner.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+LINING UP FOR THE TRIAL SPIN
+
+
+The next morning opened cloudy, and rather warm for the season, much to
+the regret of all those fellows who had planned to take a spin over the
+twenty-five mile course laid out by the committee of arrangements.
+
+So long as it did not rain, they were not to be kept from carrying out
+their ambitious plans.  About eight o'clock Bristles and Colon, standing
+in front of the picket fence that divided the Carpenter garden from the
+road, saw Fred coming up the street.
+
+"There's Fred," announced Colon, "and I hope Sid shows up soon, because
+we'd better be making an early start."
+
+The way in which he looked up at the sky when saying this caused Bristles
+to instantly remark:
+
+"Now, I reckon you're thinking it's going to rain on us before we get
+back home again.  That left leg of yours that you got hurt once, is a
+regular old barometer, it seems, Colon."
+
+"I don't know just how it comes," admitted the other, "but nearly every
+time it gets to itching and burning, we do have a spell of bad weather.
+Over at my house when they see me rubbing that leg, they begin to hunt up
+rubbers and raincoats to beat the band.  It's gotten to be next door to
+infallible, dad says."
+
+"All right, we'll forgive you if you do bring a dash of rain to-day,"
+warned the other, "but be mighty careful how you let that leg get to
+itching toward the end of next week.  Why, a rain'd play the dickens with
+all our plans for that glorious long run."
+
+"You don't smash a thermometer every time it tells you how hot or cold it
+is, do you?" demanded Colon.  "Then why d'ye want to blame things on my
+leg barometer?  Just as if it had anything to do with the weather, 'cept
+to warn you ahead.  Seems to me I ought to have a gold medal, instead of
+abuse.  But here's Fred, and looking as if he was in apple pie trim for
+making the grand rounds to-day."
+
+Of course all of them were in their running outfits, which consisted of
+trunks, sleeveless jerseys, shoes with spikes in the soles, and an excuse
+of a hat, though Bristles declined to wear anything on his mop of hair.
+
+"All here but Sid, now, Fred," announced Colon, as the other joined them.
+
+"We're a little ahead of the time that was set," remarked Fred, who
+seemed to be unusually sober it appeared to the sharp-eyed Colon, "and
+Sid will be along soon.  I saw him heading for town, and he called across
+lots that he had a little errand, but would join us as soon as he could
+get back home, and pile into his running togs.  Let's sit down somewhere,
+and take it easy, boys."
+
+"A good idea, too," commented Bristles, "because, with a twenty-five mile
+run before us, we'll have all the standing on our feet we want.  Chances
+are it'll be a pretty tired bunch of boys that'll turn up here some hours
+from now."
+
+They found a place to settle down, and after a little talk about the
+weather, during which Colon was called upon to once more prophesy as to
+the chances for rain, he suddenly turned to Fred, to say:
+
+"What's bothering you this morning, Fred?"
+
+"Why do you ask me that?" returned the other, with a little smile.
+
+"Well," Colon continued, "I'm used to watching faces, and it struck me
+when you came up, there was a worried look on your face.  Hope you're not
+feeling anyway off?"
+
+"Never felt in better condition in my life," Fred assured him.  "One or
+two little bruises from that business of last night, but nothing to
+mention, and I don't expect to even think of them again."
+
+"What happened, then?" asked Bristles.
+
+"Only that our house was entered last night!" Fred observed, calmly.
+
+The other boys gave expression to their astonishment in various
+exclamations.
+
+"Burglarized, you mean, Fred?" cried Colon.
+
+"Well, yes, I guess you might call it that, though it seems only one
+particular thing was carried off," Fred replied.
+
+"You've got us guessing good and hard," said Bristles.  "Was that your
+dad's pocketbook, his watch, the piano, or what could it be?"
+
+"A hat," explained Fred.
+
+Bristles and Colon fairly gasped upon hearing this.
+
+"D'ye mean to tell us, Fred, that a desperate burglar would take all the
+chances of breaking into a house where he might get shot, just to steal a
+hat!" Colon demanded, as though suspecting they were being made the
+victims of a joke, although as a rule Fred seldom allowed himself to
+attempt anything of the kind.
+
+"Sometimes even a hat may be a mighty important thing, if you stop to
+think of it, fellows," he informed them.
+
+"Great smoke!  Fred, do you mean that hat?" exclaimed Bristles, suddenly
+remembering something.
+
+"The one we picked up on the battlefield!" added Colon, helplessly.
+
+"That's the one I mean," they were told by the other, with a positive
+tone that could not be mistaken.  "When I got home I tossed it onto the
+hall table.  It wasn't there this morning, and I asked the girl, and
+everyone about the house if they'd seen it, but nobody had.  And what was
+plain evidence of a robbery was the fact that a window was found open in
+the sitting-room, which my dad says he is sure he shut and locked before
+he went to bed."
+
+"It was Cooney Jimmerson, of course?" suggested Colon.
+
+"He's always been too clever with his fingers," Bristles gave as his
+opinion.  "Maybe you remember, Colon, because it was before Fred's time
+here, how Cooney used to sneak into the coat-rooms at school, and go
+through the pockets of our reefers looking for pennies or tops or any old
+thing.  He got in a peck of trouble on account of his sly tricks.  If
+anybody could turn the catch of a window, and crawl in, I'd put it up to
+him."
+
+"But Fred, how would he know you'd found his old hat?" asked Colon.
+
+"We'll have to guess at that," he was told.  "Look back, Colon, and
+you'll be likely to remember that several times we heard a rustling sound
+in that clump of bushes, while we were standing there talking, after
+finding the hat."
+
+"Yes, and you thought it might be only a rabbit, or a chipmunk, or
+something like that," assented Colon, promptly.
+
+"Now that the hat we were keeping as evidence has been stolen from my
+house," Fred continued, "I'm more than sure that must have been Cooney
+himself.  He'd missed his hat, and afraid that we might find it, he came
+creeping back to get into that bunch of brush, where he could hear every
+word we spoke.  So he knew I was keeping his hat to prove who was in the
+crowd that tackled us unawares."
+
+"He just knew that if his hat were ever shown, he'd be in the soup,"
+observed Colon, "so he thought it worth while to take all kinds of
+chances in the hope of copping it again.  But let me tell you, the boy
+who'd open a window, and creep into a neighbor's house night times, is
+pretty close to the line.  He's on the road to being a regular
+professional thief when he grows up, because it shows he likes that sort
+of thing."
+
+"You know they say, 'as the twig's inclined, the tree is bent,'" Bristles
+told them, ponderously, "and we all can guess what'll become of Buck
+Lemington some day.  He'll either make a striking figure in finance, or
+else head some big swindle that'll send him up for twenty years."
+
+"But with the evidence gone," Colon remarked, "of course that ends the
+plan to show Cooney up at school?"
+
+"Yes, and that was what he took such big chances for," Fred admitted.
+"We might tell the whole story, but without any positive evidence there
+would always seem to be a weak link in it.  Some folks might even say we
+were prejudiced.  They'd rather believe the attack came from one of the
+other towns.  People always like to believe bad things about rival places
+rather than the home town.  So we'd better shut down on that hat part of
+the story, and keep it quiet."
+
+"Course it doesn't matter if we let it be known we were set upon, only we
+mustn't say we suspect any particular boys," Colon went on to remark,
+with a little confusion that told Fred he must have already been telling
+something about the encounter, though not mentioning names.
+
+"Call that settled, then," Bristles added, "but it's too bad, when you
+had the case framed up against Cooney for fair and keeps.  He'd have
+found himself the most unpopular fellow in Riverport, that's, right."
+
+"The main thing with me," Fred explained, "was the hope that when
+everybody got to pointing the finger of scorn at Cooney, he'd feel so
+mean and small that, not wanting to stand for all the abuse alone, he'd
+up and confess that it was Buck who had started the racket.  But as our
+plans have missed fire, we'll have to forget all about it.  We've got our
+hands full as it is with this race, and getting ready to do our level
+best to win."
+
+"I think I see Sid coming," Colon told them just then, and as he had an
+advantage over the rest by reason of his long neck, nobody disputed his
+word.
+
+"We haven't forgotten anything, I hope?"  Bristles observed, as they
+arose to their feet, and began to stretch themselves, boy fashion.
+
+Fred carried a little pouch at his side that he did not believe would
+interfere at all with his running, though of course even this would be
+discarded when the great Marathon test was on.  In this he carried
+matches, a small but reliable compass, and a few simple remedies that
+might come in handy in case any of them happened to be seized with colic
+or cramps from drinking water when overheated.
+
+"Nothing that I know of, Bristles," Fred announced, as he touched this
+small pouch which, in the woods among old hunters would probably be
+called a "ditty-bag," and contain all manner of little odds and ends
+likely to be needed from time to time.
+
+Sid was now running.  The mere fact that he might be a little behind time
+would hardly seem to be sufficient excuse for his starting off in this
+way.  Fred eyed the newcomer as he approached them.  He fancied that Sid
+was bringing news of some kind.
+
+Sid was breathing a little fast.  That was to be expected in the start,
+though when he got his "second wind" he would very likely be good for a
+long, hard run.
+
+"Give me five minutes, fellows, to rest up in, so we can all start even,"
+Sid went on to say, "and besides, I've got something to tell you."
+
+All of them dropped down again on the fresh green grass that the recent
+warm weather had caused to sprout forth luxuriantly in places.
+
+"We're listening," Bristles told him, placing the cup of a hand back of
+his ear, as though he wanted to make sure of not losing a single word,
+while Colon assumed an eager attitude, with his eyes glued on Sid's
+flushed face.
+
+"None of you happened to go down-town this morning, I reckon?" was the
+first thing Sid said, and as three heads were vehemently shaken in the
+negative, he continued, "Well, then it'll give you something of a
+surprise to know that it's happened again."
+
+"Not a fire in the high school?" exclaimed Colon, for a serious event of
+this kind had taken place in the near past, that had created something of
+a panic in Riverport.
+
+Sid shook his head in the negative.
+
+"This was a robbery," he went on to say, in a way that gave the other
+three a severe shock; "just as when old Periwinkle was robbed.  This time
+it was Mrs. Merriweather, the rich widow, who owns so many houses, and
+gets her rents in on the first.  Somebody broke in there, and she never
+knew till this morning that her desk had been pried open, and three
+hundred dollars taken!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+CAUGHT BY THE STORM
+
+
+"That settles it, boys!" said Fred, compressing his lips.
+
+"Some more of Corny's smart work, I guess you mean?" ventured Bristles.
+
+"Well, we happen to know he was in town again yesterday afternoon, and
+putting things together, it looks bad for Corny," Fred explained.
+
+"And I take it you mean to do what you said," Colon remarked; "that is,
+you promised us if there was another robbery, and that man was seen
+around, you'd tell everything to Chief Sutton and let him start a hunt to
+find Corny?  Have I got it straight, Fred?"
+
+"You certainly have, Colon, and that ought to be attended to before we
+start out on our run," Fred continued.
+
+"Sure thing, because when a fellow has broken open a house and taken as
+much as three hundred dollars in cash, he's likely to get busy right
+away, and hide somewhere.  That other time it was in a cave, and now
+Corny may have another secret den.  It'll be up to the Chief to locate
+him."
+
+"But I say, Fred, I hope now this won't interfere any with our plans
+to-day?" expostulated Bristles, while both Sid and Colon immediately
+looked anxious.
+
+"Only to hold us back ten minutes or so," Fred told them.
+
+"You won't bother going to town, and seeing the Chief personally, will
+you, Fred, when we've got a 'phone handy right here?" demanded the
+Carpenter boy, starting in the direction of the front gate close by.  The
+others followed.
+
+"I could answer all the questions he'll want to ask, over the wire just
+as well as if I were down at headquarters," Fred announced, at which an
+expression of relief was seen to sweep over three eager faces.
+
+Fortunately the head of the local force was at his desk, engaged in his
+customary morning duties.  Fred lost no time in getting down to facts,
+and from what the other boys, listening close by, heard him say, his
+astonishing communication must have created quite a lively panic at
+headquarters.
+
+For some time after telling what they had learned when passing through
+that particular stretch of woods the week before, Fred was kept busy
+answering questions.  He explained just why they had seen fit not to
+mention the matter before, and the reason that ban of secrecy was now
+removed.
+
+When finally Fred hung up the receiver, and turned around with a smile on
+his face, as though perfectly satisfied with what he had done, not more
+than ten minutes had elapsed since their entering the house.
+
+"Thank goodness that business is over with," he remarked, "and now it's
+up to the police to find the thief,---if they can."
+
+"Huh! my opinion is that this same Corny is a heap too smart to be nabbed
+by a country cop," asserted Colon, and Chief Sutton, who was a very
+consequential little officer, would have felt terribly hurt could he have
+heard the disdainful laugh that went around at these scornful words.
+
+"But let's be making a start!" begged Colon, anxious to be up and doing,
+for he had told the others he felt like a wild colt that morning, being
+fairly crazy to get to running.
+
+In five minutes they were far beyond the town limits, running two and two
+along the road, and taking things fairly easily in the start.
+
+A wise athlete never pushes a willing horse to begin with.  After getting
+well warmed up, it is safe to increase the pace, always holding in the
+very best for the emergency that is apt to come in every race, some time
+or other.
+
+Several miles were soon put behind them.  Fred and Colon led, with the
+other two at their heels, and all running easily.  Indeed, though it is
+not considered the best thing to do when running, the two leaders
+occasionally exchanged a few words, cutting their sentences down to as
+brief a span as possible.  As a rule they maintained silence, each having
+his teeth set, and breathing through his nose as much as he possibly
+could.
+
+These lads had learned all the known rules affecting long distance
+running, and they had also found more or less benefit from practicing
+them.  Time did not enter into their calculations on this occasion, to
+any great extent at least.  Of course they sprinted occasionally, and the
+minutes were noted at such times in an effort to learn a little about the
+probable period between certain points, where they figured on making
+their gains.
+
+Possibly of the four Bristles showed more signs of being pressed than any
+of them.  He had always been a short distance runner, like Felix Wagner
+of Mechanicsburg, but this year both boys hoped to break into the long
+distance class.  Neither Bristles nor Sid happened to be built just right
+for such a task.  On the other hand, Colon was long and rangy, and
+capable of tremendous speed, while Fred had the staying qualities so
+necessary in Marathon runners.
+
+As a rule it will be found that the best long distance runners are the
+stocky, small men, like the wonderful Englishman, Shrubb, who astonished
+everybody in our own country by his great record some years back.  While
+hardly reckoned small, Fred Fenton was in just that same class, for his
+muscles were as hard as they could possibly be, and he always kept
+himself in prime condition for work.
+
+When, after a certain length of time, the four boys arrived at the birch
+trees by which Fred had marked the place where they could turn into the
+woods in attempting that short-cut, they had seen no other competitor on
+the road.  No doubt at some time during the day all of those who meant to
+take part in the great run expected to cover the whole course, so as to
+get familiar with its peculiarities, but Fred and his mates were just as
+well pleased not to run across any of them thus early in the morning.
+
+"Now, here's where we want to keep our eyes about us," remarked Fred, "so
+as to know the trail by heart.  All of us but Sid have already been
+across to the other road, but on that account don't think you know it
+all.  Observe everything around, and make a mental map of the course.
+It'll be a great help, I tell you."
+
+"Point out the blazes you were speaking about, so I can watch for them,"
+Sid asked them, as they stood there in a bunch, breathing hard, and
+cooling off, for it had been a warm run, and the atmosphere felt
+unusually heavy.
+
+"There's one good thing," Fred went on to say, "we don't have to pay any
+attention to the other side of the trail.  What I mean by that is this:
+lots of fellows can take notice of how a trail looks, and think they've
+got it down pat in their minds, but let them start back over it, and the
+landmarks will never be the same, so it's the easiest thing going to get
+lost on the return trip, where the blazes you made fail to show.  It
+happens that we have to pass through here only one way."
+
+"Great Caesar! wasn't that a growl of thunder?" cried Colon in dismay.
+
+"Nothing more nor less than that," replied Fred, "and if thunder stands
+for anything, we're going to get that rain after all."
+
+"Shucks! why couldn't the measly old storm have held off till we reached
+home?"  Bristles wanted to know.  "Here we are more'n ten miles away from
+town, and dressed in the airiest duds going.  If we get soaked, we'll be
+shivering like fun."
+
+"What's the answer, Fred?  Tell us your opinion, and whether we'd better
+turn back, or try to push on through this neck of woodland and marsh?"
+When he put this question, Colon betrayed a trace of uneasiness, for the
+prospect was not a very pleasant one, no matter how they looked at it.
+
+"There's no use turning back," the leader explained, "because the nearest
+house would be several miles away.  I don't know just how it might be if
+we kept along the road here.  But there's that tollgate and shanty on the
+other road; if we could only make that, we'd find shelter."
+
+"Move we try," snapped Bristles, who was for action all the time, and
+liked to settle questions as Alexander is said to have cut the Gordian
+knot, decisive work, rather than sitting down to unravel problems.
+
+There being not a single dissenting voice raised, the proposition was
+declared carried, and with that the four runners plunged immediately into
+the heavy undergrowth alongside the road.
+
+Fred used his eyes and his memory to advantage.  He knew that it would
+not do to make any mistake, and be lost in that jungle.  With a storm
+coming on, the fierceness of which none of them could more than guess,
+the one thing they must make sure of above all others was to stick to the
+trail through thick and thin.
+
+"Say, it's beginning to rain!" called out Bristles, from the far rear,
+Sid being just in front of him, and Colon back of the leader's heels.
+
+"What makes you say that?" asked Colon, who did not like to be told of so
+disagreeable a fact.
+
+"Felt a drop on my face," Bristles explained, "and you could too, if you
+tried.  There! that was another!  It is starting in, boys, believe me!"
+
+"He's right about that," Fred called back over his shoulder.
+
+They could run only a small fraction of the time while threading the
+winding trail through the woods, so that hurrying was utterly out of the
+question.  Thunder had been heard several additional times, and it seemed
+to be coming closer, if its increasing rumble counted for anything.
+
+The drops began to fall faster and faster, and it became evident that in
+a few minutes they could expect a downpour.
+
+"One good thing," said the cheerful Sid, "we won't be apt to ruin our
+best Sunday go-to-meeting glad rags by getting them soaked."
+
+"Good for you, Sid!" called out Fred, "always seeing the silver lining of
+the cloud, no matter how dark it grows.  Whew! that was close by," he
+added, as a loud crash of thunder sounded.
+
+The rain fell in sheets for a short time; then the thunder died away,
+though there was no let-up to the fall of water.
+
+"I think we're close to that poor farm," was the announcement Fred made,
+as he noticed several landmarks that he remembered well.
+
+"Bless you, Fred, for saying that!" cried Colon, "because I'm shivering
+as if I'd drop to pieces.  What do I see over there on the left right
+now?"
+
+"It's the old rookery of a barn!" Fred told him.  "Come on, we'll crawl
+in, for it's perfectly safe, now that the lightning has gone.  By
+bunching together under the hay, we'll warm each other, more or less,
+while we wait for the rain to stop."
+
+They saw no sign of anyone around, and as their necessity was very great,
+the four thinly clad and shivering runners crept under the hay, where
+they huddled together as Fred had advised.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+THE BOY IN THE HAYMOW
+
+
+"This is a whole lot better than out there in the downpour," Colon was
+heard to say, after they had been cowering in the hay for a short time,
+keeping as close to one another as they could so as to gain additional
+warmth.
+
+"I should say it was," acknowledged Sid, "and Bristles here is a regular
+toaster in the bargain.  He's as snug and warm as a stove.  I'd like to
+come over and bunk with you, Bristles, some of the coldest winter
+nights."
+
+"Any boy ought to be warm that's got a decent amount of flesh on him!"
+declared the one in question;  "now, here's Colon who's so thin he hardly
+throws a shadow at noon; you couldn't expect him to do anything but
+shake."
+
+"I'd hate to try to sleep in this old place nights," observed Colon, who
+had been thinking of other things, it seemed, than warmth.  "Chances are
+she's plum full of rats and mice.  If you listen real hard, you'll hear
+'em carrying on right now, squealin'  and squawkin' like."
+
+Accordingly all of them now turned their attention to listening, this
+avowal on the part of Colon having aroused their curiosity.
+
+"There!" cried the tall boy triumphantly, "didn't you get it that time;
+and wasn't that a plain rat gurgle, though?  They c'n make the queerest
+noises, seems like, when they want to."
+
+Fred started to move.
+
+"That was no rat, boys," he remarked, in a tone of conviction.
+
+"Wasn't, eh?" exclaimed Colon; "then what'd you call it, Fred?"
+
+"A groan!" replied the other, immediately, at which the others began to
+sit up, and in various ways denote newly aroused interest.
+
+"A groan, Fred!" echoed Sid.
+
+"Do you mean a human groan?" demanded Bristles.
+
+"There it is again," Fred told them; "if you pay attention, you'll soon
+say what I do---that it is a human groan."
+
+"But whoever would be grunting like that in this old rookery, I'd like to
+know?"  Bristles continued as though unable to fully grasp the idea.
+
+"For my part," said Fred, bluntly, "I can't explain it.  How about you,
+Colon?"
+
+"Yes, how is that, Colon?"  Bristles hastened to add, as if to lend
+weight to the sudden demand.
+
+"Me?  What should I know about a groan, except that I happened to be the
+first one to notice the same, and thought it was rats fighting?"  Colon
+expostulated.
+
+"Well, for one thing," Fred told him, "we happen to know that some time
+ago you had a strong notion you could throw your voice, like the fellow
+on the stage who makes the dummies in the trunk talk, and say funny
+things.  And it struck me that perhaps you might be trying it out on the
+dog, meaning your good and faithful chums."
+
+That aroused Colon as few other things might have done.
+
+"Give you my word of honor, Fred, I never thought of such a thing," he
+said, in the most tragic of ways.  "You c'n put your ear close to my
+mouth, and wait till it sounds again, when you'll find I haven't got any
+hand in that grunting.  Maybe it's a poor pig that's half drowned by the
+rain coming into its pen near by."
+
+"I know how hogs grunt," Fred told him, "and it wasn't along that line at
+all.  This must be a human being in pain!"
+
+"Whew! if we don't just strike queer happenings wherever we go!" declared
+Bristles, though from his wide-awake manner it was evident that he did
+not feel at all averse to these lively episodes coming right along, but
+rather enjoyed the excitement they brought in their train.
+
+"We ought to do something, oughtn't we, Fred?" asked Sid.  "If it did
+turn out there was a sick man in this old shook, and we learned later
+that he'd died for want of a little attention, we'd feel mighty sorry."
+
+"First of all, back out, everybody," said Fred.  "Then once clear of the
+mow, we can talk it over, and lay some sort of plan.  Push along there,
+Bristles, you're blocking the line of retreat."
+
+Of course Bristles would not stand for this, and so he began to back out,
+following the line of least resistance, which in this case was the tunnel
+by means of which they had crept under the haymow.
+
+Once free and clear, the four runners clustered together, and proceeded
+to listen attentively again, almost holding their breath in the effort to
+locate the sound that had startled them so.
+
+"There it is, boys!" exclaimed Fred.
+
+"And louder than before," added Colon, "though that may be caused by our
+coming out from under the hay."
+
+"No, we're certainly closer to it than before," Fred affirmed, "and that
+proves it to be over this way."
+
+He started slowly forward.  The others followed, it is true, but
+strangely enough not one of them seemed overly anxious to outdistance
+Fred, and occupy the position of leader.
+
+It quickly became patent that Fred was right when he said the sound came
+from that end of the old barn, because, as they continued to advance
+slowly they could hear it louder and louder.  The rain had dropped to a
+mere drizzle, showing that the storm was about to cease shortly, possibly
+with the same speed that had marked its opening.  As the big drops ceased
+pattering like hail on the roof, sending many a little rivulet through
+the holes, they could hear much more easily.
+
+"I see something, Fred!" whispered Colon, in a hoarse tone.
+
+He pointed with a trembling finger as he spoke, and directed by this
+sign-post all of the other boys were able to distinguish an object that
+seemed to be extended on the hay.
+
+"Looks like a man or a boy!" gasped Bristles.
+
+"I think it is a well-grown boy!" Fred declared.  "And now let's find out
+what ails him, that he keeps on groaning like that."
+
+He held back no longer, but made straight for the object that had caught
+their attention.  As they came up, all of them could see plainly enough
+that it was a human being, a fairly well-grown boy, who was lying there
+on his face.
+
+With every breath he seemed to groan, more or less, and occasionally this
+would rise to a louder key.  This latter was the sound that had reached
+them while they were under the haymow.
+
+Now Fred was bending over the recumbent figure.  Gently but firmly he
+started to turn it over, when a yell broke out.
+
+"My leg!  Oh! my leg's broke all to splinters!" they heard the unknown
+shriek.  Then he seemed to shut his teeth hard together, as though
+determined that not another cry should leave his lips if he died for it.
+
+Fred had always taken more or less interest in matters pertaining to
+surgery, at least as far as it is desirable that a boy should dabble in
+such things.  He had borrowed many books from Dr. Temple, and on two
+occasions had set a broken arm in a fashion that won him words of praise
+from the physician.
+
+"Let me take a look at your leg, please," he said, soothingly, as he bent
+down over the half-grown boy, who might be the hand about the poor farm,
+for he looked thin, and illy nourished, as far as Fred could see at a
+glance.  "Perhaps I can be of some assistance to you, poor fellow.  I
+know a little about setting bones, and such things.  And we promise to
+stay with you, and do what we can to help."
+
+He proceeded to make an examination without any delay or squeamishness.
+The result was that he discovered a serious fracture of both bones of the
+leg.  Fortunately the break was some inches above the ankle, and if
+properly attended to, would not result in any permanent injury.
+
+Fred did all that was possible under such conditions, while his three
+chums hovered near, ready to lend a hand whenever he asked it.  The
+injured boy cried out and moaned a number of times during the time Fred
+was working, but after Fred had made the rudest kind of a splint, and
+wrapped the leg with some rags torn from an old linen fly-net that was
+hanging from a hook near by, the wounded lad admitted that he felt a
+"heap better."
+
+For the first time Fred began to take notice of him other than as a
+patient.  He found that the boy kept his head lowered, as though
+endeavoring to avoid curious eyes, and Fred wondered why this should be
+so, when they had certainly proven themselves to be very good friends of
+his.
+
+The mystery was, however, soon explained, when Colon was heard to give
+utterance to a sudden exclamation, and cry out:
+
+"Why, what's this?  I've sure met this chap before, or my name isn't
+Colon.  It's Tom Flanders, don't you see, Bristles?  He's been gone from
+home a long while now, and his folks didn't know what'd come of him, and
+to think that he's been working on this measly little old farm in the
+bush here all the time."
+
+Fred became intensely interested in his patient.  He had not happened to
+know the Tom Flanders mentioned, but then he had heard more or less about
+him.  It was easy enough now to know why the other was so embarrassed.
+He had been hiding from everybody, no doubt working here under another
+name, and hearing not a word as to how affairs in Riverport were
+progressing.
+
+"Are you Tom Flanders?" he asked the other, quickly.
+
+The wounded boy had turned white and then red several times under the
+flow of fear, distress and other emotions.  He now looked into Fred's
+eyes boldly.
+
+"I s'pose it ain't no use in denyin' that same, because Bristles
+Carpenter and Colon here know me," he went on to say, doggedly, after
+drawing a long breath.  "Might as well own up anyway, 'cause I reckon I'm
+goin' to die.  They can't send a dying boy to the Reform School, can
+they?"
+
+"Have you been working here at this place ever since you disappeared from
+Riverport?" asked Bristles.
+
+"Jest about all the time, and gettin' nigh starved in the bargain, 'case
+they ain't got enough here to feed us," the boy replied, dejectedly.
+
+"First of all," said Fred, "get that idea out of your head that you're
+going to die, just because of a plain fractured leg.  In a month from now
+you'll be walking around again, and before three months are gone, you
+wouldn't know anything had ever happened to you."
+
+"That's right kind o' you to say such nice things, mister," Tom Flanders
+muttered, "but a feller that's headed straight for the Reform School
+ain't carin' much whether he lives or dies."
+
+Fred looked around at his three chums.
+
+"We'd better tell him, hadn't we?" he asked, in a whisper.
+
+"Sure, the poor fellow's suffered enough as it is, I reckon," Bristles
+replied.
+
+"Just what I say too," added Colon.
+
+"So go ahead, Fred, and open his eyes.  I only hope it'll be a lesson
+he'll never forget, and start him along a different road after this," Sid
+gave as his opinion.
+
+"Look here, Tom," began Fred, "you've been hiding-out for weeks now, and
+all the time believing that they'd send you to the electric chair or the
+Reform School at any rate, just because you deliberately shoved that
+little Willie Brandon into the river, and it looked as if he had been
+drowned.  But Tom, they worked over him long enough to bring him back to
+life again.  You ran away before anyone could tell you, and your folks
+have been nearly crazy trying to find you.  Tom, you can come home again,
+and nobody's going to punish you.  It's all right, Tom, and we'll see
+that you get to where your folks can have you, before to-night!"
+
+The wretched boy looked at Fred for a full minute as though he could
+hardly believe the glad tidings;  then he began to cry like a baby.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+WHEN THE CIRCUS CAME TO RIVERPORT
+
+
+"You'll go home if we can get you there, won't you, Tom?" asked Fred,
+after a little time had clasped, and the poor fellow on the hay seemed
+better able to reply, having mastered his emotions.
+
+"I'd be a fool not to say yes!" he exclaimed, eagerly.  "'Specially when
+you tell me my folks they want me home again.  I've lived a dog's life
+ever since I run away.  Hain't never dared to ask about news from
+Riverport, 'case I reckoned Chief Sutton he must be alookin' everywhere
+for me.  I'll go home, and thank you, fellers; you jest better b'lieve I
+will!"
+
+That settled one thing; Fred knew he could not expect to finish that run.
+Indeed, the roads were not in the best of condition after the storm for
+anything like comfort, and perhaps it might be just as well for them all
+to give up trying to foot it along the rest of the course.
+
+Having hastily considered this matter, he broached the subject to the
+others.
+
+"Let's look at the thing, boys," he began, as they gathered around him,
+knowing that a plan of campaign was being considered.  "What we wanted
+most of all was to get familiar with this cut-off up here."
+
+"No trouble about the rest of the route," ventured Colon, "because it's
+going to be along the open roads, and every fellow can get it down pat
+from studying the map they've posted.  But this cut-off is left blank."
+
+"Meaning that you can go all the way around, making three miles, or else
+take your chance in cutting across country," Bristles added.
+
+"Well, my plan is something like this," continued Fred.  "Let's pick out
+the first good afternoon next week, get a car from somewhere, if we can
+borrow one, and run up here.  Then we can cross over to the toll-gate,
+and back again.  That ought to fix things so we'll never miss the way
+when the big date comes along."
+
+"Hear! hear!" cried Bristles.
+
+"We like your plan, Fred," replied Sid, "and for one I'm ready to call
+this run off.  The weather is against us, and we'd have a high old time
+splattering through the mud for about thirteen miles."
+
+"Besides," added Colon, "we think we ought to be along when you take Tom
+Flanders home to his folks.  I happen to know how bad they've felt about
+his being gone!"
+
+That seemed to settle the matter in so far as continuing the trial spin
+went.  Fred was not sorry, because he felt that he would enjoy having his
+cheery chums along with him.
+
+"Then the next question is, how we're going to get home?" and he turned
+to the injured boy, to say; "You haven't told us just how you came to
+break your leg, Tom, and why you didn't manage to crawl to the house so
+as to get help?"
+
+"I knowed the old man an' his wife they was all away to-day, that's why,"
+was the reply Tom made; "an'  as for my accident, it happened so quick I
+couldn't hardly tell about it.  Reckon I ketched my foot in some loose
+board up in that leetle loft, where I was adoin' somethin'.  Fust thing I
+knowed I felt myself flyin'  every which way, over the edge, and kim down
+on the ground, with my leg doubled under me.  Then I jest seen things
+aswimmin' all around me.  Guess I fainted, for next thing was when I kim
+to, an' found myself groanin'  bad.  When I moved ever so little it nigh
+made me jest scream."
+
+"How long do you suppose you've been lying here?" asked Bristles, softly,
+for he had been much affected by what he saw and heard.
+
+"Mebbe hours, for all I know, Bristles.  They went off jest after
+daylight, meanin' to take the load to Peyton, where they deals in the
+grocery line.  Wouldn't let me do it, 'case they meant to buy the old
+woman a 'frock, you see.  Is it near night time, now, Bristles?"
+
+"Oh! no, the morning isn't more than half over, Tom," replied Bristles.
+"But how about some sort of rig we could borrow, to give you a lift to
+Riverport?  Have the old couple taken the only outfit along.  Tom?"
+
+"I hear a horse munching hay over there somewhere," announced Colon.
+
+"Yes, there is a critter in here," Tom admitted, with the nearest
+approach to a smile that had thus far come upon his wan and pain-racked
+face; "and under the shed stands what you might call a wagon, if you shut
+your eyes, an' didn't care much what you was asayin'.  If old Dominick
+didn't keel over, and kick the bucket on the way, he might pull us ten
+miles or so; always providin'  you give him some oats before you started
+him, and then kept temptin'  him on the road with more of the same."
+
+Bristles gave a shout.
+
+"Oh! we'll fix old Dominick, never you fear, Tom.  I'll look up the oats
+right away, and let him get busy, while the rest of you pull that wagon
+out of the shed, and find something in the way of harness.  We don't care
+a red cent for looks, as long as we get there.  The end justifies the
+means.  You remember we learned that lots of times at school.  Get a move
+on, boys; everyone to his duty!"
+
+Thus inspired, and spurred on, the others hastened to do their part.  Two
+of them hunted until they found the lean-to, under which a ramshackle
+wagon stood that excited the laughter of Colon.
+
+"If Bristles thought the vehicle that little girl had along with her in
+Riverport was a terror, what'll he ever say to this?" he remarked, after
+he had doubled up several times in explosive merriment.  "Now, if the
+hoss is anything like what Tom says, I c'n see what a sensation we'll
+kick up when we strike town.  Why, they'll ring the fire bells, and get
+the chemical engine out to parade after us.  Guess they'll think the
+circus has struck Riverport early this year."
+
+Meanwhile Bristles had succeeded in discovering a small amount of oats in
+a bin, and he emptied a generous lot of these in the trough of the
+antiquated looking horse.  The animal had started whinnying the instant
+he heard the boy moving over in that corner, where he must have known the
+grain was kept, though he seldom had more than a handful at a time.
+
+It was a whole hour before they managed to get the rig fixed up.  Indeed,
+only by the united efforts of all the boys was the bony horse dragged
+away from his feed trough, where he had kept munching the oats
+delightedly.
+
+Then they hunted up all the old horse blankets, and empty gunny-sacks
+they could find about the place, and made a soft bed in the wagon.  A
+stretcher was also improvised from some boards, and when four of them
+took hold they managed to carry poor Tom to the nearby vehicle, and
+deposit him on the sacks.
+
+Being guided by directions which Tom gave them, they found how a road
+wound through the woods to the road, striking the main thoroughfare just
+above where they had come out on their previous trip, and with the
+toll-gate in sight.
+
+"Here's where we gain something, boys," Fred told them, "and this Good
+Samaritan job may count in our favor next week when we make that run."
+
+Fred had been thoughtful enough to write a little note, addressed to the
+owner of the wretched outfit, whose name it seemed was Ezekial Parsons.
+In it he explained just how they happened to find poor Tom, and that they
+had borrowed the rig to get him to his home, where he could have proper
+care.
+
+He had also promised that the horse and wagon should be returned in due
+time, and hinted that his father and mother might be expected to run up
+and make the acquaintance of the old couple who had been so kind to Tom,
+although not really able to keep a hand about the place.
+
+The man at the toll-gate stared, as well he might, when that antiquated
+rig came in sight, with the four boys partly bundled in faded horse
+blankets and gunny-sacks.  The weather had not yet cleared, and the air
+was chilly for fellows as devoid of clothing as runners always are.
+
+When he heard about the accident that had happened to Tom, he was loud in
+his praise of the action of the boys in giving up their trial spin just
+to get the injured boy home.
+
+"If I had a hoss myself, I'd gladly loan him to you, boys," he told them.
+
+"Oh! never fear but we'll be able to get there before sun-down,"
+laughingly declared Fred, while Bristles ran around in front, and held
+the measure of oats close to the nose of the horse, starting him to
+snorting wildly, and taking a step forward in the effort to obtain the
+feed, kept so tantalizingly just beyond his reach.
+
+Bristles continued backing away, and always keeping just so far in front,
+so that the horse was impelled to move along quite briskly.  If he lagged
+at any time the measure was moved closer, and once Bristles even let him
+thrust his nose into it.
+
+On the wagon the boys had a very merry time of it, singing, and laughing
+at the actions of the poor old horse.
+
+"Please don't excite him too much, Bristles," begged Sid, "for he's
+likely to strain so he'll smash this beautiful harness all to flinders."
+
+So they kept up the work, Bristles and Colon between them dancing on
+ahead, and tempting the animal between the shafts to renewed exertions.
+With that measure of oats held within smelling distance of his nose he
+kept plodding steadily along, and mile after mile was placed in their
+rear.
+
+Once they halted, and watered old Dominick at a wayside spring, besides
+letting him have a delightful five-minute communion with the oat crop.
+Then the forward movement was begun, again, and the boy who held the
+measure of oats continued to dance just ahead of the deluded Dominick.
+
+It was about two o'clock on that Saturday afternoon when a great
+commotion broke out in the outskirts of Riverport.  Boys and girls
+flocked to the spot, and loud cheers rent the air.  Indeed, plenty of
+people actually made sure that the circus must have arrived ahead of
+time, and as this was an event in which every citizen was supposed to be
+interested, since he would be compelled to take his youngsters to the
+show, plenty of men were in the throng that gathered.
+
+Dogs barked, chickens set up a cackling and crowing, and there was a
+perfect Bedlam of sounds along the main street.  Down this came that
+wonderful vehicle with sundry creaks and dismal groanings, as though
+threatening to break down at any minute.  Ahead strode a boy in running
+costume, tempting the tired old horse to walk along by holding a peck
+measure under his nose, and occasionally just letting him snap up a few
+of the oats.
+
+Three other fellows sat in the wagon some of them trying to keep warm by
+covering themselves with gunny-sacks, and all laughing, and joining in
+the cheers of the crowd.
+
+Of course everybody thought it was only a boyish prank, but when they saw
+the old wagon draw up in front of the Flanders home, and then those four
+boys start to gently lift a figure out from the bed of the vehicle, the
+noise ceased as if by magic.
+
+"Why, it's sure enough Tom Flanders come back home, after his folks had
+given him up for lost!" one good woman told a new arrival.  "They do say
+Fred and the running boys found him up-country, where he'd broke his leg.
+Poor fellow, he looks that peaked and pale I reckon he's had a terrible
+time.  And see how his maw hangs over him, like she was the happiest
+woman in all Riverport this day.  And we all hope that Tom'll turn over a
+new leaf after this, and make his folks proud of him.  But wasn't it fine
+of Fred and his friends to bring him home that way?"
+
+And certainly, when those four lads witnessed the wild delight of that
+mother and father at having their only son restored to them again, as
+well as noted how the erring boy cried when he allowed himself to be
+carried into the house, none of them had the slightest reason to regret
+that circumstances had caused them to take refuge from the storm in that
+old barn standing near the trail through the woods.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+THE GREATEST OF DAYS
+
+
+When the day set for the great Marathon race came around, everybody in
+Riverport agreed that the weather clerk had certainly outdone himself in
+order to give the runners an ideal occasion.  There was not a cloud in
+the sky.  Then, while the air was sparkling and inclined to be cool, the
+breeze was not so strong that it would make running difficult.
+
+Early in the day crowds began to arrive from the two neighboring towns.
+They came in all manner of conveyances, from farm wagons to the finest of
+automobiles.  Music could be heard in the air, for the Riverport Brass
+Band had decided to honor the great occasion by playing at intervals all
+day long.
+
+Ample preparations had been made for seeing the grand finish, which, as
+with the start, was to take place on the great level commons bordering
+the town, and alongside of which the main road ran.
+
+Here a grand stand had been erected for the use of the honored guests
+from Mechanicsburg and Paulding, as well as several other smaller places,
+each of which was also sending its quota of eager eyed strong-lunged boys
+to root for their favorite team.
+
+The race was scheduled to start at exactly one o'clock.  This had been
+settled on as the best hour, since it would allow everybody who expected
+to be present to reach town, and also give the runners plenty of time to
+cover the course.
+
+No doubt that morning dragged along worse than any boy in Riverport had
+ever known time to drag before.  They wandered back and forth in droves,
+all excited, and anxious to hear the latest reports concerning the
+condition of those who were expected to compete.
+
+Several startling rumors were circulated.  One was to the effect that
+Colon had been taken with cholera morbus in the night, and was a complete
+wreck that morning, which would eliminate him from the race.  Another
+went on to tell how Fred Fenton had cut his foot, when chopping wood just
+to keep himself in condition, and it would be utterly out of the question
+for him to enter the competition.
+
+These things gave the loyal rooters for Riverport a terrible shock, and
+messengers were instantly dispatched to the homes of the two heroes to
+ascertain whether there could be any truth in the wild rumors.  When they
+came back and reported that both Fred and Colon were in the pink of
+condition, and simply taking things easy so as not to tire themselves out
+before the time, the shouts that arose caused people to rush to their
+doors and windows, wondering if the race had been prematurely started.
+
+Still the crowds kept pouring into Riverport, until the streets became
+fairly congested with the throngs.  Business, except for feeding this
+vast multitude, and selling them little flags and buttons, seemed to be
+absolutely suspended, so that many stores were shut up at noon, not to be
+opened again until the question of supremacy had been fully settled.
+
+Fred had not forgotten to get that forlorn rig back to the owners, and in
+so doing he had had occasion to make the acquaintance of the old couple.
+His father and mother drove up that very Sunday afternoon, and from what
+Fred heard them say after returning, he felt sure that things were going
+to improve very much with the Parsons.  Mrs. Fenton expected to get a
+number of her friends interested in some fancy work she had examined, and
+there were numerous other ways by means of which the couple could be
+assisted without allowing them to feel that they were objects of charity
+to the community.
+
+Of course the four boys had managed to secure a car, by means of which
+they ran up on Wednesday afternoon after school hours.  There was time
+enough before the shadows began to gather for them to go over the cut-off
+several times.  They examined every foot of the way, and just as Fred had
+said, it was found that by following the obscure road that led from the
+Parsons farm to the main highway above the toll-gate, they could save at
+least seven precious minutes.
+
+This was bound to be of considerable importance to them, provided none of
+their rivals from the other towns discovered the same thing, for of
+course it was expected that nearly every contestant would take advantage
+of the cut-off.  Indeed, very likely all of them had been prowling around
+before now, the idea being to become familiar with the ground.
+
+Fred had called the others up over the wire about the middle of the
+morning, and what Colon called a  "grand powwow" was held at his house.
+Sid, Bristles and Colon gathered there to talk matters over with Fred,
+and learn if any new development had taken place which might prove
+important in the result.
+
+Of course, after the start it was supposed that every contestant would
+run his own course, and hence Fred believed it to be good policy that the
+Riverport contestants should be in full sympathy with the plan of
+campaign.
+
+Some of the other high school boys, particularly chums like Brad Morton,
+who had expected to be in the race until he sprained his ankle and had to
+give up all hope of competing, Dave Hanshaw, Semi-Colon, Corney Shays,
+and Dick Hendricks, hung around the Fenton house, hoping to get an
+occasional glimpse of their representatives, who, they knew, were in
+consultation.
+
+At half-past eleven Fred gave his three friends a little lunch, but he
+had exercised great care with regard to the character of the food, which
+his mother prepared with her own hands.  It was calculated to give them
+endurance without any bad after effect.
+
+"We're all invited over to Sid's house for dinner to-night, remember,"
+Fred told them, as they sat around the table, with the rest of the family
+waiting on them just as though they might already be looked upon in the
+light of heroes, "and let's hope we'll have a jollification there, with
+the prize for winning the Marathon in the safe keeping of good old
+Riverport High for this year."
+
+"So long as we win, and fairly at that," said Sid, "none of us cares very
+much who crosses the line first, though of course everyone hopes to have
+that great honor.  But from what I know of this bunch, there isn't a
+single fellow present who would hesitate to eliminate himself, if by
+doing so he could advance the interests of the school!"
+
+"Hear! hear!" cried Colon, "that's our sentiment, every time, Sid.
+Riverport High first, and self next in this sort of rivalry.  And believe
+me, we're going to keep that Marathon prize right here in town this
+year."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+"THEY'RE OFF!"
+
+
+"Somebody please give me the official list of entries; I'm not sure I
+have it right," and as Cissie Anderson said this she looked around her at
+the clump of enthusiastic school friends, both boys and girls,
+surrounding her seat in the grandstand.
+
+There were Flo Temple, Mame Wells, and several other girls, as well as
+Semi-Colon, Cornelius Shays and a few other fellows who believed in being
+comfortable during the long wait, while the contestants were absent.
+
+"That's me, Cissie," Semi-Colon spoke up, flourishing a paper proudly.
+"I've just come from the blackboard where they've posted the names of the
+entries.  You know each school was to be limited to four contestants?"
+
+"Yes, but please give me the list," said Cissie, impatiently.  "They're
+beginning to gather around the starting line, and I want to be sure I've
+got everything correct.  Just think how small I'd feel if I cheered the
+wrong one."
+
+"You can cheer everybody," Flo told her, "until the time comes to welcome
+the first runner, and then Riverport hopes to do herself proud."
+
+"Mechanicsburg has four entries," Semi-Colon announced, purposely raising
+his rather puny voice so that every one within a radius of twenty feet
+might profit by his knowledge,  "and they are Dolan, Wagner, Waterman,
+and Ackers.  The last named is called the Mechanicsburg Wonder, and they
+all say he's going to win this Marathon in a walk."
+
+At that there were scornful exclamations from the faithful Riverport
+rooters.
+
+"We've seen Ackers run plenty and good, when he played left tackle on
+their football eleven!" announced one boy, jeeringly.
+
+"And if I remember rightly he didn't run fast enough to make many
+touchdowns, eh, fellows?" exclaimed another Riverport student.
+
+"You wait and see, that's all!" they were told by an indignant girl
+nearby, who undoubtedly had her home in the up-river town.
+
+"Yeth," added her companion, a boy who lisped terribly, but was not
+prevented by this affliction from speaking his mind in behalf of his
+native town, "they thay thosth that laugh lasth laugh loudetht.  Justh
+wait, and thee which thide of your mouth you laugh from, fellowth."
+
+"Well, I've got Mechanicsburg down all pat, Semi-Colon," observed Cissie,
+who had smiled sweetly while this side talk was going on, "and now how
+about Paulding?"
+
+"Only three entries there," the answer came, "because Ogden was hurt on a
+practice run yesterday afternoon, and it was too late to grind a
+substitute into decent condition."
+
+"Then they are Collins, Everett and Badger; is that right?" asked Cissie,
+as she poised her lead pencil over her little pad.
+
+"Correct," Semi-Colon announced.  "You all know who Riverport's boys are
+going to be, but all the same I'll just mention them.  Their names seem
+to roll off my tongue as easy as anything---Sid Wells, Colon, Bristles
+Carpenter, and last hut far from least, our splendid all-around athlete,
+Fred Fenton."
+
+There was a generous clapping of hands around that section of the
+grandstand; although the pair from Mechanicsburg looked scornful, and
+shrugged their shoulders in truly loyal style, for they were faithful
+rooters for their home town.
+
+"There is no such thing as a handicap in this race, I understand?"
+remarked a gentleman who apparently was a stranger in the vicinity, for
+no one seemed to know him.
+
+"Oh, no sir, such a thing isn't ever considered in a Marathon race,"
+Semi-Colon immediately told him.  "Every tub has to rest on its own
+bottom, and the fellow who can stand the gruelling run best is going to
+come in ahead of the string."
+
+"There are eleven entries, I believe you said?" continued the gentleman,
+who was evidently looking for general information, not being much of a
+sporting patron, "and if they all start out in a bunch, I should think
+there might be some little confusion."
+
+"Not at all, sir," the boy assured him.  "Each runner has a big number
+fastened to his breast and back, so that he can be known at a distance.
+In that way the judges can see any trickery that may be attempted.  And
+besides, although they may start off in a clump, before three miles have
+been run the chances are they'll be strung all along the road, and with
+numerous little hot sprints to get the lead."
+
+"And while waiting for them to come in sight, what is going to happen
+here?" continued the gentleman, waving his hand toward the open space
+before the grandstand where preparations had evidently been made for
+other entertainments.
+
+"Oh! amuse the crowd, and keep them from getting too anxious," Semi-Colon
+told him, readily enough, for his greatest delight was to spread
+information.  "The committee on sports has arranged several comical
+entertainments.  There's going to be several sack races to begin with;
+climbing the greased pole for another thing; catching a greased pig for
+another; and a three-foot race to wind up with."
+
+"A three-foot race!" repeated the gentleman:
+"I don't know that I've ever heard of that; would you mind explaining a
+little further, my lad?"
+
+"Oh! the contestants are entered in pairs, you see," Semi-Colon told him.
+"They are bound together that way, one fellow having his left leg
+fastened to his partner's right.  It's a great sight to see how they
+blunder along, and fall all over themselves.  I know some fellows who
+have been practicing the stunt;  but even then, in the excitement they're
+apt to get into a terrible muss."
+
+"Well, all that ought to keep the people in good humor while the time is
+passing, I should think," the stranger remarked, laughingly.  "And now,
+would you mind telling me a little about the rules of the great race?  I
+understand that the course covers twenty-five miles in all?"
+
+"Yes, sir, if any contestant chooses to go over the entire distance," he
+was informed by the willing Semi-Colon, who kept one anxious eye on the
+spot where the various runners were now gathering, as though the time for
+starting might be drawing very close now.
+
+"What do you mean by saying that, please?  Is there any way by which they
+may shorten the distance?" continued the gentleman.
+
+"That's just it, sir; at the upper end they can cut off three miles by
+taking a short-cut through the woods and along the border of a marsh,
+coming out on the other road at the toll-gate, and then turning toward
+home."
+
+"I understand what you mean, and I suppose that every one will undertake
+that shortening of the journey?"
+
+"Well, I hear there's some talk of a Mechanicsburg fellow who means to
+run it out on the road all the way," Semi-Colon told his persistent
+questioner.
+
+"What reason would he have for doing so, son?"
+
+"The old one of the hare and the tortoise, sir," the Riverport student
+remarked, with a shrewd look.  "You see, there's always some chance that
+the fellows who try to make that cut-off may get confused, and lose their
+way.  If they strike the other road below the toll-gate, why they're
+compelled to go all the way back so as to register."
+
+"Register!" exclaimed the other, in a puzzled tone.
+
+"Why, it's this way," he was informed by the willing and talkative
+Semi-Colon, "the committee has laid out registering stations at certain
+places along the course, where every runner has to sign his name in his
+own fist, also the exact time of his arrival; then he is at liberty to
+shoot off again as he pleases.  One of these is just below where the
+cutoff begins, and another at the toll-gate on the home road."
+
+"Oh!  I begin to grasp what you mean now," the stranger in Riverport
+remarked, as he nodded his head.  "All this is done so that there shall
+not be the slightest taint of unfairness or cheating about the race?"
+
+"You better believe there won't be, sir!" declared Cornelius Shays.
+"Nobody will ever be able to say Riverport won on a foul, or by taking
+any unfair advantage of her rivals.  It's going to be a clean game and a
+great victory!"
+
+"When they line up, please tell me the numbers of your friends, and also
+those from the other schools.  I happen to have a pair of field-glasses
+with me, and when the first runner comes in sight away up the road
+yonder, I may be able to return your kindness by telling you positively
+what his number is before you could distinguish it with the naked eye."
+
+"There they are lining up now, Semi!" exclaimed Cissie, eagerly, and as
+Sid Wells was a very particular friend of hers, it can be set down as
+certain that her eyes picked him out of the eleven just as quickly as his
+sister Mame could have done.
+
+Accordingly, as the line swayed there, with the contestants listening to
+the last plain instructions from the master of ceremonies, warning them
+of what penalties would be sure to follow any fouling in the race,
+Semi-Colon told the stranger in Riverport just which number represented
+each entry.
+
+"The first four numbers belong to Mechanicsburg, you see, Ackers leading
+as One, Dolan Two, Waterman Three, and Wagner Four.  Then come our
+fellows, with Sid Wells Five, Fred Fenton Six, Colon Seven, and Bristles
+Carpenter Eight.  Number Nine is Collins of Paulding, with Everett Ten,
+and Badger Eleven.  There is no Twelve, you see, sir, because Ogden is
+knocked out."
+
+"Hold up now, Semi-Colon, they're going to make the start, and we don't
+want to keep hearing you talking forever," a boy in the second row behind
+called out; at which the shortened edition of the Colon family cast an
+aggrieved glance back that way, but nevertheless held his tongue.
+
+"Now, watch, he's going to fire the pistol!" gasped Cissie Anderson, with
+her eyes fairly glued upon the line of young athletes who expected to
+compete for the honor of winning the great Marathon.
+
+Then came a spiteful little crack of the pistol the starter had been
+elevating.
+
+"They're off!" shrieked hundreds of voices, and a tremendous billow of
+cheers rang out, to send the eleven runners on their way with a firm
+determination lodged in each and every breast to strain himself to the
+utmost in order to be the fortunate winner.
+
+Up the road they went at a furious speed, bunched together in the
+beginning, yet with several already showing signs of breaking away, and
+taking the lead.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+THE MARATHON RUNNERS
+
+
+The same general principles that might apply in a mile run, or a two
+hundred yard dash, would not be worth while attempting in this long race.
+Those contestants who managed to cover the entire distance were bound to
+be so exhausted when the last mile was reached that they could not be
+expected to have much stamina left, so as to make a "Garrison finish."
+
+On this account there would be little holding back on the part of the
+runners.  Besides, they knew that it would be desirable if there was a
+break in the bunch in the early stages of the game.  There would thus be
+no crowding, the weaker falling back, though still keeping on in the hope
+that something might happen to the leaders when their chances would still
+be good.
+
+Here and there along the first five miles little groups of schoolboys had
+assembled in order to cheer their favorites along.  They did not string
+out any further than this because everyone wished to hurry back to the
+"Green" in order to see something of the humorous contests, as well as to
+be in position there when the first tired runner turned the bend half a
+mile up the road.
+
+Some of these enthusiastic boys even ran alongside for a short time, as
+though in this way they could put fresh heart in their chums.  To their
+credit be it said that not in a single instance did they offer to detain
+one of the rival runners, or interfere in the slightest degree with his
+free passage; though of course in their partisan fashion they managed to
+send out a few taunts after him, to the effect that he was only "wasting
+his time."
+
+During that five miles those who remained in the lead could be counted on
+the fingers of one hand.  They were Ackers, Colon, Fred Fenton and
+Badger; and this alignment at least gave promise of a keen competition
+between the three rival schools, since each of them was represented
+there.
+
+About this time Fred picked up, and pressed Ackers hard.  He was
+following out the plan that had been arranged between himself and his
+chums, whereby the one who was reckoned the most dangerous of all
+outsiders might be harried.  Fred had never really run in a race against
+this so-called "Wonder," and he was anxious to discover just what he had
+in the way of speed.
+
+Of course he knew at the same time that it was endurance that would be
+apt to win this race.  Speed is all very well, and in part quite
+necessary, but with twenty-five miles to be covered the main thing is
+always staying qualities.
+
+So he and Ackers had a merry little sprint, in which Fred gained until he
+passed the other.  Upon that, Ackers, realizing that this sort of thing
+if persisted in would utterly ruin his chances, even though Fred dropped
+out also, fell back to his old style of plodding steadily along in a
+regular grid, just content to keep ahead of the other two.
+
+Fred kept on increasing his lead until he had some little ground between
+himself and the Wonder.  One of his reasons for doing this was to be able
+to register at the road station just short of where the cut-off came in.
+He hoped to be able to vanish under the marked birch trees before Ackers
+could sight him, and in this way make the other choose his own place for
+leaving the road.
+
+If Ackers went in below, he would strike the marsh, and in this way block
+his own progress but no doubt Ackers knew this, since he and his friends
+had been down to examine the course, and must have done considerable
+prowling around here.
+
+Upon arriving at the station, Fred lost not a second in seizing the
+pencil offered to him by the waiting keeper, and jotting down his name,
+as well as the time indicated upon the face of the little clock that was
+placed in plain view.
+
+He did not say half a dozen words to the other, because he felt that he
+needed every bit of his breath.  There was a runner just turning the bend
+below, and from his number being One he knew that it was the "terrible"
+Ackers.
+
+So off Fred bounded, and the keeper, looking after him smiled with
+satisfaction, he being a Riverport gentleman, and reckoned very fair and
+square.
+
+"In splendid shape after running more than ten miles, I should say," he
+told himself, "and this other fellow coming on like a whirlwind seems to
+be just as well off.  There's a third close behind him, too.  That makes
+it an interesting and exciting race.  I'm only sorry I have to be up
+here, and wait for the last to come past before I can jump in my car and
+speed back to town to be in at the finish."
+
+Fred had figured closely, for when he reached the birch trees Ackers had
+not as yet appeared around the bend above the station.  In this way he
+was able to plunge in among the bushes without giving the other runner an
+opportunity to follow him, something Fred did not wish to have happen.
+
+Once in the woods, Fred pushed on steadily.
+
+He knew that speed was not of so much value to him now as accuracy.  If
+he became confused in his bearings, and lost the trail, it would ruin his
+chances for coming in ahead of his competitors.
+
+Accordingly Fred bent every energy to observing where he was going.
+Colon would be sure to follow in his track, regardless of what Ackers had
+done.  By taking that road leading from the old farm of Ezekial Parsons,
+where they had found Tom Flanders lying in the haymow with a broken leg,
+they believed they could gain from five to eight minutes on anyone who
+pushed through the thickets and trailed around the tongue of the marsh.
+
+One thing Fred was glad of,---the favorable condition of the weather.  He
+could not help remembering how that early Spring thunderstorm had burst
+upon them at the time he and his chums were investigating this region for
+the first time.  What a lucky thing it was the weather clerk had ordered
+up such a grand day for the long race, with the sun not too hot, and
+never a cloud in the blue sky overhead.
+
+Fred, though keeping all his senses on the alert, so that he might see
+the "blazes" made on their former trip, and not lose his way, was
+nevertheless not blind or deaf to other things around him.
+
+He loved the wide open woods, and was never so happy as when surrounded
+by their solitude.  The cawing of the crows, the tapping of the
+sapsucker, the rat-tat-tat of the bold red-headed woodpecker inviting
+insects in the rotten limb to look out, and he gobbled up, the frisking
+of the red squirrel as he darted like a flash around to the other side of
+a tree trunk---all these and more he noted as he pushed sturdily forward.
+
+Once arrived in the vicinity of the old, ramshackle barn where he and his
+comrades had sought shelter from the rain, Fred planned to leave the
+zigzag trail and take to the farmer's road.  This would bring him to a
+point just above the toll-gate where the next registering booth was
+located.
+
+As the old couple had been made aware of the stirring event of that
+particular day, Fred would not be surprised to see them on the lookout,
+ready to give him a cheery wave of the hand as he passed by.
+
+He counted himself as lucky to get along over that rough section of his
+journey without any accident.  There was always a possibility of catching
+his foot in some unseen vine, and finding himself thrown violently to the
+ground.  Even a slight injury to his knee might work to his disadvantage,
+since it was bound to cripple him at some time during the remaining
+thirteen or more miles that must be passed over before the goal was
+reached.
+
+Now he discovered a stump of a tree that had been cut down recently, and
+which he remembered lay close to where they were standing at the time
+they headed for the shelter of the old barn.  This assured him that he
+must have covered the worst of the trail, and was about to strike easier
+going.  Fred thought he would not be averse to this, since it had been
+hard pushing through the scrub, where lowhanging branches of trees
+continually threatened to strike him in the eyes, and all manner of
+hidden traps awaited the feet of the unwary.
+
+He did not doubt in the least but that by taking the road he would so
+increase his speed over one who stuck to the crooked trails, that he must
+arrive at the toll-gate station quite a little time ahead of Ackers.
+
+Well, every minute would be apt to count, for like each one of the other
+Riverport contestants Fred had been told all sorts of amazing stories
+about the ability of the Mechanicsburg "Wonder" to recuperate, and come
+in at the end of a long race apparently fresh.  That had been one of the
+reasons for his brush with Ackers;  he had tried to run him off his feet,
+and test this feature of his make-up.
+
+There was the old barn at last.  Fred saw its familiar outlines with the
+greatest satisfaction.  So far as he could tell he had carried out every
+part of his work with clock-like fidelity, for he had counted on reaching
+this point at a given time, and expected to be registering again far in
+advance of all others.
+
+Bursting from the shelter of the woods Fred gave a single glance back of
+him.  He saw no sign of Colon, and yet felt positive that the other must
+even then be threading his tortuous way through the undergrowth, and
+would arrive within a few minutes at most.
+
+Of course it was far from Fred's policy to wait for his chum.  If Colon's
+wind and endurance stood the severe test, he would have the chance of
+overtaking any who might be ahead of him, during that run home.
+Otherwise he must "take his medicine;" but it would be the utmost folly
+for the leader to waste even five seconds for the privilege of exchanging
+a few sentences with his chum.
+
+They had arranged all this in advance, and meant to keep strictly to the
+line of action laid out.  Should Fred falter in the last mile, and the
+wonderful Ackers begin to overhaul him, Colon hoped to be within striking
+distance.  If he were in fit trim, he could then outstrip the
+Mechanicsburg contestant by a display of some of that queer jumping style
+of running that had been likened to the progress of a kangaroo.
+
+A shout told Fred that the old farmer and his wife were on the watch, and
+had recognized him.  They were standing in the doorway of their humble
+cottage, and waved to him as he flitted past.
+
+He only turned to answer their greeting, and having by then reached the
+private road which connected the farm with the main thoroughfare, started
+along it.  Now it was possible for Fred to increase his pace to a regular
+run, though there was still a necessity for keeping his eyes about him,
+since the way was far from being smooth.
+
+As he reached a point where a turn would shut out a view of what lay
+behind, Fred glanced back over his shoulder, wondering if Colon might be
+in sight.  There was no sign of the long-legged runner, however.  Fred
+whipped around the curve.
+
+He was wondering how Ackers was running, and he really hoped that the
+Mechanicsburg runner might not lose himself, in his eagerness to shorten
+the distance across lots.  That would take all the snap out of the race,
+making it a dead sure thing for Riverport, with two of their entries
+leading on the home stretch.  Fred thought of those thousands of eager
+spectators, and how bitterly many of them were sure to be disappointed if
+there was no hot finish to the grand Marathon, with the winner just
+nosing in as it were, amidst the most intense suspense.
+
+All at once Fred became conscious of a new sound nearby.  This time it
+did not have any connection with the voices of the woods.  On the
+contrary he believed it to be the agonized cry of a child.
+
+It grew louder as he ran along, proving that he must be rapidly
+approaching the spot where something was going on.  Fred remembered that
+stirring event on the frozen river, when he and Bristles had been able to
+rescue the boy who had fallen in through the air-hole.  Somehow it struck
+him that he was listening once more to the plaintive voice of little
+Sadie Ludson as she cried so pitifully for help.
+
+Increasing his speed, Fred presently burst into full view of what was
+going on there under the trees, and his whole soul filled with
+indignation as well as anger as he comprehended the reason for those
+pleading cries.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+WHEN DUTY CALLED
+
+
+"Oh! please don't strike him any more!"
+
+That was what Fred heard in the shrill voice of Sadie Ludson, and every
+word seemed to be filled with frantic fear.  One look had told the
+Marathon runner why the girl betrayed such terror.  She was clinging
+desperately to the uplifted arm of a hulking man, who clutched a stick in
+his hand.  This he had undoubtedly been bringing down with more or less
+force upon the writhing figure he held with his other hand, and which
+Fred immediately recognized as the unfortunate boy Sam Ludson.
+
+Of course he did not need to be told that the man must be Corny Ludson,
+the uncle and self-styled guardian of the two wretched children.  From
+his appearance it looked as though Corny might have been indulging a
+little too freely in strong drink.  This probably had the effect of
+dulling his wits, and making him more of a brute than he might be when in
+his proper senses.
+
+At any rate he was engaged in whipping poor Sam to his heart's content,
+possibly for some slight infraction of the law he chose to lay down for
+the guidance of the pair over whom he had control.
+
+The girl tried her best to keep the angry man from continuing his rain of
+blows.  He growled at her and shook her hand off, after which he
+proceeded to use the rod of correction again.
+
+Fred could hear the writhing boy groan, and cry out, in spite of all his
+efforts to keep from giving tongue.  The girl continued sobbing, and
+vainly trying to prevent further punishment.  Even as Fred came in sight
+of the scene the infuriated man, as if bothered by the way she interfered
+with his wretched work, gave her a fling that sent the girl headlong to
+the ground.
+
+When she struggled to her knees, she was holding a hand to her head, as
+though she had hurt it by rough contact with the stones.
+
+Fred Fenton's blood fairly boiled.  He forgot all about the fact that he
+was engaged in a great Marathon race, and that his school looked to him
+to do everything that was honorable in order to win the victory.
+
+The sight of that great brute abusing these two children whom a
+misfortune had placed in his power was too much for him to stand.  No
+matter if a dozen races had to be forfeited, Fred could never run past,
+and feel that he had done right.
+
+None of the actors in the thrilling little drama had so far discovered
+him, for he had come pattering softly along the road.  He immediately
+turned aside, and leaped straight for the spot, meaning to hurl himself
+on the man, and endeavor to overcome him.  The fact that Corny had been
+drinking, and seemed a bit unsteady on his feet, was likely to aid Fred,
+he believed.  It would have been all the same had other conditions
+prevailed, for the boy was fully aroused.
+
+Although the girl had been crying so frantically, it had not been in
+hopes of anyone hearing and coming to the rescue.  She was simply trying
+to influence the man to forego his use of that stick, with which he had
+amused himself, making cruel welts upon the tender flesh of the
+struggling and helpless boy.
+
+Fred rushed upon Corny like a young whirlwind.  The girl was the first to
+notice his coming, and she could not help giving a cry of delight.  This
+it turned out was the worst thing that could have happened, for it must
+have reached the ear of the man, warning him in time to turn and see
+Fred.
+
+The runner had gone too far now to hesitate, and so he continued his
+forward progress.  He sprang straight at Corny, and received a
+half-hearted blow from the other, who was really too much surprised at
+sight of the boy to get himself in full readiness.
+
+They clinched, and struggled desperately.  The man was of course much the
+stronger of the two, but his condition took away considerable of this
+advantage, so that after all the match was not so unequal.
+
+Fred knew that his best chance was simply to push the other back by the
+sheer weight of his attack, in the hope that Corny might catch his heel
+in some upturned root, and measure his length on the ground.
+
+The boy had been released, of course, for Corny needed both hands with
+which to defend himself.  Immediately the girl threw a protecting arm
+around her gasping brother, and the pair crouched close by, watching with
+startled eyes as the terrible struggle went on.
+
+As it began to look as though their young champion might fail in his
+attempt to subdue the ogre, the girl, who apparently had more spirit than
+her brother, crept out and tried the best she could to offer Fred a stout
+stick which she had picked up from the ground.
+
+Desperately as he fought, Fred was himself beginning to believe that he
+might not be able alone and unaided to subdue the other, who was really
+next door to a giant in size.  In his proper senses Corny Ludson would
+undoubtedly have been equal to several boys like Fred, but he had put
+himself in the power of a master inclined to weaken his resources.
+
+Failing to run across a friendly projecting root that would do the
+business for the clumsy feet of the struggling man, Fred began to believe
+he would be compelled to accept the stick which Sadie was holding out,
+and use it on the other's head.
+
+As he fought, Corny was wild with rage, and uttering all sorts of ugly
+threats as to what he would visit upon the head of this rash boy who had
+attacked him.  It was plainly evident that the man was in a dangerous
+mood.  This told Fred he would be justified in doing almost anything, in
+order to save those children, not to speak of himself.
+
+In the struggle he had not come off without several knocks himself, and
+there was always a chance that the man might succeed in clutching him by
+the throat.  The consequences of such a happening appalled Fred, and,
+resolved to end the battle once and for all, he watched his opportunity,
+and the next time they whirled close to the crouching figure of little
+Sadie, he snatched the stick out of her hand.
+
+It took all of his nerve to be able to actually strike the man on the
+head.  Indeed, the act sent a cold chill all through him, for never
+before in all his life could Fred remember of having struck anyone with a
+club.
+
+Though the blow was hardly more than a severe tap, it crumpled Corny up,
+all the same.  Fred felt him become immediately limp in his grasp, and as
+he drew back the man fell to the ground in a dazed condition.
+
+"Good shot!" exclaimed a well-known voice close by, and Colon came
+limping up.
+
+At sight of his chum Fred uttered an exclamation of dismay.
+
+"Oh!  I'm sorry I did it;" he declared; "if I'd only known you were so
+near by, I'd have held out a little longer, and that's right, Colon."
+
+"Well, that would only have made me do the little act then," said the
+other with a grin, "and p'raps I'd have tapped him harder than you did.
+I guess his head's all fuddled anyway, and that just finished the
+mix-up."
+
+He turned to look at the boy and girl, who were again clasped in each
+other's arms.
+
+"I reckon now these must be Sam and Sadie, aren't they, Fred?"  Colon
+went on to say, though besides being lame he was also rather short of
+wind, truth to tell.  "I know the man all right, to be that ugly Corny.
+And what was he doing to make you jump him, Fred?"
+
+"Beating the boy while the girl tried to hold his hand," the other
+replied as he frowned down upon the prostrate bully.  "When he flung her
+to the ground, it was the last straw for me, and---well, you saw what
+happened."
+
+"He'd been drinking pretty heavily, hadn't he?"  Colon continued, "but
+able to put up a stiff fight for all that.  Well, you got the better of
+him, Fred, and this ought to wind up his treating these children as he
+does.  You know the police are looking out for him right now.  I wouldn't
+be a bit surprised if they could tell us all about the doings of Corny,
+and whether he did those jobs of robbery."
+
+He limped toward the boy and girl, and as before it was little Sadie who
+spoke up without hesitation, to say:
+
+"He is our uncle, and he treats us very bad.  Yes, and he takes things
+that belong to other people.  We know because we've watched him counting
+the money, and he always gets mad when he sees us looking on.  He had
+some papers in a tin box too; they are in his pocket right now.  Oh! we
+hope you can take us away from him, for he beats us cruelly."
+
+"There, didn't I tell you so, Fred?" exclaimed Colon, triumphantly, "and
+between us now, we've got to fix it so this old scoundrel doesn't get a
+chance to beat Sam again, or rob another farmhouse.  I'll manage to fix
+him up, somehow or other, and stay here to watch him.  You go on and win
+this race for Riverport, Fred."
+
+"But how about you, Colon?"  Fred hastened to say, between his set teeth;
+"I'm sure you've set your heart on coming in ahead of the string, just as
+much as anyone."
+
+Colon shook his head sadly.
+
+"The game's all up with me, Fred!" he exclaimed, hurriedly; "I must have
+run a measly thorn in my foot just about the time I heard you scrapping
+with that man.  Didn't you notice how I had to limp?  Why, I couldn't
+keep up the pace for three miles more.  No, you've just got to leave me
+to take care of this scamp.  I saw some wood choppers coming through the
+Woods back there, and can call them up after you go."
+
+"But I hate to do it, Colon; it's a terrible disappointment to you," Fred
+told him, knowing the other as he did.
+
+"Forget all about me, and think only of winning that prize for Riverport
+High!" the tall chum exclaimed, and then actually pushing Fred away from
+him, he continued, "Now be off with you, Fred, and please, oh! please
+beat that Mechanicsburg Wonder over the line!"
+
+Fred saw that there was nothing else he could do.  The boy and girl were
+safe, and Colon had commenced making ready to tie the man's hands behind
+his back with a stout red bandanna handkerchief he carried.  Then, too,
+Colon had seen several husky wood-choppers nearby, who could be depended
+upon to lend a helping hand.
+
+Just as Colon had said, there was indeed need of haste.  All these
+happenings had consumed more or less time, and possibly Ackers would have
+registered at the toll-gate station before Fred, reached there.  So
+waving his hand to his chum in farewell, Fred shot away down the road,
+running with the speed of the wind.
+
+Colon looked after him with a smile on his face.  If he felt a keen
+regret that misfortune had tossed him out of the great race, he certainly
+failed to show it.
+
+"I surely believe Fred will come in first, if anybody can beat that
+Wonder they boast so much about," he was telling himself, as he worked
+with the make-shift bonds.
+
+Then as he caught sight of moving figures back among the trees, Colon
+shouted until the three woodchoppers came hurrying up.  It did not take
+him long to let them know that if they helped get the man, now coming
+back to his senses, to Riverport, it would be the best day's work they
+had done that year.
+
+And on seeing how happy Sam and his sister looked at the prospect of
+being forever relieved from the brutal guardian who had made life so
+terrible for them, Colon must have realized that there may be
+compensations, even for a fellow who has been cheated out of his chance
+to win a Marathon race.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+THE VICTORY---CONCLUSION
+
+
+"Oh! there's the cannon!  A runner must be in sight!"
+
+When that great assemblage heard the deep boom of the big gun belonging
+to the local artillery company, every eye was instantly focussed on the
+bend of the road half a mile away.  Yes, a runner had suddenly turned the
+corner, and was heading in a direct line for the finish!
+
+He ran in a wobbly fashion, as though utterly fatigued, a fact that was
+apparent to everyone.  They could hear the far-off howls of those who had
+waited up the track to welcome the runners.  A crowd followed his
+progress, but was wisely prevented from breaking in upon the roadway, so
+that those in the grandstand were enabled to see all that went on.
+
+"Oh! who is it?" cried Cissie Anderson shrilly, as she stood up, everyone
+being on tiptoe with excitement.
+
+"Fred Fenton!" shouted Cornelius Shays, apparently taking it for granted
+that their favorite athlete would be the first to come in.
+
+"No! no, it can't be Fred, because he was Number Six, and that seems more
+like a Seven!" another boy shouted; at which Flo Temple turned really
+pale with bitter disappointment, for she had hoped it would be Fred.
+
+"Colon!  Hurrah for Colon!" whooped several enthusiastic Riverport
+rooters.
+
+"Look again, and perhaps you won't crow so loud!" the saucy girl from
+Mechanicsburg exclaimed, her eyes dancing with eagerness.  "I've got
+pretty good sight, and that looks like a Figure One to me.  Besides, I
+ought to know how Billie Ackers runs, for he happens to be my own
+brother!"
+
+The stranger in town had raised his field-glasses meanwhile, and he
+hastened to remark, turning sideways toward Flo Temple and Cissie:
+
+"Yes, that is a Figure One, most assuredly!"
+
+As though the adherents of the up-river school had discovered this
+gratifying truth for themselves, wild cheers now began to be heard,
+coupled with the Mechanicsburg favorite school song, sung by a glee club
+that suddenly sprang into view, waving flags, and throwing up their hats
+in enthusiasm.
+
+"It's the Mechanicsburg Wonder!"
+
+"We told you he had their measure taken, didn't we?" shouted Sherley, the
+football quarterback.
+
+Boom!
+
+"Another runner has just turned the bend, and see him gaining on Ackers,
+would you?  Why, what's this I see---that number looks like Eleven, and
+didn't Badger of the Pauldings carry that?  Will you see him tearing off
+the space on your tired-out Wonder?  It's good-night to Ackers,
+Mechanicsburg!"
+
+"That may be, but where do you fellows here in Riverport come in?"
+shrilled the girl from up river whose brother was plainly being beaten.
+
+Boom!
+
+"Oh! there's a third runner in sight, and just see how he is tearing
+along like a scared wolf.  We ought to know that style, Riverport, and
+nobody but Fred Fenton could show such terrific speed at the close of a
+twenty-five mile race.  That's because he pays more attention to
+condition than speed!"
+
+"Will he overtake the other runners before they get to the goal?"
+shrieked an almost crazy rooter, as he stood on his seat, and waved both
+arms wildly again and again.
+
+Thousands of anxious eyes watched the approaching figures of the three
+contestants.  It was still an open question who would come in ahead.  The
+Wonder was evidently at almost his last gasp, while Badger, the Paulding
+runner, could hardly be said to show much better form, for he too wobbled
+constantly from side to side, as though kept going only by sheer grit.
+
+Fred, coming strong from the rear, was speedily overtaking them both.
+When Badger, looking over his shoulder, saw this, he started a feeble
+little spurt, but it excited only derisive whoops from the frenzied
+crowd.
+
+"No use, Badger, you've shot your bolt!  Give way to a better man!"
+shouted the captain of the Riverport cheer squad through his megaphone.
+
+"And look at the poor old riddled Wonder wobble, would you?  There, if he
+hasn't taken a header in the bargain!  It's all up, boys, all over but
+the shouting!"
+
+"Oh! the poor fellow has gone down in a heap!" gasped Flo Temple, as
+Ackers after stumbling fell to his knees in his weakness.
+
+"Look at him trying to get up, but he can't do it!" cried Cornelius
+Shays.  "The tape is only thirty feet away, and Ackers is trying to crawl
+there on his hands and knees.  Now Fred is on him, and has passed to the
+front, with poor Ackers rolling over like a log in a dead faint!"
+
+Such a tumult of wild shouting as broke out when Fred Fenton, pale of
+face, and bearing the marks of his hard run in the agonized expression of
+his face, staggered past the judges, and fell into the arms of several
+friends who were anticipating some such collapse at the end of the
+fiercely contested Marathon.
+
+Nor were the plucky Ackers and Badger forgotten by either friends or
+rivals in the many wild cheers that followed.
+
+"Where's Colon?" a dozen people were asking anxiously, for a strange
+rumor had flashed around through the great crowd, to the effect that
+because the second favorite had not shown up at all, he had fallen and
+broken his ankle.
+
+Fred quickly set these stories at rest by telling just what did detain
+Colon, and how having been injured by running a thorn in his foot, he had
+decided to stay there by the two children to watch the man who had been
+caught beating the boy.
+
+Later on, of course, all of those who had been left up in the woods
+arrived in town, having been met on the way by Chief Sutton in a car, and
+given a lift.  Colon saw to it that the three woodchoppers were well paid
+for their part in the affair.
+
+Fred walked home with Flo Temple that evening, not a particle spoiled,
+she really believed, on account of all the praise showered upon him by
+the pleased partisans of Riverport High.
+
+Other rivalries would likely have to be settled between these neighboring
+towns, with their lively high schools, but it would be a long time before
+the assembled crowds could ever experience such tremendous excitement as
+came about when Fred Fenton caught up with Badger and the Mechanicsburg
+Wonder on the home-stretch of the twenty-five mile Marathon, and managed
+to win by a scant fifteen feet.
+
+Corny Ludson being taken in charge by the police was in due time placed
+on trial charged with serious offenses.  There was no difficulty in
+proving him guilty of both robberies, and of course he received a long
+sentence, which would keep him from preying on the public, or annoying
+the children left in his charge by an unsuspicious brother.
+
+Upon investigation by Judge Wallace it was found that while he had really
+been the legally appointed guardian of his nephew and niece, and had
+squandered all the spare money he could get his hands on, there was quite
+a snug amount in securities that he could not touch.
+
+This would be ample to provide Sam and Sadie with all necessary comforts
+while they went to school, and grew up.  They were speedily placed in a
+comfortable home with an old couple who would take the part of parents to
+them, and it may be easily understood how from that time on both of them
+rested in the belief that there was no fellow in all Riverport quite the
+equal of Fred Fenton, because he had had so much to do with bringing them
+their present happiness.
+
+They do say that Flo Temple inclines the same way, for she and Fred
+continue to be good friends, and are seen together at all the dances, and
+other entertainments.
+
+The End
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Fred Fenton Marathon Runner, by Allen Chapman
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30094 ***
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+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #30094 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/30094)
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-The Project Gutenberg EBook of Fred Fenton Marathon Runner, by Allen Chapman

-

-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with

-almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or

-re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included

-with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

-

-

-Title: Fred Fenton Marathon Runner

-       The Great Race at Riverport School

-

-Author: Allen Chapman

-

-Release Date: September 26, 2009 [EBook #30094]

-

-Language: English

-

-Character set encoding: ASCII

-

-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FRED FENTON MARATHON RUNNER ***

-

-

-

-

-Produced by Jim Ludwig

-

-

-

-

-

-FRED FENTON MARATHON RUNNER

-

-The Great Race at Riverport School

-

-

-By Allen Chapman

-

-

-File uses:

-   _italic_ notation

-

-

-

-CONTENTS

-

-CHAPTERS

-    I. In the Snow

-   II. The Battle Between Old Rivals

-  III. Up the Mohunk on an Ice-boat

-   IV. The Rescue, and a Mystery

-    V. Looking Over the Course

-   VI. The Wild Dog Pack

-  VII. The Short-Cut Way

- VIII. The Tell-Tale Pin

-   IX. At the Toll-Gate

-    X. Bristles' Surprise Party

-   XI. On the Green Campus

-  XII. Laying Plans

- XIII. The Muffled Voice

-  XIV. A Plot That Failed

-   XV. Clinching Evidence

-  XVI. Telling Bristles

- XVII. Lining Up for the Trial Spin

-XVIII. Caught by the Storm

-  XIX. The Boy in the Haymow

-   XX. When the Circus Came to Riverport

-  XXI. The Greatest of Days

- XXII. "They're Off!"

-XXIII. The Marathon Runners

- XXIV. When Duty Called

-  XXV. The Victory---Conclusion

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER I

-

-IN THE SNOW

-

-

-"Now then, let's see who can put a shot through that round hole in the

-tree-trunk up there.  Take a try, Sid."

-

-"Must be twenty yards away from here, if a foot, eh, Bristles?"

-

-"More like twenty-five to me, Colon; and looks farther than from first

-base to third, on the diamond."

-

-"Line up, everybody, and we'll soon find out who takes the cake at making

-a center shot.  But hadn't we better bar out Fred Fenton?"

-

-"What for, Bristles?"

-

-"Why, because he's the regular pitcher on the Riverside High School nine:

-he's used to putting 'em over the plate for a steady diet."

-

-"That's a fact, and Fred, you'll have to consider yourself handicapped in

-this little contest of skill."

-

-"Anyhow, wait till we've had our fling, Fred; and then if nobody seems to

-get a bull's-eye, you might show us how to do the job."

-

-"All right, boys, that suits me.  And while you bombard that poor old

-tree, I'll be amusing myself making one good firm snowball, against the

-time my turn comes."

-

-"Go at it, fellows!  There, did you see me smack one just a foot below

-the hole?  Gee! that was a sure-enough dandy hit of yours, Bristles;

-closer by six inches than mine.  Everybody put your best licks in!"

-

-The hard balls flew thick and furiously, for it happened that the rather

-heavy fall of snow was just moist enough to be easily pressed into the

-finest of missiles for boyish use.

-

-Many of these swiftly thrown balls missed the tree-trunk entirely.

-Others splattered here and there against the bark, leaving a tell-tale

-white mark.  A few came dangerously near the yawning opening; but not a

-single one thus far had managed to disappear within the gap.

-

-The boy who had been called Fred Fenton, having manipulated a single

-snowball in his hands, stood there watching the onslaught, and

-occasionally speaking words of encouragement to those who were taking

-part in the spirited contest.

-

-"That was a corker, Sid Wells, and it would have done the business if

-you'd only put an ounce more of speed in your throw, so as to have raised

-it three inches.  Good boy, Brad, you left a mark just alongside the

-hole, so some of it must have spattered in the hollow!  Not quite so

-fierce, Bristles; that one would have landed, if you'd been a little less

-powerful in your throw!"

-

-Presently some of the boys began to grow weary of the sport.

-

-"What's the use of our trying to hit that mark so far away?" grumbled

-Bristles; which expression of defeat was something strange to hear from

-his lips, because the owner of the shock of heavy hair that stood

-upright, and had gained him such a peculiar nick-name, was as a rule very

-stubborn, and ready to stick to the very end.

-

-"Let Fred show us how!" suggested Sid Wells, who was known as the

-particular chum of the pitcher, he being the son of a retired professor,

-now engaged in wonderful experiments which might some day astonish the

-world.

-

-The rest of the boys seemed ready to join in the chorus, and make way for

-the ball flinger.  They had watched this same Fred send his dazzling

-shots over the plate with such wonderful speed and accuracy that he held

-the strike-out record for the high school league.

-

-"Remember I'm hardly in practice just now," Fred told them, laughingly;

-"though Sid and myself have been putting over a few, just to warm up

-these days when it feels as if Spring might be flirting with Winter.  On

-that account I hope you won't expect too much from me; and give me three

-chances to make a bull's-eye."

-

-"Sure we will, Fred!" exclaimed Bristles.

-

-"Take six if you want to," added the generous Colon, who was a very

-long-legged fellow, a magnificent sprinter, with a peculiar habit of

-leaping as he ran, that often reminded people of the ungainly jumps of a

-kangaroo.  But he nearly always  "got there with the goods."

-

-"No, three ought to be plenty!" declared Fred, as he prepared to send his

-first one in.

-

-It struck just below the edge of the opening, being really a better shot

-than any of the scores that had marked the tree-trunk up to that time.

-The rest of the half dozen boys gave a shout.

-

-"Clipped the edge of the plate that time, Fred!" cried Bristles, whose

-real name was Andy Carpenter.

-

-"Two inches higher, and it would have gone straight in.  Now you've found

-the rubber, strike him out, Fred.  You can do it!  I ought to know,

-because haven't I been your backstop many a time, and watched them spin

-straight across?" and Sid Wells handed his chum a ball he had squeezed

-into a shape that was as nearly round as anything could be, and also as

-hard as ice.

-

-Bristles, too, presented his contribution, so that the candidate for

-honors stood there with a missile in each hand.  He looked carefully at

-the trees as though measuring the distance and height with that practiced

-eye of his.  Then they saw him draw back his arm after the same manner in

-which he delivered the ball during an exciting part of a hotly contested

-game of ball.

-

-The shot went true to the mark, and as they saw it vanish in the cavity,

-a shout arose from the five boys.  This burst out in redoubled violence

-when, as quick as a flash, Fred sent the second snowball exactly after

-the first, so that it too went straight into the dark hole.

-

-While they continue to express their delight, by shouts, and slapping

-Fred on the back, perhaps it might be well to say a few words concerning

-Fred Fenton and his friends.

-

-They were all Riverport boys, and attended the high school there.  Fred

-and two of the others were taking a post graduate course, meaning to

-enter college during the following season.

-

-In the pages of the first volume of this series, entitled "_Fred Fenton,

-the Pitcher_," we had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of most of

-the boys who were to play prominent parts in the events taking place

-along the banks of the Mohunk River, where two other towns,

-Mechanicsburg, three miles up, and Paulding, seven miles down the river,

-were rivals of Riverport.

-

-Turning from baseball, as the Summer waned, the boys of Riverport

-naturally took to the gridiron, and their struggles for supremacy with

-rival teams are to be found in the second story, called: "_Fred Fenton in

-the Line_."

-

-When Summer came again, other sports took the energetic lads of the river

-town by storm.  With such splendid opportunities for boating, as were

-presented by the Mohunk River, of course they availed themselves of the

-chance to again enter into competition with those whose one ambition

-seemed to be to defeat Riverport.   These lively encounters are set forth

-in the pages of the third volume, entitled "_Fred Fenton on the Crew_."

-

-The next Winter the three towns became so filled with enthusiasm over the

-great advantages of athletic training, that fine gymnasiums were

-organized through public subscription.  In time a meet had been

-organized, and there were some fierce struggles for supremacy between the

-rival towns.  Just how the boys of Riverport carried themselves in these

-exciting happenings, and what measure of success perched on their banner,

-you will find narrated in the pages of the fourth volume, just preceding

-this book, under the title of "_Fred Fenton on the Track_."

-

-The Winter had now almost reached its conclusion, though some of the boys

-who claimed to be weather-wise declared that they would very likely have

-just one more cold snap before the final break-up.

-

-They hoped it might be severe enough to give them a last chance to skate

-upon the Mohunk, and use their ice-boat again.  The ice had become pretty

-"punky," as Bristles called it, with numerous airholes that threatened

-disaster in case one went too close, so that for several days Fred and

-his chums had avoided the river.

-

-This trip up into the woods on Saturday afternoon had been taken just to

-enjoy the first real tramp of the season, and to get together to talk of

-plans for the coming Spring athletics.  As boys can never resist the

-temptation to throw snowballs when the moist white covering seems just

-suited to such conditions, every little while one of them discovered some

-sort of target at which they could exercise their skill.

-

-Once it had been a venturesome bluejay that had wintered near the Mohunk;

-but the wary bird was awing before the first snowball struck near its

-perch.  Then a crow dared them, and fled amidst a shower of missiles and

-uproarious shouts, each fellow claiming that it must have been his shot

-that had struck the limb just where the cawing bird had been sitting.

-

-They were possibly two miles from town, and in the midst of the Budge

-woods, a section that always had a certain charm for the boys of both

-Riverport and Mechanicsburg, as it lay half-way between the two towns,

-and not far from the river.

-

-Which brief but necessary digression again brings us to the occasion when

-Fred's chums were applauding his double hit, after he had sent two

-successive snowballs so cleverly into the hole Bristles had selected as a

-mark.

-

-"Same old accuracy," chanted Colon.

-

-"I'm sorry for poor Paulding, and the other town above us, when Fred

-steps into the box again this year.  He's got 'em as straight as a rifle

-ball.  No trouble for him to put three over when he's in a hole."

-

-Sid Wells had hardly said this when something came to pass that was

-entirely unexpected by the six Riverport boys.  Through the air a cloud

-of solid icy balls came hurtling with what seemed like an angry hiss.

-Some struck around them, spattering against the tree-trunks with loud

-thuds; but several, being better aimed, came in contact with the persons

-of the astonished boys, producing more or less of a stinging sensation,

-as icy balls are apt to do.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER II

-

-THE BATTLE BETWEEN OLD RIVALS

-

-

-"Hey!  What's all this mean?" shouted Bristles, as he dodged another

-shower of smartly-thrown missiles that came from a point close at hand.

-

-There was hardly any use asking, because all of the lads had by then

-discovered the flitting forms of half a dozen boys about their own age,

-who must have piled up plenty of ammunition, to judge from the reckless

-way in which they were hurling snowballs in the direction of Fred and his

-chums.

-

-"The Mechanicsburg crowd, that's who it is!" snapped Colon, who, being so

-much taller than the others, had a better chance to see over the tops of

-the bushes.

-

-"They're in for a snowball fight, fellows!" exclaimed Brad Morton, who

-was the captain of the football team, as well as track manager in all

-athletic meets.

-

-"Give 'em Hail Columbia, fellows!  Riverport High to the fore!  Now,

-altogether, and send 'em in as hot as you can make 'em!"

-

-That was Dave Hanshaw whooping it up.  Dave had always been known as the

-heavy batter when he was feeling right, and many a time had he knocked

-out a home run, to the wild delight of the Riverport rooters.

-

-The scene immediately took on a lively air.  Fred and his five chums were

-feeling in just the right trim for a warm scrimmage with their

-Mechanicsburg rivals, who had always managed to give them a hard task

-before confessing to defeat, and were said to be breathing all manner of

-threats with regard to evening up the score at the very next available

-opportunity.

-

-It seemed as though there were about the same number of lads on the other

-side, and they had one advantage in the fact that, knowing of the

-presence of the Riverport fellows, they had secretly prepared an enormous

-number of fine round balls, so firmly pressed as to be almost as hard as

-stones.

-

-Preparation is all very good, but there is something that, as a rule,

-proves even better.  This is organization and leadership, backed up by

-pluck; and here the Riverside boys were in a class by themselves.

-

-Somehow, when an emergency like this suddenly arose, they were accustomed

-to looking to Fred Fenton as leader.  It may have been because Nature had

-fashioned him in such a way that others readily believed in his ability

-to win; past experiences had considerable to do with it, and they had

-known him to carry off the honors for the home school on many a hotly

-contested field.

-

-For a short time the air was filled with flying snowballs, most of which

-were fruitlessly thrown, though the better marksmen managed to now and

-then get in a telling hit, that gave them more or less satisfaction.

-

-Fred soon saw, however, that this sort of play would lead to nothing.

-One side or the other might become exhausted, and call a truce; but there

-would be little satisfaction in such a tame victory.  What he wanted was

-an exhibition of strategy, by means of which the enemy would be fairly

-routed.

-

-"Brad, take Colon and Dave, and work off to the right, while the rest of

-us turn their other flank!" he explained to the track captain, as they

-dodged a new flurry of deftly thrown missiles.

-

-"That's the ticket, and we're on to the game, Fred!" came the immediate

-response, showing how ready the others were to follow up any scheme which

-Fred proposed.

-

-"Lay in a stock of ammunition first of all," cautioned Fred; "and when I

-sing out, make your start.  We'll round up that lively bunch in a hurry,

-mark me."

-

-His confidence filled his mates with enthusiasm, as it always did.  A

-belief in one's self goes a great way toward winning the battle, no

-matter how the odds may seem to stand against success.

-

-There was a hasty making of half a dozen balls apiece, all they could

-conveniently carry, and when Fred had managed to supply himself with that

-many rounds, he gave Brad the order to advance.

-

-With new shouts that were intended to strike alarm to the hearts of the

-Mechanicsburg boys, the two detachments now pushed along, making

-something of a swinging movement, with the idea of turning the flanks of

-the enemy.

-

-Of course the other fellows understood just what was up, and could also

-divide their force, so as to meet the conditions; but when they found

-themselves between two fires, with hard snowballs striking them in the

-back, their valor began to give way to uneasiness, that was apt soon to

-merge into a regular panic.

-

-That was what Fred called strategy.  It was of a different kind from that

-of the great Napoleon, who used to plan to divide his enemy's army, and

-then strike quickly at first one-half, and then the other, before they

-could unite again.

-

-In this case the main idea Fred had in mind was to be able to pour in

-showers of missiles from two opposite quarters.  In this way, while his

-own men would be scattered, and could dodge any shot that seemed likely

-to cause trouble, the enemy remained bunched, and presented a splendid

-target.

-

-The thing that was likely to tell most of all was the fact that even

-though a snowball happened to miss the boy at whom it had been aimed,

-there was always a good chance of its finding a mark in the back of

-another fellow, who, being struck so unexpectedly, must cringe, and feel

-like running away.

-

-Loud rang out the cries of the rival fighters, and all the while the

-attacking force kept working closer and closer to the group of almost

-exhausted fellows from up-river way.

-

-"Soak it to 'em!" pealed Bristles, who was surely in his element, as he

-dearly loved action of any sort;  "three hits for every one we've taken,

-and then some.  Put your muscle into every throw, fellows!  Rap 'em hard.

-They started it, and we'll do the winding up, and make the peace terms.

-It's a surrender, or run away.  Now, all together again!"

-

-By this time the Mechanicsburg boys had had quite enough.  Every one of

-them was nursing some wound.  One had indeed even started off through the

-woods, holding a hand to his eye, as though he had failed to dodge a

-throw quickly enough; several others were hugging the tree-trunks

-closely, and showing that they had had about all the snowball fight they

-wanted.

-

-There was one heavy-set but athletic looking chap who appeared to be the

-ringleader of the assailants.  His name was Felix Wagner, and in times

-gone by he had given the Riverport boys many a hard tussle to subdue him;

-though he had a reputation for square dealing second to none.

-

-Seeing that his side had given up the fight, since he was the only one

-still hurling missiles, at the advancing enemy, Felix knew it was folly

-to try to keep it up any longer.

-

-"Hi! hold your horses, you Riverside tigers!" he called, laughingly, as

-well as his almost exhausted condition allowed; "guess we've had about

-all we want of this sort of thing for once.  My cheek stings like fun,

-and I think I'll have something of a black eye to-morrow.  I only hope I

-gave as good as I took, that's all."

-

-"Do you own up beaten, then, Wagner?" demanded the pugnacious Bristles,

-"because we're still as fresh as daisies, and bound to put it over on

-you, now that you've started the fight?"

-

-"Oh sure!  With such a crippled army, what else can a fellow do?" replied

-the leader of the other crowd.  "We throw up the sponge, and wave the

-white rag.  You're too much for us, that's what.  I reckoned it'd be that

-way when I saw Fred Fenton was along.  He put you up to that game of

-dividing your forces, and getting us under a cross-fire, I'll be bound.

-And that rattled us more'n anything else you did; for when you get a

-crack on the back of the head, it sort of knocks your calculations silly,

-and you can't pay attention to what you're doing.  We surrender, all

-right."

-

-Besides Wagner there were some of the other baseball stars in the

-defeated set---Dolan, who guarded the middle garden, Sherley whose domain

-was away off in right, Boggs, the energetic shortstop, Hennessy the

-catcher, who had taunted Fred and his chums So persistently whenever they

-came to bat, in hopes of making them nervous, and Gould the agile second

-baseman.

-

-A number were rubbing their heads, or their faces, where red marks told

-of a "strike," and while one here and there grumbled, wanting to know if

-the Riverport boys put stones in their snowballs, the majority took their

-punishment in good part.

-

-"It was a lively scrimmage while it lasted, let me tell you," Fred

-remarked, as he rubbed his icy hands together in order to induce

-circulation.

-

-"As fierce as any I've been in this year," admitted the big Hennessy,

-whose favorite feat of throwing out runners at second had gained him a

-great name, and who must have been responsible for a number of hits which

-the Riverport boys had suffered during the "late unpleasantness."

-

-"Getting to be an old story to have you Riverport fellows crow over us,"

-grumbled Boggs, who had been the one to walk away while the battle was

-still on; he had his handkerchief crushed in his hand, having wet it with

-melted snow, and in this fashion was trying to relieve the smarting, as

-well as prevent his eye from becoming discolored---something the average

-boy dislikes more than almost any other punishment that can be imagined.

-

-"Is there anything that we can beat you in?" demanded Sherley, frowning;

-"because I'd give something to know it.  We've tried our level best, and

-for two years now only picked up a few crumbs of comfort, while the

-feast's been spread for Riverport.  And yet Mechanicsburg has just as

-good athletes as you can boast.  We manage to win now and then, sometimes

-by sheer hard work, and again by a fluke.  But they seem to be only the

-minor events; all the big plums go to your crowd."

-

-"That's Fred's diplomacy, Sherley, don't you understand?" said Bristles,

-with one of his wide grins.  "He looks out for it that we get our best

-licks in the things that count.  We've got a billiard and pool table at

-our house, and when we play pool don't we go after all the big balls

-first? what's the use knocking the One in a pocket, except it's your only

-shot, and gives you a chance to get at larger game?"

-

-Felix Wagner looked at the speaker, and gave a low whistle.

-

-"Shucks!  I believe that's what's been the trouble all along," he went on

-to say, presently, as though he had been awakened from a sound sleep;

-"and to think none of us got on to that racket before.  Sure, we've been

-chasing after the Number One ball just as hard as we have after the

-Fifteen.  All looked alike to us.  Much obliged for giving me the tip,

-Bristles; we'll see if we can't do better next time.  And if all the talk

-about having a regular Marathon race this Spring turns out right, that's

-where Riverport is going to run up against her Waterloo!"

-

-"Glad to hear you talk so smartly, Wagner," said Fred, cheerfully, for

-such methods never had the slightest weight with him, or affected his own

-confidence.  "If you go at things that way, there's a chance we'll have a

-glorious run, in case that Marathon race does come off.  All of us are

-pulling the hardest we know how to get it fixed up; and we hope you

-fellows and Paulding will put in your oars.  It will be a great event, if

-we can spring it this season."

-

-"Chances look pretty bright up our way," said Wagner, as he and his

-friends prepared to start toward their home town; "and after the tip

-Bristles was so good as to hand us, I wouldn't be surprised if

-Mechanicsburg managed to show you down-river fellows her dust, this time

-for keeps.  So-long, everybody!"

-

-"Good talk, Wagner; may the best man win, we all say!" called out

-generous Bristles.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER III

-

-UP THE MOHUNK ON AN ICE-BOAT

-

-

-As Fred and Bristles, as well as Sid Wells, were all taking a post

-graduate course, they got out much earlier than any of the other

-scholars.  This was how on Monday afternoon Bristles turned up at the

-Fenton home close to the river, he having arranged with Fred to have a

-last spin on the ice-boat which the Carpenter boy had made himself, and

-used with more or less success during the past Winter.

-

-The weather had indeed hardened over Sunday, so that the slush was turned

-into ice again.  The surface of the river was not as smooth as they could

-have wished, but then since it promised to be their very last chance to

-make use of the _Meteor_ that year, the boys could not complain, or let

-the opportunity pass by.

-

-"We'll have to be careful about some of the blowholes in the ice,"

-Bristles was saying, as they headed for the bank where he kept his craft

-in a shed he had built for the purpose, and which was close to Fred's

-home.  "Everybody says the ice seems to be thin around where the water

-bubbles up.  I'd hate to drop in and have to go home wringing wet, to

-scare ma half out of her wits."

-

-"Oh! no need of doing that, even if we should have the hard luck to get

-wet," Fred told him.  "I always carry a waterproof matchsafe, so we could

-go in the woods somewhere, start up a bully hot fire, and dry off.  All

-the same, here's hoping we don't have to try that stunt out.  It sounds

-well enough, but in this cold air a fellow'd shiver so he'd think his

-teeth were dropping out.  We'll keep a bright watch for those same

-blow-holes, believe me, Bristles."

-

-Fred was a careful hand at everything he undertook, from driving a horse

-or a car, to manipulating an ice-boat.  So Bristles, who had the utmost

-confidence in his superior merits, did not feel the slightest uneasiness

-as he led the way down the bank to the shed that sheltered his home-made

-but very satisfactory ice craft.

-

-Of course he had a padlock on the door.  This was not because the

-sprawling craft was so very valuable;  but Bristles had expended

-considerable time and money in fashioning the flier; and he did not mean

-to put it in the power of any malicious boy to injure or steal, if a mere

-padlock could prevent such a catastrophe.

-

-There were some pretty mean boys in Riverport, as indeed you can always

-find in any town.  The leading spirit among this class of young rascals

-was Buck Lemington, who had once been the bully of Riverport, until Fred,

-coming to town, succeeded in breaking up the combination that had so long

-held sway.

-

-Ever since that time the Lemington boy had lost no opportunity to try to

-get back at Fred Fenton.  He had played several tricks on the other, and

-his chosen friends, who also came under the condemnation of Buck; but as

-a rule the vicious leader of the bad set had had these things recoil on

-his own head.

-

-Still, knowing how gladly Clem Shooks, Oscar Jones, Conrad Jimmerson and

-Ben Cushing, the cronies of Buck, would seize upon a chance to destroy

-his pet ice-boat, Bristles had always kept it under lock and key when not

-in use.

-

-"Everything seems to be lovely," said Bristles, opening the door of the

-shed.  "Somehow I never count on finding my things as I left 'em, because

-often I've seen one of that bunch hanging around the river here, as if he

-were only waiting for half a chance to get even with me.  Why, each time

-the fire bells have rung at night time this Winter, I've climbed into my

-duds with the feeling that it was good-bye to my bully old _Meteor_."

-

-"Oh!  I hardly think they'd dare do anything as bad as that, after the

-lesson they had before," Fred went on to say, as he bent over to help the

-owner drag the rather clumsy craft out toward the nearby shore.

-

-"Well, when you're dealing with such a tough gang as that," explained

-Bristles, "there's only one thing to do, and that's believe 'em equal to

-anything.  I warrant you now that many a time it's only been the fear

-they have for our hustling little fire eater of a police officer, Chief

-Sutton, that's kept Buck and his crowd from trying a heap more stunts

-than they did.  Remember when they cut the wires, and left that big

-meeting in pitch darkness?  Yes, and that other time they turned loose a

-dozen mice at the bazaar, and set the ladies to shrieking and fainting?

-But thank goodness I've got through the Winter without losing my boat,

-and I'm calling myself Lucky Jim."

-

-They soon had the queer craft ready for service, with its mast rigged,

-and the few ropes in place.  Bristles secured a couple of old

-comfortables to serve them in place of cushions, which more elaborate

-ice-boats carried.  These were tied on the boards in a way to suit the

-needs of those who would soon be sprawled out under the swinging boom.

-

-"If the ice were only a whole lot smoother, I'd call this a jolly day for

-a spin," the skipper of the craft went on to say, while continuing his

-preparations.

-

-"Yes," added Fred, standing there, and having completed his arrangements

-to his complete satisfaction,  "the sun shines with just a taste of

-Springtime about it; and the breeze is neither too hard nor too squally.

-It comes from the best quarter we could wish for, across from the west,

-so we'll be able to run up or down the river without trying to tack, and

-that's always a hard job on a narrow stream, when you're booming along so

-fast."

-

-"Well, everything's ready, Fred, so hop aboard."

-

-"Is it up or down this time?" demanded the other.

-

-"Whichever you say, it doesn't matter a pin to me either way," Bristles

-continued.

-

-"On the whole, I rather think we'd better head up-river this time," said

-Fred.  "We went down the last trip we made, yes, and the one before that

-too, because of a poor wind, and the river being wider below, so we could

-tack better.  I'd like to go past Mechanicsburg and as far up as we can,

-for the last time this year."

-

-"Call it settled then, Fred.  Let's point her nose that way and get a

-move on us in a jiffy."

-

-Some small boys were skating near the shore, and had come around to watch

-the starting of the iceboat, which was a familiar sight with them, though

-they never seemed to grow weary of watching it go forth on its swift

-cruise.  Bristles had waited only long enough to make use of the padlock

-again, so that no one might meddle with such things as he kept in the

-shed.  Then he was ready to raise the sail, and spin up the river like

-the wind.

-

-Just as Fred had said, they were apt to have an unusually hazardous trip

-on this particular afternoon, partly on account of the rough ice opening

-up chances for an upset, and then again because of the presence of so

-many weak places, where the recent thaw had started blow-holes.

-

-Of course the very swiftness of their passage would be one means of

-safety; for the ice-boat could skim across a small stretch where a skater

-would most surely break in.  But Fred did not mean to take any more

-chances than necessity demanded;  and Bristles, though commonly known as

-a reckless fellow, had promised to steer clear of any spot which his

-companion told him was unsafe.

-

-Both of the boys were very fond of this sort of sport.  It was a delight

-to them to feel themselves being carried along over the ice at a merry

-clip, with the steel runners singing a sweet tune, and the wind humming

-through the dangling ropes.

-

-The shore fairly flew past them, once the iceboat got fairly started; and

-it seemed almost no time before they glimpsed the smoke from the

-factories of Mechanicsburg, which was just three miles above their home

-town, and on the same bank of the frozen Modunk.

-

-"Keep a bright outlook while we're passing!" called out Fred; "they may

-have been cutting ice up here, as they were early in the Winter, though

-the openings froze over again."

-

-"Looks a bit suspicious over to the right, and I'll hug this shore.  Give

-me a call if you see any hole ahead, so I can sheer off, Fred."

-

-"That's what I will, Bristles, you can depend on it!"

-

-Already they had come abreast the lower houses.  The breeze had even

-freshened a little, or else the bank was somewhat lower, so they caught

-its full force.  At any rate, they fairly rushed past the busy

-manufacturing town, where there were a number of big mills and factories,

-giving employment to hundreds of hands.

-

-"Somebody's waving his hat to us on the bank up there, and shouting in

-the bargain," called Bristles, who was too busily engaged in looking

-straight ahead to turn his eyes aslant.

-

-"Yes, and I think it's Felix Wagner," admitted Fred.  "Looked like his

-figure, but I can't squirm around so as to see again.  Doesn't matter

-much anyway.  Hi! there, turn out a little more, Bristles; you're heading

-for a hole!  Not too far, because there's another just as bad stretching

-out from the other side.  Careful now, boy; a little too much either way,

-and we're in for a ducking!"

-

-"Just room enough to get through, I reckon, Fred.  Whee! that's going to

-be a tight hole for us.  I hope we can make the riffle, all right!"

-

-"Steady, a little bit more to the left; now a quick swing the other way,

-and we're over safely enough.  Say, that was as pretty handling of an

-ice-boat as I ever saw done.  You deserve a heap of credit for that job,

-Bristles, and that's straight!"

-

-"Thanks, awfully, Fred," said the other, in rather an unsteady voice;

-"but all the same, I'm glad we're well across the narrow pass.  My heart

-seemed to climb right up into my throat.  I tell you I never would have

-made it only for you tipping me off the way you did."

-

-"Yes you would, Bristles, even if you'd been alone, because you must have

-seen how the lay of the ice ran for yourself.  But I hope we don't strike

-another place like that above.  I don't think we shall, though they cut

-ice and let it float down till it gets opposite the town; but that's done

-only on one side, as a rule."

-

-They had quickly left the smoky town far behind them, and on both sides

-of the river could now be seen snow-covered farms, patches of woods,

-sloping hillsides, and now and then little hamlets.  Once they passed

-what seemed to be a lumber camp, at which some sturdy men were at work,

-getting logs ready to float down the river with the usual Spring freshet.

-

-Occasionally it was not so easy to make progress.  This was when the

-crooked river took a sudden turn, and they had the breeze from a

-different quarter.  But since Bristles knew how to manage his strange

-craft very well, they overcame all such difficulties, and continued to

-make rapid headway for some little time.

-

-"The holes seem to be getting worse up around here," remarked Bristles,

-after he had had to execute several speedy movements in order to avoid

-running into dangerous spots.

-

-"Yes, and as it's getting rougher in the bargain, as well as narrow

-between the banks, perhaps we'd better call a halt, and start back,"

-suggested Fred.

-

-"Let's make that turn up yonder," urged the skipper.  "I remember there's

-something of a wider span there, and I'd like to try swinging around

-without stopping, if I can.  Last time I made a stab at doing the same, I

-piled up ashore in a wreck;  but the wind's in my favor to-day.  You

-can't down a Carpenter, that's all there is to it."

-

-"Just as you say, Bristles; I'm game to stick it out with you.  Swing

-over a little farther, so as to get all the space you can for turning.

-Listen, wasn't that somebody screaming; or could it have been a

-locomotive whistling for a crossroad?"

-

-"I heard it too, Fred," said Bristles, hastily, "and give you my word for

-it I think it came from around the bend there.  We'll turn in before you

-can count twenty.  There it is again, Fred, and worse than before.

-Somebody's in, the chances are, and I only hope we get on hand in time to

-be of help."

-

-As the flying ice-boat turned the bend and they could begin to see the

-wider stretch of the Mohunk, both boys eagerly waited to discover what

-the cause of all that screaming could be.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER IV

-

-THE RESCUE, AND A MYSTERY

-

-

-"Look there, Fred!" cried Bristles, "over nearer the shore, to the left!"

-

-"I see them!" replied the other, almost instantly.

-

-"It's a girl, and she acts as if she might be trying to get at somebody

-in the water," the skipper of the ice-boat shouted, as he headed the

-flying craft straight toward the spot.

-

-"Be ready to bring up in the wind, so we can tumble off, Bristles!"

-advised Fred, taking in the whole situation at a glance, in his

-comprehensive way.

-

-Bristles was already so excited that he came near upsetting the ice-boat

-by being too speedy about making the turn.  Both boys scrambled to their

-feet as soon as they possibly could, and hurried toward the place where a

-girl of about ten years of age was wringing her poor little hands, and

-trying to reach a boy who was clinging to the crumbling edge of the ice.

-He was up to his neck in the cold water of the river.

-

-"Hold fast, and we'll get you out of that!" cried Fred, as they drew

-near.  His quick eye had already taken note of the fact that a rail fence

-came down close to the water's edge just beyond, and it was straight

-toward this that he was now hurrying.  Bristles knew what he was going

-for, and he kept near the heels of his chum.

-

-The frightened girl thought they were deserting her, and redoubled her

-cries.

-

-"Help!  Oh! help us!  Please don't go away!  My poor brother will be

-drowned!  He can't hold on much longer!  Oh! come back and help get him

-out!"

-

-By that time Fred had reached the end of the fence, which ran into the

-water so as to keep the cows from straying out of their pasture.  He

-struggled with one of the rails, and managed to break it loose.

-

-"Get another, and chase after me, Bristles!" he shouted, as he once more

-turned and hastened toward the hole in the rotten ice, where the boy, who

-could not be more than twelve years of age, was trying as best he could

-to keep from being drawn under by the sucking force of the strong

-current.

-

-Once close up, Fred dropped on his knees, shoving the rail ahead of him.

-In this fashion he was able to push it directly to the imperiled boy.

-Bristles had been so rapid in his actions that he was hardly ten seconds

-behind the leader.  He immediately copied Fred's example, so that there

-were now two rails reaching out in the direction of the hole, their

-further ends actually overtopping the gap in the ice.

-

-"Stay here, Bristles, and do whatever I tell you!" Fred told his chum,

-when, having arranged the rails as he wished, he started out along them.

-

-His weight being now distributed over a wide surface there was no danger

-of the rotten ice giving way under him.  That is the essential point

-about nearly all rescues on the ice, and what every boy should bear in

-mind the moment his services are needed in order to save an imperiled

-companion.

-

-Fred was now enabled to approach the very edge of the hole, so that he

-could hold out his hand to the boy in the water, who had been constantly

-telling the girl to keep back lest she too fall in.  Between them it was

-possible to accomplish the rescue, for while Fred pulled, the boy also

-exerted himself to the utmost, and presently crawled over the edge.

-

-"Keep your weight as much as you can on the rails, because with your

-clothes soaked, you weigh twice as much as I do," Fred kept telling him;

-and yard by yard he drew the other along until finally they could get to

-their feet, and make for the shore.

-

-The girl was crying hysterically now, although she had shown considerable

-bravery before.

-

-"Oh!  Brother Sammy, what if you had let go, and the current had drawn

-you under the ice!  I think I'd have wanted to jump in, too, because I'd

-have nothing left to live for then!" she kept repeating, as she patted

-his cold hand tenderly, and tried to warm it.

-

-Fred knew that unless something was done immediately, the boy would be

-very apt to be taken down sick, after all that nervous exhaustion, and

-the cold bath he had suffered.   The air was chilly, and must strike him

-keenly.

-

-"Here, you can't go home in that way, no matter how near by you live," he

-went on to say, in his cheery way.

-

-"Home!" repeated the girl, and her eyes exchanged a strange look with her

-brother.  "But what can we do, for there isn't any farmhouse around here?

-We were coming across the river, and Sammy went too near a hole.  Then

-the ice broke, and all I could do was to scream.  He wouldn't let me come

-near him, but kept trying to climb out himself.  Every time he got up on

-the ice it broke again, and he went in.  Oh! it was just terrible,

-terrible!  But he'll freeze now, mister, if we don't find a house soon."

-

-"No he won't, not if we know it," said Fred.  "Here, slap your arms about

-you this way as hard as you can, and jump up and down as if you were

-crazy.  Never mind how it looks, if only you get the blood to circulating

-good.  Bristles, it's up to you and me to start a fire booming in a

-hurry."

-

-"Here's as good a place as any, Fred, for there's plenty of loose wood

-around."

-

-Fred was already busily engaged in hunting all manner of small bits of

-dry fuel under the sheltered sides of the logs, and in hollow stumps.  As

-soon as he had gathered a few handfuls of this tinder, he drew out a

-match, and started it burning.

-

-Fred was a clever hand at making a fire, and this one did not fail him.

-Bristles had in the meantime brought an armful of wood, and, selecting

-the smaller pieces, the two soon had a fine, large blaze going, that

-began to send out a considerable amount of welcome heat.

-

-"Back up here, and see how this feels, Sammy," Fred told the shivering

-lad.  When the other had done so, he added, "Now, just as soon as you

-feel warm on one side, change to the other.  You know what they say, 'one

-good turn deserves another,'  and here's where it applies.  Keep up your

-exercising, because all that is going to help prevent you from taking

-cold.  If I only had some hot tea or coffee, I'd give you some, but we'll

-have to do without it, I'm afraid."

-

-He kept talking to the boy and girl as he worked at the fire, and

-Bristles continued to carry fresh supplies of wood, laboring like a good

-fellow.  In this way Fred managed to learn that the name of the boy they

-had rescued was Sam Ludson and that he lived with Corny Ludson; though

-when he asked how far away it was they lived the answer was an evasive

-one.

-

-"A good distance away," was about all the boy would say, and Fred could

-not help noticing that he again exchanged uneasy looks with his sister.

-

-There was certainly something very queer about these two, though Fred

-could not understand why they should feel backward about telling where

-they lived, and especially to a couple of boys who had just done them a

-great favor.

-

-Still, Fred was not unduly curious about it.  If the brother and sister

-did not want to take him into their confidence, he was not the one to

-persist.  So far as he could remember, Ludson was a name he had never

-heard before, so it did not seem as though they could ever have lived

-around Riverport.  Bristles later on also declared that it was strange to

-him, and he had been born there, while Fred was comparatively a newcomer,

-having arrived only a couple of years previous to this time.

-

-His particular business, as Fred saw it, was not to poke into other

-people's private affairs, but to get the clothes of Sam dry as soon as

-possible.  Then he would feel that he and Bristles had finished their

-duty.

-

-So he continued to keep the fire burning, and have Sam turned around

-every little while.  At first the child steamed at a tremendous rate, but

-as by degrees the moisture was absorbed by the heat, he began to feel

-much more comfortable.

-

-"I guess I'll go now, mister," Sammy remarked, finally, as though anxious

-to get away from these kind friends before they took to asking him any

-awkward questions.

-

-"Just hold up a little while longer, and then you'll be all right, Sam,"

-he was told by Fred, and like a great many other fellows, the boy fell

-into a habit of observing the wishes of this leader among the scholars at

-Riverport High.

-

-"Whatever you say, mister, goes," he observed, with humility.  "You've

-sure done me a great service, and I ain't going to forget it, either.  I

-don't reckon it'll happen that I c'n pay you back, but if the chance ever

-does hit me, I'm agoin' to do it, sure thing."

-

-"Are you feeling as good as ever again, Sammy?" asked his sister, who was

-rather a pretty girl, Bristles thought, as he looked her over, from the

-wretched little hat she wore on her bonny brown hair, the odd cheap pin

-at her throat, the faded dress, to the coarse shoes that gaped badly at

-the toes.

-

-"I certainly am," he responded, caressing the hand she had laid on the

-sleeve of his ragged jacket.  Somehow it struck Fred right then and there

-that mutual suffering must have drawn these two frail looking beings

-closer together than the average brother and sister.

-

-"Well, then you can make off home if you feel fit," Fred told them, "and

-let me tell you my friend here and myself both feel mighty glad we

-happened to be as close by as we were.  It taught you a lesson, I expect,

-Sam, and you'll fight shy of blow-holes in the rotten ice after this,

-won't you?"

-

-"You bet I will, mister; and say, I guess I'm gladder'n you c'n be about

-that same thing; because the river is awful swift around here, and I kept

-getting colder and weaker all the while.  Couldn't have held out much

-longer.  I want to thank both of you for what you did.  I ain't goin' to

-ever forget it either, see if I do, though, shucks!  I don't 'spect I'll

-ever have a chance to pay you back."

-

-He shook hands with both Fred and Bristles, as did also the little girl,

-now looking both grave and pleased.  Then they walked away, making for

-the nearby road that led from Mechanicsburg to some other town many miles

-away, and leaving the vicinity of the Mohunk.

-

-Fred and Bristles prepared to seek once more the ice-boat, and resume

-their interrupted cruise, this time heading for home.  Both of them were

-thrilled with a deep satisfaction on account of having been given such a

-splendid chance to effect a rescue, for nothing pleases the average boy

-more than to realize that he has been enabled to play the part of a hero.

-

-They were not the ones to boast of such a thing as that.  Indeed, neither

-of them considered that they had been in the slightest danger at any

-time.  Had one of them found it necessary to jump into the cold waters of

-the Mohunk in order to save the drowning boy, that might have been a

-different matter.

-

-"This fire does feel pretty fine," Bristles remarked, as they got ready

-to depart, "and I kind of hate to leave it, because, as you know, Fred, I

-always worship a camp fire.  No need to put this one out, is there?

-because it couldn't set these woods afire if it tried its best, while

-everything's covered with snow.

-

-"Ready to make the start?  What'd you think of Sam and his sister, Sadie

-Ludson, eh?  Mysterious sort of pair, weren't they?  Didn't want to tell

-us anything about themselves, at all.  I'm trying to knock my head and

-say where I've heard that name before, but so far it gets me.  Well, we

-never may see them again, so what's it matter?  I'm glad, though, you

-pulled Sam out of the river.  He owes his life to you, Fred."

-

-"To us, you mean, Bristles, for you had just as much to do with it as any

-one," insisted Fred; and afterwards, whenever he told the story, he

-always maintained that Bristles had stood by him, and done his share of

-the rescue work.

-

-They managed to make the return trip safely, and Bristles took it upon

-himself later on to try to find out if anybody knew the Ludsons, but he

-met with little success, and with Fred was compelled to put the thing

-down as a mystery that could not be solved.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER V

-

-LOOKING OVER THE COURSE

-

-

-"One thing sure, Fred, we couldn't have a better day for taking a spin

-over the ground, and finding out what we'll be up against on the great

-day."

-

-"Yes, we're in luck that far, Bristles.  The only thing I'm sorry about

-is that Sid couldn't come along.  What was it he told you, when you ran

-across him early this Saturday morning in Bramley's sporting goods

-store?"

-

-"Why, you see," continued Bristles, as he trotted easily alongside his

-friend, for they were in their running togs, and out upon the country

-road at the time, "when I went to look over my outfit, I found my shoes

-were partly worn, and that I needed a new pair.  I'd been looking at some

-cross-country running shoes Bramley got in last week, and liked their

-style.  They have a low broad heel, and spikes only in the sole.  Feel as

-easy as anything I've ever worn, and don't seem to rub my heels like the

-old ones always did."

-

-"You're getting there, Bristles; keep going right along," laughed Fred,

-because the other had a reputation for being what boys call "long

-winded."  It sometimes took him double the time to tell a story that any

-other fellow would have consumed.

-

-"Oh!  I was only going to say Sid was in there doing something, and he

-asked me to tell you to excuse him on our trial spin to-day, as his

-father had laid out a little trip for him.  Sid looked mighty

-disappointed, I could see.  He'd like to be along, for even if this run

-of ours is only to spy out the land, it may count big."

-

-"Well, we may have another chance to go over the route, after we know

-just what the committee has mapped out," said Fred.

-

-"This is only guess work on our part, of course," continued the other,

-"but then everybody seems to think that it's bound to be the course

-chosen in the end."

-

-"Yes," Fred added, reflectively, "because it offers a great variety of

-country---level roads, then trails through the woods, crossing creeks,

-and after that a stretch over country roads made up of soft dirt."

-

-"Of course they'll have stations all along the route, as usual?" ventured

-Bristles.

-

-"No question about it," Fred told him.  "That's done so every runner may

-register in his own handwriting, and mark down the time he stopped at

-each station.  In such a way the committee will have a complete record of

-what every contestant did, and there can be no suspicion of cheating."

-

-"Whew! you don't think any fellow would be so small and mean as to try a

-thing like that, do you, Fred?"

-

-"I'd hate to think so," returned the other, "but this is done in order

-that no one may even be suspected by outsiders.  It's what you might call

-an insurance against any rank work."

-

-"How could a runner cheat, tell me?" asked Bristles.

-

-"Well," replied Fred, "there's likely to be one or more places where he

-could cut across lots and never show up at some advanced station at all.

-In that way he'd be saved a mile or two of the gruelling run, and that

-might be enough to give him a big lead on the home stretch."

-

-"Then I only hope they have every kind of safeguard against cheating,

-that can be used," declared Bristles, indignantly, "because for one I'd

-die before I'd try to win a thing by trickery."

-

-"I reckon everyone knows that, Bristles," Fred told him, "because there

-never was a boy with a straighter record than you.  You've got faults, as

-who hasn't, but being sly and tricky, like Buck Lemington, isn't one of

-them."

-

-"I hear the scheme has created no end of excitement over at

-Mechanicsburg," Bristles hastened to say, turning a little red though

-with pleasure, at those words of confidence which Fred gave him.

-

-"And at Paulding I'm told the whole town is on edge, with boys in running

-togs spinning along every country lane, in pairs or singly," Fred

-observed.

-

-"Well," the boy with the mop of bristly hair went on to say, "once again

-will good old Riverport have to hustle for all that's going, to hold her

-own at the head of the procession."

-

-"We mustn't expect too much," said Fred, modestly.  "Up to now we've been

-pretty lucky to pull down the plums, but there may come a change any day,

-and we've got to show that we can stand defeat just as well as victory."

-

-"They've got some good long distance runners over there in the mill

-town," Bristles remarked, seriously.

-

-"Equal to anything we can show, I should say, and it's going to take a

-head, as well as flying feet, to beat them at the game, Bristles."

-

-"Of course," added Fred's companion, "none of us have ever gone as much

-as twenty-five miles in a single run, so we don't know what we can do,

-but, for that matter, I don't believe a Mechanicsburg or Paulding fellow

-has, either."

-

-"But we mean to cover the course in a trial run before the great day

-comes, you know," Fred told him.  "I'm laying great store on one fellow

-we've got."

-

-"Of course you mean long-legged Colon, Fred?"

-

-"Yes," replied Fred, "our fastest sprinter, a fellow who can hump himself

-like a grayhound or a kangaroo in action, and cover more ground at the

-finish than anybody I ever saw."

-

-"But the most Colon's ever gone is ten miles," remarked Bristles, "and we

-don't know what his staying qualities are.  He may give out before

-fifteen miles have been covered.  If anybody asked me, I'd say we had

-more chance with a husky fellow like you, for instance, who never has

-been known to get tired, and can use his head as well as his heels."

-

-"Then there's Sid and Brad," remarked Fred, hastily, "who have made up

-their minds to be in the line when the signal is given; both of them are

-known to be stayers.  Of course I'll do my level best, but I hope none of

-you pin your faith to a single runner.  A little team work, or strategy,

-sometimes helps out in cases of this kind."

-

-"How can that be, when everyone has to run for himself, until hopelessly

-distanced, if I read the rules straight?" asked Bristles.

-

-"Only in this way," replied Fred.  "If there are three entered from a

-school, one of them might take the lead, and set the pace for a while.

-When he had covered, say a third of the distance, he would fall back, and

-a second forge to the front, leaving the last fellow to cover the home

-stretch.  It's been done in other races, though I believe some people

-frown on it.  Still, there's no ban on the practice."

-

-"Why, no, this is a race between rival schools," said Bristles, "and

-every fellow is supposed to be willing to sacrifice individual chances

-for the good of the lot, just as team-work pays in baseball or anything

-else."

-

-"Well, let's cut out the talk for a while, and put on more steam,"

-advised Fred.  "Here's a good chance for a spurt, down the grade, and

-then along two miles of level road."

-

-"Go you, Fred!"

-

-The two runners went flying along like the wind until they had reached

-the foot of a steep hill, which it would be folly to attempt to climb at

-more than a walk.  Once beyond this, a fine stretch of country opened

-before them, with farms and woodland on every side.

-

-Fred had a pretty fair map of the region, which he had made from picking

-up information on every side.  One of his motives in making this tour on

-Saturday morning, was to verify its truth.  Once the route of the

-Marathon race had been issued, all those who expected to compete would

-have the privilege of going over the ground as often as they pleased.  If

-any fellow were smart enough to discover how he could cut off a hundred

-yards or two, and yet report at every station, he was at liberty to do

-so.

-

-A knowledge of the course often counts heavily in a Marathon race, as it

-does in many other things.  That is why most baseball clubs play better

-on their home grounds, where they know the lay of the land, the presence

-of treacherous little hillocks, the usual slant of the wind, the value of

-sending their balls toward a certain fence where home-runs count heavily,

-and all that sort of thing.

-

-Five miles farther on, and the boys had come to a place where Fred, on

-consulting his map, observed:

-

-"The road runs away around, and by cutting across the woods here as much

-as two miles can be saved.  I understand that the contestants will have

-that privilege offered to them if they choose to take it.

-

-"Why, of course everybody will grab the chance," remarked Bristles.

-

-"I'm not so sure about that," he was told by his companion, "and for this

-reason: while the shortcut saves considerable distance, it's bound to be

-harder going, and some runners might even get lost in the undergrowth, so

-they'd be cut out of the race."

-

-"Gee!  I never thought of that, Fred; but you're right."

-

-"Then if they have a hard time breaking through," continued Fred, "and

-finding the other road above the registering station, they may be winded,

-so that the other fellow who's gone all the way around would be in much

-better shape for a gruelling finish."

-

-"It all depends, then, on knowing your ground?" pursued Bristles.

-

-"And that's what we want to make sure of as we go through the woods here

-right now," continued Fred.  "Both of us must take our bearings from

-certain trees as we push along.  If we strike a trail that leads to the

-right quarter, we'll manage to blaze it in some fashion that other

-fellows would never notice, though we can put our own crowd wise to the

-signs.

-

-"Here's where the head work comes in, eh, Fred?"

-

-"Only a small sample of it," laughed the other, "and there'll be plenty

-more to follow before we win this Marathon.  If any of the opposition

-crosses the tape ahead of Riverport, it'll be because they're better

-runners and managers than we are, that's all there is to it.  But come

-on, let's break away from the road."

-

-Upon that the two boys entered the woods, carefully marking the spot in

-their memories by noticing a certain bunch of white-barked birches that

-drooped over in a peculiar way, different from anything they had thus far

-seen.

-

-Fred had his little compass with him.  He had laid out his course

-exactly, so as to strike the other road at a certain spot, which it was

-believed would be just above the toll-gate, where he knew one of the

-registering stations was bound to be placed.

-

-Of course they could not expect to go in a straight line, or as the crows

-fly.  All sorts of obstacles interfered with such a scheme.  Now it was a

-deep gully that barred their progress; a little further on they came to a

-stretch of swampy ground, where a runner would find himself bogged and

-placed in a desperate condition, if he attempted to push through.  But

-wise Fred had early discovered what seemed to be a fairly well worn trail

-that seemed to lead in the direction they were intending to go.  At times

-it was exceedingly difficult to see the track, but both these boys had

-keen eyes, and used good judgment, so they managed to come upon it

-frequently.

-

-All the time they continued to make note of certain landmarks that would

-aid them later on, when again passing through this strip of woodland and

-jungle.  Possibly there would be a mile of it, against three by the road.

-Plainly then, if a runner could get through in fairly decent shape he

-would have saved more or less time in so doing.

-

-The two Riverport lads had perhaps gone half way, and were feeling well

-satisfied with the progress made, when Fred stopped and held up his hand.

-

-"Listen, Bristles!" he exclaimed, "what's all that racket do you think?"

-

-"Sounds like dogs barking and snarling, to me, Fred."

-

-"But away out here in the woods you wouldn't expect to hear a pack of

-dogs, unless they were running wild," urged Fred, still listening.

-

-"Whew! that reminds me of what I heard an old farmer tell in the market

-one day last week," exclaimed Bristles.  "He said he had lost three sheep

-this Spring from dogs, and that a pack of sheep killers was loose up

-around his section!"

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER VI

-

-THE WILD DOG PACK

-

-

-"How's that, Bristles, a pack of wild dogs running around, and killing

-sheep?"  Fred demanded, appearing to take uncommon interest in what his

-companion had just said.

-

-"Yes, and Fred, I honestly believe that farmer lives somewhere up in this

-region, because I heard him tell about having a runaway near the

-Belleville tollgate, and you know that's where we expect to fetch out on

-the road ahead."

-

-"Then that settle it, Bristles.  And there's no doubt we're hearing the

-yelping of that same pack right now.  I reckon they're on some track or

-other."

-

-"Whew!  I hope it isn't _our_ track then!" exclaimed the other lad, as he

-began hurriedly to look about him for a stout club, and eye the

-neighboring trees, as if an unpleasant alternative had forced itself upon

-his notice.

-

-"The sounds seem to come from back yonder, where we passed along,"

-remarked Fred; and as though in his mind an ounce of prevention might be

-better than a pound of cure, he too hastened to pick tip a heavy billet

-of wood, that was as large as an ordinary baseball club.

-

-"But what makes dogs act that way, and go wild?" asked Bristles.  "I

-never knew of any doing such a queer stunt."

-

-"It's this way," explained the other, quickly, as though he had recently

-been reading the matter up, and was full of information.  "Dogs are kin

-to wolves and foxes, you know.  Fact is, many a wolf I've seen looked

-just like a dog."

-

-"Yes, that's a fact, Fred!" admitted Bristles, nodding his head, and

-still noting the fact that the chorus of barks, yelps and snarls seemed

-to be gradually approaching all the time.

-

-"Well, every once in a while some dog seems to hear the call of the wild.

-He takes a dislike to confinement, hates human beings, and the first

-chance he gets puts out for the woods, where he lives just as a wolf

-would do, by the chase.  Sometimes farmers' watchdogs that are thought to

-be honest get this sheep-killing habit, and play tricks, covering their

-tracks so they go a long time without being found out, and then only by

-accident."

-

-"Yes, I've heard all about that, too, Fred, but because one dog goes

-wild, why should a whole lot of others follow after him, I want to know?"

-

-"Well," continued the other, "as far as I understand it, here's the

-reason.  Every dog has that same nature about him.  I've seen it proven

-many times.  We had an old dog named Mose, who was never known to chase

-anybody.  He used to lie there asleep on our front porch by the hour.

-Then next door there was a little cur that somehow took to chasing after

-wheels and wagons.  You've heard how dogs yap-yap whenever they do that,

-haven't you, Bristles?"

-

-"Lots of times," assented the other, nodding, and still earnestly

-listening.

-

-"It's about like some of that racket we hear now," Fred went on to

-explain.  "They say it excites a dog like everything.  When that little

-cur next door would start down the street with a yap-yap-yap, I've seen

-our poor old Mose jump up, as if he'd had a signal no living dog could

-resist, and go rushing out of the yard, to join in with the cur and some

-others that gathered like a flash.  That's what it means."

-

-"And these other dogs have got the fever in their veins by this time too,

-eh, Fred?"

-

-"Yes, and they are satisfied to chase around after the leader, perhaps

-taking an humble part in his kills.  But Bristles, I'm afraid we're going

-to see for ourselves what the pack looks like."

-

-"You mean they're coming this way fast now?" observed Bristles,

-tightening his grip on the club he had selected from many that lay under

-a tree shattered by a bolt of lightning the previous Summer.

-

-"There's no doubt about it!" declared Fred, steadily.

-

-"Course we could shin up a tree if we wanted to, Fred, but that'd go

-against my grain.  I feel like standing my ground, and trying to get a

-whack at that sheep-killing leader of the pack.  Gee! wouldn't the

-farmers give us a vote of thanks if we did manage to put him out of the

-running?"

-

-"We may have the chance sooner than we expected," Fred went on to say,

-grimly, for the tempest of sounds seemed to be very close now, and they

-could actually hear the rush of the advancing pack.

-

-"How many are there, do you think?" asked Bristles, and if his voice

-trembled a little, Fred believed it was from excitement rather than fear,

-because he had seen this local comrade tested many times, and knew that

-he never flinched.

-

-"At least four," Fred replied, "because I can make out that many

-different yelpings, and there may be six, with some small runts coming

-along in the rear."

-

-"I only wish I had more duds on, and a pair of leather leggings in the

-bargain," muttered Bristles, glancing rather ruefully down at his bare

-shins, which of course were wholly unprotected.

-

-"Here they come!" announced Fred, suddenly.

-

-There was a rush of pattering feet, together with a fierce series of

-yelps, and then through the thicket came pouring a string of hustling

-animals, heading directly toward the two boys.

-

-"Whew! he _is_ a dandy, sure enough!" exclaimed Bristles, referring of

-course to the large animal in the lead.

-

-This was a dun-colored beast about the size of a wolf and not unlike one

-in many of his attributes.  He presented a really terrifying front now,

-with his open jaws that disclosed shining fangs and a red tongue, and his

-blazing eyes, together with the bristles that stood up on his neck very

-much like those of a wild hog.

-

-"Give 'em a shout!" exclaimed Fred, who remembered at that moment that

-most dogs have learned to respect the sound of a human voice, and this

-might serve to bring about a halt in the onrush of the savage pack.

-

-Accordingly both of the young men started swinging their clubs wildly

-about their heads and yelling at the top of their voices.  This

-threatening demonstration did have some effect on the milder elements of

-the pack, those dogs that had been lured into wrong-doing, and were not

-viciously inclined.  Three immediately fell back, and one of these even

-turned tail and started to run away at breakneck speed as though the

-sight of those cudgels inspired him with respect, on account of a

-recollection of some previous beating.

-

-There were three, however, that still kept on, the leader of the pack,

-and a couple of others.  If ever Fred Fenton in all his life wished

-heartily for a gun of some kind it must have been just then, when, with

-only a single companion to stand alongside, he found himself about to be

-attacked by a trio of furious dogs gone wild, and running through the

-woods.

-

-It would not have been so bad had there been only two, for then each of

-them could manage an adversary;  but that odd beast bothered him.

-

-"Tackle the leader, and leave the others to me; I'll help you as soon as

-I send them flying!" was what Fred exclaimed, as the three dogs bore down

-upon them.

-

-"All right; I'm on, Fred!"

-

-There was no time for another word, because the animals were upon them.

-They came with a rush, as though furious at seeing the bare-legged boys

-in their hunting preserves.  That leader must have taken a decided hatred

-of all human kind, and when backed by his followers, seemed ready for any

-deed of daring.

-

-Fred and Bristles had their hands full from the very start.  It was their

-object to do all the damage they could without allowing any of the dogs a

-chance to sink their teeth into their legs, or leap upon their backs, as

-they appeared desirous of doing.

-

-Luckily both boys were sturdy and agile.  More than this, they realized

-the desperate nature of their position, for no help could reach them

-there.  If they hoped to come out of the fight with credit, they must

-depend wholly upon their own valor and ability.

-

-Bristles whacked the dun-colored beast soundly, as he made a ferocious

-leap up toward his throat, and had the satisfaction of seeing him whirl

-headlong.  It was only a temporary backset, however, for as soon as the

-animal recovered his feet he made another mad rush, so that the boy was

-kept busy prodding him, using his club right and left as an Irishman

-might his shillalah, and in every way possible trying to beat the brute

-off.

-

-All the while Bristles kept up a shouting that was intended to nerve his

-own arm, and possibly help to strike terror into the hearts of the

-four-footed assailants.

-

-"You will, eh?  Take that for a starter, and plenty more where that came

-from!  Try to catch me off my guard, will you?  Whoop! that was a beauty

-of a crack!  Hope I made you see stars that time, you snarling beast,

-you!  Get back there!  Shinny on your own side, can't you?" and he gave a

-sudden kick at one of the smaller dogs, that, taking advantage of the

-row, had tried to creep in and nip him on the leg.

-

-While all this was going on, Fred had his hands full with the other two

-dogs.  If they lacked some of the ferocity and daring of the leader of

-the pack, it was made up in the fact of their being a pair to watch, and

-keep from closing in with him.

-

-Fast his club flew, and hearty were the whacks he gave right and left.

-One after the other he had sent his assailants headlong, thanks to lucky

-shots.  When they returned to the scrap, they began to give evidence that

-this sort of thing had begun to pall upon their liking, and this

-encouraged the boy to work harder than ever.

-

-Just then, imagine the delight of the two hard pressed boys when they

-heard a cheery shout close by, and saw a lithe figure, also in running

-trunks, come leaping toward the spot.

-

-No need for them to ask themselves who this could be, for well did they

-know the most remarkable method of getting over the ground peculiar to

-Colon, and which some people likened to the singular hopping of a

-kangaroo.

-

-He already had a club in his hand, and he immediately started in to wield

-it with telling effect on one of Fred's assailants.  The consequence was

-that this particular dog turned tail, and ran off at top speed.  Its

-mate, as though realizing the folly of keeping up an unequal combat,

-hastened to do the same.

-

-This left the savage leader of the pack alone to face three antagonists.

-Fred could not help but feel something akin to admiration for the defiant

-beast as he attacked first one and then another of them.  Evidently the

-idea of running, and saving his hide, had not as yet appealed to the

-enraged dog.

-

-"Keep knocking him, everybody!" shrieked Bristles, now more than ever

-determined on finishing the terror of the neighboring farmers.  "We've

-just got to nail him, boys.  Don't let him shoot past you!  Pound him on

-the head!  Knock him galleywest!  That was a socker, Fred; you've got him

-down, I tell you!  Now, everyone pile in and we'll end his sheep-killing

-career for him!"

-

-There was a concerted rush from three sides.  The half dazed beast could

-not recover in time to leap upon anyone of his foes, though he snapped

-his jaws together so that his terrible teeth met with a clicking sound.

-

-For a short time the clubs rained blows on his head, until Fred finally

-called out:

-

-"That's enough, fellows; he's thrown up the sponge!"

-

-"Hurrah for us; we've cleaned the ugly pack out, boys!" cried Bristles,

-thought so short of breath after his exertions that he could hardly stand

-erect.

-

-Yes, the sheep-killing dog had been slain, and while Fred was of course

-very well pleased over the outcome of the fight, at the same time he

-looked down with considerable respect upon the dun-colored beast that

-could exhibit such desperate courage, and put up such a game defense

-against three foes.

-

-Bristles insisted upon shaking hands with each one of his mates, and then

-he and Fred turned upon the long-legged Colon with a look of wonder on

-their faces, as though they could not understand how it was he had shown

-up at such a lucky moment.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER VII

-

-THE SHORT-CUT WAY

-

-

-"Now, where did you drop down from, Colon?" asked Bristles.

-

-"Me?" exclaimed the tall chum, with a broad smile on his face.  "Why,

-straight from town, if you want to know.  You see, I found out, after

-all, I could get off, and hurried to where you said you'd start, but

-Fred's ma told me you had half an hour the lead of me.  Still, as I

-happened to know the layout of the trip, I made up my mind I'd follow

-along, and hump myself a little to overtake you fellows.

-

-"But how'd you know where we left the road, and started across the

-woodland, tell me, Colon?" asked Bristles;  whereupon the other nodded

-his head, and looked wise.

-

-"Oh! well!" he explained, "you see, Fred told me about where he expected

-to break away and so of course I kept looking; and I saw that you'd

-turned out just about under that bunch of birch trees.  Why, you left a

-plain track in the dust on the road.  After that I used my eyes and my

-head, and kept pushing right along.  I'm reckoned something of a scout in

-the woods, you must know."

-

-"You certainly have done a big thing in that line this time, Colon,"

-asserted Fred, vigorously; "I never would have believed him, if someone

-told me you'd done it.  And let me remark that you certainly came in on

-us at the right time."

-

-"I should say he did," assented Bristles, joyfully.  "I was getting tired

-of swinging my club, and whacking that terrible critter.  Talk to me

-about being able to stand punishment,---I never before saw a dog that

-could come up fresh every time you keeled him over.  Most curs would run

-away, howling like mad, but he just set his teeth, and took a fresh grip.

-Whew!  I'm sure glad it's all over."

-

-"Either of you get nipped anywhere?" asked Colon, anxiously.

-

-"I hope not," Fred replied, "it's a dangerous thing to have a dog bite

-you, because you never know what's going to happen.  Often the scratch

-from the claws of a tiger or a lion is followed by blood poisoning,

-because they tear their prey, you know.  I was sent over once, and seem

-to have a few scratches on my shins, but they came from the stones and

-thorns.  How about you, Bristles?"

-

-"I kicked one of those smaller runts that tried to bite me, but I don't

-think he got his teeth in my leg.  Those blood marks are scratches, where

-I ran into the thorn bush while I was jumping around so lively.  Oh! it's

-all right, and no damage done, boys.  Everything's lovely, and the goose

-hangs high!"

-

-"But what does all this rumpus mean?"  Colon wanted to know.  "Whose dogs

-were they, and what had you done to make the push mad?"

-

-Bristles undertook to tell him, passing on some of the information which

-he had received from Fred.

-

-"Now I'm posted.  I seem to get a grip on the business," Colon confessed,

-"and I want to tell you I'm mighty glad I made up my mind to follow

-after, and see if I couldn't come up before you got back home again."

-

-"And believe me we're happy to know you did, Colon," Bristles assured

-him, "because there's no telling what sort of a hard time we'd have been

-up against, with that pack trying their level best to pull us down.  We

-might have had to climb up in a tree, and sit there all night, for all we

-know.  But Fred, what'd we better do about it now?"

-

-"About what?" asked the other.

-

-"This dog here," continued Bristles, pointing down at the animal that

-looked so fierce even in death.

-

-"I was just thinking," Fred told him, "whether we had better lift him

-into the fork of a tree, so he could be found if we let the farmers know

-about it, or try to drag him along to the tollgate house."

-

-"It can't be so very far away, I should think," observed Colon, "and I'd

-be willing to take my turn at dragging him there."

-

-"Nothing like showing the proof, when you tell a whopping big story,"

-declared Bristles, "and I know a lot of fellows who'll like as not lift

-their eyebrows, and grin to beat the band when they hear about this warm

-time we've had.  We want to be able to stamp the yarn as true as anything

-that ever happened.  So take hold of one leg, Colon, and I'll manage the

-other.  Sho! that's easy enough going, and for one I don't mind it a

-bit."

-

-"Call on me to take my turn any time, boys," announced Fred, as he

-started off in the lead.

-

-The wild dog pack had evidently been effectually broken up by the

-energetic action of the Riverport runners.  Not a single bark or yelp was

-to be heard in any direction.  Scattered to the four winds the dogs were

-apt to return to their respective homes, and change their bad habits.

-With the loss of their savage ringleader, the impulse to live a wild life

-would possibly leave them all.

-

-Fred once more began to figure on their course.  He knew that the faint

-trail he and Bristles had been following through the woods had begun to

-bear away in a quarter that made it impossible for them to pursue it any

-longer, if they expected to come out near the Belleville tollgate.

-

-Thanks to his possession of the compass, and something of a knowledge of

-the general conditions, Fred was able to decide on this without much

-trouble.

-

-They did not make any attempt at speed indeed, that would have been

-utterly impossible, while they continued to drag the slain dog along

-after them.  Colon finally gave a hint that he was ready to abandon the

-idea of showing the result of their encounter to the toll-gate keeper,

-notwithstanding that through him all the farmers in that neighborhood

-would eventually learn of their good luck.

-

-"But I don't like to quit anything I've started on," objected Bristles,

-when the long-legged runner had thus casually mentioned that it was no

-fun dragging the big beast over rough ground.  "Think how far we've kept

-it up already.  Huh! want to have that work just wasted?  Not much for

-me!  If you're tired, Colon, just say the word, and I'll lug him along by

-myself, or else Fred ahead there might lend me a helping hand."

-

-"Me tired?  Why, whatever put that silly notion in your head, Bristles?

-I didn't know you set such great store by showing the old thing; but

-since I see you do, why of course I'm game to hold out to the finish.

-Hope you don't want to get the blooming dog stuffed, and keep him mounted

-in your den at home."

-

-"Well, that'd be the limit!" exclaimed Bristles, laughing at the idea.

-"I feel right now that he's going to visit me lots of times in my dreams,

-with all that double row of white teeth showing, and his red lips drawn

-back!  Ugh!  I'll not forget in a hurry how he looked, I tell you, Colon.

-And didn't he take the punishment I heaped on him, though?  I used up

-every ounce of strength I had in slinging my club.  You notice that I'm

-toting that along, don't you?"

-

-"Oh! that's the racket, is it?  A bow of blue ribbon tied to the club,

-and hang it on the wall of your room at home?  Well, Bristles, I don't

-blame you much, because he was an ugly customer.  If he'd ever gotten you

-down, it'd been tough on you."

-

-"Here, let up on that style of talk, will you, Colon?  It makes me have a

-cold chill run up and down my spinal column.  Let's talk about something

-more cheerful.  What d'ye think about this shortcut through the woods?

-Fred says it's going to save a lot, and that nearly every fellow will

-like as not take to it.  A mile of this goes against three by the road."

-

-"So long as every contestant knows the ground, it might pay to take the

-cut-off," Colon remarked, "but I noticed some swampy ground that I'd hate

-to get lost in.  If any runner fails to show up at the tape, they'll have

-to send out a searching party to look for him through this section."

-

-"That'll be his lookout, then," observed Bristles, calmly.  "Everybody

-shinny on his own side.  Preparation is part of the battle.  The fellow

-who is too lazy to go over the course in advance will have to take big

-chances, that's all.  He won't deserve to win."

-

-"This is certainly a dreary place, all right," the tall runner went on to

-say, as he looked to the right, and then to the left.  "Why, I didn't

-know there was such a desolate stretch of woodland within twenty miles of

-Riverport.  Some of it's good farming land too, if part is boggy, and

-even that would make a cranberry marsh, if anyone wanted to try it out."

-

-"It's all second growth timber, though," called back Fred, who was still

-just a dozen paces in the lead, and pushing his way through brush that

-often entirely concealed the ground.

-

-"Sure it is," Bristles went on to say.  "Long ago the original timber was

-cut down, and sent to the sawmills.  Listen to the frogs croaking over

-that way; must be a pond somewhere around."

-

-"I was going to ask you if you'd run across any snakes yet?"  Colon

-inquired, with considerable show of interest, because, as well known

-among his friends, the tall runner had always felt a decided antipathy

-for all crawling things, and would never handle even an inoffensive

-garter-snake; indeed, slimy greenbacked frogs he abominated, claiming

-that they had the same clammy feeling as snakes.

-

-"Why, yes, a couple whipped across the trail back there," Bristles

-admitted.

-

-"Not rattlers, I hope?" ejaculated Colon, coming to a sudden stop, as he

-turned an apprehensive look upon his companion.

-

-"No," Bristles told him, with a scornful inflection in his voice, for he

-did not share Colon's antipathy toward crawling reptiles, and could not

-understand how any fellow could be so foolish as to shiver at sight of a

-mere wriggling object.  "Fred says it's too early for rattlers to show

-out of their dens.  One was a fair-sized black snake, and the other might

-have been an adder; he was short and stumpy, and had a flat head."

-

-"Just as poisonous as anything that crawls," said Colon, with a shudder,

-and an involuntary hasty look around him.  As a rule, he was far from

-being nervous, and yet when a stick that had bent under Fred's weight

-suddenly sprang back into shape again, the tall runner gave a low cry of

-alarm, and even dropped the leg of the dog that he had been clinging to

-so sturdily all that distance.

-

-Not liking to be joked about his fears, Colon made out that a thorn had

-jabbed him in the leg, and bending down he started to rubbing vigorously

-at his ankle.  Bristles, apparently, was aware of the true state of

-affairs, for he grinned as he waited for the other to assist him once

-more.

-

-"These thorns do stick you right smart when they get a chance at a bare

-shin, for a fact, Colon," he went on to observe, grimly, "but so long as

-they don't draw blood, the damage's not apt to amount to much, I reckon.

-There's Fred disappeared from sight, and we'll have to hurry if we want

-to catch up with him before we strike that road, which I calculate can't

-be a great way off."

-

-It happened that they were passing over some rather rough country just

-then, with a number of dark-looking gullies intersecting their course.

-In places it was even necessary for them to drop down into these and then

-climb up on the opposite side.  This took time, but the boys fancied they

-must be close to the road they had been aiming to reach.

-

-"See anything of Fred, yet?" asked Bristles.  "You're such a tall fellow

-you c'n spy a heap farther than me."

-

-Colon looked, and then shook his head.

-

-"He's nowhere around, as far as I c'n see," he remarked, and dropping his

-share of the burden, Colon sprang back in alarm, as a voice seemed to

-come up out of the very earth at their feet, saying:

-

-"Keep back there, you fellows, or you'll be tumbling down on top of me!"

-

-"Hello! there, Fred, where under the sun are you?" demanded Bristles,

-looking around him in sheer amazement.

-

-"I've fallen into some sort of cave here, that's all!" came back in a

-muffled voice.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER VIII

-

-THE TELL-TALE PIN

-

-

-Colon and Bristles stood there, and looked at each other in dismay, upon

-hearing Fred say that he had met with such a strange misfortune.

-

-"Well, if that doesn't beat my time!" the latter exclaimed.  "And to

-think that while you and I talked back there, our chum was lying down in

-some old black hole.  What if he's broken his leg, or even sprained an

-ankle,---Riverport will miss a good man in this Marathon race, believe

-me!"

-

-"Let's see if we can find the hole where Fred slipped down," suggested

-Colon.

-

-"And be careful we don't go the same way, too," added Bristles, drily.

-

-At that they started to move carefully forward, closely examining every

-foot of the way as they went.  In a short time Colon uttered a cry.

-

-"Found it, have you?" demanded Bristles, with a disappointed grunt, for

-he had hoped to be the lucky one himself.

-

-"Look there where that root sticks up!" the other called out, pointing as

-he explained.  "Seems to me there might be a gap of some sort.  Let's

-creep a little closer and find out.  Yes, that's the hole, and no

-mistake, Bristles.  And Fred---he must have slipped down so fast he just

-couldn't grab hold of anything.  If he did, it gave way, and went down

-along with him."

-

-They accordingly crept forward, and began to stare down through the

-opening.

-

-"Why, what's this I see?" ejaculated Bristles.  "Somebody's got a light

-working down there, Colon!"

-

-"It's our chum, I reckon," the tall boy told him, after another look.

-

-"What, Fred?" persisted Bristles.  "But whatever would he be striking a

-match for, I want to know?"

-

-"To look around, I should say," Colon informed him, and the statement

-seemed so simple that it apparently convinced Bristles on the spot, for

-he hastened to remark:

-

-"Well, that sure would be just like Fred now, to think of finding out

-what sort of a coop he'd dropped into, the first thing.  Hello! down

-there!"

-

-"Hello! yourself, Bristles!" came back the cheery answer.

-

-"First of all, tell us if you got hurt any, Fred!" called Bristles, who

-could not get the notion out of his head that the other may have been

-seriously injured.

-

-"Why, no, nothing to mention," came the ready answer.  "A few more little

-scratches, it might be, but then they don't count.  Kind of knocked the

-breath out of my body at first, and took me a little while to recover,

-but no damage done, boys."

-

-"What are you doing with the light, Fred?"  Colon wanted to know.

-

-"I only wanted to see what sort of a place this is, that's all," Fred

-told him, as his match expired, and the darkness came again.

-

-"And did you find out?" continued Bristles, eagerly, possibly his mind

-beginning to wrestle with all sorts of strange ideas concerning hidden

-treasure vaults, and, mysterious hiding-places where counterfeiters

-carried on their illegal trade.

-

-"It seems to be only an ordinary cave, like others we've run across,"

-Fred told them.  "If you felt like coming down, I think it would be easy

-enough."

-

-"Not the way you tried it, Fred; you'll have to excuse me," laughed

-Bristles.  "But I think I can feel the rough rocks here, and seems as if

-a fellow as spry as Colon might manage to shuffle down.  Anyhow, I'm

-going to try it.  I've got a few matches of my own in my pocket, that we

-could use to look around with."

-

-"Take it slow, and no hurry, boys," warned Fred, at the same time moving

-out of the way, so that if a stone were dislodged in their passage, it

-would not come in contact with his head.

-

-For a couple of minutes there could be heard a scraping noise, as the two

-boys lowered themselves down into the opening.  Fred struck another

-match, which he held up in order to give them the benefit of the feeble

-illumination.  Assisted by this light, both of the newcomers managed to

-reach the side of their chum without encountering any serious difficulty.

-

-"Well, here we are, fellows, all down!" Bristles declared, with a sigh of

-relief.  "I only hope that when we try to climb up again, it won't be an

-all day job."

-

-"Much easier than coming in," Colon told him.  "It always is, when you're

-mounting a steep cliff; because then you can see just where you're going.

-When starting down you hardly know where to put each foot, and when you

-look to see, it makes you giddy to find how far below the bottom lies."

-

-"Did you see anything when you looked around, that made you want to take

-a second peep, Fred?" asked Bristles, still clinging to his suspicion.

-

-"I don't know," replied Fred.  "It's like this.  The match was going out

-when I thought I glimpsed something on the rocky floor that looked like

-the ashes of a dead fire!  And after that I thought I'd like to make sure

-before I left here,---just to satisfy my curiosity, you know, boys."

-

-"A fire, eh?" ventured Bristles.  "Well, since no wild animal was ever

-known to start such a thing, that tells us this same cave must have

-sheltered human beings some time or other."

-

-"Hoboes, most likely," observed Colon; "trust them for finding such a

-snug hiding-place, after they've gone and robbed some country postoffice,

-or a farmer's chicken coop."

-

-"I'll strike a light, then, and Fred, you show us where the ashes lie,"

-and with these words Bristles drew a match hastily along the seat of his

-trousers, causing it to burst into a bright flame.

-

-"Over this way, boys," Fred told them, as he stepped across the rocky

-floor of the cave that had been found in such a queer way.

-

-It was just as he had said, for there on the stones they could see the

-plain marks of a fire.  Colon knew a thing or two about woodcraft, and

-the very first indication of this was when he thrust his hand into the

-ashes.

-

-"As cold as they can be," he observed, immediately.

-

-"Which shows that the fire hasn't been burning lately at all," Bristles

-hastened to add, to prove that he understood what Colon meant to infer.

-

-"Whoever camped in here cooked a meal or two, that's plain," Fred

-remarked, as he pointed to some chicken bones that were strewn around.

-

-"Tramps, as sure as anything, and they've been raiding the hencoops

-around this region, too," Colon ventured to say.

-

-"And that poor old wild dog had to stand the blame for it all," said

-Bristles.  "It's nearly always that way; give a dog a bad name, and

-everybody condemns him.  For all we know, some of the sheep that have

-been killed might have been pulled down by an innocent looking shaggy dog

-belonging to the farmer himself, but it's so easy to saddle the blame on

-the wicked one.  What was that you picked up, Colon?"

-

-"As near as I can make out it looks like one of those tin biscuit boxes

-you see at the store," the tall boy replied, holding the object up.

-"It's got a rubber band around it.  Queer thing for tramps to buy.  Only

-imported biscuits are put up this way, Miss Fletcher told me, and she

-ought to know because she's English, and won't eat any other kind."

-

-"Let me see that tin, will you please, Colon?" asked Fred, suddenly.

-

-After he had looked sharply at it, inside and out, he nodded his head.

-

-"I thought it might be like that," Fred remarked, mysteriously.  This

-manner of talking caused his comrades to stare, and Colon cried out:

-

-"Now, whatever is there about that old tin to make you speak like that,

-Fred?  If you'd picked up a clue to some robbery, you couldn't look more

-pleased.

-

-"Perhaps we have," said Fred, meaningly.  "Take another look at this tin

-box, both of you.  Notice how the heavy rubber band has been fastened

-underneath, so it couldn't get lost.  You never heard of such a thing

-being done where there were just plain crackers in a tin, did you?  Of

-course not.  Well, don't you see that this would make a splendid

-receptacle for papers, or securities?  And just before your match went

-out, Bristles, I thought I could see a little scrap of paper sticking in

-a corner.  That would prove it had held such things."

-

-Bristles could be heard uttering a series of exclamations, as he started

-to get another match going.

-

-"If this doesn't take the cake!  Why, all of us ought to remember how old

-Mr. Periwinkle complained that someone had entered his house and hooked a

-sum of money, as well as some papers he kept in a tin box in his desk.

-Why, this must be the same tin box, fellows!  We ought to keep it, and

-show it to him."

-

-They examined the thing once more, while the match was burning.

-

-"Guess you're right, Bristles, and this is the box old Periwinkle kept

-his valuables in," Colon pursued,  "but mighty little comfort it's going

-to do him to set eyes on the same again.  Would you care to have the

-shells turned back to you, after somebody'd gone and gobbled up the fat

-kernel of the nut?"

-

-"It will settle the fact that the robber, whoever he could have been,

-must have stayed in this cave lately," said Fred, seriously.  "I don't

-think these ashes are very old, perhaps not more than a couple of days,

-at most.  So you see that tells us the thief must be around here still."

-

-"Watching out for a bigger haul, more'n likely!" Bristles declared,

-somewhat excitedly.  "I don't believe he got much at Periwinkle's place,

-because the old man is poor as Job's turkey; leastways he makes out to

-be, though some folks say he's a sort of miser.  But there are farmers

-that keep quite a sum of money around, and it might be this hobo is

-waiting to get a chance at a big haul."

-

-"How do we know but what he aims to clean out the Riverport bank some

-fine night; that sort of thing has been done lots of times in other

-places?" remarked Colon.

-

-"All of which makes our duty the plainer, boys," Fred told them, "which

-is to keep this tin box, and show it to Chief Sutton.  He'll know what to

-do about it, and if he says we ought to tell Mr. Periwinkle, why, we'll

-take a turn up there to-night.  I heard that he'd offered a small reward

-for the return of the papers, and no questions asked; which was a bid to

-the thief to send the same back, and get paid for doing it."

-

-"And to think of you falling down into this cave the way you did, Fred,"

-Colon continued.  "Do you reckon that hole up there might be the only way

-in and out?"

-

-"Well, as far as I could see around, it's only a small affair, so I

-wouldn't be surprised if that turned out to be the case," was the reply

-Fred made.

-

-Bristles apparently had brought a bountiful supply of matches along, and

-did not mean to spare them, if by striking successive lights he could

-satisfy his curiosity.

-

-The others saw him bend forward, and act as though he had picked some

-small object from the rocky floor of the cave.

-

-"What did you find, Bristles?" demanded Fred.

-

-"Share and share alike," called out Colon.  "If you've discovered a

-diamond, why we all ought to have a part of what you get for the same.

-What's that, Bristles?  Well, I declare, if it isn't a sort of breastpin,

-as sure as you live!  But such a cheap affair isn't worth ten cents.  If

-that's the stuff this robber has got his pockets lined with, it won't pay

-the Chief much to chase him down.  Only a flimsy little old plated

-breastpin, with a red stone in it.  Huh!"

-

-But the face that Bristles turned on Fred Fenton expressed a vast amount

-of uneasiness, surprise and concern.

-

-"Gee!  I wonder now, if that could be?" he was muttering, so that even

-Fred began to see that Bristles had struck some sort of clue calculated

-to stagger him more or less.

-

-"What ails you, Bristles?"  Fred asked him, pointedly, as the match went

-out.

-

-"Why, Fred, as sure as my name is Andy Carpenter, which I sometimes hear

-it is, I've seen this same silly little pin before!"

-

-"Where?" demanded Fred, almost holding his breath as though he

-anticipated the answer that was coming.

-

-"That little girl had it on the day we pulled her brother, Sam Ludson,

-out of the river," was the startling reply.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER IX

-

-AT THE TOLL-GATE

-

-

-"Are you sure of that, Bristles?" asked Fred, upon hearing his chum make

-such an astonishing assertion with regard to that tawdry breastpin picked

-up in the cave.

-

-"Fred, you c'n see for yourself that while this is a mighty cheap old

-thing, it's made in a queer shape," Bristles went on to say.

-

-"All of which is true, I admit," the other confessed.

-

-"Well, you know I've always been a great hand for noticing things," said

-Bristles.

-

-"Sure you have," interrupted Colon, who was listening intently, although

-it was all "Greek" to him; "and  'specially when they happen to be

-connected with a pretty girl."

-

-Bristles grinned as he turned on the tall chum.

-

-"Oh! rats!" he exclaimed, "you're off your base this time, Colon, because

-she was a homely little thing, and with clothes on that I'd hate to see a

-sister of mine wearing.  But I say again, and I'll keep on saying

-it---Sadie, if that was her name, was wearing this same brooch the day we

-pulled her brother Sam out of the river, when he'd broke into an

-airhole."

-

-"You understand what that might mean, don't you, Bristles?" pursued Fred.

-

-"Why, I reckon now you're trying to make me see that the boy'n girl might

-have had something to do with the stealing of Mr. Periwinkle's money and

-papers," was the way Bristles answered him.

-

-"If the girl was here, the boy must have been, too," said Fred.

-

-"But gee whiz!  Fred, that youngster didn't look as if he had half enough

-nerve to do a thing like that," urged Bristles, scornfully.

-

-"Oh! he had nerve enough, never fear," Fred went on to remark, "for you

-may remember he never gave a single peep himself, and it was the girl who

-did the shouting for help."

-

-"Might have been scared too much," suggested Colon, wanting to have some

-say in the matter.

-

-"No, I don't think he was," replied Fred, "because the girl told us he

-kept urging and demanding that she hold back and not try to help him,

-because his one fear seemed to be she would fall in too.  But there's one

-thing we haven't seemed to figure on before, Bristles."

-

-"Say, I just bet you're going to spring that uncle on ne," remarked the

-other, with surprising quickness.

-

-"Why not," demanded Fred, "when we have learned that Corny Ludson has

-charge of the boy and girl, and must have been here in this cave with

-them.  There was a man here, because I've found signs of his smoking

-several cheap cigars, throwing the stubs around afterwards."

-

-"What's that?" cried Colon, just then; "say that name again for me, won't

-you?"

-

-"Why, Corny Ludson, a man who seems to be uncle or guardian or something

-to the boy we pulled out of the Mohunk, the last time we ran my iceboat

-up river," Bristles informed him.

-

-Colon looked happy.  No longer was he to remain "sitting on the fence,"

-without feeling he had any particular interest in the game.

-Circumstances had managed it so that he could now enter the free-for-all

-race, and take his place in line.

-

-"Now that's a rather odd name, you'll admit, boys," he started to say in

-his slow, shrewd fashion, "and it's not likely that there'd be two Corny

-Ludsons around this section of country; likewise having a couple of

-half-grown kids along in the bargain."

-

-"Go on, Colon; it begins to look like you knew something we want to hear

-the worst way," Bristles urged.

-

-"Here's the way it stands, then, fellows," the obliging Colon continued.

-"At first I didn't just catch the last name when you spoke about Sam and

-Sadie.  That is why I didn't break in sooner.  But Ludson gives it away.

-He's the same man Mr. Peets the butcher was talking about one day some

-little time ago."

-

-"Yes, but tell us what he said, can't you?" urged Bristles.

-

-"You see, I was in there waiting to be served, and the butcher was

-talking with Judge Wallace.  I don't know how it came about they got to

-arguing, but seemed that Mr. Peets wanted to back up something he said,

-and so he started in to tell about a man that had just left the shop,

-having two children along, after buying the cheapest kind of a cut.  Said

-his name was Corny Ludson, and that once he used to be a rich man over in

-New Brunswick, but he'd lost all he had, and now depended on his wits for

-a mighty poor living."

-

-"That all sounds pretty, interesting, Colon; but if there's any more,

-suppose you get along and give us the same," Bristles told him.

-

-"I remember I heard Mr. Peets say he didn't like the looks of the man,"

-continued the one who was giving the story; "and then he went on to

-explain that he considered himself a good reader of character, which

-allowed him to size the said Ludson up as a trickster who wouldn't stop

-at taking things belonging to other people, if he believed he could do it

-without getting caught!"

-

-"Bully!" exclaimed Bristles; "that covers the bill to a dot, doesn't it

-Fred?  Sure Corny must have believed he saw a good chance to grab this

-tin box belonging to Mr. Periwinkle, and not get the hooks in him.  He

-did it, too, and has been living on the proceeds of the robbery ever

-since."

-

-"There must be something mysterious about the man, then," remarked Fred.

-"And it might pay for someone to get in touch with the people over in New

-Brunswick, so as to find out whether he did live there once, a rich man,

-and why he cleared out."

-

-"That's right, Fred," observed Bristles.  "When people fight shy of their

-native place, it pays to learn the reason.  Course sometimes they have a

-good cause for keeping away, but lots of 'em do so because they dassen't

-go back.  But I'm meaning to keep this queer little pin."

-

-"And if you happen to run across Sadie Ludson again, you'll give it back

-to her, won't you?"  Fred asked him.

-

-"Just what I had in mind, to a dot," admitted Bristles.  "I might tell

-her where I picked it up, too, and see what she'd say."

-

-"Well, even if you did get her to admit that she'd been here, that

-wouldn't prove anything, would it?" queried Colon.

-

-"We'd know Corny had been camping in this cave," said Bristles, sturdily,

-"and from the fact that we picked up this same tin box, _empty_, it'd

-look pretty much as if he ought to know something about it.  They'd call

-that circumstantial evidence."

-

-"And if the boy and girl had to be questioned by Judge Wallace they might

-he coaxed to confess that they'd seen their uncle handling this tin box,"

-added Fred.  "That would fix the blame without any question."

-

-"Something may come of our find," Colon went on to say, now feeling that

-he had a perfect right to count himself in the game, "and on that account

-I reckon you'd be doing the right thing to keep both the pin and the box,

-boys."

-

-"And all we ask of you, Colon," Bristles suggested, "is that you stick

-mum.  Let Fred run the thing.  If he wants any help, he'll tell us, so we

-c'n assist."

-

-"Oh!  I'll be a clam," asserted the tall runner with a chuckle, "and once

-I give my word, nobody ever knew me to break it.  But say, doesn't it

-feel kind of chilly down here?   Remember we haven't any too much on in

-the way of clothes, and for one I was a little heated after my run to

-catch up with you fellows."

-

-"That's where your head is level, Colon," Fred told him, "and so we might

-as well climb out of this.  I'm happy to know I didn't even sprain an

-ankle when I dropped down through that hole."

-

-They found no great difficulty in gaining the outside world again, for

-the stones offered a substantial footing.  So it came about that

-presently the three chums were once more moving along at a fair pace,

-being desirous of throwing off that chilly feeling.

-

-It turned out that Fred's calculations were correct "to a hair," as

-Bristles triumphantly declared, when they burst upon the road just fifty

-yards above the Belleville toll-gate.

-

-"That's figuring some for you!" he exclaimed, as soon as they had sighted

-the inclined pole that signified the presence of the barrier where every

-vehicle had to halt and pay the regular tariff, according to the number

-of wheels, or of the horses it took to draw the load.

-

-They had hung on to the defunct dog in spite of all their hurrying, for

-that plan to let the farmers of the community know they were rid of their

-greatest pest still clung to the boys' minds.

-

-Bristles was looking ahead as they advanced along the road, and about

-this time was heard to give vent to an exclamation.

-

-"Would you believe it?" he cried.  "If there isn't the wagon at the

-toll-gate belonging to that old farmer I heard telling about the dogs

-that'd played havoc with his sheep!  And I reckon now, he'll be right

-glad to see the leader of the pack laid out as we've got him!"

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER X

-

-BRISTLES' SURPRISE PARTY

-

-

-"That's a queer coincidence, if you'd care to call it by that name,"

-remarked Colon, who liked once in a while to make use of some long word.

-

-"It simply shows that we had long heads when we made up our minds to lug

-this old tramp dog all the way here, just to prove our story," Fred

-observed.

-

-"That was your scheme, Fred, all right," Bristles quickly asserted.

-

-"No more than the rest of you," he was instantly told, for Fred never

-liked to be given sole credit for anything unusual, when he had chums

-along.  "All the same, I guess the old farmer will be tickled half to

-death to know the sheep-killing pack has been broken up for good."

-

-"You think our knocking the leader out is going to do that, do you,

-Fred?" asked Colon.

-

-"In nine cases out of ten that's the way things go.  There's a keystone

-to every arch, and when you remove that, the whole thing tumbles down."

-

-"My idea to a dot," asserted Bristles, doggedly.  "Chances are the rest

-of those curs have started on the run for their old homes before this;

-and unless another leader springs up, which isn't likely, we've seen the

-last of the sheep-killers.  But hold on, fellows, perhaps we can have a

-little fun with the old farmer."

-

-"How?" asked Colon, not at all unwilling.

-

-"He doesn't seem to be about his wagon just now, you notice?" ventured

-Bristles.

-

-"Knows the toll-gate keeper right well," explained Colon, "because he's

-been coming past here, year in and year out, a long time now.  Like as

-not he's stepped in to sit and talk, or else sample something wet.  But I

-hope now, Bristles, you don't mean to start the team off on the run, or

-something like that, just to see an old man rush after 'em?"

-

-"What d'ye take me for?" demanded the other, indignantly.  "I leave all

-such mean tricks to Buck Lemington, Clem Shooks, Ben Cushing and that

-crowd.  Here's where we might play an innocent little joke on the farmer,

-and he'll laugh as hard as we do when he catches on.  It's the

-dog---let's sneak up back of the wagon, and lift the thing in.  Then you

-leave the rest to me."

-

-Colon waited to hear what Fred said.  He was accustomed to depending to

-some extent on the opinion of this chum, to whom the boys usually looked

-as their leader.

-

-"I should think that was fair enough, Bristles," Fred quickly announced.

-"We're intending to give the farmer a pleasant little surprise party,

-that's all.  Have it your way, then.  Here, let's move around a little,

-so they won't sight us from the open door of the toll-gate house."

-

-It was a very simple matter to do this, and presently they had deposited

-the already stiffening body of the sheep-destroying dog in the bed of the

-wagon, where it certainly presented a very gruesome appearance, with its

-four feet sticking up in the air.

-

-This done, the boys walked around, and onto the little porch that was

-spread out before the door of the cottage.

-

-Voices reached their ears, and it was evident that their presence had

-been discovered, for two men immediately came out.  Bristles noticed that

-the old farmer was even then brushing the back of his hand across his

-lips, thus indicating that he had been sampling a glass of hard cider, a

-specialty of the toll-gate keeper.

-

-"Hello!  Mr. Jenks!" remarked Bristles, who, it seemed, knew the keeper.

-"We're up here to look over the ground for the big Marathon race that's

-coming off before long."

-

-The farmer had started toward his team, but hearing this, he stopped to

-listen.

-

-"I reckoned as much as soon as I see you boys in your running togs," the

-tollgate keeper went on to say, affably enough, "because there was a gent

-up here only yesterday that said he represented the committee, and that

-they expected to have what they called a registering station here at the

-toll-gate, though I don't just know what that really means."

-

-"Why, you see, in a long gruelling run of twenty-five miles," explained

-Bristles, "it's necessary to have certain places a few miles apart, and

-especially at turns in the course, where every contestant enters his name

-in his own handwriting, as well as the time he passed there."

-

-"You don't tell me!" exclaimed Mr. Jenks.  "But what's all that

-tomfoolery for?  Strikes me they go to a heap of trouble for next to

-nothing."

-

-"Why, you see," continued Bristles, "these races have to be above

-suspicion.  The committee doesn't want anybody to be able to say there

-was any crooked work about the run.  The fellow who wins must have beaten

-every competitor fairly.  And by this system of registering they have a

-complete record of the race.  No one can cut across lots and cheat,

-without its showing in the record."

-

-"Oh! now I understand you, my lad, and I guess it's a good thing.  That

-gent was a fine one, and he said I had the best---but never mind what he

-said.  How far have you come this time, boys?"

-

-"This is over half the distance," explained Fred, "and we're on the home

-stretch right now.  But we're not trying for a record to-day.  Fact is,

-we're just feeling out the ground.  The next time we come we'll stop only

-a minute, as if we were registering, and be off, for that's when we'll be

-trying it out to see what our time is."

-

-"Oh! excuse me," said Bristles, as he saw the old farmer once more turn

-toward his rig, as though he felt he must be going on, "but didn't I hear

-you telling someone in the market the other day that you'd lost a number

-of sheep lately?"

-

-The old man frowned, and shook his head sadly.

-

-"Three of my best, and I reckons that if things keep on the way they're

-goin', I won't have any flock left purty soon, boy," he replied.

-

-"And you said the damage had all been done by a pack of wild dogs, didn't

-you?" continued Bristles.

-

-"Anybody with one eye could see that, by the way the sheep was mangled,

-and the pad of the prints around.  They're gettin' to be a terror up

-here.  Jenks kin tell you how he's heard the lot carrying on like Cain

-over in the woods there nights."

-

-"Did you ever see the pack, mister?" asked Bristles.

-

-"Well, I can't say as I really and truly has, son, but I do believe I

-knows what the wust of the lot looks like," the farmer told him.

-

-"How was that, sir?" asked the boy, eagerly.  He saw the old man shrug

-his broad shoulders, while a whimsical look appeared on his sunburned

-face.

-

-"Jest because I set on a limb, and looked down at the critter three whole

-hours, till he got so pizen hungry he slunk off, and let me get home.  He

-come nigh ketchin' me afore I cud git up in a tree; and from the looks of

-them ugly fangs, chances are he'd a-tore me right bad."

-

-"Then I should think you'd know that dog again if ever you saw him?"

-suggested Bristles, with a wink toward his chums.

-

-"I hopes I'll never have the bad luck to see him alive again!" declared

-the old farmer, as he started to climb up to the seat of his wagon.

-

-"Now watch the circus!" hissed Bristles.

-

-The farmer had just about drawn himself up when they heard him give

-utterance to a startled exclamation, for he found himself facing the

-uninvited passenger in the back of his open wagon bed.  Had Bristles been

-more inclined to be cruel, he might have fixed the dog so that he would

-appear lifelike, and in the attitude of springing.

-

-The farmer remained there as though turned into stone.  Then he managed

-to recover his wits, and burst out into a shout.

-

-"It's the same pizen critter!" he exclaimed joyously, "and keeled over at

-last!  But I'd like to know---say, you don't meant to tell me now, boys,

-'twas you that done for that turrible beast?"

-

-"Well," said Bristles, trying hard not to look too important, "they

-tackled us in the woods, and it was either us or him, so we managed to

-pound the leader until he kicked the bucket, and the rest of the pack lit

-out.  I guess that combine's broken up for good, mister.  You won't lose

-any more of your sheep, believe me."

-

-The old man got down, and insisted upon shaking hands all around, he felt

-so delighted over the new turn affairs had taken.

-

-"And the next time I go to Riverport, I'll tell what a fine thing you

-boys did up here," he remarked, as the three runners prepared to start

-down the road, heading for the home town.

-

-On the way it was finally decided that they would go to the office of the

-Chief of Police and tell him about finding the empty tin box, but not say

-a thing in connection with that pin.  Afterwards, Fred said, they might

-see Mr. Periwinkle, So as to learn whether the tin box was really his

-property.

-

-They felt uncertain as to just what their duty might be in a case like

-this, for while it seemed only right that the guilty one should suffer,

-at the same time both Fred and Bristles remembered what sorrowful faces

-that brother and sister had, and they could not find it in their hearts

-to do anything likely to add to the burdens the children already had to

-bear.

-

-So the case rested as the days passed.  Though unknown to the boys, a

-time was coming, and near at hand, when the mystery of the tin box was

-bound to be explained.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XI

-

-ON THE GREEN CAMPUS

-

-

-A group of merry boys and girls, after school hours, had gathered on the

-campus, and were chatting at a lively rate.  This was a week after Fred

-and his two companions had gone over the course that previous Saturday,

-to judge of the difficulties they were likely to encounter when the great

-race came off.

-

-Preparations had gone steadily on, and the time that must elapse before

-the Marathon was run could be measured in days.  The greatest excitement

-reigned among the young people of Riverport, and it was said that both

-the neighboring towns were worked up to fever-heat on account of the

-prospective race.

-

-Mechanicsburg welcomed another chance to even the score, which had too

-often been in favor of her closest rival, and even Paulding boasted that

-long distance running might be called her "best hold," since she had

-several lads who were apt to prove wonders at that game.

-

-On the whole, such intense interest had never before been aroused in

-school circles in the three rival towns.  Hundreds could hardly wait for

-the day to come when, in the presence of unequaled crowds, the question

-of supremacy would be decided once for all.

-

-There was Flo Temple, a very pretty, attractive girl, whom Fred always

-took to dances, and skated with on the river; her chum Cissie Anderson, a

-little addicted to slang, though witty, and "fetching," as Sid Wells was

-heard to admit many a time, even when she had rubbed it into him pretty

-hard; and last, but not least, that energetic sister of Sid's, Mame

-Wells, a girl who could play almost any game that boys did, and fairly

-well at that.

-

-The girls seemed to be having no end of fun about something or other, and

-the crowd laughed at their sallies.  Even the victims themselves, took it

-goodnaturedly, knowing that it was all in good sport.

-

-"The chosen few who are going to do the honors for Riverport in this

-wonderful race!" Cissie was saying, with a look of pretended concern on

-her pink and white face.  "Don't we pity them, though, girls?  They say

-they're at the training table now, and have to give up pies, and all

-sorts of other good things.  Look at their faces, and see what a

-woebegone expression has settled there.  Every time I glimpse at Sid and

-Fred, I have to think of a funeral, or a famine."

-

-"Yes, it must be a dreadful thing to have to actually starve yourself,

-and all for the sake of getting in what they call condition," Mame Wells

-remarked.  "Why, for the first time in all his life, Sid has to get up

-from the table before the dessert comes on.  He says he just couldn't

-stand for it to stay, and see us all enjoying ourselves while he's shut

-out.  Poor boy, I wish it was over for his sake."

-

-"Why, they'll all be like walking skeletons if this keeps on much

-longer," Flo Temple, the doctor's daughter, broke in with.  "I even told

-Fred he'd have to walk with a heavy cane, like an old man, before long,

-and I offered him one of father's, but he must have felt ashamed to take

-it, though I just know he wanted to."

-

-"Oh! well," observed Corney Shay, slyly, "a heavy stick like that is a

-mighty nice thing to have along with you, when you're coming home awful

-late at night," and of course that caused a great laugh, as well as the

-blushes to flash up in the cheeks of pretty Flo.

-

-"But don't any of you try to pity us, and think we're suffering for want

-of a decent meal," Fred told them.  "Training table simply means that

-you've got to drop pastry, and all such silly things as that.  We eat

-beefsteak and chops and eggs just as much as we want to, most vegetables,

-fish and fruits, and even plain cake.  Why, it's the finest thing a boy

-can do, to try training for a month, and every fellow would be better off

-for doing it."

-

-"Then the daily runs we take, and the other exercise in the bargain,"

-added Sid, "is making our flesh as hard as nails.  Just feel that muscle,

-will you?" and he flexed his arm as he held it out toward the gray-eyed

-Cissie, who of course, after duly feeling of it, gave Sid a sly pinch

-that made him jump.

-

-Everybody knew that Fred and Flo were good chums, and were nearly always

-together.  It was that very fact that had made Buck Lemington dislike

-Fred so much in the beginning.  Buck had aspirations in that quarter

-himself, and there had been a time, before the other boy came to town,

-that he acted as escort to the doctor's pretty daughter, when they were

-all much younger than now.

-

-"I hear that the course has all been laid out at last," remarked a small

-but lively high school boy, a cousin of Colon.  He really had a first

-name, though most people seemed to have forgotten to say "Harrison," for

-everywhere he went by the appellation of Semi-Colon, as compared with the

-lengthy one.

-

-"We were told the same thing," Flo ventured to say, "but twenty-five

-miles seems a terribly long way to run.  My father is to examine every

-applicant, because they say it would be dangerous for any boy not in the

-best of condition to start out, and undergo the strain that a long race

-causes.  So if any of you has a weak heart I'm sorry for you."

-

-"Don't waste your pity on Fred, then, Flo," said Cissie, "because you

-ought to know his heart's all right.  Besides, we've seen him put to the

-test, and feel sure he'll do good old Riverport High credit.  So will

-they all.  There isn't a girl in town but firmly believes the race is

-bound to come to our school," and she gave Sid an arch look that caused

-him to nod his head in delight.

-

-"One thing sure," said Fred, gallantly, "every fellow is bound to make

-the greatest effort of his life, after learning how the Riverport girls

-have faith in him.  I can speak for myself and Sid here, as well as

-Bradley Morton and Colon, who are absent.  If we all fail to land the

-prize, it'll be because there are better long distance runners in the

-other towns, and not on account of our flunking."

-

-"They say that to-morrow the four who have been selected to be Riverport

-entries expect to make the run from start to finish, just to get

-acquainted with the course, and time themselves; is that so, Fred?" asked

-Mame, who undoubtedly sincerely mourned the fact, as she had often done

-before, that she was a girl, and hence debarred from all these glorious

-times.

-

-"Yes, we expect to do something like that, if the weather allows," Fred

-admitted, "but of course time isn't going to cut much of a figure in it

-with us.  We'll leave all that to the big day, and content ourselves by

-getting familiar with the lay of the land, finding out all the bad

-places, and figuring how best to save a minute here or half of one there.

-That's what is going to count in the final reckoning, the chances are."

-

-"Yes, and it stands for the Fred Fenton type of highest strategy," said

-Sid, who could praise a friend without feeling the slightest touch of

-envy.  "Being prepared means a heap, in war or in sporting matters.

-That's one reason we're dieting right now, so as to put ourselves in the

-finest possible physical condition."

-

-"And lots of people just think when there's a Marathon race like this,"

-ventured little Semi-Colon, "that a pack of crazy boys just strip to

-their running togs and start pell mell across country without a particle

-of system whatever.  It's all wrong, because every move is mapped out

-beforehand by the wise ones.  They know just what they can do in the way

-of speed, and how much reserve they're holding back against the rush over

-the home stretch.  That last is where the agony always comes in,

-'specially if the race is a close one.  Many a fellow's been known to

-just crawl under the tape, too weak to stand up, yet wild to win."

-

-"Well, let's hope nothing like that happens in our Marathon," said Mame,

-with a solicitous look toward her handsome brother, of whom she was very

-fond.

-

-"Oh! well," Sid hastened to explain, to allay her fears, "this is only a

-boys' run, you know; when regular athletes compete they set a faster pace

-than any of us can show; and then the distance is generally much further

-than twenty-five miles."

-

-"Here comes Colon now," remarked Cissie, who often tormented the tall

-athlete with her witty remarks.

-

-"He looks more mysterious than ever," remarked Mame Wells, "and I

-shouldn't be surprised now if Colon were hatching up some bright game for

-that glorious day of the long race.  Not that he'd play any trick that

-wasn't honest, but you all know how he likes to pretend to be beaten

-until close to the end, and then fairly fly ahead of every competitor."

-

-"Colon is going to make Riverport proud of him, you mark my words," said

-Fred, lowering his voice, for the object of their conversation was now

-close by, and covering ground at a tremendous pace with those long legs

-of his, which some of the boys had often compared to a pair of

-architect's dividers.

-

-"Hello, everybody!" Colon called out, as he came up.  Then, crooking his

-finger toward Fred, he went on to say, "Would you mind stepping aside,

-Fred, and giving me just a minute or two?  Something important, or I

-wouldn't bother you."

-

-Of course the group of boys and girls laughed, and called them a pair of

-conspirators, planning some sly game whereby victory might perch on the

-purple and gold banner of Riverport High.

-

-"What's up, Colon?" asked Fred, as soon as they were beyond earshot of

-the noisy crowd, for he saw that the tall fellow looked quite serious

-indeed.

-

-"Remember what we said about that Corny Ludson, don't you, Fred?"

-

-"Why, yes, we concluded to let matters rest, and wait to see if anything

-new would turn up," replied the other, "but why do you say that, Colon?"

-

-"Oh! because Corny's shown up in Riverport again, and it might mean he's

-got another sly robbery in view," Colon calmly remarked.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XII

-

-LAYING PLANS

-

-

-"Did you see him yourself, Colon, or did some one tell you?"  Fred

-inquired calmly, although he rubbed his forehead, as though bothered a

-little by this latest news.

-

-"Well, you know strangers don't come to town in droves these days, and so

-when I happened to set eyes on a party I didn't recognize, who had just

-been talking with Hi Jimmerson, the livery stable man, I asked him who it

-was.  Don't know just why that bumped into my head, but I had an errand

-with Hi, anyhow, you understand."

-

-"And he told you it was Corny Ludson, did he?" asked Fred.

-

-"Yes, that's what he did," came the ready reply.  "It seems he used to

-know the man over in New Brunswick years ago.  If you and Bristles had

-run across Hi when you were trying to find out something about Corny,

-you'd have struck a gold mine.  He told me a lot of queer things about

-him, and none of 'em that were to his credit, either."

-

-"What did Corny want with the livery man?" asked Fred.

-

-"Oh! tried to strike him for a little loan on account of old times," the

-other replied.  "Said he'd been up against it harder than flint, and had

-a couple of kids to feed, left to him by his brother.  Hi is an easy

-mark, you know, with a great big heart, and he staked Corny to the extent

-of a dollar, though he did tell him money was scarce, and that would be

-the limit."

-

-Fred seemed to be pondering, for he was somewhat slow about speaking

-again.

-

-"Well, it may be we've been wronging Corny by making up our minds he

-stole that stuff from old Mr. Periwinkle," he finally went on to say,

-"though the miser did tell us he would recognize the tin box among a

-thousand.  I hardly know what we ought to do about this thing."

-

-"If you told the Chief all you know, what d'ye reckon he'd do?" inquired

-Colon.

-

-"He's such a peppery and ready-to-act little chap," answered Fred, "that

-I'm of the opinion he'd round Corny up in a rush.  That might turn out to

-be the right thing.  And again there's a chance it'd play him a mean

-trick.  What if he were innocent after all?  We'd feel that we'd done him

-a great wrong."

-

-This thought worked upon Colon's mind at once, for he had a very tender

-heart.

-

-"Yes," he added, reflectively.  "And then, how about that boy and girl?

-Like as not they're in some place out of town, right now, depending on

-their uncle to fetch home the bacon.  They'd have to go hungry a long

-time if Corny were locked up in the cooler.  I'd hate to think of that

-same happening, from what you and Bristles told me about the poor kids."

-

-"That leaves us up in the air, you see," pursued Fred.  "We don't know

-what our duty is---to tell the Chief, or wait to see what happens."

-

-"Now, by that I reckon you mean wait and see if anything is pulled off

-again in town, or around here?" suggested Colon; "that is, in the way of

-a robbery like old Mr. Periwinkle's loss of his money and papers.  Whew!

-I must say it's getting interesting all of a sudden."

-

-"I was wondering," Fred ventured, "if Corny, provided he did rob the old

-miser, and has spent the small sum of money that was taken, could have

-heard that Mr. Periwinkle has said he'd pay a certain sum, and no

-questions asked, for the safe return of his papers!"

-

-At that Colon puckered up his thin lips, and emitted a soft whistle, as

-if to thus display his surprise.

-

-"Queer I never thought of that idea, Fred," he said, nodding his head in

-a way to indicate that on the whole he was inclined to agree with what

-his companion had advanced.

-

-"It's always possible, you know," he was told.  "If only the papers could

-be returned without Corny showing his face!  Now, he may have some sort

-of a plan like that to play, which would account for his coming to town

-again.  I wonder if it'd be the right thing for me to see Mr. Periwinkle,

-and kind of put him on his guard?"

-

-"Could you do it without telling him all about Corny?" demanded Colon.

-

-"That's the question," admitted Fred.  "That's where the hitch seems to

-come in the scheme.  The old miser is apt to jump at conclusions, if he

-sees a chance to get his papers back, and bag the thief at the same time.

-Once he suspects that I know who was in that cave where the empty tin

-cracker box was found, he'll insist on sending for Chief Sutton, and

-laying some sort of clever trap."

-

-"Well, if Corny is really guilty, he ought to suffer for it; and I

-wouldn't care a single pin only for that boy and girl.  If we knew where

-they were kept right now, so we could bring 'em into town, and get folks

-interested in putting both in good families, I'd say go ahead and have

-Corny caught."

-

-"I wonder what Bristles would say about it," mused Fred.

-

-"Huh!  I c'n tell you that," grunted the tall boy, immediately.

-

-"Then suppose you do, Colon."

-

-"Bristles," continued the other, confidently, "would hunch his shoulders

-this way, as he nearly always does, and then he'd say: whatever you think

-is the right caper, Fred, count me in.  I'm ready to sneeze every time

-you take snuff!' That's the way Bristles would talk, mark my words."

-

-Fred laughed.  He could not help feeling flattered at such an evidence of

-confidence on the part of these two chums; yet he feigned to disagree

-with Colon.

-

-"I don't know about that, Colon, Bristles has a mind of his own, and

-sometimes it takes a lot of argument to convince him.  You've got to

-batter down his walls, and knock all the props out from under him before

-he'll throw up the white flag.  If I get half a chance to run across lots

-to-night, I'll try to see him.  He ought to be put wise to what's going

-on.

-

-"That's only fair, Fred, because he was there when we struck that cave.

-And if I remember aright, Bristles was the first to discover about Corny

-having been the one who used that cooking fire."

-

-"Don't pass the word around, Colon, mind," cautioned Fred.

-

-"You didn't need to say that, my boy," remarked the other, with a vein of

-reproach in his voice, "because you ought to know I'm not one of the

-blabbing kind.  I c'n keep a secret better'n anybody in our class.  They

-might pump me forever and never learn a thing."

-

-"When was it you saw Corny?"  Fred asked, as though desirous of obtaining

-the fullest information possible.

-

-"Why, just a little while ago," Colon confided.  "Fact is, my first

-thought was to look you up, and tell you.  I went to your house first,

-because your hours are a heap shorter than the regular scholars, at

-school, and they said you'd gone off an hour before.  And then, well, I

-kind of guessed Flo Temple would be starting for home about this time,

-and it might be you'd happen along to carry her hooks, as you always used

-to.  And I was right," with a sly glance at the little packet Fred had at

-that very moment under his left arm.

-

-"Oh that's all right, Colon," he remarked, laughingly; "just from force

-of habit, you know.  Flo kind of expects me to drop around, and seems

-sort of disappointed when anything keeps me away.  That's the way we

-spoil our girl friends, you see.  But let's speak of serious things.  I

-don't see that we're called on to inform about Corny, with only

-circumstantial evidence against him.  If there did happen to be another

-robbery while we knew he was close by, of course then it would be another

-thing.  We just couldn't keep quiet any longer."

-

-"That's what you've decided on, then, is it, Fred?"

-

-"Yes, to hold off, and wait," he was told in a decisive way.

-

-"All right then, and I want to say that I think you're playing safe in

-the game.  You're holding off on account of that pair of poor kids, I

-know you are.  Corny c'n thank them for being let alone.  And Fred, seems

-to me you're going on the policy of the old saying that tells you to give

-a rascal rope enough, and he'll hang himself."

-

-"If anything happens, I promise to go straight to Chief Sutton and put

-him in possession of all the facts I know," affirmed Fred.  "And in case

-I'm not able to get over to Bristles' place to-night, I'll call him up on

-the wire, and tell him how the case stands."

-

-"You'll have to be careful what you say, then," remarked Colon, with a

-grin; "if you happen to have any curious old maid on your party wire, as

-we have."

-

-"Well, it saves the cost of the weekly paper, you know," laughed Fred.

-"But you can make sure, Colon, if I do talk with Bristles over the wire,

-I'll fix things so no one could tell what it was all about, and yet he'll

-understand what I mean."

-

-"Say I wanted to tell you, Fred, about that same Corny," Colon observed,

-taking hold of his chum's sleeve, as he thought he detected an uneasiness

-about Fred's actions.  Flo was looking their way, and frowning, as though

-she considered that this mysterious consultation had gone on about long

-enough, even if it did concern important plans for the coming Marathon

-run.

-

-"I'd be glad to hear it then, Colon," the tall boy was told.

-

-"I didn't like his looks a little bit," Colon continued, seriously.

-

-"By that style of talk I should imagine you thought he'd just as soon

-steal from a miser as eat a square meal; is that what you mean?"  Fred

-demanded.

-

-"He looks mean as dirt," the other went on to say.  "There's a slick way

-he's got of rubbing his hands together when he's talking, and looking up

-from the tail of his eye, to see how you're taking his patter.  Now, I'm

-only a boy, and I don't make out to be able to read character any great

-shakes, but, Fred, I'd be willing to eat my hat if that Corny isn't a bad

-egg every time."

-

-"Everybody seems to think the same way there," he was told, "and I've yet

-to hear the first word in his favor.  We'll consider that settled, then,

-Colon.  And if you get wind of anything being pulled off around Riverport

-to-night, or later on, don't let the grass grow under your feet about

-giving me a tip."

-

-"You just bet I won't, Fred.  But I hope there'll be some way of finding

-out about that pair of kids.  Somehow I seem to have cottoned to 'em just

-from what you'nd our other chum told me, and without ever havin' set eyes

-on either the boy or the girl that I know about.  I'm meaning to sound my

-ma about how it could be fixed, so they'd have decent homes, in case

-anything happened."

-

-"That sentiment does you credit, Colon, and I promise that when the time

-comes, if it ever does, I'll back you up to the limit."

-

-"Shake hands on that, Fred!" exclaimed impulsive Colon, and then and

-there they exchanged a grip that cemented the bargain.

-

-"I certainly do hope that finishes the wonderful consultation!" called

-out a clear girlish voice, and Flo Temple came toward them, with a little

-pout on her pretty red lips.   "We've grown tired of standing here, and

-waiting, while you laid out your great plan of campaign.  I should think

-there was plenty of time for all that between now and the day of the

-Marathon race.  And Fred, you forget you promised to walk out in the

-woods with me, and see if the first wild flowers hadn't popped up.  This

-is the only chance I've had so far this week, and it'll be late before we

-get fairly started."

-

-Of course Fred declared that nothing stood in the way of their immediate

-departure, and as Sid and Cissie had agreed to go along, it may be

-assumed they had a merry time of it.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XIII

-

-THE MUFFLED VOICE

-

-

-"Fred, someone wants you on the 'phone!"

-

-"All right, Sis, tell him I'll be right down, and to hold the wire!"

-

-At the time his younger sister, Josie, called him.  Fred was sitting in

-his own room at home.  It was around eight o'clock, and he had just been

-studying, so as to get such matters off his mind until Monday swung

-around again.  The next day being Saturday, he and the other selected

-contestants for honors in the big race expected to cover the course at a

-pretty good pace, so as to familiarize themselves with its numerous

-shortcomings and advantages.

-

-Not wishing to keep anyone waiting, and suspecting that it must be either

-Colon or Bristles who had some sort of communication to make, Fred

-hurried down to the lower hail where the 'phone hung.

-

-"Hello!" he called.

-

-Evidently the other party was waiting, for immediately there came an

-answer.

-

-"That you, Fred?"

-

-"Yes," replied Fred, at the same time wondering who it could be, because

-there did not seem to be anything familiar about the half muffled tones.

-

-"This is Bristles!" came the voice.

-

-"What's that?" exclaimed Fred, wondering if his friend could be trying to

-play some trick on him by pretending to change his voice.

-

-"Bristles, don't you know?  Wait a minute till I cough," and then

-followed a series of explosive barks that sounded wonderfully realistic

-over the wire, after which the muffled voice continued: "Seem to have

-taken a beastly cold somehow, after school.  Sneezing to beat the band,

-in the bargain.  But I want to see you, the worst way, Fred.  Can't you

-come over to my house, for I oughtn't to go out in the night air with

-this cold?"

-

-"Now, you mean, Bristles?"

-

-"Sure, right away.  It's only eight o'clock, and I've got something to

-tell you that'll make you sit up and take notice.  Excuse me while I bark

-a few times, Fred," which he accordingly did in a way that made the other

-remove the receiver from close contact with his ear.

-

-"Well, you do seem to have a good dose of it, Bristles," Fred remarked,

-laughingly, when the bombardment had finally ceased.  "I'm almost afraid

-that cold will be catching over the wire.  Hope it won't be anything

-serious, old fellow."

-

-"Oh!  I'm not bothering about that, Fred," he was told, "but I'm just

-aching to tell you something great.  You'll be tickled half to death when

-you hear what it is.  Never mind asking me, either, because I won't

-whisper a word over the wire."

-

-"All right, then, Bristles."

-

-"You'll sure come, Fred?" anxiously asked his unseen chum.

-

-"Why, of course I will," Fred hastened to assure him.  "I meant to run

-over to your place to-night, anyway, because I've got a little news you

-ought to hear."

-

-"And Fred, you'll take the short-cut, of course?"

-

-"It's mighty seldom I go any other way, Bristles.  Why do you ask?"

-

-"I was only afraid you might have some errand down-town that'd take you

-the long way around, that's all, Fred.  Now, hurry up, because I'll bust

-if I have to hold this great thing in much longer.  So long, Fred!"

-

-As the thick voice ceased to come over the wire Fred put the receiver on

-the hook, and there was a little frown on his face.

-

-"Now I wonder if he's happened to learn about that Corny Ludson, and

-means to explode it on me?"  Fred was saying, as he picked up his hat.

-As he did so, his glance happening to fall upon a heavy cane with a

-crooked handle belonging to his father, he took possession of it.

-

-Perhaps it was the recollection of what pretty Flo Temple had said when

-jokingly telling him that he would presently be needing a walking stick,

-if he kept on dieting for the Marathon race, that suddenly tempted Fred

-to take this cane, for he had certainly never done it on any previous

-occasion.

-

-Later on he was inclined to believe there might be some truth in that

-fable of the sea, to the effect that there is a "little cherub aloft,

-looking after the affairs of poor Jack," and keeping him in times of

-sudden peril.  At any rate the sudden whim of Fred's, when he thought to

-play a joke on Bristles, and pretend that he needed a crutch or a cane,

-since he was becoming lame and decrepit, was fated to turn out one of the

-finest things he ever did.

-

-When Fred stepped out of the front door, he found that it was fairly

-dark, as the moon happened to be past its full, and consequently had not

-as yet appeared above the eastern horizon.

-

-When Fred and Bristles wished to exchange visits they were in the habit

-of taking a short-cut, that saved considerable distance.  It wound in and

-out over the open lots, though there was only one fence to climb.  So

-frequently had the boys made use of this way, in their endeavor to save

-themselves from needless steps, that they knew every foot of it like a

-book.  Indeed, a plain trail had been worn by these innumerable trips.

-

-Bristles had often declared he could go from his house to that of Fred

-with his eyes bandaged, and never once get off the track.  No doubt it

-was the same way with the Fenton boy, who had impressed every little

-peculiarity of that short-cut on his mind.

-

-Swinging the heavy walking-stick around by the crook, Fred hurried along,

-climbing the fence on the other side of the road.  Just at that moment he

-chanced to notice a figure coming up the street, and while astride the

-topmost rail of the fence he stopped to see if his suspicions were

-confirmed, for he thought he ought to know that peculiar gait.

-

-When the other started in at the Fenton gate Fred called softly:

-

-"Hello there, Colon!"

-

-The tall figure turned around at being thus addressed from across the

-street.

-

-"That you, Fred?" he asked, starting to cross over.

-

-"Nobody else," replied the other, with a chuckle, "and you happened along

-just in the nick of time, let me tell you.  I'd have been gone in three

-shakes of a lamb's tail."

-

-"Going across lots to Bristles's shack, I reckon?" ventured the tall boy,

-as he reached the side of his friend.

-

-"Just what I'm meaning to do," he was told.  "Bristles called up before I

-was ready to start across, and wanted me to hurry over.  Said he had

-something to tell me that was simply great."

-

-"You don't say!" exclaimed Colon.

-

-"And I've been wondering whether he could have learned about that man

-being in town," continued Fred.

-

-"Meaning Corny?" queried Colon.

-

-"Yes," Fred replied, still sitting on the rail of the fence.  "If you saw

-him, there'd be a chance that Bristles might have heard something along

-those lines.  You know he's the greatest fellow going for picking up

-information about all sorts of things."

-

-"It might be," mused the other, "and we could have some fun with Bristles

-by springing the racket on him before he got a chance to let the cat out

-of the bag."

-

-"You'll go over with me, then?" asked Fred.

-

-"That's my present intention," said Colon.  "Fact is, I strolled around

-to see if you expected to drop in on Bristles, and put him wise.  Didn't

-have anything else to do, this being Friday night, you know.  And I'm

-that full of the race I seem to want to talk it over all the time.  But

-what are you carrying that heavy walking-stick for?  Hope there wasn't

-any truth in what Flo Temple said, and that you're getting weak in the

-knees, Fred?"

-

-"I just happened to remember all that joshing," Fred told him, "when I

-saw dad's stick.  So I picked it up, thinking I'd play a joke on

-Bristles, and make out to be lame.  But looks a little as if we mightn't

-have Bristles along with us to-morrow."

-

-"How's that?"  Colon wanted to know, instantly.

-

-"Why, it seems he's gone and taken a terrible cold all of a sudden," Fred

-told him.  "You'd never have guessed who it was talking over the wire to

-me.  He had to tell me who it was."

-

-"When was this?" asked Colon, "because I called him up after I got home

-this evening, to sort of say we _might_ be around, and I didn't notice

-anything out of the way with him then."

-

-"Is that so?" remarked Fred, as though a little puzzled.  Then he added,

-"Oh! these colds in the head come on with a rush, sometimes.  He barked

-like a dog, and I even had to hold the receiver away from my ear.  I told

-him he'd give it to me over the wire.  But chances are he'll not be in a

-fit state for a twenty-five mile run to-morrow, more's the pity.  It's

-queer about that heavy cold taking him so sudden, though, come to think

-of it."

-

-"He wanted you to come over, you say?" continued Colon, as he threw one

-of his long legs across the top rail, and prepared to follow Fred, who

-had already dropped down on the other side of the fence, and was in the

-field that was to be crossed first of all, in following the short-cut to

-the Carpenter home.

-

-"Yes, that was why he called me up," replied Fred.  "And he kept urging

-me not to hold off a minute, because he said what he had to tell was so

-important he'd just burst if he held in much longer.  And then he wanted

-to make sure I'd take this path across lots."

-

-"But why would he say that, Fred?" continued the tall boy, as side by

-side they started off, with Fred keeping on the path, which could be seen

-readily enough in the starlight, once his eyes had become accustomed to

-the night.

-

-"He said, Colon, he was afraid I might try to kill two birds with one

-stone, and go down-town first, to do some errand, and he just couldn't

-wait a minute longer than was necessary."

-

-"Huh! that's funny," grunted Colon, as though he failed to understand

-exactly why the said Bristles should have been so very particular.

-

-They walked along, with Colon clutching the left arm of his chum, for he

-depended upon Fred to show the way, not being very familiar with the

-crooked path himself.

-

-They kept on talking as they walked, for there were any amount of things

-that interested them jointly, from the mystery concerning the actions of

-Corny Ludson, to the plans they had in mind concerning the winning of the

-glorious Marathon.

-

-Here and there clumps of bushes caused them to turn aside, but that was

-the way the trail ran, very much like what Fred called a "cow-path."

-Indeed, it meandered along in a zigzag fashion, though always heading for

-the opposite side of the field.

-

-The two boys were just in the act of passing the densest patch of bushes

-that the cow-pasture boasted, when without the slightest warning three

-figures suddenly confronted them.  They leaped from the covert where they

-had been lying concealed, and, as though all their plans had been

-arranged beforehand, two of the figures instantly sprang past, so that

-from all sides of a triangle Fred and Colon found themselves furiously

-assailed.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XIV

-

-A PLOT THAT FAILED

-

-

-Although taken completely by surprise Fred and Colon were not the kind of

-boys to flinch, or run from sudden danger.

-

-They could see that the three fellows who surrounded them were gotten up

-just as might have been expected under such circumstances.  When men or

-boys lay out to do a mean thing, they generally try to arrange it so that

-their identity may not be disclosed.  These fellows had their hats drawn

-low down, their coat collars turned up, and, unless Fred's eyes deceived

-him, they also had handkerchiefs or some other kind of disguise fastened

-over the lower part of their faces, just as they may have read of

-desperate footpads doing out West, when holding up stage coaches.

-

-There was really no time to note anything more.  Uttering all sorts of

-angry cries in falsetto voices, the assailants bore down upon the two

-chums.

-

-"Whoop! give it to 'em, Fred!" cried Colon, his long arms immediately

-taking on the appearance of a couple of old-fashioned flails, such as

-farmers used before the time of machine threshers.

-

-Fred was already busily engaged.  A thrill of satisfaction seemed to fill

-his boyish heart over the inspiration that had caused him to pick up that

-heavy walking-stick before sallying forth to cross over to Bristles'

-house.

-

-It was certainly a handy thing to have around just then, with the odds

-against them, and that whirlwind attack on in full force.

-

-After Fred had swung his stick a few times, and several loud thumps told

-that it had landed on each occasion, grunts began to change into groans.

-Of course it hurt, no matter where it landed, and once a fellow ran up

-against such punishment, the chances were he would not feel just the same

-savage inclination to press the attack that he had before "taking his

-medicine."

-

-Colon, too, was doing gallant work, though he possessed no club or cane,

-and had to depend upon his fists alone.  He was tall, and had a terrific

-reach, so that he could land his clever blows without being severely

-punished in return.

-

-One thing the two chums were careful to do,---not separate.  Although

-they had had no chance to settle on any plan of campaign, they seemed to

-just naturally understand that in their case union meant strength.

-Accordingly they kept back to back, and in that way managed to hold off

-all assailants.

-

-Afterwards Colon used to say that their defence had been conducted along

-the famous "hollow square" plan, peculiar to British troops for

-centuries, in that they kept their faces to their foes, and their lines

-intact.

-

-Of course this sort of vigorous work could not last very long.  It was

-too one-sided, with Fred pounding two of the unknown fellows with his

-father's walking-stick, as though that might be the regular mission of

-such heavy canes.

-

-There was a final scramble, in which blows were given and taken on both

-sides.  Then a gruff voice, considerably the worse for wear and lack of

-breath, gasped out:

-

-"Scoot, fellows! it's all off!"

-

-Immediately the three mysterious assailants turned and ran away.  Fred

-noticed with more or less satisfaction that a couple of them seemed to

-wabble considerably, thanks to the whacks he had managed to get in with

-his heavy stick.

-

-"Go it, you cowards!" shouted Colon after them.  "For three cents I'd

-give chase, and hand you a few more good ones.  But unless I miss my

-guess, one of you'll have a black eye to-morrow, for I plunked you

-straight.  Whew!  I'm out of wind with all that rapid action work, Fred!"

-

-Fred himself was breathing rather hard, because of the way in which he

-had been compelled to exert himself in the melee.  So neither of them

-made the slightest move to advance any further, content to stand there,

-puffing heavily.

-

-Then Colon began to chuckle, louder and louder, until he broke out into a

-hearty laugh, at the same time doubling up like a hinge, after an odd way

-he had.

-

-"Got 'em going and coming, didn't we, Fred?" he wanted to know, when his

-merriment had subsided in some degree.  "They caught us napping, that's

-right, but say, did it do 'em much good?  Not that you could notice.  Let

-me tell you that's a sore lot of fellows to limp all the way home to

-Mechanicsburg to-night."

-

-"What makes you say that, Colon?"

-

-"About Mechanicsburg, you mean?" remarked the tall boy.  "Why what else

-would we think, but that the trick was planned, and carried out by some

-of that gang of up-river fellows?   Haven't we run up against the same

-lot before, and would you put it past them to try to lame a fellow, so he

-couldn't take part in a race, and let their side have a clear field?

-Huh! easy as falling off a log to see how the ground lies."

-

-"But Colon," objected Fred, "remember what Felix Wagner said to us about

-playing the game fair and square?  I don't believe he'd descend to any

-such mean dodge as this, nor most of the other fellows up

-there---Sherley, Gould, Hennessy, Boggs and then some.  If this was a

-set-up job, I'd rather believe it originated nearer home than

-Mechanicsburg."

-

-"A set-up job!" roared Colon.  "You never heard of one with more of the

-ear-marks of a lowdown game than this has.  Why, they planned to get you

-to cross here all by yourself, and then lay you out so you couldn't run

-for a month.  Didn't I see how they kept kicking at my shins all the

-time, and I reckon that's what they did with you.  I've a welt on my leg

-right now from a heavy brogan;  and I'd like to bet you they put on that

-sort of foot-wear so as to make their kicks hurt like fun."

-

-"Yes, they did seem to keep kicking at me, every chance they found,"

-admitted Fred, as though partly convinced by the other's argument.

-

-"See?" flashed Colon.  "I told you how it was.  They had that all laid

-out, and after it was carried through you'd be laid up and lame for the

-whole of the Spring.  When a fellow means to run a twenty-five mile race,

-he's got to keep in tiptop condition right along, or he'll get soft; and

-if you couldn't practice every day, why what would be the use of your

-starting in?  Five miles would make your ankle so sore you'd have to be

-carried home on a hayrick."

-

-"They tried their level best not to give themselves away," continued

-Fred.

-

-"Hardly ever used their voices,---only when they just had to grunt and

-groan, after you touched 'em up with that bully walking-stick.  Fred."

-

-"And," continued Fred, "they had their hats pulled down over their faces,

-collars turned up, and some sort of thing over their chins, so their best

-friend wouldn't have recognized one of them."

-

-"Oh! it certainly was a pretty smart trap, and it failed to work on

-account of a few things the plotters hadn't thought of," observed Colon,

-with a vein of satisfaction in his voice.

-

-"One of which was my great luck in having you along with me, Colon."

-

-"Oh!  I don't know that that counted any to speak of," objected the

-other.  "Why, when I saw the way you slung about you with that

-walking-stick, Fred, I knew as sure as anything they were in the soup.

-And chances are, it'd have been just the same if you'd come along here by

-yourself.  The biggest piece of luck you had was when you took that

-notion to carry your dad's heavy cane."

-

-"Perhaps you're right, Colon," admitted Fred, as he felt of the heavy

-stick, and then remembered with what a vim he had applied it without

-stint wherever he could get an opening.  "And I ought to really thank Flo

-Temple for that, oughtn't I?  Only for the way she joked me about needing

-a crutch or a cane, I'd never have thought of playing it on Bristles.

-And I want to tell you I'd hate to have this thing laid on me, good and

-hard.  Wherever I struck, it's raised a whopping big welt, I calculate."

-

-"Well, if you could tell from the way they hollered every time it struck,

-that goes without saying," laughed Colon.  "And I'll have lots of fun out

-of this, every time I think of it.  Did you hear what that leader said

-when he knew they'd have to own up beat? 'Scoot, fellows!  it's all off!'

-I guess it was, for if they'd held out much longer, we'd have floored the

-whole bunch."

-

-"I was wondering what his voice sounded like," said Fred.

-

-"Oh!  I'd take my affidavit that he had a hickory nut in his cheek right

-then, so as to disguise his voice, if he did have to speak any," Colon

-went on to say, and in this way proving that he was ready to give their

-unknown assailants credit for utilizing every possible device that would

-insure the successful carrying out of their miserable scheme.

-

-"I knew a fellow who did that same thing once upon a time," Fred hinted.

-

-"Yes, and it was somebody we happen to know right well, too," agreed

-Colon; "in other words, Mister Buck Lemington, the clever and

-unscrupulous son of Sparks Lemington, one of Riverport's leading

-citizens, and a chap who lies awake nights hatching up plans for getting

-the better of a friend of mine."

-

-"Hold on, Colon, go a little slow about accusing anybody before we've got

-the least bit of evidence.  This might be a different crowd.  Perhaps

-it'll turn out they're from Paulding, where I've heard there's a certain

-sporting element that's taken to betting on baseball games and athletics

-and such things, now that horse racing and making pools have been knocked

-out by law."

-

-"Shucks! now, I hadn't thought of that before," assented the tall boy, in

-a grudging fashion, as though he disliked giving up any cherished idea

-that may have seized upon his mind with conviction.  "And if they've gone

-and put up money on Paulding breasting the tape first, why, of course

-they might plot to do something to lame the best runners in Riverport and

-Mechanicsburg.  But Fred, in that case they'd be apt to send men here to

-knock you.  These were boys!"

-

-"Yes, that's so, Colon, and it looks like a weak link in the chain,

-doesn't it?  But since the game didn't pan out the way they thought it

-would, perhaps these fellows will fight shy of trying anything like it

-again.  We'll take a look around to-morrow, and see if we can notice any

-signs of their being on the hurt list among Buck's crowd."

-

-"That's the ticket, Fred!" said Colon, jubilant.  "That black eye would

-tell the story, wouldn't it, now?  And then if Clem Shooks or Oscar Jones

-is seen to limp painfully, and grunt every step he takes, that ought to

-mark him as one of your poor victims."

-

-"The whole three of them galloped off, didn't they?" asked Fred just

-then.

-

-"I should say they did, and as fast as they could skip.  But what makes

-you ask that, Fred?"

-

-"I thought I heard a movement in this patch of bushes here, that's all;

-but it may have been a bird or a rabbit.  Shall we start along now,

-Colon?"

-

-"Just give me half a minute, will you, Fred?" begged the tall chum, who

-was fumbling in his vest pocket.

-

-"What do you want to do?" asked Fred.

-

-"Oh, strike a match, and take a little peep around," he was told.  "Never

-know what you might strike.  Remember picking up a sleeve button once,

-after I'd been set on by a couple of fellows in the dark; and it gave the

-game away.  Oh! yes, I returned the button, but my bruises felt a heap

-better after I'd given the fellow a double dose."

-

-He immediately snapped the match off, and began moving around close to

-the bushes.  Fred heard him sing out before half a dozen seconds had

-passed.

-

-"Well, this is great luck, Fred!" Colon exclaimed.  "Here I've found a

-hat trampled in the dirt.  Maybe now that will tell the story.  Hold it,

-please, while I strike another match.  Let's look inside.  What's this I

-see?  First thing is the well known trademark of our enterprising

-Riverport hat dealer.  Then here's some initials in gold fixed inside.

-What d'ye make 'em out to be, Fred?"

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XV

-

-CLINCHING EVIDENCE

-

-

-"As near as I can make out, they're C.J.," said Fred, after he had taken

-a look, before the match flickered, and went out in the night breeze.

-

-Colon burst into another laugh.

-

-"Told you so, Fred!" he remarked, triumphantly.  "You don't need to guess

-twice to know whom that set belongs to.  Let me mention his name to

-you---Conrad Jimmerson, and this is what proves it.  I'd just keep that

-old hat, and make him eat it, if I were you."

-

-There was another rustling in the bushes, and Fred glanced that way as

-though a trifle suspicious, but made no move to investigate.

-

-"Oh!  I don't know that I'll go as far as that," Fred observed, "because,

-while a fellow may have to eat crow once in a while, swallowing his own

-hat would be asking too much of him.  But there's another way to rub it

-in."

-

-"How?" asked Colon.

-

-"Suppose now I took this hat to school Monday," continued Fred, seriously

-enough, "and told the story of how we were waylaid by three mysterious

-chaps, who did their level best to injure us about the shins, and without

-any doubt meaning to knock us out from taking part in the big race?

-Don't you think nearly everybody would be warm about it?"

-

-"Hot about the collar as they could be, and ready to take it out of the

-hide of the three guilty ones, if only they knew who they were," the

-other boy affirmed in his positive way.

-

-"Well, I might put this old hat on exhibition, and ask every boy to take

-a good look at it before seeing the tell-tale initials inside.  Then we'd

-hear what they thought, and if any of them recognized the same.  In that

-way, Colon, it ought to be easy to run down the rascal."

-

-"Yes," added the tall boy, "and once you nailed him, it wouldn't be so

-hard to make him own up who his cronies were.  He's a coward, when you

-pin him down.  I'd dare him to stand up and have it out with me.  Then

-p'raps it was C.J. who rammed his old eye so hard against my fist, trying

-to feaze me.  Oh! the evidence is going to accumulate against him like a

-regular old mountain.  There's that rabbit of yours moving again, Fred.

-Queer all this row didn't start him off, isn't it?"

-

-"I just happened to think," remarked Fred, "that we're on a false

-mission, after all."

-

-"Right now, you mean, don't you, Fred?"

-

-"Yes, because it wasn't Bristles at all I was talking with, but one of

-this same crowd.  No wonder his voice sounded so queer to me, and

-muffled."  Then Fred had to laugh, after which he went on to say, "And to

-think how sly he was making out the cause of it to be that sudden cold

-he'd taken."

-

-"That was a mighty clever dodge, let me tell you," Colon went on to say.

-"You see, he knew you'd notice the difference in voices, for even over

-the wire it's easy to recognize a friend's way of speaking; so he fixed

-it up, with a nut in his cheek, and then told you about the cold."

-

-"And that cough, why, I tell you it was splendidly worked, and whoever

-carried it out was a sharp one, Colon."

-

-"However do you guess it was done?" asked the tall chum.

-

-"Well, there must have been a fourth member of the gang, who had his part

-of the game to play.  Chances were he was to go into some place downtown

-where they have a public 'phone booth, at exactly eight o'clock, and call

-me up.  The other three were to be hiding here before that time, waiting

-for me to cross over.  And I must say it worked out to a charm---only for

-the walking-stick, and you, Colon.  They didn't figure on my receiving

-such important reinforcements at the eleventh hour, as to turn the tide

-of battle."

-

-"Talk to me about Blucher coming up to help Wellington at Waterloo, you

-were in just as good luck to-night.  And the French didn't feel any more

-sore when they had to run, than Buck and his pals do right now.  I'd give

-thirty cents to see what the lot of them are doing this very minute;

-rubbing their bodies, and saying everything mean about us they can think

-of.  Ho! ho! ho!"

-

-Colon seemed to extract a considerable amount of amusement out of this

-unexpected happening.  He evidently considered that he had been in for

-more or less luck simply because he happened to be in Fred's company when

-the other ran into the ambuscade.  Colon was not averse to an occasional

-measure of excitement, and although not all considered a pugnacious

-fellow, he could at the same time hold his own when difficulties arose.

-

-"Of course," pursued Fred, "if I thought it worth while I could easily

-find out who sent that message to me, and played the part of Bristles."

-

-"You mean by going to telephone headquarters, and learning who connected

-with your number tonight about eight; is that it, Fred?"

-

-"And after they had told me it was, say, Dudley's drug store," Fred

-continued, as if figuring it all out, "I could step in there and ask

-Gussie Lightly what boy used the booth about that time."

-

-"Easy enough, because of course Gussie knows all the boys about town, and

-if it was Ben Cushing or Clem Shooks or Oscar Jones, he could tell you

-right off the reel.  Why don't you do it, Fred?"

-

-"I may when I get home, because it can all be done just as well over the

-wire you know," the other replied.  "Gussie is a good friend of mine, I

-feel sure, and if only he knew what a mean game had been set up on me,

-he'd do anything to square matters."

-

-"And at school Monday," Colon suggested, "it might be a good thing for

-you to be able to prove it was one of Buck's cronies that talked with

-you, making out to be Bristles, who hasn't any cold at all."

-

-"I'm glad of that, too," Fred observed, "because I was feeling that he

-couldn't go along with us tomorrow on the trial spin."

-

-"It was a dirty trick, Fred, but I must say pretty well worked out.  I

-can see the fine hand of our old friend, Buck, back of it all.  There

-isn't another fellow in all Riverport who could get up such a

-combination.  Buck's as full of schemes as an egg is of meat.  That's why

-the others all flock after him.  He's got the brains, and carries the

-money too."

-

-"Now, while it seems that Bristles didn't call me up, and beg me to come

-over, as we're already part way there, we might as well finish the lap,

-Colon."

-

-"Oh! you know I gave him to understand that maybe we might run in on

-him," he was told by the other.

-

-"But it's too bad," remarked Fred, grinning broadly.

-

-"About what?" demanded his friend.

-

-"We're going to be badly disappointed, I'm afraid."

-

-"We are, eh?  I'd like to know how that comes, Fred?"

-

-"Why, we laid out to hear the most thrilling thing that ever happened,

-you see," the other told him, in a voice of mock disappointment.  "When

-Bristles with the muffled voice and the bad cold told me he'd just burst

-if he didn't have someone to confide in right soon, he got me worked up

-to fever pitch.  Now I've had to cool down.  There isn't going to be any

-development.  Our hair won't have to stand tip on end like the quills of

-the fretful porcupine.  In so many words, Colon, it's all off, you know."

-

-"I'm afraid it is, Fred," admitted the other, sadly, "and I'm some

-disappointed, too, because you had my curiosity whetted up.  Why, I

-couldn't begin to tell you all I expected to hear when Bristles got busy.

-Course, knowing about that Corny as you did, it was easy to figure out

-how he might be the one Bristles meant to tell about.  Well, that ends

-it, and Fred, hadn't we better be hunching out of this, if you think

-there's no more hats or other trophies of the great victory lying

-around?"

-

-"Yes, we'll be over at Bristles' place inside of five minutes more," Fred

-announced.

-

-"If he happened to have his window open I wouldn't be surprised if he

-heard us carrying on high over here in the field," suggested Colon, and

-there was an air of expectancy in his voice, as though such a thing would

-not have been at all unpleasant to him.

-

-"One thing sure," Fred asserted, confidently, "he'll kick up an awful row

-just because he didn't happen to be in the little affair.  Bristles never

-wants anyone to get ahead of him, when there's action stirring."

-

-"No more he does," Colon echoed.  "Here, suppose you keep this old hat.

-I'm given to being careless, and I'd be apt to drop it somewhere.  No

-danger of you doing that, Fred; you're always as particular about such

-things as an old maid."

-

-"You can make your mind tip that when the evidence is needed to show up

-the owner of this hat at school, it will be forthcoming.  I'll take it

-home with me, and keep it safe and sound."

-

-The two boys were already moving off, heading across the field.  They

-could easily see the lights in the Carpenter house, which was only a

-short distance away, though if one went around by the road it would take

-some fifteen minutes to make the journey.

-

-They did not bother to look back after they had quitted the vicinity of

-the big cluster of bushes.  Had they done so, and the starlight been

-strong enough for them to see as a cat does at nighttime, Fred and Colon

-might have discovered a bare-headed figure that came creeping out of the

-bushes.  This wretched person looked after them with more or less

-grumbling and complaining, as though not at all relishing some of the

-things so recently spoken by the two chums.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XVI

-

-TELLING BRISTLES

-

-

-"Hello there, Fred, and you too, Colon; glad to see you both!  Step in,

-and come upstairs with me to my den, won't you?"

-

-In this fashion did Bristles meet the two visitors at the front door, and

-convinced by the warmth of the reception that they were going to be

-welcome guests, Fred and the tall boy fell in behind the one who had

-admitted them.  Presently they found themselves comfortably seated in

-such chairs as decorated the so-called "den," which was a small room on

-the top story, where Bristles kept his belongings and did his studying.

-

-"Glad to see your bad cold is a lot better, Bristles!" remarked Colon,

-with a sly wink over toward Fred, who chuckled.

-

-Bristles of course looked puzzled.

-

-"I suppose that's, some sort of a poor joke," he ventured, cautiously,

-glancing from one to the other of his visitors; "but me, I'm groping all

-around in the dark, and don't seem to catch on.  S'pose you open up, and

-explain how it works, Colon."

-

-The tall boy allowed his eyebrows to go up as though tremendously

-surprised.

-

-"Do you mean to tell me, Bristles Carpenter, that you didn't call up

-Fred, here, a little while back, and while begging him to hurry over, as

-you had something important to explain, say you'd taken such a cold you

-could hardly speak plain?"

-

-"What, me?  Say, you're dreaming, Colon.  I never said a word of that,

-and right now I haven't got the least bit of a cold!" exclaimed the

-other, indignantly.  At the same time he began to show a certain amount

-of curiosity, for his good sense warned him there must be a story back of

-Colon's strange accusation.

-

-"And you didn't interrupt yourself several times to say, 'Oh! excuse me,

-while I cough!' and then start in whooping it up so hard Fred here had to

-take the receiver down from his ear or go deaf?"

-

-"Oh!  Come off, and tell me what all this silly stuff means!" demanded

-the still more mystified boy.  "Has anybody been playing a rousing good

-joke on Fred, and making out to be me?"

-

-"That's about the size of it, isn't it, Fred," Colon assented, eagerly

-enough.  "It was a rousing enough joke, while it lasted, but the trouble

-is that it turned out to be one of those back-action, kicking jokes, that

-turns on the jokers, unexpected like.  This one left a black eye, and a

-whole lot of black and blue marks behind it---that is, we believe so, and

-have a pretty good reason, too."

-

-"All right, now tell me what it all means, please," Bristles pleaded,

-seeing that the tall chum was really in earnest.

-

-Colon explained, and as he finished, the astonished listener demanded:

-

-"But what d'ye reckon it all means?"

-

-"Both of us noticed that their main plan seemed to be to kick at our

-shins every chance they got," explained Fred, "and Colon says they had

-heavy brogans on, too.  It's a hard thing to say, Bristles, but we

-honestly believe they meant to lame us, so we couldn't be in shape to run

-to-morrow, and perhaps at the time of the great Marathon, too."

-

-Bristles clenched his hands, and looked savage.

-

-"Well, what d'ye think of that now for a savage trick?" he exclaimed.  "I

-wouldn't believe it of those Mechanicsburg athletes, who've always seemed

-a pretty decent bunch of fellows."

-

-"Hold on," said Fred.  "Go a little slow, Bristles."

-

-"What for?" demanded the other, impetuously and fiercely.

-

-"Because you're making the same mistake Colon here did at first," he was

-told.

-

-"About the boys up the river, you mean, Fred?"

-

-"Yes.  It isn't fair to accuse them without any proof," the other told

-him.

-

-"But the Paulding crowd---" stammered Bristles, evidently taken aback.

-

-"Get closer home," warned Colon.  "What d'ye want to go climbing all over

-the country for, when you've only got to use your nose to smell a rat

-right in old Riverport!"

-

-"Jupiter Pluvius! you must mean our old friend, Buck!" ejaculated

-Bristles, his elevated eyebrows indicating his astonishment.  "Tell me

-about that, will you?  Has he actually come to life again, and been up to

-his old tricks?"

-

-"We're dead sure of it," Colon told him, nodding his head at a lively

-rate.

-

-"Then chances are you recognized one of the bunch?" suggested Bristles.

-

-"No," said Fred, "we couldn't do that very well, because they changed

-their voices, and had their faces hidden by their hats, coat collars, and

-even some sort of cloth that seemed to be tied about their jaws.  But

-after the scrap was over, we picked up a clue that we think will give the

-game away."

-

-"What, Fred?"

-

-"Take a look at this old hat, Bristles," continued the other, as he drew

-the article in question from his pocket.

-

-"Well, I'm looking at it," he was told.

-

-"Ever see it before?" asked Colon, eagerly.

-

-"Of course I wouldn't like to raise my hand, and swear to it," remarked

-Bristles, slowly, "but I want to say this looks mighty like a

-yellow-colored hat I've seen a certain fellow wear, time and again."

-

-"Suppose you go a little further, then, and mention his name," proposed

-Fred.

-

-"Conrad Jimmerson!" promptly replied the other.

-

-Colon laughed gleefully.

-

-"Now turn the hat around, Bristles," he cried, "and look inside!"

-

-Upon doing so the other uttered an exclamation.

-

-"Here they are, two letters that give the thing away---C.J. as plain as

-print could be!" was his cry.

-

-"Glad that you think the same way we do," Colon told him.  "And now, I

-reckon you wonder what Fred's going to do about it."

-

-"If it were myself, I'd take this hat to Cooney, and ask him if it was

-his," Bristles went on to say, in his fiery fashion.  "Course he'd have

-to acknowledge the corn, and then I'd proceed to give him the licking he

-deserves."

-

-"We'd kind of expect that of you, Bristles," remarked Colon,

-magnanimously, "but you see, Fred'n me, we made up our minds that we'd

-given that bunch a pretty good layout as it was.  What they need is

-something to show the people of this town what a tough lot that Buck

-Lemington is dragging around with him."

-

-"But how could you do that?" the other asked.

-

-"Fred thought of taking the hat to school, and telling the story around,

-to the teachers and the pupils," Colon explained, in his accommodating

-way.  "When they learned how these toughs meant to injure Riverport's

-chances of winning the great Marathon, just to gratify a little private

-spite, the town would soon get too hot for Buck and his cronies.  They'd

-have to emigrate for a little while, till the storm blew over."

-

-"That sounds good to me!" declared Bristles, changing his way of

-thinking, for while a very determined boy, he could always be reached by

-argument, and was open to conviction,  "and I hope you carry the plan

-out, Fred.  I'd just like to see those boys put under the ban for a

-while.  Some of them by rights ought to be in the State Reformatory,

-according to my notion.  They're getting too fresh with what they call

-their pranks, and don't even stop at endangering human life."

-

-"Well, of course we're glad that you haven't such a terrible cold,

-Bristles," remarked Fred, "but all the same Colon here is sorry for one

-thing."

-

-"What might that be?" asked the said Colon.

-

-"You see," continued Fred, "after I told him about how you called me up,

-and wanted an interview right away, because you had something important

-to tell, Colon here began to get terribly excited.  He kept wondering

-what it was you meant to explain;  and I know that after we'd run that

-mob off, nearly the first thing he said was that he felt cheated out of a

-sensation, because you didn't want me so bad after all."

-

-At that Bristles laughed loud and long, at the same time looking queerly

-at his guests out of the tail of his eye.

-

-"Too bad to disappoint you, isn't it, fellows?" he went on, in a tone of

-mock sympathy, "but say, maybe I might scare up some little news after

-all, that'd kind of take the place of the thrilling story they hatched up

-for me."

-

-"Let it be on the strict level then, Bristles," warned Colon, severely,

-as he shook his forefinger at the other; "we don't want you to invent any

-old yarn just to please us."

-

-"What I'm going to tell you," began Bristles, very solemnly, "is straight

-goods, believe me.  I don't know whether Fred here will think it of much

-importance, but late this afternoon I chanced to run across an old

-acquaintance.  Guess who it was, boys."

-

-"Huh!  I bet you it was Corny Ludson!" exclaimed Colon, quick as a flash.

-

-Bristles started, and looked keenly at the long-legged chum.

-

-"Well, you hit mighty close to the bull's-eye, then, Colon," he remarked;

-"but you forget I never saw that same Corny Ludson in my life that I know

-of, and so how could he be an old acquaintance.  But he's got a little

-girl named Sadie, a niece, or ward, or something like that, you may

-remember."

-

-"Then you saw her?" asked Fred, eagerly enough, for he had been wondering

-lately what could have become of those two children.

-

-"Not only saw her," continued the other, "but talked with her."

-

-"Tell us about it, Bristles," urged Colon.

-

-"Why, it was this way," began the other, complying briskly.  "She was

-just coming out of the cheap grocery, and had several bundles in her

-arms, as if she might have been buying bread, and some such things.  I

-knew her just as soon as I set eyes on her, for she wore that same old

-frowsy red dress, and had a little tad of a shawl pinned over her

-shoulders.  The poor thing looked like a wind'd blow her away, with her

-thin, pinched face, and big startled eyes."

-

-"Oh! let all that drop, Bristles," expostulated Colon.  "What we want to

-know is, how did you come to speak to her, and did she remember you?"

-

-Bristles was bound to tell his story in his own way.  Without paying any

-attention to this nagging on the part of the tall chum, he kept facing

-Fred, and went on deliberately.

-

-"There was a horse and buggy standing at the curb, and say, you never in

-all your life saw such a dilapidated outfit.  Talk to me about the famous

-'one hoss shay,' it couldn't have been a circumstance beside that rig.

-Everywhere the shafts were tied up to hold, the harness patched till it

-looked all strings, and the animal, well, he was a walking skeleton.  Any

-other time I'd have laughed myself sick, but I couldn't do that then,

-with that poor little thing being the one that drove such an outfit."

-

-"What did you say to her?" asked Fred.

-

-"Oh!  I said 'howdy-do, Sadie, don't you remember me?' and she looked

-scared at first, and then she actually smiled.  She said she hadn't

-forgotten the two boys on the river, who had been so kind to Sam and her.

-I asked her where she'd been all this time, and she looked kind of

-confused and said, 'Oh! around everywhere!'  as if they might be a pack

-of regular Gypsies, and never knew what it was to have a home of their

-own."

-

-"But you say she had some sort of a rig with her," expostulated Colon at

-this point of the narrative,  "and wouldn't that look as if they'd

-squatted down somewhere or other, for a spell?"

-

-"Maybe it would," replied Bristles, "but the chances are they only

-borrowed the outfit for the occasion from some poor farmer, paying for

-its use by fetching him home some supplies from town.  But just then I

-remembered about that pin we found in the cave, and I took it out of my

-pocket, unwrapping the paper, and all of a sudden holding it before her."

-

-"Did she recognize the breast pin?"  Colon asked.

-

-"You'd have thought so by the way her little face lighted up," said the

-other, "and reaching out the hand that didn't carry a package, she took

-bold of it.  Then I made a fool move, just like my silly ways.  I sprung

-the trap too soon!"

-

-"You told her where you'd found it, said you thought it might be hers,

-just because you remembered her wearing something like that, didn't you?"

-asked Fred.

-

-"Sure I did, and you just ought to have seen the scared look that came

-over her face," Bristles admitted.  "She looked all around as if she was

-afraid that Corny'd be popping up, and then shook her head again and

-again, saying the pin wasn't hers.  But, Fred, I know the poor little

-girl was telling a fib, because she was afraid if she owned up to the old

-piece of fake jewelry that she seemed to value so much, it might get

-somebody in a peck of trouble;  and we know who that is, don't we?"

-

-"We certainly do!" replied Fred; and he started to tell Bristles how

-Colon learned Corny Ludson had also been in Riverport that afternoon,

-acting in a suspicious manner.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XVII

-

-LINING UP FOR THE TRIAL SPIN

-

-

-The next morning opened cloudy, and rather warm for the season, much to

-the regret of all those fellows who had planned to take a spin over the

-twenty-five mile course laid out by the committee of arrangements.

-

-So long as it did not rain, they were not to be kept from carrying out

-their ambitious plans.  About eight o'clock Bristles and Colon, standing

-in front of the picket fence that divided the Carpenter garden from the

-road, saw Fred coming up the street.

-

-"There's Fred," announced Colon, "and I hope Sid shows up soon, because

-we'd better be making an early start."

-

-The way in which he looked up at the sky when saying this caused Bristles

-to instantly remark:

-

-"Now, I reckon you're thinking it's going to rain on us before we get

-back home again.  That left leg of yours that you got hurt once, is a

-regular old barometer, it seems, Colon."

-

-"I don't know just how it comes," admitted the other, "but nearly every

-time it gets to itching and burning, we do have a spell of bad weather.

-Over at my house when they see me rubbing that leg, they begin to hunt up

-rubbers and raincoats to beat the band.  It's gotten to be next door to

-infallible, dad says."

-

-"All right, we'll forgive you if you do bring a dash of rain to-day,"

-warned the other, "but be mighty careful how you let that leg get to

-itching toward the end of next week.  Why, a rain'd play the dickens with

-all our plans for that glorious long run."

-

-"You don't smash a thermometer every time it tells you how hot or cold it

-is, do you?" demanded Colon.  "Then why d'ye want to blame things on my

-leg barometer?  Just as if it had anything to do with the weather, 'cept

-to warn you ahead.  Seems to me I ought to have a gold medal, instead of

-abuse.  But here's Fred, and looking as if he was in apple pie trim for

-making the grand rounds to-day."

-

-Of course all of them were in their running outfits, which consisted of

-trunks, sleeveless jerseys, shoes with spikes in the soles, and an excuse

-of a hat, though Bristles declined to wear anything on his mop of hair.

-

-"All here but Sid, now, Fred," announced Colon, as the other joined them.

-

-"We're a little ahead of the time that was set," remarked Fred, who

-seemed to be unusually sober it appeared to the sharp-eyed Colon, "and

-Sid will be along soon.  I saw him heading for town, and he called across

-lots that he had a little errand, but would join us as soon as he could

-get back home, and pile into his running togs.  Let's sit down somewhere,

-and take it easy, boys."

-

-"A good idea, too," commented Bristles, "because, with a twenty-five mile

-run before us, we'll have all the standing on our feet we want.  Chances

-are it'll be a pretty tired bunch of boys that'll turn up here some hours

-from now."

-

-They found a place to settle down, and after a little talk about the

-weather, during which Colon was called upon to once more prophesy as to

-the chances for rain, he suddenly turned to Fred, to say:

-

-"What's bothering you this morning, Fred?"

-

-"Why do you ask me that?" returned the other, with a little smile.

-

-"Well," Colon continued, "I'm used to watching faces, and it struck me

-when you came up, there was a worried look on your face.  Hope you're not

-feeling anyway off?"

-

-"Never felt in better condition in my life," Fred assured him.  "One or

-two little bruises from that business of last night, but nothing to

-mention, and I don't expect to even think of them again."

-

-"What happened, then?" asked Bristles.

-

-"Only that our house was entered last night!" Fred observed, calmly.

-

-The other boys gave expression to their astonishment in various

-exclamations.

-

-"Burglarized, you mean, Fred?" cried Colon.

-

-"Well, yes, I guess you might call it that, though it seems only one

-particular thing was carried off," Fred replied.

-

-"You've got us guessing good and hard," said Bristles.  "Was that your

-dad's pocketbook, his watch, the piano, or what could it be?"

-

-"A hat," explained Fred.

-

-Bristles and Colon fairly gasped upon hearing this.

-

-"D'ye mean to tell us, Fred, that a desperate burglar would take all the

-chances of breaking into a house where he might get shot, just to steal a

-hat!" Colon demanded, as though suspecting they were being made the

-victims of a joke, although as a rule Fred seldom allowed himself to

-attempt anything of the kind.

-

-"Sometimes even a hat may be a mighty important thing, if you stop to

-think of it, fellows," he informed them.

-

-"Great smoke!  Fred, do you mean that hat?" exclaimed Bristles, suddenly

-remembering something.

-

-"The one we picked up on the battlefield!" added Colon, helplessly.

-

-"That's the one I mean," they were told by the other, with a positive

-tone that could not be mistaken.  "When I got home I tossed it onto the

-hall table.  It wasn't there this morning, and I asked the girl, and

-everyone about the house if they'd seen it, but nobody had.  And what was

-plain evidence of a robbery was the fact that a window was found open in

-the sitting-room, which my dad says he is sure he shut and locked before

-he went to bed."

-

-"It was Cooney Jimmerson, of course?" suggested Colon.

-

-"He's always been too clever with his fingers," Bristles gave as his

-opinion.  "Maybe you remember, Colon, because it was before Fred's time

-here, how Cooney used to sneak into the coat-rooms at school, and go

-through the pockets of our reefers looking for pennies or tops or any old

-thing.  He got in a peck of trouble on account of his sly tricks.  If

-anybody could turn the catch of a window, and crawl in, I'd put it up to

-him."

-

-"But Fred, how would he know you'd found his old hat?" asked Colon.

-

-"We'll have to guess at that," he was told.  "Look back, Colon, and

-you'll be likely to remember that several times we heard a rustling sound

-in that clump of bushes, while we were standing there talking, after

-finding the hat."

-

-"Yes, and you thought it might be only a rabbit, or a chipmunk, or

-something like that," assented Colon, promptly.

-

-"Now that the hat we were keeping as evidence has been stolen from my

-house," Fred continued, "I'm more than sure that must have been Cooney

-himself.  He'd missed his hat, and afraid that we might find it, he came

-creeping back to get into that bunch of brush, where he could hear every

-word we spoke.  So he knew I was keeping his hat to prove who was in the

-crowd that tackled us unawares."

-

-"He just knew that if his hat were ever shown, he'd be in the soup,"

-observed Colon, "so he thought it worth while to take all kinds of

-chances in the hope of copping it again.  But let me tell you, the boy

-who'd open a window, and creep into a neighbor's house night times, is

-pretty close to the line.  He's on the road to being a regular

-professional thief when he grows up, because it shows he likes that sort

-of thing."

-

-"You know they say, 'as the twig's inclined, the tree is bent,'" Bristles

-told them, ponderously, "and we all can guess what'll become of Buck

-Lemington some day.  He'll either make a striking figure in finance, or

-else head some big swindle that'll send him up for twenty years."

-

-"But with the evidence gone," Colon remarked, "of course that ends the

-plan to show Cooney up at school?"

-

-"Yes, and that was what he took such big chances for," Fred admitted.

-"We might tell the whole story, but without any positive evidence there

-would always seem to be a weak link in it.  Some folks might even say we

-were prejudiced.  They'd rather believe the attack came from one of the

-other towns.  People always like to believe bad things about rival places

-rather than the home town.  So we'd better shut down on that hat part of

-the story, and keep it quiet."

-

-"Course it doesn't matter if we let it be known we were set upon, only we

-mustn't say we suspect any particular boys," Colon went on to remark,

-with a little confusion that told Fred he must have already been telling

-something about the encounter, though not mentioning names.

-

-"Call that settled, then," Bristles added, "but it's too bad, when you

-had the case framed up against Cooney for fair and keeps.  He'd have

-found himself the most unpopular fellow in Riverport, that's, right."

-

-"The main thing with me," Fred explained, "was the hope that when

-everybody got to pointing the finger of scorn at Cooney, he'd feel so

-mean and small that, not wanting to stand for all the abuse alone, he'd

-up and confess that it was Buck who had started the racket.  But as our

-plans have missed fire, we'll have to forget all about it.  We've got our

-hands full as it is with this race, and getting ready to do our level

-best to win."

-

-"I think I see Sid coming," Colon told them just then, and as he had an

-advantage over the rest by reason of his long neck, nobody disputed his

-word.

-

-"We haven't forgotten anything, I hope?"  Bristles observed, as they

-arose to their feet, and began to stretch themselves, boy fashion.

-

-Fred carried a little pouch at his side that he did not believe would

-interfere at all with his running, though of course even this would be

-discarded when the great Marathon test was on.  In this he carried

-matches, a small but reliable compass, and a few simple remedies that

-might come in handy in case any of them happened to be seized with colic

-or cramps from drinking water when overheated.

-

-"Nothing that I know of, Bristles," Fred announced, as he touched this

-small pouch which, in the woods among old hunters would probably be

-called a "ditty-bag," and contain all manner of little odds and ends

-likely to be needed from time to time.

-

-Sid was now running.  The mere fact that he might be a little behind time

-would hardly seem to be sufficient excuse for his starting off in this

-way.  Fred eyed the newcomer as he approached them.  He fancied that Sid

-was bringing news of some kind.

-

-Sid was breathing a little fast.  That was to be expected in the start,

-though when he got his "second wind" he would very likely be good for a

-long, hard run.

-

-"Give me five minutes, fellows, to rest up in, so we can all start even,"

-Sid went on to say, "and besides, I've got something to tell you."

-

-All of them dropped down again on the fresh green grass that the recent

-warm weather had caused to sprout forth luxuriantly in places.

-

-"We're listening," Bristles told him, placing the cup of a hand back of

-his ear, as though he wanted to make sure of not losing a single word,

-while Colon assumed an eager attitude, with his eyes glued on Sid's

-flushed face.

-

-"None of you happened to go down-town this morning, I reckon?" was the

-first thing Sid said, and as three heads were vehemently shaken in the

-negative, he continued, "Well, then it'll give you something of a

-surprise to know that it's happened again."

-

-"Not a fire in the high school?" exclaimed Colon, for a serious event of

-this kind had taken place in the near past, that had created something of

-a panic in Riverport.

-

-Sid shook his head in the negative.

-

-"This was a robbery," he went on to say, in a way that gave the other

-three a severe shock; "just as when old Periwinkle was robbed.  This time

-it was Mrs. Merriweather, the rich widow, who owns so many houses, and

-gets her rents in on the first.  Somebody broke in there, and she never

-knew till this morning that her desk had been pried open, and three

-hundred dollars taken!"

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XVIII

-

-CAUGHT BY THE STORM

-

-

-"That settles it, boys!" said Fred, compressing his lips.

-

-"Some more of Corny's smart work, I guess you mean?" ventured Bristles.

-

-"Well, we happen to know he was in town again yesterday afternoon, and

-putting things together, it looks bad for Corny," Fred explained.

-

-"And I take it you mean to do what you said," Colon remarked; "that is,

-you promised us if there was another robbery, and that man was seen

-around, you'd tell everything to Chief Sutton and let him start a hunt to

-find Corny?  Have I got it straight, Fred?"

-

-"You certainly have, Colon, and that ought to be attended to before we

-start out on our run," Fred continued.

-

-"Sure thing, because when a fellow has broken open a house and taken as

-much as three hundred dollars in cash, he's likely to get busy right

-away, and hide somewhere.  That other time it was in a cave, and now

-Corny may have another secret den.  It'll be up to the Chief to locate

-him."

-

-"But I say, Fred, I hope now this won't interfere any with our plans

-to-day?" expostulated Bristles, while both Sid and Colon immediately

-looked anxious.

-

-"Only to hold us back ten minutes or so," Fred told them.

-

-"You won't bother going to town, and seeing the Chief personally, will

-you, Fred, when we've got a 'phone handy right here?" demanded the

-Carpenter boy, starting in the direction of the front gate close by.  The

-others followed.

-

-"I could answer all the questions he'll want to ask, over the wire just

-as well as if I were down at headquarters," Fred announced, at which an

-expression of relief was seen to sweep over three eager faces.

-

-Fortunately the head of the local force was at his desk, engaged in his

-customary morning duties.  Fred lost no time in getting down to facts,

-and from what the other boys, listening close by, heard him say, his

-astonishing communication must have created quite a lively panic at

-headquarters.

-

-For some time after telling what they had learned when passing through

-that particular stretch of woods the week before, Fred was kept busy

-answering questions.  He explained just why they had seen fit not to

-mention the matter before, and the reason that ban of secrecy was now

-removed.

-

-When finally Fred hung up the receiver, and turned around with a smile on

-his face, as though perfectly satisfied with what he had done, not more

-than ten minutes had elapsed since their entering the house.

-

-"Thank goodness that business is over with," he remarked, "and now it's

-up to the police to find the thief,---if they can."

-

-"Huh! my opinion is that this same Corny is a heap too smart to be nabbed

-by a country cop," asserted Colon, and Chief Sutton, who was a very

-consequential little officer, would have felt terribly hurt could he have

-heard the disdainful laugh that went around at these scornful words.

-

-"But let's be making a start!" begged Colon, anxious to be up and doing,

-for he had told the others he felt like a wild colt that morning, being

-fairly crazy to get to running.

-

-In five minutes they were far beyond the town limits, running two and two

-along the road, and taking things fairly easily in the start.

-

-A wise athlete never pushes a willing horse to begin with.  After getting

-well warmed up, it is safe to increase the pace, always holding in the

-very best for the emergency that is apt to come in every race, some time

-or other.

-

-Several miles were soon put behind them.  Fred and Colon led, with the

-other two at their heels, and all running easily.  Indeed, though it is

-not considered the best thing to do when running, the two leaders

-occasionally exchanged a few words, cutting their sentences down to as

-brief a span as possible.  As a rule they maintained silence, each having

-his teeth set, and breathing through his nose as much as he possibly

-could.

-

-These lads had learned all the known rules affecting long distance

-running, and they had also found more or less benefit from practicing

-them.  Time did not enter into their calculations on this occasion, to

-any great extent at least.  Of course they sprinted occasionally, and the

-minutes were noted at such times in an effort to learn a little about the

-probable period between certain points, where they figured on making

-their gains.

-

-Possibly of the four Bristles showed more signs of being pressed than any

-of them.  He had always been a short distance runner, like Felix Wagner

-of Mechanicsburg, but this year both boys hoped to break into the long

-distance class.  Neither Bristles nor Sid happened to be built just right

-for such a task.  On the other hand, Colon was long and rangy, and

-capable of tremendous speed, while Fred had the staying qualities so

-necessary in Marathon runners.

-

-As a rule it will be found that the best long distance runners are the

-stocky, small men, like the wonderful Englishman, Shrubb, who astonished

-everybody in our own country by his great record some years back.  While

-hardly reckoned small, Fred Fenton was in just that same class, for his

-muscles were as hard as they could possibly be, and he always kept

-himself in prime condition for work.

-

-When, after a certain length of time, the four boys arrived at the birch

-trees by which Fred had marked the place where they could turn into the

-woods in attempting that short-cut, they had seen no other competitor on

-the road.  No doubt at some time during the day all of those who meant to

-take part in the great run expected to cover the whole course, so as to

-get familiar with its peculiarities, but Fred and his mates were just as

-well pleased not to run across any of them thus early in the morning.

-

-"Now, here's where we want to keep our eyes about us," remarked Fred, "so

-as to know the trail by heart.  All of us but Sid have already been

-across to the other road, but on that account don't think you know it

-all.  Observe everything around, and make a mental map of the course.

-It'll be a great help, I tell you."

-

-"Point out the blazes you were speaking about, so I can watch for them,"

-Sid asked them, as they stood there in a bunch, breathing hard, and

-cooling off, for it had been a warm run, and the atmosphere felt

-unusually heavy.

-

-"There's one good thing," Fred went on to say, "we don't have to pay any

-attention to the other side of the trail.  What I mean by that is this:

-lots of fellows can take notice of how a trail looks, and think they've

-got it down pat in their minds, but let them start back over it, and the

-landmarks will never be the same, so it's the easiest thing going to get

-lost on the return trip, where the blazes you made fail to show.  It

-happens that we have to pass through here only one way."

-

-"Great Caesar! wasn't that a growl of thunder?" cried Colon in dismay.

-

-"Nothing more nor less than that," replied Fred, "and if thunder stands

-for anything, we're going to get that rain after all."

-

-"Shucks! why couldn't the measly old storm have held off till we reached

-home?"  Bristles wanted to know.  "Here we are more'n ten miles away from

-town, and dressed in the airiest duds going.  If we get soaked, we'll be

-shivering like fun."

-

-"What's the answer, Fred?  Tell us your opinion, and whether we'd better

-turn back, or try to push on through this neck of woodland and marsh?"

-When he put this question, Colon betrayed a trace of uneasiness, for the

-prospect was not a very pleasant one, no matter how they looked at it.

-

-"There's no use turning back," the leader explained, "because the nearest

-house would be several miles away.  I don't know just how it might be if

-we kept along the road here.  But there's that tollgate and shanty on the

-other road; if we could only make that, we'd find shelter."

-

-"Move we try," snapped Bristles, who was for action all the time, and

-liked to settle questions as Alexander is said to have cut the Gordian

-knot, decisive work, rather than sitting down to unravel problems.

-

-There being not a single dissenting voice raised, the proposition was

-declared carried, and with that the four runners plunged immediately into

-the heavy undergrowth alongside the road.

-

-Fred used his eyes and his memory to advantage.  He knew that it would

-not do to make any mistake, and be lost in that jungle.  With a storm

-coming on, the fierceness of which none of them could more than guess,

-the one thing they must make sure of above all others was to stick to the

-trail through thick and thin.

-

-"Say, it's beginning to rain!" called out Bristles, from the far rear,

-Sid being just in front of him, and Colon back of the leader's heels.

-

-"What makes you say that?" asked Colon, who did not like to be told of so

-disagreeable a fact.

-

-"Felt a drop on my face," Bristles explained, "and you could too, if you

-tried.  There! that was another!  It is starting in, boys, believe me!"

-

-"He's right about that," Fred called back over his shoulder.

-

-They could run only a small fraction of the time while threading the

-winding trail through the woods, so that hurrying was utterly out of the

-question.  Thunder had been heard several additional times, and it seemed

-to be coming closer, if its increasing rumble counted for anything.

-

-The drops began to fall faster and faster, and it became evident that in

-a few minutes they could expect a downpour.

-

-"One good thing," said the cheerful Sid, "we won't be apt to ruin our

-best Sunday go-to-meeting glad rags by getting them soaked."

-

-"Good for you, Sid!" called out Fred, "always seeing the silver lining of

-the cloud, no matter how dark it grows.  Whew! that was close by," he

-added, as a loud crash of thunder sounded.

-

-The rain fell in sheets for a short time; then the thunder died away,

-though there was no let-up to the fall of water.

-

-"I think we're close to that poor farm," was the announcement Fred made,

-as he noticed several landmarks that he remembered well.

-

-"Bless you, Fred, for saying that!" cried Colon, "because I'm shivering

-as if I'd drop to pieces.  What do I see over there on the left right

-now?"

-

-"It's the old rookery of a barn!" Fred told him.  "Come on, we'll crawl

-in, for it's perfectly safe, now that the lightning has gone.  By

-bunching together under the hay, we'll warm each other, more or less,

-while we wait for the rain to stop."

-

-They saw no sign of anyone around, and as their necessity was very great,

-the four thinly clad and shivering runners crept under the hay, where

-they huddled together as Fred had advised.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XIX

-

-THE BOY IN THE HAYMOW

-

-

-"This is a whole lot better than out there in the downpour," Colon was

-heard to say, after they had been cowering in the hay for a short time,

-keeping as close to one another as they could so as to gain additional

-warmth.

-

-"I should say it was," acknowledged Sid, "and Bristles here is a regular

-toaster in the bargain.  He's as snug and warm as a stove.  I'd like to

-come over and bunk with you, Bristles, some of the coldest winter

-nights."

-

-"Any boy ought to be warm that's got a decent amount of flesh on him!"

-declared the one in question;  "now, here's Colon who's so thin he hardly

-throws a shadow at noon; you couldn't expect him to do anything but

-shake."

-

-"I'd hate to try to sleep in this old place nights," observed Colon, who

-had been thinking of other things, it seemed, than warmth.  "Chances are

-she's plum full of rats and mice.  If you listen real hard, you'll hear

-'em carrying on right now, squealin'  and squawkin' like."

-

-Accordingly all of them now turned their attention to listening, this

-avowal on the part of Colon having aroused their curiosity.

-

-"There!" cried the tall boy triumphantly, "didn't you get it that time;

-and wasn't that a plain rat gurgle, though?  They c'n make the queerest

-noises, seems like, when they want to."

-

-Fred started to move.

-

-"That was no rat, boys," he remarked, in a tone of conviction.

-

-"Wasn't, eh?" exclaimed Colon; "then what'd you call it, Fred?"

-

-"A groan!" replied the other, immediately, at which the others began to

-sit up, and in various ways denote newly aroused interest.

-

-"A groan, Fred!" echoed Sid.

-

-"Do you mean a human groan?" demanded Bristles.

-

-"There it is again," Fred told them; "if you pay attention, you'll soon

-say what I do---that it is a human groan."

-

-"But whoever would be grunting like that in this old rookery, I'd like to

-know?"  Bristles continued as though unable to fully grasp the idea.

-

-"For my part," said Fred, bluntly, "I can't explain it.  How about you,

-Colon?"

-

-"Yes, how is that, Colon?"  Bristles hastened to add, as if to lend

-weight to the sudden demand.

-

-"Me?  What should I know about a groan, except that I happened to be the

-first one to notice the same, and thought it was rats fighting?"  Colon

-expostulated.

-

-"Well, for one thing," Fred told him, "we happen to know that some time

-ago you had a strong notion you could throw your voice, like the fellow

-on the stage who makes the dummies in the trunk talk, and say funny

-things.  And it struck me that perhaps you might be trying it out on the

-dog, meaning your good and faithful chums."

-

-That aroused Colon as few other things might have done.

-

-"Give you my word of honor, Fred, I never thought of such a thing," he

-said, in the most tragic of ways.  "You c'n put your ear close to my

-mouth, and wait till it sounds again, when you'll find I haven't got any

-hand in that grunting.  Maybe it's a poor pig that's half drowned by the

-rain coming into its pen near by."

-

-"I know how hogs grunt," Fred told him, "and it wasn't along that line at

-all.  This must be a human being in pain!"

-

-"Whew! if we don't just strike queer happenings wherever we go!" declared

-Bristles, though from his wide-awake manner it was evident that he did

-not feel at all averse to these lively episodes coming right along, but

-rather enjoyed the excitement they brought in their train.

-

-"We ought to do something, oughtn't we, Fred?" asked Sid.  "If it did

-turn out there was a sick man in this old shook, and we learned later

-that he'd died for want of a little attention, we'd feel mighty sorry."

-

-"First of all, back out, everybody," said Fred.  "Then once clear of the

-mow, we can talk it over, and lay some sort of plan.  Push along there,

-Bristles, you're blocking the line of retreat."

-

-Of course Bristles would not stand for this, and so he began to back out,

-following the line of least resistance, which in this case was the tunnel

-by means of which they had crept under the haymow.

-

-Once free and clear, the four runners clustered together, and proceeded

-to listen attentively again, almost holding their breath in the effort to

-locate the sound that had startled them so.

-

-"There it is, boys!" exclaimed Fred.

-

-"And louder than before," added Colon, "though that may be caused by our

-coming out from under the hay."

-

-"No, we're certainly closer to it than before," Fred affirmed, "and that

-proves it to be over this way."

-

-He started slowly forward.  The others followed, it is true, but

-strangely enough not one of them seemed overly anxious to outdistance

-Fred, and occupy the position of leader.

-

-It quickly became patent that Fred was right when he said the sound came

-from that end of the old barn, because, as they continued to advance

-slowly they could hear it louder and louder.  The rain had dropped to a

-mere drizzle, showing that the storm was about to cease shortly, possibly

-with the same speed that had marked its opening.  As the big drops ceased

-pattering like hail on the roof, sending many a little rivulet through

-the holes, they could hear much more easily.

-

-"I see something, Fred!" whispered Colon, in a hoarse tone.

-

-He pointed with a trembling finger as he spoke, and directed by this

-sign-post all of the other boys were able to distinguish an object that

-seemed to be extended on the hay.

-

-"Looks like a man or a boy!" gasped Bristles.

-

-"I think it is a well-grown boy!" Fred declared.  "And now let's find out

-what ails him, that he keeps on groaning like that."

-

-He held back no longer, but made straight for the object that had caught

-their attention.  As they came up, all of them could see plainly enough

-that it was a human being, a fairly well-grown boy, who was lying there

-on his face.

-

-With every breath he seemed to groan, more or less, and occasionally this

-would rise to a louder key.  This latter was the sound that had reached

-them while they were under the haymow.

-

-Now Fred was bending over the recumbent figure.  Gently but firmly he

-started to turn it over, when a yell broke out.

-

-"My leg!  Oh! my leg's broke all to splinters!" they heard the unknown

-shriek.  Then he seemed to shut his teeth hard together, as though

-determined that not another cry should leave his lips if he died for it.

-

-Fred had always taken more or less interest in matters pertaining to

-surgery, at least as far as it is desirable that a boy should dabble in

-such things.  He had borrowed many books from Dr. Temple, and on two

-occasions had set a broken arm in a fashion that won him words of praise

-from the physician.

-

-"Let me take a look at your leg, please," he said, soothingly, as he bent

-down over the half-grown boy, who might be the hand about the poor farm,

-for he looked thin, and illy nourished, as far as Fred could see at a

-glance.  "Perhaps I can be of some assistance to you, poor fellow.  I

-know a little about setting bones, and such things.  And we promise to

-stay with you, and do what we can to help."

-

-He proceeded to make an examination without any delay or squeamishness.

-The result was that he discovered a serious fracture of both bones of the

-leg.  Fortunately the break was some inches above the ankle, and if

-properly attended to, would not result in any permanent injury.

-

-Fred did all that was possible under such conditions, while his three

-chums hovered near, ready to lend a hand whenever he asked it.  The

-injured boy cried out and moaned a number of times during the time Fred

-was working, but after Fred had made the rudest kind of a splint, and

-wrapped the leg with some rags torn from an old linen fly-net that was

-hanging from a hook near by, the wounded lad admitted that he felt a

-"heap better."

-

-For the first time Fred began to take notice of him other than as a

-patient.  He found that the boy kept his head lowered, as though

-endeavoring to avoid curious eyes, and Fred wondered why this should be

-so, when they had certainly proven themselves to be very good friends of

-his.

-

-The mystery was, however, soon explained, when Colon was heard to give

-utterance to a sudden exclamation, and cry out:

-

-"Why, what's this?  I've sure met this chap before, or my name isn't

-Colon.  It's Tom Flanders, don't you see, Bristles?  He's been gone from

-home a long while now, and his folks didn't know what'd come of him, and

-to think that he's been working on this measly little old farm in the

-bush here all the time."

-

-Fred became intensely interested in his patient.  He had not happened to

-know the Tom Flanders mentioned, but then he had heard more or less about

-him.  It was easy enough now to know why the other was so embarrassed.

-He had been hiding from everybody, no doubt working here under another

-name, and hearing not a word as to how affairs in Riverport were

-progressing.

-

-"Are you Tom Flanders?" he asked the other, quickly.

-

-The wounded boy had turned white and then red several times under the

-flow of fear, distress and other emotions.  He now looked into Fred's

-eyes boldly.

-

-"I s'pose it ain't no use in denyin' that same, because Bristles

-Carpenter and Colon here know me," he went on to say, doggedly, after

-drawing a long breath.  "Might as well own up anyway, 'cause I reckon I'm

-goin' to die.  They can't send a dying boy to the Reform School, can

-they?"

-

-"Have you been working here at this place ever since you disappeared from

-Riverport?" asked Bristles.

-

-"Jest about all the time, and gettin' nigh starved in the bargain, 'case

-they ain't got enough here to feed us," the boy replied, dejectedly.

-

-"First of all," said Fred, "get that idea out of your head that you're

-going to die, just because of a plain fractured leg.  In a month from now

-you'll be walking around again, and before three months are gone, you

-wouldn't know anything had ever happened to you."

-

-"That's right kind o' you to say such nice things, mister," Tom Flanders

-muttered, "but a feller that's headed straight for the Reform School

-ain't carin' much whether he lives or dies."

-

-Fred looked around at his three chums.

-

-"We'd better tell him, hadn't we?" he asked, in a whisper.

-

-"Sure, the poor fellow's suffered enough as it is, I reckon," Bristles

-replied.

-

-"Just what I say too," added Colon.

-

-"So go ahead, Fred, and open his eyes.  I only hope it'll be a lesson

-he'll never forget, and start him along a different road after this," Sid

-gave as his opinion.

-

-"Look here, Tom," began Fred, "you've been hiding-out for weeks now, and

-all the time believing that they'd send you to the electric chair or the

-Reform School at any rate, just because you deliberately shoved that

-little Willie Brandon into the river, and it looked as if he had been

-drowned.  But Tom, they worked over him long enough to bring him back to

-life again.  You ran away before anyone could tell you, and your folks

-have been nearly crazy trying to find you.  Tom, you can come home again,

-and nobody's going to punish you.  It's all right, Tom, and we'll see

-that you get to where your folks can have you, before to-night!"

-

-The wretched boy looked at Fred for a full minute as though he could

-hardly believe the glad tidings;  then he began to cry like a baby.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XX

-

-WHEN THE CIRCUS CAME TO RIVERPORT

-

-

-"You'll go home if we can get you there, won't you, Tom?" asked Fred,

-after a little time had clasped, and the poor fellow on the hay seemed

-better able to reply, having mastered his emotions.

-

-"I'd be a fool not to say yes!" he exclaimed, eagerly.  "'Specially when

-you tell me my folks they want me home again.  I've lived a dog's life

-ever since I run away.  Hain't never dared to ask about news from

-Riverport, 'case I reckoned Chief Sutton he must be alookin' everywhere

-for me.  I'll go home, and thank you, fellers; you jest better b'lieve I

-will!"

-

-That settled one thing; Fred knew he could not expect to finish that run.

-Indeed, the roads were not in the best of condition after the storm for

-anything like comfort, and perhaps it might be just as well for them all

-to give up trying to foot it along the rest of the course.

-

-Having hastily considered this matter, he broached the subject to the

-others.

-

-"Let's look at the thing, boys," he began, as they gathered around him,

-knowing that a plan of campaign was being considered.  "What we wanted

-most of all was to get familiar with this cut-off up here."

-

-"No trouble about the rest of the route," ventured Colon, "because it's

-going to be along the open roads, and every fellow can get it down pat

-from studying the map they've posted.  But this cut-off is left blank."

-

-"Meaning that you can go all the way around, making three miles, or else

-take your chance in cutting across country," Bristles added.

-

-"Well, my plan is something like this," continued Fred.  "Let's pick out

-the first good afternoon next week, get a car from somewhere, if we can

-borrow one, and run up here.  Then we can cross over to the toll-gate,

-and back again.  That ought to fix things so we'll never miss the way

-when the big date comes along."

-

-"Hear! hear!" cried Bristles.

-

-"We like your plan, Fred," replied Sid, "and for one I'm ready to call

-this run off.  The weather is against us, and we'd have a high old time

-splattering through the mud for about thirteen miles."

-

-"Besides," added Colon, "we think we ought to be along when you take Tom

-Flanders home to his folks.  I happen to know how bad they've felt about

-his being gone!"

-

-That seemed to settle the matter in so far as continuing the trial spin

-went.  Fred was not sorry, because he felt that he would enjoy having his

-cheery chums along with him.

-

-"Then the next question is, how we're going to get home?" and he turned

-to the injured boy, to say; "You haven't told us just how you came to

-break your leg, Tom, and why you didn't manage to crawl to the house so

-as to get help?"

-

-"I knowed the old man an' his wife they was all away to-day, that's why,"

-was the reply Tom made; "an'  as for my accident, it happened so quick I

-couldn't hardly tell about it.  Reckon I ketched my foot in some loose

-board up in that leetle loft, where I was adoin' somethin'.  Fust thing I

-knowed I felt myself flyin'  every which way, over the edge, and kim down

-on the ground, with my leg doubled under me.  Then I jest seen things

-aswimmin' all around me.  Guess I fainted, for next thing was when I kim

-to, an' found myself groanin'  bad.  When I moved ever so little it nigh

-made me jest scream."

-

-"How long do you suppose you've been lying here?" asked Bristles, softly,

-for he had been much affected by what he saw and heard.

-

-"Mebbe hours, for all I know, Bristles.  They went off jest after

-daylight, meanin' to take the load to Peyton, where they deals in the

-grocery line.  Wouldn't let me do it, 'case they meant to buy the old

-woman a 'frock, you see.  Is it near night time, now, Bristles?"

-

-"Oh! no, the morning isn't more than half over, Tom," replied Bristles.

-"But how about some sort of rig we could borrow, to give you a lift to

-Riverport?  Have the old couple taken the only outfit along.  Tom?"

-

-"I hear a horse munching hay over there somewhere," announced Colon.

-

-"Yes, there is a critter in here," Tom admitted, with the nearest

-approach to a smile that had thus far come upon his wan and pain-racked

-face; "and under the shed stands what you might call a wagon, if you shut

-your eyes, an' didn't care much what you was asayin'.  If old Dominick

-didn't keel over, and kick the bucket on the way, he might pull us ten

-miles or so; always providin'  you give him some oats before you started

-him, and then kept temptin'  him on the road with more of the same."

-

-Bristles gave a shout.

-

-"Oh! we'll fix old Dominick, never you fear, Tom.  I'll look up the oats

-right away, and let him get busy, while the rest of you pull that wagon

-out of the shed, and find something in the way of harness.  We don't care

-a red cent for looks, as long as we get there.  The end justifies the

-means.  You remember we learned that lots of times at school.  Get a move

-on, boys; everyone to his duty!"

-

-Thus inspired, and spurred on, the others hastened to do their part.  Two

-of them hunted until they found the lean-to, under which a ramshackle

-wagon stood that excited the laughter of Colon.

-

-"If Bristles thought the vehicle that little girl had along with her in

-Riverport was a terror, what'll he ever say to this?" he remarked, after

-he had doubled up several times in explosive merriment.  "Now, if the

-hoss is anything like what Tom says, I c'n see what a sensation we'll

-kick up when we strike town.  Why, they'll ring the fire bells, and get

-the chemical engine out to parade after us.  Guess they'll think the

-circus has struck Riverport early this year."

-

-Meanwhile Bristles had succeeded in discovering a small amount of oats in

-a bin, and he emptied a generous lot of these in the trough of the

-antiquated looking horse.  The animal had started whinnying the instant

-he heard the boy moving over in that corner, where he must have known the

-grain was kept, though he seldom had more than a handful at a time.

-

-It was a whole hour before they managed to get the rig fixed up.  Indeed,

-only by the united efforts of all the boys was the bony horse dragged

-away from his feed trough, where he had kept munching the oats

-delightedly.

-

-Then they hunted up all the old horse blankets, and empty gunny-sacks

-they could find about the place, and made a soft bed in the wagon.  A

-stretcher was also improvised from some boards, and when four of them

-took hold they managed to carry poor Tom to the nearby vehicle, and

-deposit him on the sacks.

-

-Being guided by directions which Tom gave them, they found how a road

-wound through the woods to the road, striking the main thoroughfare just

-above where they had come out on their previous trip, and with the

-toll-gate in sight.

-

-"Here's where we gain something, boys," Fred told them, "and this Good

-Samaritan job may count in our favor next week when we make that run."

-

-Fred had been thoughtful enough to write a little note, addressed to the

-owner of the wretched outfit, whose name it seemed was Ezekial Parsons.

-In it he explained just how they happened to find poor Tom, and that they

-had borrowed the rig to get him to his home, where he could have proper

-care.

-

-He had also promised that the horse and wagon should be returned in due

-time, and hinted that his father and mother might be expected to run up

-and make the acquaintance of the old couple who had been so kind to Tom,

-although not really able to keep a hand about the place.

-

-The man at the toll-gate stared, as well he might, when that antiquated

-rig came in sight, with the four boys partly bundled in faded horse

-blankets and gunny-sacks.  The weather had not yet cleared, and the air

-was chilly for fellows as devoid of clothing as runners always are.

-

-When he heard about the accident that had happened to Tom, he was loud in

-his praise of the action of the boys in giving up their trial spin just

-to get the injured boy home.

-

-"If I had a hoss myself, I'd gladly loan him to you, boys," he told them.

-

-"Oh! never fear but we'll be able to get there before sun-down,"

-laughingly declared Fred, while Bristles ran around in front, and held

-the measure of oats close to the nose of the horse, starting him to

-snorting wildly, and taking a step forward in the effort to obtain the

-feed, kept so tantalizingly just beyond his reach.

-

-Bristles continued backing away, and always keeping just so far in front,

-so that the horse was impelled to move along quite briskly.  If he lagged

-at any time the measure was moved closer, and once Bristles even let him

-thrust his nose into it.

-

-On the wagon the boys had a very merry time of it, singing, and laughing

-at the actions of the poor old horse.

-

-"Please don't excite him too much, Bristles," begged Sid, "for he's

-likely to strain so he'll smash this beautiful harness all to flinders."

-

-So they kept up the work, Bristles and Colon between them dancing on

-ahead, and tempting the animal between the shafts to renewed exertions.

-With that measure of oats held within smelling distance of his nose he

-kept plodding steadily along, and mile after mile was placed in their

-rear.

-

-Once they halted, and watered old Dominick at a wayside spring, besides

-letting him have a delightful five-minute communion with the oat crop.

-Then the forward movement was begun, again, and the boy who held the

-measure of oats continued to dance just ahead of the deluded Dominick.

-

-It was about two o'clock on that Saturday afternoon when a great

-commotion broke out in the outskirts of Riverport.  Boys and girls

-flocked to the spot, and loud cheers rent the air.  Indeed, plenty of

-people actually made sure that the circus must have arrived ahead of

-time, and as this was an event in which every citizen was supposed to be

-interested, since he would be compelled to take his youngsters to the

-show, plenty of men were in the throng that gathered.

-

-Dogs barked, chickens set up a cackling and crowing, and there was a

-perfect Bedlam of sounds along the main street.  Down this came that

-wonderful vehicle with sundry creaks and dismal groanings, as though

-threatening to break down at any minute.  Ahead strode a boy in running

-costume, tempting the tired old horse to walk along by holding a peck

-measure under his nose, and occasionally just letting him snap up a few

-of the oats.

-

-Three other fellows sat in the wagon some of them trying to keep warm by

-covering themselves with gunny-sacks, and all laughing, and joining in

-the cheers of the crowd.

-

-Of course everybody thought it was only a boyish prank, but when they saw

-the old wagon draw up in front of the Flanders home, and then those four

-boys start to gently lift a figure out from the bed of the vehicle, the

-noise ceased as if by magic.

-

-"Why, it's sure enough Tom Flanders come back home, after his folks had

-given him up for lost!" one good woman told a new arrival.  "They do say

-Fred and the running boys found him up-country, where he'd broke his leg.

-Poor fellow, he looks that peaked and pale I reckon he's had a terrible

-time.  And see how his maw hangs over him, like she was the happiest

-woman in all Riverport this day.  And we all hope that Tom'll turn over a

-new leaf after this, and make his folks proud of him.  But wasn't it fine

-of Fred and his friends to bring him home that way?"

-

-And certainly, when those four lads witnessed the wild delight of that

-mother and father at having their only son restored to them again, as

-well as noted how the erring boy cried when he allowed himself to be

-carried into the house, none of them had the slightest reason to regret

-that circumstances had caused them to take refuge from the storm in that

-old barn standing near the trail through the woods.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXI

-

-THE GREATEST OF DAYS

-

-

-When the day set for the great Marathon race came around, everybody in

-Riverport agreed that the weather clerk had certainly outdone himself in

-order to give the runners an ideal occasion.  There was not a cloud in

-the sky.  Then, while the air was sparkling and inclined to be cool, the

-breeze was not so strong that it would make running difficult.

-

-Early in the day crowds began to arrive from the two neighboring towns.

-They came in all manner of conveyances, from farm wagons to the finest of

-automobiles.  Music could be heard in the air, for the Riverport Brass

-Band had decided to honor the great occasion by playing at intervals all

-day long.

-

-Ample preparations had been made for seeing the grand finish, which, as

-with the start, was to take place on the great level commons bordering

-the town, and alongside of which the main road ran.

-

-Here a grand stand had been erected for the use of the honored guests

-from Mechanicsburg and Paulding, as well as several other smaller places,

-each of which was also sending its quota of eager eyed strong-lunged boys

-to root for their favorite team.

-

-The race was scheduled to start at exactly one o'clock.  This had been

-settled on as the best hour, since it would allow everybody who expected

-to be present to reach town, and also give the runners plenty of time to

-cover the course.

-

-No doubt that morning dragged along worse than any boy in Riverport had

-ever known time to drag before.  They wandered back and forth in droves,

-all excited, and anxious to hear the latest reports concerning the

-condition of those who were expected to compete.

-

-Several startling rumors were circulated.  One was to the effect that

-Colon had been taken with cholera morbus in the night, and was a complete

-wreck that morning, which would eliminate him from the race.  Another

-went on to tell how Fred Fenton had cut his foot, when chopping wood just

-to keep himself in condition, and it would be utterly out of the question

-for him to enter the competition.

-

-These things gave the loyal rooters for Riverport a terrible shock, and

-messengers were instantly dispatched to the homes of the two heroes to

-ascertain whether there could be any truth in the wild rumors.  When they

-came back and reported that both Fred and Colon were in the pink of

-condition, and simply taking things easy so as not to tire themselves out

-before the time, the shouts that arose caused people to rush to their

-doors and windows, wondering if the race had been prematurely started.

-

-Still the crowds kept pouring into Riverport, until the streets became

-fairly congested with the throngs.  Business, except for feeding this

-vast multitude, and selling them little flags and buttons, seemed to be

-absolutely suspended, so that many stores were shut up at noon, not to be

-opened again until the question of supremacy had been fully settled.

-

-Fred had not forgotten to get that forlorn rig back to the owners, and in

-so doing he had had occasion to make the acquaintance of the old couple.

-His father and mother drove up that very Sunday afternoon, and from what

-Fred heard them say after returning, he felt sure that things were going

-to improve very much with the Parsons.  Mrs. Fenton expected to get a

-number of her friends interested in some fancy work she had examined, and

-there were numerous other ways by means of which the couple could be

-assisted without allowing them to feel that they were objects of charity

-to the community.

-

-Of course the four boys had managed to secure a car, by means of which

-they ran up on Wednesday afternoon after school hours.  There was time

-enough before the shadows began to gather for them to go over the cut-off

-several times.  They examined every foot of the way, and just as Fred had

-said, it was found that by following the obscure road that led from the

-Parsons farm to the main highway above the toll-gate, they could save at

-least seven precious minutes.

-

-This was bound to be of considerable importance to them, provided none of

-their rivals from the other towns discovered the same thing, for of

-course it was expected that nearly every contestant would take advantage

-of the cut-off.  Indeed, very likely all of them had been prowling around

-before now, the idea being to become familiar with the ground.

-

-Fred had called the others up over the wire about the middle of the

-morning, and what Colon called a  "grand powwow" was held at his house.

-Sid, Bristles and Colon gathered there to talk matters over with Fred,

-and learn if any new development had taken place which might prove

-important in the result.

-

-Of course, after the start it was supposed that every contestant would

-run his own course, and hence Fred believed it to be good policy that the

-Riverport contestants should be in full sympathy with the plan of

-campaign.

-

-Some of the other high school boys, particularly chums like Brad Morton,

-who had expected to be in the race until he sprained his ankle and had to

-give up all hope of competing, Dave Hanshaw, Semi-Colon, Corney Shays,

-and Dick Hendricks, hung around the Fenton house, hoping to get an

-occasional glimpse of their representatives, who, they knew, were in

-consultation.

-

-At half-past eleven Fred gave his three friends a little lunch, but he

-had exercised great care with regard to the character of the food, which

-his mother prepared with her own hands.  It was calculated to give them

-endurance without any bad after effect.

-

-"We're all invited over to Sid's house for dinner to-night, remember,"

-Fred told them, as they sat around the table, with the rest of the family

-waiting on them just as though they might already be looked upon in the

-light of heroes, "and let's hope we'll have a jollification there, with

-the prize for winning the Marathon in the safe keeping of good old

-Riverport High for this year."

-

-"So long as we win, and fairly at that," said Sid, "none of us cares very

-much who crosses the line first, though of course everyone hopes to have

-that great honor.  But from what I know of this bunch, there isn't a

-single fellow present who would hesitate to eliminate himself, if by

-doing so he could advance the interests of the school!"

-

-"Hear! hear!" cried Colon, "that's our sentiment, every time, Sid.

-Riverport High first, and self next in this sort of rivalry.  And believe

-me, we're going to keep that Marathon prize right here in town this

-year."

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXII

-

-"THEY'RE OFF!"

-

-

-"Somebody please give me the official list of entries; I'm not sure I

-have it right," and as Cissie Anderson said this she looked around her at

-the clump of enthusiastic school friends, both boys and girls,

-surrounding her seat in the grandstand.

-

-There were Flo Temple, Mame Wells, and several other girls, as well as

-Semi-Colon, Cornelius Shays and a few other fellows who believed in being

-comfortable during the long wait, while the contestants were absent.

-

-"That's me, Cissie," Semi-Colon spoke up, flourishing a paper proudly.

-"I've just come from the blackboard where they've posted the names of the

-entries.  You know each school was to be limited to four contestants?"

-

-"Yes, but please give me the list," said Cissie, impatiently.  "They're

-beginning to gather around the starting line, and I want to be sure I've

-got everything correct.  Just think how small I'd feel if I cheered the

-wrong one."

-

-"You can cheer everybody," Flo told her, "until the time comes to welcome

-the first runner, and then Riverport hopes to do herself proud."

-

-"Mechanicsburg has four entries," Semi-Colon announced, purposely raising

-his rather puny voice so that every one within a radius of twenty feet

-might profit by his knowledge,  "and they are Dolan, Wagner, Waterman,

-and Ackers.  The last named is called the Mechanicsburg Wonder, and they

-all say he's going to win this Marathon in a walk."

-

-At that there were scornful exclamations from the faithful Riverport

-rooters.

-

-"We've seen Ackers run plenty and good, when he played left tackle on

-their football eleven!" announced one boy, jeeringly.

-

-"And if I remember rightly he didn't run fast enough to make many

-touchdowns, eh, fellows?" exclaimed another Riverport student.

-

-"You wait and see, that's all!" they were told by an indignant girl

-nearby, who undoubtedly had her home in the up-river town.

-

-"Yeth," added her companion, a boy who lisped terribly, but was not

-prevented by this affliction from speaking his mind in behalf of his

-native town, "they thay thosth that laugh lasth laugh loudetht.  Justh

-wait, and thee which thide of your mouth you laugh from, fellowth."

-

-"Well, I've got Mechanicsburg down all pat, Semi-Colon," observed Cissie,

-who had smiled sweetly while this side talk was going on, "and now how

-about Paulding?"

-

-"Only three entries there," the answer came, "because Ogden was hurt on a

-practice run yesterday afternoon, and it was too late to grind a

-substitute into decent condition."

-

-"Then they are Collins, Everett and Badger; is that right?" asked Cissie,

-as she poised her lead pencil over her little pad.

-

-"Correct," Semi-Colon announced.  "You all know who Riverport's boys are

-going to be, but all the same I'll just mention them.  Their names seem

-to roll off my tongue as easy as anything---Sid Wells, Colon, Bristles

-Carpenter, and last hut far from least, our splendid all-around athlete,

-Fred Fenton."

-

-There was a generous clapping of hands around that section of the

-grandstand; although the pair from Mechanicsburg looked scornful, and

-shrugged their shoulders in truly loyal style, for they were faithful

-rooters for their home town.

-

-"There is no such thing as a handicap in this race, I understand?"

-remarked a gentleman who apparently was a stranger in the vicinity, for

-no one seemed to know him.

-

-"Oh, no sir, such a thing isn't ever considered in a Marathon race,"

-Semi-Colon immediately told him.  "Every tub has to rest on its own

-bottom, and the fellow who can stand the gruelling run best is going to

-come in ahead of the string."

-

-"There are eleven entries, I believe you said?" continued the gentleman,

-who was evidently looking for general information, not being much of a

-sporting patron, "and if they all start out in a bunch, I should think

-there might be some little confusion."

-

-"Not at all, sir," the boy assured him.  "Each runner has a big number

-fastened to his breast and back, so that he can be known at a distance.

-In that way the judges can see any trickery that may be attempted.  And

-besides, although they may start off in a clump, before three miles have

-been run the chances are they'll be strung all along the road, and with

-numerous little hot sprints to get the lead."

-

-"And while waiting for them to come in sight, what is going to happen

-here?" continued the gentleman, waving his hand toward the open space

-before the grandstand where preparations had evidently been made for

-other entertainments.

-

-"Oh! amuse the crowd, and keep them from getting too anxious," Semi-Colon

-told him, readily enough, for his greatest delight was to spread

-information.  "The committee on sports has arranged several comical

-entertainments.  There's going to be several sack races to begin with;

-climbing the greased pole for another thing; catching a greased pig for

-another; and a three-foot race to wind up with."

-

-"A three-foot race!" repeated the gentleman:

-"I don't know that I've ever heard of that; would you mind explaining a

-little further, my lad?"

-

-"Oh! the contestants are entered in pairs, you see," Semi-Colon told him.

-"They are bound together that way, one fellow having his left leg

-fastened to his partner's right.  It's a great sight to see how they

-blunder along, and fall all over themselves.  I know some fellows who

-have been practicing the stunt;  but even then, in the excitement they're

-apt to get into a terrible muss."

-

-"Well, all that ought to keep the people in good humor while the time is

-passing, I should think," the stranger remarked, laughingly.  "And now,

-would you mind telling me a little about the rules of the great race?  I

-understand that the course covers twenty-five miles in all?"

-

-"Yes, sir, if any contestant chooses to go over the entire distance," he

-was informed by the willing Semi-Colon, who kept one anxious eye on the

-spot where the various runners were now gathering, as though the time for

-starting might be drawing very close now.

-

-"What do you mean by saying that, please?  Is there any way by which they

-may shorten the distance?" continued the gentleman.

-

-"That's just it, sir; at the upper end they can cut off three miles by

-taking a short-cut through the woods and along the border of a marsh,

-coming out on the other road at the toll-gate, and then turning toward

-home."

-

-"I understand what you mean, and I suppose that every one will undertake

-that shortening of the journey?"

-

-"Well, I hear there's some talk of a Mechanicsburg fellow who means to

-run it out on the road all the way," Semi-Colon told his persistent

-questioner.

-

-"What reason would he have for doing so, son?"

-

-"The old one of the hare and the tortoise, sir," the Riverport student

-remarked, with a shrewd look.  "You see, there's always some chance that

-the fellows who try to make that cut-off may get confused, and lose their

-way.  If they strike the other road below the toll-gate, why they're

-compelled to go all the way back so as to register."

-

-"Register!" exclaimed the other, in a puzzled tone.

-

-"Why, it's this way," he was informed by the willing and talkative

-Semi-Colon, "the committee has laid out registering stations at certain

-places along the course, where every runner has to sign his name in his

-own fist, also the exact time of his arrival; then he is at liberty to

-shoot off again as he pleases.  One of these is just below where the

-cutoff begins, and another at the toll-gate on the home road."

-

-"Oh!  I begin to grasp what you mean now," the stranger in Riverport

-remarked, as he nodded his head.  "All this is done so that there shall

-not be the slightest taint of unfairness or cheating about the race?"

-

-"You better believe there won't be, sir!" declared Cornelius Shays.

-"Nobody will ever be able to say Riverport won on a foul, or by taking

-any unfair advantage of her rivals.  It's going to be a clean game and a

-great victory!"

-

-"When they line up, please tell me the numbers of your friends, and also

-those from the other schools.  I happen to have a pair of field-glasses

-with me, and when the first runner comes in sight away up the road

-yonder, I may be able to return your kindness by telling you positively

-what his number is before you could distinguish it with the naked eye."

-

-"There they are lining up now, Semi!" exclaimed Cissie, eagerly, and as

-Sid Wells was a very particular friend of hers, it can be set down as

-certain that her eyes picked him out of the eleven just as quickly as his

-sister Mame could have done.

-

-Accordingly, as the line swayed there, with the contestants listening to

-the last plain instructions from the master of ceremonies, warning them

-of what penalties would be sure to follow any fouling in the race,

-Semi-Colon told the stranger in Riverport just which number represented

-each entry.

-

-"The first four numbers belong to Mechanicsburg, you see, Ackers leading

-as One, Dolan Two, Waterman Three, and Wagner Four.  Then come our

-fellows, with Sid Wells Five, Fred Fenton Six, Colon Seven, and Bristles

-Carpenter Eight.  Number Nine is Collins of Paulding, with Everett Ten,

-and Badger Eleven.  There is no Twelve, you see, sir, because Ogden is

-knocked out."

-

-"Hold up now, Semi-Colon, they're going to make the start, and we don't

-want to keep hearing you talking forever," a boy in the second row behind

-called out; at which the shortened edition of the Colon family cast an

-aggrieved glance back that way, but nevertheless held his tongue.

-

-"Now, watch, he's going to fire the pistol!" gasped Cissie Anderson, with

-her eyes fairly glued upon the line of young athletes who expected to

-compete for the honor of winning the great Marathon.

-

-Then came a spiteful little crack of the pistol the starter had been

-elevating.

-

-"They're off!" shrieked hundreds of voices, and a tremendous billow of

-cheers rang out, to send the eleven runners on their way with a firm

-determination lodged in each and every breast to strain himself to the

-utmost in order to be the fortunate winner.

-

-Up the road they went at a furious speed, bunched together in the

-beginning, yet with several already showing signs of breaking away, and

-taking the lead.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXIII

-

-THE MARATHON RUNNERS

-

-

-The same general principles that might apply in a mile run, or a two

-hundred yard dash, would not be worth while attempting in this long race.

-Those contestants who managed to cover the entire distance were bound to

-be so exhausted when the last mile was reached that they could not be

-expected to have much stamina left, so as to make a "Garrison finish."

-

-On this account there would be little holding back on the part of the

-runners.  Besides, they knew that it would be desirable if there was a

-break in the bunch in the early stages of the game.  There would thus be

-no crowding, the weaker falling back, though still keeping on in the hope

-that something might happen to the leaders when their chances would still

-be good.

-

-Here and there along the first five miles little groups of schoolboys had

-assembled in order to cheer their favorites along.  They did not string

-out any further than this because everyone wished to hurry back to the

-"Green" in order to see something of the humorous contests, as well as to

-be in position there when the first tired runner turned the bend half a

-mile up the road.

-

-Some of these enthusiastic boys even ran alongside for a short time, as

-though in this way they could put fresh heart in their chums.  To their

-credit be it said that not in a single instance did they offer to detain

-one of the rival runners, or interfere in the slightest degree with his

-free passage; though of course in their partisan fashion they managed to

-send out a few taunts after him, to the effect that he was only "wasting

-his time."

-

-During that five miles those who remained in the lead could be counted on

-the fingers of one hand.  They were Ackers, Colon, Fred Fenton and

-Badger; and this alignment at least gave promise of a keen competition

-between the three rival schools, since each of them was represented

-there.

-

-About this time Fred picked up, and pressed Ackers hard.  He was

-following out the plan that had been arranged between himself and his

-chums, whereby the one who was reckoned the most dangerous of all

-outsiders might be harried.  Fred had never really run in a race against

-this so-called "Wonder," and he was anxious to discover just what he had

-in the way of speed.

-

-Of course he knew at the same time that it was endurance that would be

-apt to win this race.  Speed is all very well, and in part quite

-necessary, but with twenty-five miles to be covered the main thing is

-always staying qualities.

-

-So he and Ackers had a merry little sprint, in which Fred gained until he

-passed the other.  Upon that, Ackers, realizing that this sort of thing

-if persisted in would utterly ruin his chances, even though Fred dropped

-out also, fell back to his old style of plodding steadily along in a

-regular grid, just content to keep ahead of the other two.

-

-Fred kept on increasing his lead until he had some little ground between

-himself and the Wonder.  One of his reasons for doing this was to be able

-to register at the road station just short of where the cut-off came in.

-He hoped to be able to vanish under the marked birch trees before Ackers

-could sight him, and in this way make the other choose his own place for

-leaving the road.

-

-If Ackers went in below, he would strike the marsh, and in this way block

-his own progress but no doubt Ackers knew this, since he and his friends

-had been down to examine the course, and must have done considerable

-prowling around here.

-

-Upon arriving at the station, Fred lost not a second in seizing the

-pencil offered to him by the waiting keeper, and jotting down his name,

-as well as the time indicated upon the face of the little clock that was

-placed in plain view.

-

-He did not say half a dozen words to the other, because he felt that he

-needed every bit of his breath.  There was a runner just turning the bend

-below, and from his number being One he knew that it was the "terrible"

-Ackers.

-

-So off Fred bounded, and the keeper, looking after him smiled with

-satisfaction, he being a Riverport gentleman, and reckoned very fair and

-square.

-

-"In splendid shape after running more than ten miles, I should say," he

-told himself, "and this other fellow coming on like a whirlwind seems to

-be just as well off.  There's a third close behind him, too.  That makes

-it an interesting and exciting race.  I'm only sorry I have to be up

-here, and wait for the last to come past before I can jump in my car and

-speed back to town to be in at the finish."

-

-Fred had figured closely, for when he reached the birch trees Ackers had

-not as yet appeared around the bend above the station.  In this way he

-was able to plunge in among the bushes without giving the other runner an

-opportunity to follow him, something Fred did not wish to have happen.

-

-Once in the woods, Fred pushed on steadily.

-

-He knew that speed was not of so much value to him now as accuracy.  If

-he became confused in his bearings, and lost the trail, it would ruin his

-chances for coming in ahead of his competitors.

-

-Accordingly Fred bent every energy to observing where he was going.

-Colon would be sure to follow in his track, regardless of what Ackers had

-done.  By taking that road leading from the old farm of Ezekial Parsons,

-where they had found Tom Flanders lying in the haymow with a broken leg,

-they believed they could gain from five to eight minutes on anyone who

-pushed through the thickets and trailed around the tongue of the marsh.

-

-One thing Fred was glad of,---the favorable condition of the weather.  He

-could not help remembering how that early Spring thunderstorm had burst

-upon them at the time he and his chums were investigating this region for

-the first time.  What a lucky thing it was the weather clerk had ordered

-up such a grand day for the long race, with the sun not too hot, and

-never a cloud in the blue sky overhead.

-

-Fred, though keeping all his senses on the alert, so that he might see

-the "blazes" made on their former trip, and not lose his way, was

-nevertheless not blind or deaf to other things around him.

-

-He loved the wide open woods, and was never so happy as when surrounded

-by their solitude.  The cawing of the crows, the tapping of the

-sapsucker, the rat-tat-tat of the bold red-headed woodpecker inviting

-insects in the rotten limb to look out, and he gobbled up, the frisking

-of the red squirrel as he darted like a flash around to the other side of

-a tree trunk---all these and more he noted as he pushed sturdily forward.

-

-Once arrived in the vicinity of the old, ramshackle barn where he and his

-comrades had sought shelter from the rain, Fred planned to leave the

-zigzag trail and take to the farmer's road.  This would bring him to a

-point just above the toll-gate where the next registering booth was

-located.

-

-As the old couple had been made aware of the stirring event of that

-particular day, Fred would not be surprised to see them on the lookout,

-ready to give him a cheery wave of the hand as he passed by.

-

-He counted himself as lucky to get along over that rough section of his

-journey without any accident.  There was always a possibility of catching

-his foot in some unseen vine, and finding himself thrown violently to the

-ground.  Even a slight injury to his knee might work to his disadvantage,

-since it was bound to cripple him at some time during the remaining

-thirteen or more miles that must be passed over before the goal was

-reached.

-

-Now he discovered a stump of a tree that had been cut down recently, and

-which he remembered lay close to where they were standing at the time

-they headed for the shelter of the old barn.  This assured him that he

-must have covered the worst of the trail, and was about to strike easier

-going.  Fred thought he would not be averse to this, since it had been

-hard pushing through the scrub, where lowhanging branches of trees

-continually threatened to strike him in the eyes, and all manner of

-hidden traps awaited the feet of the unwary.

-

-He did not doubt in the least but that by taking the road he would so

-increase his speed over one who stuck to the crooked trails, that he must

-arrive at the toll-gate station quite a little time ahead of Ackers.

-

-Well, every minute would be apt to count, for like each one of the other

-Riverport contestants Fred had been told all sorts of amazing stories

-about the ability of the Mechanicsburg "Wonder" to recuperate, and come

-in at the end of a long race apparently fresh.  That had been one of the

-reasons for his brush with Ackers;  he had tried to run him off his feet,

-and test this feature of his make-up.

-

-There was the old barn at last.  Fred saw its familiar outlines with the

-greatest satisfaction.  So far as he could tell he had carried out every

-part of his work with clock-like fidelity, for he had counted on reaching

-this point at a given time, and expected to be registering again far in

-advance of all others.

-

-Bursting from the shelter of the woods Fred gave a single glance back of

-him.  He saw no sign of Colon, and yet felt positive that the other must

-even then be threading his tortuous way through the undergrowth, and

-would arrive within a few minutes at most.

-

-Of course it was far from Fred's policy to wait for his chum.  If Colon's

-wind and endurance stood the severe test, he would have the chance of

-overtaking any who might be ahead of him, during that run home.

-Otherwise he must "take his medicine;" but it would be the utmost folly

-for the leader to waste even five seconds for the privilege of exchanging

-a few sentences with his chum.

-

-They had arranged all this in advance, and meant to keep strictly to the

-line of action laid out.  Should Fred falter in the last mile, and the

-wonderful Ackers begin to overhaul him, Colon hoped to be within striking

-distance.  If he were in fit trim, he could then outstrip the

-Mechanicsburg contestant by a display of some of that queer jumping style

-of running that had been likened to the progress of a kangaroo.

-

-A shout told Fred that the old farmer and his wife were on the watch, and

-had recognized him.  They were standing in the doorway of their humble

-cottage, and waved to him as he flitted past.

-

-He only turned to answer their greeting, and having by then reached the

-private road which connected the farm with the main thoroughfare, started

-along it.  Now it was possible for Fred to increase his pace to a regular

-run, though there was still a necessity for keeping his eyes about him,

-since the way was far from being smooth.

-

-As he reached a point where a turn would shut out a view of what lay

-behind, Fred glanced back over his shoulder, wondering if Colon might be

-in sight.  There was no sign of the long-legged runner, however.  Fred

-whipped around the curve.

-

-He was wondering how Ackers was running, and he really hoped that the

-Mechanicsburg runner might not lose himself, in his eagerness to shorten

-the distance across lots.  That would take all the snap out of the race,

-making it a dead sure thing for Riverport, with two of their entries

-leading on the home stretch.  Fred thought of those thousands of eager

-spectators, and how bitterly many of them were sure to be disappointed if

-there was no hot finish to the grand Marathon, with the winner just

-nosing in as it were, amidst the most intense suspense.

-

-All at once Fred became conscious of a new sound nearby.  This time it

-did not have any connection with the voices of the woods.  On the

-contrary he believed it to be the agonized cry of a child.

-

-It grew louder as he ran along, proving that he must be rapidly

-approaching the spot where something was going on.  Fred remembered that

-stirring event on the frozen river, when he and Bristles had been able to

-rescue the boy who had fallen in through the air-hole.  Somehow it struck

-him that he was listening once more to the plaintive voice of little

-Sadie Ludson as she cried so pitifully for help.

-

-Increasing his speed, Fred presently burst into full view of what was

-going on there under the trees, and his whole soul filled with

-indignation as well as anger as he comprehended the reason for those

-pleading cries.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXIV

-

-WHEN DUTY CALLED

-

-

-"Oh! please don't strike him any more!"

-

-That was what Fred heard in the shrill voice of Sadie Ludson, and every

-word seemed to be filled with frantic fear.  One look had told the

-Marathon runner why the girl betrayed such terror.  She was clinging

-desperately to the uplifted arm of a hulking man, who clutched a stick in

-his hand.  This he had undoubtedly been bringing down with more or less

-force upon the writhing figure he held with his other hand, and which

-Fred immediately recognized as the unfortunate boy Sam Ludson.

-

-Of course he did not need to be told that the man must be Corny Ludson,

-the uncle and self-styled guardian of the two wretched children.  From

-his appearance it looked as though Corny might have been indulging a

-little too freely in strong drink.  This probably had the effect of

-dulling his wits, and making him more of a brute than he might be when in

-his proper senses.

-

-At any rate he was engaged in whipping poor Sam to his heart's content,

-possibly for some slight infraction of the law he chose to lay down for

-the guidance of the pair over whom he had control.

-

-The girl tried her best to keep the angry man from continuing his rain of

-blows.  He growled at her and shook her hand off, after which he

-proceeded to use the rod of correction again.

-

-Fred could hear the writhing boy groan, and cry out, in spite of all his

-efforts to keep from giving tongue.  The girl continued sobbing, and

-vainly trying to prevent further punishment.  Even as Fred came in sight

-of the scene the infuriated man, as if bothered by the way she interfered

-with his wretched work, gave her a fling that sent the girl headlong to

-the ground.

-

-When she struggled to her knees, she was holding a hand to her head, as

-though she had hurt it by rough contact with the stones.

-

-Fred Fenton's blood fairly boiled.  He forgot all about the fact that he

-was engaged in a great Marathon race, and that his school looked to him

-to do everything that was honorable in order to win the victory.

-

-The sight of that great brute abusing these two children whom a

-misfortune had placed in his power was too much for him to stand.  No

-matter if a dozen races had to be forfeited, Fred could never run past,

-and feel that he had done right.

-

-None of the actors in the thrilling little drama had so far discovered

-him, for he had come pattering softly along the road.  He immediately

-turned aside, and leaped straight for the spot, meaning to hurl himself

-on the man, and endeavor to overcome him.  The fact that Corny had been

-drinking, and seemed a bit unsteady on his feet, was likely to aid Fred,

-he believed.  It would have been all the same had other conditions

-prevailed, for the boy was fully aroused.

-

-Although the girl had been crying so frantically, it had not been in

-hopes of anyone hearing and coming to the rescue.  She was simply trying

-to influence the man to forego his use of that stick, with which he had

-amused himself, making cruel welts upon the tender flesh of the

-struggling and helpless boy.

-

-Fred rushed upon Corny like a young whirlwind.  The girl was the first to

-notice his coming, and she could not help giving a cry of delight.  This

-it turned out was the worst thing that could have happened, for it must

-have reached the ear of the man, warning him in time to turn and see

-Fred.

-

-The runner had gone too far now to hesitate, and so he continued his

-forward progress.  He sprang straight at Corny, and received a

-half-hearted blow from the other, who was really too much surprised at

-sight of the boy to get himself in full readiness.

-

-They clinched, and struggled desperately.  The man was of course much the

-stronger of the two, but his condition took away considerable of this

-advantage, so that after all the match was not so unequal.

-

-Fred knew that his best chance was simply to push the other back by the

-sheer weight of his attack, in the hope that Corny might catch his heel

-in some upturned root, and measure his length on the ground.

-

-The boy had been released, of course, for Corny needed both hands with

-which to defend himself.  Immediately the girl threw a protecting arm

-around her gasping brother, and the pair crouched close by, watching with

-startled eyes as the terrible struggle went on.

-

-As it began to look as though their young champion might fail in his

-attempt to subdue the ogre, the girl, who apparently had more spirit than

-her brother, crept out and tried the best she could to offer Fred a stout

-stick which she had picked up from the ground.

-

-Desperately as he fought, Fred was himself beginning to believe that he

-might not be able alone and unaided to subdue the other, who was really

-next door to a giant in size.  In his proper senses Corny Ludson would

-undoubtedly have been equal to several boys like Fred, but he had put

-himself in the power of a master inclined to weaken his resources.

-

-Failing to run across a friendly projecting root that would do the

-business for the clumsy feet of the struggling man, Fred began to believe

-he would be compelled to accept the stick which Sadie was holding out,

-and use it on the other's head.

-

-As he fought, Corny was wild with rage, and uttering all sorts of ugly

-threats as to what he would visit upon the head of this rash boy who had

-attacked him.  It was plainly evident that the man was in a dangerous

-mood.  This told Fred he would be justified in doing almost anything, in

-order to save those children, not to speak of himself.

-

-In the struggle he had not come off without several knocks himself, and

-there was always a chance that the man might succeed in clutching him by

-the throat.  The consequences of such a happening appalled Fred, and,

-resolved to end the battle once and for all, he watched his opportunity,

-and the next time they whirled close to the crouching figure of little

-Sadie, he snatched the stick out of her hand.

-

-It took all of his nerve to be able to actually strike the man on the

-head.  Indeed, the act sent a cold chill all through him, for never

-before in all his life could Fred remember of having struck anyone with a

-club.

-

-Though the blow was hardly more than a severe tap, it crumpled Corny up,

-all the same.  Fred felt him become immediately limp in his grasp, and as

-he drew back the man fell to the ground in a dazed condition.

-

-"Good shot!" exclaimed a well-known voice close by, and Colon came

-limping up.

-

-At sight of his chum Fred uttered an exclamation of dismay.

-

-"Oh!  I'm sorry I did it;" he declared; "if I'd only known you were so

-near by, I'd have held out a little longer, and that's right, Colon."

-

-"Well, that would only have made me do the little act then," said the

-other with a grin, "and p'raps I'd have tapped him harder than you did.

-I guess his head's all fuddled anyway, and that just finished the

-mix-up."

-

-He turned to look at the boy and girl, who were again clasped in each

-other's arms.

-

-"I reckon now these must be Sam and Sadie, aren't they, Fred?"  Colon

-went on to say, though besides being lame he was also rather short of

-wind, truth to tell.  "I know the man all right, to be that ugly Corny.

-And what was he doing to make you jump him, Fred?"

-

-"Beating the boy while the girl tried to hold his hand," the other

-replied as he frowned down upon the prostrate bully.  "When he flung her

-to the ground, it was the last straw for me, and---well, you saw what

-happened."

-

-"He'd been drinking pretty heavily, hadn't he?"  Colon continued, "but

-able to put up a stiff fight for all that.  Well, you got the better of

-him, Fred, and this ought to wind up his treating these children as he

-does.  You know the police are looking out for him right now.  I wouldn't

-be a bit surprised if they could tell us all about the doings of Corny,

-and whether he did those jobs of robbery."

-

-He limped toward the boy and girl, and as before it was little Sadie who

-spoke up without hesitation, to say:

-

-"He is our uncle, and he treats us very bad.  Yes, and he takes things

-that belong to other people.  We know because we've watched him counting

-the money, and he always gets mad when he sees us looking on.  He had

-some papers in a tin box too; they are in his pocket right now.  Oh! we

-hope you can take us away from him, for he beats us cruelly."

-

-"There, didn't I tell you so, Fred?" exclaimed Colon, triumphantly, "and

-between us now, we've got to fix it so this old scoundrel doesn't get a

-chance to beat Sam again, or rob another farmhouse.  I'll manage to fix

-him up, somehow or other, and stay here to watch him.  You go on and win

-this race for Riverport, Fred."

-

-"But how about you, Colon?"  Fred hastened to say, between his set teeth;

-"I'm sure you've set your heart on coming in ahead of the string, just as

-much as anyone."

-

-Colon shook his head sadly.

-

-"The game's all up with me, Fred!" he exclaimed, hurriedly; "I must have

-run a measly thorn in my foot just about the time I heard you scrapping

-with that man.  Didn't you notice how I had to limp?  Why, I couldn't

-keep up the pace for three miles more.  No, you've just got to leave me

-to take care of this scamp.  I saw some wood choppers coming through the

-Woods back there, and can call them up after you go."

-

-"But I hate to do it, Colon; it's a terrible disappointment to you," Fred

-told him, knowing the other as he did.

-

-"Forget all about me, and think only of winning that prize for Riverport

-High!" the tall chum exclaimed, and then actually pushing Fred away from

-him, he continued, "Now be off with you, Fred, and please, oh! please

-beat that Mechanicsburg Wonder over the line!"

-

-Fred saw that there was nothing else he could do.  The boy and girl were

-safe, and Colon had commenced making ready to tie the man's hands behind

-his back with a stout red bandanna handkerchief he carried.  Then, too,

-Colon had seen several husky wood-choppers nearby, who could be depended

-upon to lend a helping hand.

-

-Just as Colon had said, there was indeed need of haste.  All these

-happenings had consumed more or less time, and possibly Ackers would have

-registered at the toll-gate station before Fred, reached there.  So

-waving his hand to his chum in farewell, Fred shot away down the road,

-running with the speed of the wind.

-

-Colon looked after him with a smile on his face.  If he felt a keen

-regret that misfortune had tossed him out of the great race, he certainly

-failed to show it.

-

-"I surely believe Fred will come in first, if anybody can beat that

-Wonder they boast so much about," he was telling himself, as he worked

-with the make-shift bonds.

-

-Then as he caught sight of moving figures back among the trees, Colon

-shouted until the three woodchoppers came hurrying up.  It did not take

-him long to let them know that if they helped get the man, now coming

-back to his senses, to Riverport, it would be the best day's work they

-had done that year.

-

-And on seeing how happy Sam and his sister looked at the prospect of

-being forever relieved from the brutal guardian who had made life so

-terrible for them, Colon must have realized that there may be

-compensations, even for a fellow who has been cheated out of his chance

-to win a Marathon race.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXV

-

-THE VICTORY---CONCLUSION

-

-

-"Oh! there's the cannon!  A runner must be in sight!"

-

-When that great assemblage heard the deep boom of the big gun belonging

-to the local artillery company, every eye was instantly focussed on the

-bend of the road half a mile away.  Yes, a runner had suddenly turned the

-corner, and was heading in a direct line for the finish!

-

-He ran in a wobbly fashion, as though utterly fatigued, a fact that was

-apparent to everyone.  They could hear the far-off howls of those who had

-waited up the track to welcome the runners.  A crowd followed his

-progress, but was wisely prevented from breaking in upon the roadway, so

-that those in the grandstand were enabled to see all that went on.

-

-"Oh! who is it?" cried Cissie Anderson shrilly, as she stood up, everyone

-being on tiptoe with excitement.

-

-"Fred Fenton!" shouted Cornelius Shays, apparently taking it for granted

-that their favorite athlete would be the first to come in.

-

-"No! no, it can't be Fred, because he was Number Six, and that seems more

-like a Seven!" another boy shouted; at which Flo Temple turned really

-pale with bitter disappointment, for she had hoped it would be Fred.

-

-"Colon!  Hurrah for Colon!" whooped several enthusiastic Riverport

-rooters.

-

-"Look again, and perhaps you won't crow so loud!" the saucy girl from

-Mechanicsburg exclaimed, her eyes dancing with eagerness.  "I've got

-pretty good sight, and that looks like a Figure One to me.  Besides, I

-ought to know how Billie Ackers runs, for he happens to be my own

-brother!"

-

-The stranger in town had raised his field-glasses meanwhile, and he

-hastened to remark, turning sideways toward Flo Temple and Cissie:

-

-"Yes, that is a Figure One, most assuredly!"

-

-As though the adherents of the up-river school had discovered this

-gratifying truth for themselves, wild cheers now began to be heard,

-coupled with the Mechanicsburg favorite school song, sung by a glee club

-that suddenly sprang into view, waving flags, and throwing up their hats

-in enthusiasm.

-

-"It's the Mechanicsburg Wonder!"

-

-"We told you he had their measure taken, didn't we?" shouted Sherley, the

-football quarterback.

-

-Boom!

-

-"Another runner has just turned the bend, and see him gaining on Ackers,

-would you?  Why, what's this I see---that number looks like Eleven, and

-didn't Badger of the Pauldings carry that?  Will you see him tearing off

-the space on your tired-out Wonder?  It's good-night to Ackers,

-Mechanicsburg!"

-

-"That may be, but where do you fellows here in Riverport come in?"

-shrilled the girl from up river whose brother was plainly being beaten.

-

-Boom!

-

-"Oh! there's a third runner in sight, and just see how he is tearing

-along like a scared wolf.  We ought to know that style, Riverport, and

-nobody but Fred Fenton could show such terrific speed at the close of a

-twenty-five mile race.  That's because he pays more attention to

-condition than speed!"

-

-"Will he overtake the other runners before they get to the goal?"

-shrieked an almost crazy rooter, as he stood on his seat, and waved both

-arms wildly again and again.

-

-Thousands of anxious eyes watched the approaching figures of the three

-contestants.  It was still an open question who would come in ahead.  The

-Wonder was evidently at almost his last gasp, while Badger, the Paulding

-runner, could hardly be said to show much better form, for he too wobbled

-constantly from side to side, as though kept going only by sheer grit.

-

-Fred, coming strong from the rear, was speedily overtaking them both.

-When Badger, looking over his shoulder, saw this, he started a feeble

-little spurt, but it excited only derisive whoops from the frenzied

-crowd.

-

-"No use, Badger, you've shot your bolt!  Give way to a better man!"

-shouted the captain of the Riverport cheer squad through his megaphone.

-

-"And look at the poor old riddled Wonder wobble, would you?  There, if he

-hasn't taken a header in the bargain!  It's all up, boys, all over but

-the shouting!"

-

-"Oh! the poor fellow has gone down in a heap!" gasped Flo Temple, as

-Ackers after stumbling fell to his knees in his weakness.

-

-"Look at him trying to get up, but he can't do it!" cried Cornelius

-Shays.  "The tape is only thirty feet away, and Ackers is trying to crawl

-there on his hands and knees.  Now Fred is on him, and has passed to the

-front, with poor Ackers rolling over like a log in a dead faint!"

-

-Such a tumult of wild shouting as broke out when Fred Fenton, pale of

-face, and bearing the marks of his hard run in the agonized expression of

-his face, staggered past the judges, and fell into the arms of several

-friends who were anticipating some such collapse at the end of the

-fiercely contested Marathon.

-

-Nor were the plucky Ackers and Badger forgotten by either friends or

-rivals in the many wild cheers that followed.

-

-"Where's Colon?" a dozen people were asking anxiously, for a strange

-rumor had flashed around through the great crowd, to the effect that

-because the second favorite had not shown up at all, he had fallen and

-broken his ankle.

-

-Fred quickly set these stories at rest by telling just what did detain

-Colon, and how having been injured by running a thorn in his foot, he had

-decided to stay there by the two children to watch the man who had been

-caught beating the boy.

-

-Later on, of course, all of those who had been left up in the woods

-arrived in town, having been met on the way by Chief Sutton in a car, and

-given a lift.  Colon saw to it that the three woodchoppers were well paid

-for their part in the affair.

-

-Fred walked home with Flo Temple that evening, not a particle spoiled,

-she really believed, on account of all the praise showered upon him by

-the pleased partisans of Riverport High.

-

-Other rivalries would likely have to be settled between these neighboring

-towns, with their lively high schools, but it would be a long time before

-the assembled crowds could ever experience such tremendous excitement as

-came about when Fred Fenton caught up with Badger and the Mechanicsburg

-Wonder on the home-stretch of the twenty-five mile Marathon, and managed

-to win by a scant fifteen feet.

-

-Corny Ludson being taken in charge by the police was in due time placed

-on trial charged with serious offenses.  There was no difficulty in

-proving him guilty of both robberies, and of course he received a long

-sentence, which would keep him from preying on the public, or annoying

-the children left in his charge by an unsuspicious brother.

-

-Upon investigation by Judge Wallace it was found that while he had really

-been the legally appointed guardian of his nephew and niece, and had

-squandered all the spare money he could get his hands on, there was quite

-a snug amount in securities that he could not touch.

-

-This would be ample to provide Sam and Sadie with all necessary comforts

-while they went to school, and grew up.  They were speedily placed in a

-comfortable home with an old couple who would take the part of parents to

-them, and it may be easily understood how from that time on both of them

-rested in the belief that there was no fellow in all Riverport quite the

-equal of Fred Fenton, because he had had so much to do with bringing them

-their present happiness.

-

-They do say that Flo Temple inclines the same way, for she and Fred

-continue to be good friends, and are seen together at all the dances, and

-other entertainments.

-

-The End

-

-

-

-

-

-

-End of Project Gutenberg's Fred Fenton Marathon Runner, by Allen Chapman

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