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diff --git a/old/50792-0.txt b/old/50792-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index d991601..0000000 --- a/old/50792-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6930 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Great Oakdale Mystery, by Morgan Scott, -Illustrated by Charles L. Wrenn - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: The Great Oakdale Mystery - - -Author: Morgan Scott - - - -Release Date: December 30, 2015 [eBook #50792] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GREAT OAKDALE MYSTERY*** - - -E-text prepared by Stephen Hutcheson, Rick Morris, Rod Crawford, Dave -Morgan, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 50792-h.htm or 50792-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/50792/50792-h/50792-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/50792/50792-h.zip) - - -Transcriber’s note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - Small capitals have been rendered in full capitals. - - - - - -[Illustration: - - “POINT, ROY—POINT!” CALLED SAGE, SOFTLY.—Page 11.] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - -THE GREAT OAKDALE MYSTERY - -by - -MORGAN SCOTT - -Author of “Ben Stone at Oakdale,” “Boys of Oakdale -Academy,” “Rival Pitchers of Oakdale,” -“Oakdale Boys in Camp,” etc. - - - - - - - -[Illustration] - -New York -Hurst & Company -Publishers - -Copyright, 1912, -By -Hurst & Company - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I. THE HUNTERS 5 - II. THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER 17 - III. THE HOME OF THE SAGES 28 - IV. A MAN “WANTED” 40 - V. BY THE LIGHT FROM THE WINDOW 54 - VI. CAPTAIN QUINN’S MONKEY 68 - VII. ANNOYING ATTENTIONS 79 - VIII. HOOKER HAS A PLAN 89 - IX. THE CAMP IN THE WOODS 99 - X. A PERPLEXING QUESTION 109 - XI. THE HIDDEN SPORTSMEN 118 - XII. DISAPPOINTED DUCK HUNTERS 132 - XIII. THE TARDY QUARTERBACK 141 - XIV. THE FIRST QUARTER 151 - XV. THE PLAYER WHO BLUNDERED 159 - XVI. REMARKABLE BEHAVIOR OF SAGE 169 - XVII. WORK OF THE YOUNG DETECTIVE 176 - XVIII. SLEUTH’S ASTONISHING THEORY 187 - XIX. THE NIGHT ALARM 197 - XX. IN THE BANK 204 - XXI. WHAT SLEUTH LEARNED 213 - XXII. FOLLOWING THE TRAIL 222 - XXIII. THE CAPTURE 235 - XXIV. SUSPICION 245 - XXV. THE BOY WHO ACTED GUILTY 255 - XXVI. ANOTHER CAPTURE 265 - XXVII. THE TWO PRISONERS 271 - XXVIII. THE SHREDS OF HOPE 279 - XXIX. A CONCESSION FROM SLEUTH 291 - XXX. THE TRUTH AT LAST 301 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - - -------------- - - - “Point, Roy—point!” called Sage softly. _Frontispiece_ - - PAGE - - Aaron Quinn hobbled back toward the hut, - carrying the monkey. 74 - - The fullback came charging across, - forcing Rodney toward the side line. 156 - - “Here he is! Come on; we’ve got him!” 242 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - The Great Oakdale Mystery. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - THE HUNTERS. - - -Two boys, each carrying a gun, came out of a strip of woods and paused. -They were followed by a short-haired pointer dog. One of the boys, whose -gun was a single-barreled repeater, bore a game-bag suspended from his -shoulder by a strap, and he spoke to the dog with an air of authority -that proclaimed him the animal’s master. He was a pleasant-faced, -blue-eyed chap, and his name was Fred Sage. - -The gun of the other boy was a double-barreled hammerless. The boy had a -slightly undershot jaw, and his eyes were a trifle too small. This was -Roy Hooker. During the months of the past summer these two fellows had -become exceedingly friendly. - -“There are the Hopkins woodcock covers down yonder, Fred,” said Roy, -pointing across the open strip of pasture land. “Old Hopkins doesn’t -like to have anyone gun there, but I’m for giving those covers a try, as -long as he will probably never know it.” - -“Has he posted ‘No Trespass’ signs?” asked Sage. - -“Guess not; I haven’t seen any. He doesn’t do any shooting himself, but -being a cranky old bear, he doesn’t like to have anyone else gun on his -property.” - -“Well, as long as there are no warnings posted and he hasn’t personally -notified us to keep off, we’ll see if we can find any birds there. The -covers look attractive to me. Here, Spot; heel, sir.” - -With the first indication that the boys intended to proceed, the eager -dog had started forward, but he turned at the command of his master and -once more fell in behind. - -The forenoon of this clear, sunny autumn day was not far advanced, the -young hunters having set forth shortly after breakfast. Although the air -was clear and almost warm, there was a certain suggestion of crispness -in it, which, together with the flaming leaves of the deciduous trees, -plainly betokened that the early autumn frosts had been at work. The -stubble of the open pasture land was brown and dry. Behind the boys, in -the woods they had just left, squirrels were chattering and bluejays -screaming, but Fred and Roy were after bigger and more legitimate game. -Thus far their hunt had proved disappointing. - -“If we don’t find anything down yonder,” said Hooker, “I’ll get mad and -shoot the next squirrel that barks at me. I was tempted to pop over one -big gray fellow that leered at me from a limb.” - -“You don’t eat squirrels, do you?” - -“Oh, no.” - -“What would you do with them if you should shoot ’em?” - -“Nothing; just throw them away.” - -“Then don’t shoot them, Roy. It’s not good sport to kill practically -harmless creatures simply for the sake of killing something. I’d rather -never shoot anything at all than do that.” - -“Oh, you’re deucedly finicky about some things, old fellow. You won’t -have many chances to gun this fall, for football is going to keep you -busy. When I proposed it last night I hardly thought I’d get you out -to-day.” - -“And I came out with the understanding that we are to get back in time -for practice this afternoon. Next Saturday, a week from to-day, the team -plays its first game.” - -“And will be beautifully beaten,” prophesied Hooker. - -“What makes you think so?” - -“Why shouldn’t I think so? The eleven is going to be weak this year. -With Roger Eliot for captain, it made an unexpected success last fall; -but Eliot is gone, and Stone, who was chosen to follow him as captain, -never can be such a crafty, far-sighted general. The team was weakened -fifty per cent by the loss of Eliot.” - -“Perhaps you’re right,” admitted Sage; “but you seem to forget that we -ought to receive some strength from the development of new players. For -instance, there’s that fellow from Texas, Rodney Grant——” - -“Oh, yes,” nodded Roy quickly, “I suppose he’ll help some, but it takes -time to make a football player, and Grant has had little experience at -the game. Stone realizes he’s going to be shy of material, and he’s -coaxing everybody to come out for practice. He’s been at me.” - -“You’re going to come out, aren’t you?” - -“I don’t know. Never did care a great deal about football. You know it’s -my ambition to be a baseball pitcher, and a fellow can’t do everything.” - -“Baseball is over now, and there’ll be no more until next spring. For -the good of the team you ought to take hold and do your best to become a -player and fill one of the weak spots.” - -“And maybe get a broken leg or arm or collar-bone to set me back. A -baseball player is taking chances when he goes in for football.” - -“But if none of our ball players went in for football,” reminded Sage, -“we’d have no eleven. Our school isn’t big enough for the two teams to -be made up of distinct and independent bodies of players. You’re quick, -active and strong, Roy, and, if you choose to take hold and work hard, -it seems to me you might become one of the valuable members of the -eleven.” - -“Oh, possibly,” admitted Hooker, attempting to conceal the fact that he -was somewhat flattered. “I fancy I could do as well as some other -fellows, Piper, Cooper or Tuttle, for instance. In a way they are mere -makeshifts; none of them is a bang-up good football man.” - -By this time they had crossed the pasture land and reached the edge of -the covers, the dog betraying a restless desire to get to work. Sage -permitted the animal to go forward, directing his movements now and then -by a word of command, and, with the guns held ready for quick use, the -young hunters advanced slowly, keeping their eyes on the pointer the -most of the time. They separated somewhat and went forward with the dog -at the apex of an imaginary triangle. Nearly all the time the boys could -see each other through the scrub growth, which made it unlikely that -either would place his friend in danger by careless shooting. - -Moving hither and thither, sniffing, pausing, advancing, every hunting -instinct alert, the dog did his work beautifully. Suddenly, with one -foot uplifted, tail horizontal and rigid and muzzle thrust forward, the -pointer became a statue of stone. Directly ahead of him, a few feet -away, was a thick cluster of low bushes. - -“Point, Roy—point!” called Sage softly, his repeater held in both hands -and half lifted, ready for a quick shot. - -Immediately Hooker swerved toward the dog and advanced as swiftly and -noiselessly as possible, in order to obtain a position for a shot when -the bird should flush. Reaching a favorable spot, he placed himself in -position to shoot and waited for the rise. - -The seconds passed slowly—so slowly that to the anxious boys they seemed -more like minutes. A chickadee flitted through the bushes, lighted on a -branch within five feet of Roy, performed some surprising horizontal bar -evolutions and applauded himself in a ludicrously hoarse voice. -Something rustled at a distance, like a creature running swiftly along -the ground. Far away, so far that it was but faintly heard, the gun of -some other hunter spoke. - -With a sudden whirr of wings a woodcock rose straight up from the -further side of the cluster of bushes. The butt of Sage’s gun came to -his shoulder, his eye caught the sights, and he fired. - -Hooker was a trifle slower, but ere Sage, realizing that he had shot too -quickly and therefore made a miss, could fire again, Roy’s weapon spoke. - -Down came the bird into the midst of the thicket. - -“Good work, old man,” cried Fred approvingly. “You got him. I shot -under; didn’t wait for him to make his full rise. Go fetch, Spot.” - -The dog, released from the spell that had chained him motionless, -plunged forward, sniffing around in search of the bird. In a few moments -he brought the dead woodcock and placed it at his master’s feet. - -“A plump fellow,” laughed Sage, holding the kill up for the other lad to -see. “That’s the first blood for you, Roy. Shall I put it in my bag?” - -“Sure; I haven’t any. There’s likely more of them near by.” - -There were more, and Sage evened things up by bringing down the next -one. After this both boys missed a shot, and, though they had tried to -“mark” their birds when they lighted, they beat back and forth for more -than half an hour without getting another flush. - -“Come on,” said Roy at last; “I’m tired of this. There’s some good -partridge timber near by, and I’d rather shoot one partridge than half a -dozen woodcock.” - -“Every fellow to his taste,” laughed Sage. “I prefer the sport of -woodcock shooting, and I certainly hate to leave without getting either -of those two birds up again.” - -He yielded, however, to Hooker’s urging, and they left the low covers -for the adjacent timber, in which partridges might be found. - -The partridges were there, too. Roy put one up almost beneath his feet, -but the timber was so thick at that point that he could not get even a -chance shot with the slightest hope of success. While he was grumbling -over this, Spot made a point and the partridge rose with a booming of -wings before Sage could give his companion warning. - -Fred fired. - -“Did you get her?” called Hooker. - -“I think I hit her,” was the answer. “I saw her go down. Come, Spot, we -must dig that bird out.” - -Hooker started to follow, but had not advanced thirty feet before still -another partridge rose and went sailing away in another direction. This -time Roy fired, but he did so under such a disadvantage and with so much -haste that he had little hope of bringing down the game. - -“Confound it!” he muttered. “Are all these birds going to get away?” - -For a full minute he stood still in his tracks, peering into the woods -on all sides and listening keenly. Then he removed the empty shell from -his gun and slipped a loaded one into place. - -“I’m going to follow that old bird I banged at,” he decided. “I don’t -believe she went beyond the road that runs through these woods. If I can -get her without the assistance of the dog, it will be a trick worth -turning.” - -Having hurried after the partridge until he fancied he had reached a -point where the bird might have alighted, he began creeping forward with -the utmost caution, pausing every few yards to listen and use his eyes. -Once an acorn, clipping down through the leaves and striking the ground, -gave him a start, but it seemed that the partridge had flown farther -than he thought, for presently, without again sighting the game, he -approached the road. A short distance from the highway he stopped in his -tracks and flung the gun to his shoulder, the barrel levelled toward -some roadside bushes, near which he had heard a slight noise. - -Beyond the bushes a man rose into view from a stone on which he had been -seated, and found himself looking straight into the muzzle of Hooker’s -gun. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER. - - -Roy was tremendously startled. The gun had an easy pull, and his bent -finger was gently touching the trigger, yet so astonished was he by the -unexpected appearance of the man that for some moments he stood rigid -with the weapon leveled at the stranger’s head. - -On the other hand, the man was no less dismayed. Not more than -twenty-six or seven years of age, he was somewhat roughly dressed and -decidedly in need of a shave. His eyes opened wide at sight of the -threatening weapon, and a wave of pallor swept over his bronzed face. -Not a word escaped his parted lips. - -Presently, with a catch of his breath, Hooker lowered the gun. - -“By Jove!” he cried, with a touch of resentment. “You came near getting -shot, bobbing up that fashion from behind those bushes.” - -No longer menaced by the gun, the stranger seemed greatly relieved. -Gradually the color returned to his face, and, his eyes searching the -young hunter keenly, he gave a short, nervous laugh. - -“It’s pretty serious,” he said, “when a chap can’t sit down by the -roadside to rest without being in danger of getting himself peppered -from a shotgun. You should make sure of the kind of game you’re banging -at, before you fire.” - -“If I hadn’t done so,” returned Hooker, still feeling slightly -resentful, “I’d probably blown your head off. I was following a -partridge. Did you see one fly across the road a short time ago?” - -“No, I didn’t; but I haven’t been here more than four or five -minutes—perhaps not that long.” - -The man had a pleasant, agreeable face, and Hooker thought that, were he -shaved and better dressed, he would be a rather good-looking chap. -Apparently he had not wholly recovered from the start which the sight of -the armed boy had given him, for he was still a bit nervous and uneasy. - -“Maybe,” said Roy, “it took me longer than I thought to follow that old -bird to this point. Perhaps she flew across the road before you came -along.” - -“Are you alone?” asked the man. - -“I’m with a friend. He’s back in the woods somewhere with his dog.” - -“Of course you live near here?” - -“Yes, in Oakdale.” - -The man seemed interested. “Oakdale; that’s a small town near by, isn’t -it?” - -“You must be a total stranger in these parts,” said Roy, as he stepped -out into the road. “Oakdale is not more than three or four miles from -here. It’s a country village.” He was wondering if the man could be a -tramp, but closer inspection made this seem quite improbable, despite -the stranger’s rough clothes and somewhat shabby appearance. - -“No, I don’t belong around here,” said the man. “I’m looking for work. -Anything a fellow can do in Oakdale?” - -“I don’t know about that, but I presume one could find some sort of work -if he wasn’t too particular. There are two mills and some lime quarries, -but the men who work in the quarries are mostly foreigners. What are -your special qualifications?” - -“I haven’t any,” was the frank confession. “I’m ready to do any sort of -work to earn an honest living.” - -“In that case, it shouldn’t be hard for you to find something.” - -“It’s not as easy as you might think. You see, employers usually like to -know something about the workmen they engage, and they are apt to be -suspicious of a total stranger who looks a bit rough and down in his -luck.” - -“Of course you’re ready to tell anyone about yourself and give -references?” - -The young man shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t happen to have any -references,” he answered. “Of course I can answer questions about -myself, but who would know I wasn’t lying?” - -“If you stated your last place of employment, it would be a simple -matter to investigate your story.” - -Again that quick shrugging of the shoulders. “Yes, but supposing that, -for reasons of my own, I didn’t care to tell where I’ve been employed?” - -“Reasons? What sort of reasons could you have, unless——” - -“It might be the case, you know, that I had had trouble with my former -employer. Perhaps,” he went on hastily, “we quarreled over something for -which I was not at all to blame, and that quarrel led to my leaving -without giving due notice. You see, that would deprive me of references -and would make it impossible for me to hope for any benefit by stating -where and for whom I had worked.” - -“Yes, I see,” nodded Hooker slowly. “That would put you in bad. In such -a case, unless someone was in great need of a man, I doubt if you could -find employment.” - -The stranger made a quick gesture with one hand. - -“There you are,” he said; “or rather, there I am. Until you get up -against it yourself, you’ll not be able to understand such a -predicament, and I hope you’ll never have the misfortune to face such a -situation.” - -Now Hooker had been led to believe that the misfortunes which usually -befall a person, barring ill health, were almost always the result of -incompetence, carelessness or dishonesty, and the fact that this -stranger was wholly indisposed to make known his past history led the -boy to regard him with doubt and suspicion. Perhaps the man understood -something of what was passing in Roy’s mind, for suddenly he said: - -“You can see how it is; even you would hesitate about giving me work. -That’s the way with everybody. They demand to know a person’s past; they -want to pry into his private affairs. But I tell you,” he added, a -trifle bitterly, “I feel that it’s none of their business, and I resent -their impertinence. The man who gives me a job at which I can earn an -honest living will find me ready to do my work, and do it well. Why -should he insist on probing private matters concerning me, any more than -I should demand to know about his personal history? In fact, in many -cases it would be to the advantage of the laborer if his employer were -compelled to lay bare such secrets. A great many would be shown up as -grinders of the poor, bloodsuckers living and growing fat upon the -life-toll of others, unfeeling despots paying their workmen a mere -pittance while they piled up riches by what those workmen produced. And -some would be branded as dishonest rascals from whom their neighbors -would shrink in abhorrence.” - -“Jingoes!” exclaimed Hooker, fancying himself enlightened by the -vehement words of the stranger. “I guess I know what’s the matter with -you. You must be a Socialist.” - -The man laughed. “That’s the usual term applied in these days to those -who have courage enough to question the honesty and fair dealing of a -certain greedy, selfish brand of employers. But I’m not claiming that -all employers are of that sort. If they were, conditions in this country -would be desperate indeed. But what’s the use in talking to you of such -things; you’re simply a boy, and at your age problems of that nature had -never troubled me for a moment. At your age,” he continued, something -like a dreamy look of sadness creeping into his blue eyes, “I was as -carefree and thoughtless as you are to-day. I’d give a great deal if it -were possible for me to go back to that time.” - -This statement served to convince Hooker that the stranger was carrying -a secret locked in his heart, and that the secret was one which gave him -no small amount of regret and remorse. Otherwise, why should a man in -the very prime of his youth and vigor, a time to which Roy looked -forward with eager anticipation, desire to blot out a portion of his -life that he might return to the days of his boyhood? - -The sad and dreamy look was gone in a moment, and the stranger asked: - -“Have you lived long in Oakdale?” - -“Brought up there,” answered Hooker. - -“Then I presume you know nearly everyone in town?” - -“Sure. In a little place like that everybody knows everybody else.” - -The man’s next question gave the lad a start: “Do you know any people by -the name of Sage?” - -“What? Sage? I should say so!” - -“Ah!” breathed the man. “There is a family by that name in Oakdale?” - -“Yes.” - -“How long have they been there?” - -“Let me see. About three years, I think.” - -“Where did they come from? Do you know?” - -“Not exactly, though I believe they came from somewhere in New York -State. Why, Fred Sage is my chum.” - -“Oh, is he?” The stranger’s eyes were now bright with interest and his -manner eager. - -“You bet he is,” nodded Roy. “He’s a fine chap, too. We’re gunning -together to-day. He’s the fellow I spoke of. I left him back yonder with -his dog. Do you know the Sages? If you do, perhaps they might give you a -recommendation that would help you get work.” - -At this moment the report of a gun, only a short distance away, rang -through the woods. - -“That’s Fred—that’s him now,” cried Hooker. “I’ll bet he bagged that old -biddy.” Then he lifted his voice and shouted: “Hey, Fred! Here I am, out -in the road. Did you get anything?” - -“I didn’t miss that time,” came back the triumphant answer. “It’s a -partridge.” - -“The one I was after, I reckon,” said Roy, with a touch of chagrin. “She -must have run on the ground so that I lost track of her. Here comes Fred -now.” - -There was a sound of someone pushing through the underbrush, and Roy, -facing the woods, waited for his chum to appear. In a few moments, -followed by the dog, Sage came out of the woods, triumphantly holding -aloft a dead partridge. - -“The other one fooled me and I lost her,” he said; “but I got a good -open chance at this old biddy. She didn’t get away.” - -“She got away from me,” said Roy. “I’m sure that’s the one I chased, but -she gave me the slip all right. I was so hot after her that I came near -shooting——” - -He stopped abruptly, his mouth open as he looked around for the -mysterious stranger. To his astonishment, the man had disappeared. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - THE HOME OF THE SAGES. - - -“Well, what do you know about that?” muttered Hooker wonderingly. “He’s -gone.” - -“Who?” questioned Fred, reaching the road. - -“The man—the man I was talking with. He was sitting right here on this -stone when I came sneaking down through the woods, and I almost shot his -head off. He rose up into view just in time. Where the dickens has he -gone?” - -In both directions a strip of road lay in plain view, but, save -themselves, there was no human being to be seen upon it. - -“When did he go?” questioned Sage. - -“After you fired; while I was watching for you to come out of the woods. -He was right here within five feet of me. I can’t understand how he got -away so quickly without my knowing it. He must have put off into the -woods on the other side.” - -“What made him do that?” - -“You’ve got me. He was a stranger around these parts, and said he was -looking for work. There was something queer about him, too. He was a -good, healthy looking specimen, and he didn’t seem like a hobo, though -his clothes were rather rough. He talked like an educated man. Say, -Fred, he asked about you.” - -“About _me_?” exclaimed Sage in surprise. “Why, how was that?” - -“Don’t know. He asked if there was a family by the name of Sage in -Oakdale and how long they had been there. He must be someone who knows -you, Fred.” - -“Describe him.” - -Roy did so as well as he was able, but his friend did not seem at all -enlightened. - -“I can’t imagine who he was,” said Fred. “The description doesn’t seem -to fit anyone I know. Did he give his name?” - -“No; I forgot to ask it. He talked like a Socialist or an Anarchist, -although he didn’t look to be a very desperate character. And he seemed -nervous and troubled about something or other, but perhaps that was -because he fancied he had come so near getting himself shot. When he saw -me, with the gun leveled straight at him, he turned pale.” - -“I don’t wonder,” said Fred, with a laugh. “It was enough to give anyone -a start. I don’t see what made him run away, and I wish he’d waited -until I could have taken a look at him.” - -“Perhaps he was somebody who knew you before you came to Oakdale.” - -Sage frowned a bit. “It doesn’t seem likely, and yet, of course, it may -be so. Well, we can’t fret ourselves about him. Let’s go on with the -hunt. Spot is getting restless.” - -For some time the pointer had been running back and forth in the road, -turning at intervals to gaze inquiringly at his master and whine -beseechingly. Apparently the dog was wondering why the boys should -linger there, with the woods all about them and their success thus far -giving ample evidence that there was plenty of game to be had for the -hunting. - -Absorbed once more in the search for birds, both lads seemingly -dismissed all thoughts of the stranger and his puzzling behavior; but, -had he possessed the faculty of reading his companion’s mind, Hooker -would have been surprised to discover that, far from dismissing such -thoughts, Sage was not a little troubled by them. Indeed, so deeply -plunged was he in mental speculations that he failed to note when the -dog next made a point, and he flushed the bird unexpectedly by the -careless manner in which he stumbled forward through the underbrush. -Taken thus unawares, he could not recover his self-possession in time to -shoot, and, Hooker being in no position to fire, the game got away -untouched, not a little to the disgust of Spot. - -“What’s the matter with you, Fred?” called Roy sharply. “You almost -stepped on that one. Didn’t you see Spot point?” - -“No,” was the regretful confession, “I didn’t notice it.” - -“I started to call to you, but I thought you knew your business and were -ready to pepper away when the bird flushed.” - -Later, when they ran into a covey of woodcock, Fred was astonishingly -slow about shooting, and Hooker brought down two birds to his one, which -seemed rather remarkable, as Sage was much the better wing shot. It was -Fred, too, who, seeming the first to tire of the sport, finally proposed -that they should go home. - -“There’s time enough,” objected Roy. “Practice doesn’t begin until three -o’clock, and it’s not yet noon.” - -“But I’ll need to rest up a bit after this tramp. I’ve got enough, -anyhow.” - -On the way back to the village Sage suddenly asked Hooker once more to -describe the stranger, and when Roy had complied he again asserted that -he had not the least idea as to the man’s identity. - -It was nearly one o’clock when Sage reached his home, a comfortable, -well-kept story-and-a-half house on the outskirts of the village, but he -found that his mother had kept dinner waiting for him, for which he -scolded her in a laughing fashion. - -“No need to put yourself to so much trouble, mother,” he said. “I could -have done just as well with a cold lunch from the pantry.” - -“It was no trouble, my boy,” she replied, affection in her tone and in -the glance she gave him. “We knew you would be home, for you said there -was to be football practice this afternoon, and it was your father who -suggested that we should wait for you.” - -She was not an old woman, but her hair was snowy white, and there was -something in her face and the depths of her gentle eyes which indicated -that her life had not been wholly free from care and sorrow. - -Fred’s father, who had been reading in the sitting-room, put aside his -newspaper and came into the dining-room, rubbing his hands together as -he peered at the boy over the gold-bowed spectacles that clung to his -nose. - -“Well, what luck, young man?” he asked. “Did you find any shooting worth -while?” - -“We got seven woodcock and three partridges,” answered Fred; “but Roy -shot the most of them, though he insisted on dividing them. I made him -take the odd partridge, though, keeping only one for mother, as she -doesn’t care for woodcock.” - -“H’m!” nodded Andrew Sage slowly. “How did you happen to let him -outshoot you, Fred? With that new gun of yours, I thought you’d make a -record. Doesn’t it shoot as well as you expected?” - -“Oh, the gun is all right. I suppose I was a bit off form.” - -He was on the point of telling them of the unknown man who had -questioned Hooker about the Sages living in Oakdale and then run away in -such a perplexing manner on Fred’s approach, but something seemed to -caution him to remain silent, and he did so. - -Like Roy Hooker, the people of Oakdale knew little about the Sages, save -that they had lived in the place for three years having moved there from -some distant state. Andrew Sage was a man nearly sixty years of age, -with the speech and bearing of a person of education and refinement. He -had purchased a tiny farm of some twenty acres, the buildings of which -were promptly repaired, remodelled within and thoroughly painted. The -grounds in the vicinity of the buildings were cleared and graded, with -the exception of a picket-fenced front yard, where an old-fashioned -flower garden had been choked out by weeds. Of course the fence was -straightened up, repaired and given several coats of paint, and the -flower garden was restored to its former state of blooming fragrance and -beauty; but this work was done at the direction of Mrs. Sage, who seemed -to find in that garden something to occupy her mind and give her many -hours of pleasure. Her knowledge of flowers and their proper care was -much superior to the knowledge displayed by her husband in the vegetable -garden, which he planted and attended. The neighbors often remarked that -it was plain enough that Andrew Sage had never turned his hand to such -labor before coming to Oakdale. - -That the Sages possessed an income sufficient to support them modestly -was likewise evident, for they lived comfortably and paid their bills -promptly, although Mr. Sage worked upon his own property only, and, as -conducted, that brought in practically no revenue whatever. - -The little household was held together by strong bands of understanding -and affection which would have been apparent enough to anyone who could -have watched them this day at their belated dinner. Into their pleasant -conversation there entered no jarring note, and their thoughtfulness and -consideration for one another was of the finest sort. The atmosphere of -that home was truly such as it should be, comfortable, homelike, fraught -with an indescribable something that always makes such a place the -best-loved spot on earth. - -It was natural that Fred’s mother should speak of football and its -dangers and express her regret that he should care to take part in such -sport. And in supporting Fred’s arguments in favor of the game, it was -diplomatic of his father to seem, in a way, to favor both sides of the -question, while all the time he was cleverly reassuring the apprehensive -woman. Andrew Sage’s skill in this form of controversy not only made it -much easier for Fred, but checked, in a great measure, the worriment of -the boy’s mother. - -When he reached the football field that afternoon Fred found Roy Hooker -telling a group of boys about the encounter with the mysterious -stranger. Of those boys Billy Piper, familiarly known as “Sleuth” on -account of his yearning desire to emulate the feats of detective heroes -of fiction, appeared to be the most deeply interested. The others showed -a disposition to treat the affair as something of minor importance or no -importance whatever. - -“Through what I can gather from your statements, Hooker,” said Sleuth, -“I am led to infer that this unknown party may have been a red-handed -criminal fleeing from justice. Or, perchance, to look at the matter in -another light, he was a person deeply wronged, seeking to visit -retribution on the head of one who had injured him. I say, Sage,” he -called, catching sight of Fred, “have you any reason to suppose that you -or any of your immediate relatives may have a bitter and remorseless -enemy who seeks reprisal for some fancied injury in the dark and buried -years of the past?” - -“As far as I know,” answered Fred, “we have not an enemy in the world.” - -“And you haven’t a notion as to the identity of the mysterious stranger -who made inquiries about you and then ran away before you could get a -look at him?” - -“Not the remotest idea.” - -“Hah!” breathed Piper in deep satisfaction. “The plot thickens. I scent -a mystery of deep and terrible significance. The clues are faint indeed, -but they shall not baffle me. If this unknown stranger lingers in the -vicinity of Oakdale, I’ll yet lay bare his foul designs and foil him in -his fell purpose.” - -“Oh, slush!” cried Phil Springer. “You’ve got another bad attack, Pipe. -You bub-better forget it. Here comes Stoney. Let’s start practice, -fellows.” - -The group dissolved, leaving Piper, his arms folded, his eyes fixed upon -the ground, in profound meditation. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - A MAN “WANTED.” - - -Captain Stone, who seemed to be amazingly conversant with the new -football rules, which of late he had studied faithfully during all his -spare moments, tried hard to impart an understanding of them to the -other boys, the most of whom were eager to learn, their willingness -keeping them at practice until the gathering darkness finally forced -them to stop. - -Upon the occasion of his son leaving Oakdale Academy for the purpose of -taking a final college preparatory year in one of the leading prep -schools of the country, Urian Eliot had contributed five hundred dollars -for the purpose of carrying out a plan for certain improvements of the -Oakdale gymnasium. These improvements had been made, and now in one end -of the former bowling alley there were heated dressing rooms and a -number of shower baths. This made it possible for the boys to take their -showers after practice or games, and then rub down and dress in comfort. - -Hurrying to the gym, Fred Sage lost no time in stripping off his soiled -and sweaty football clothes and making a dive for one of the shower -compartments. The rooms resounded with the voices of the boys, and from -some of the showers rose whoops and boos and strange gasps mingling with -the hissing rush and drip of water. - -“Hey, there, Cooper!” called a voice. “What are you doing? Turn on the -cold. You’ll parboil yourself in a minute. Look, fellers—look a’ the -steam coming out of Chipper’s cell!” - -“Aw, go on and mind your business,” came from the steaming compartment. -“I always start with it warm and turn off the hot gradually till it’s -cold enough to suit me.” - -“And that’s abaout cold enough to bile aigs,” chuckled Sile Crane, a -lanky country boy who talked through his nose. “Hurry up there, Chipper, -and give a feller a chance. Tuttle’s treatin’ on peanuts, and you won’t -git none if you don’t git a move on.” - -“Somebody can have my place,” said Sage, as he shot out of the -compartment, dripping icy water from every part of his shining body. -“Where’s my towel? I left it right here. Somebody has swiped my towel.” - -In a moment he had found the towel and was using it vigorously. A -thorough scrubbing set his firm flesh aglow, and he jumped into his -clothes feeling as fresh and vigorous as if he had not tramped the -forenoon through, carrying a gun, and followed that up by an afternoon -of strenuous football practice. He was almost fully dressed when he -observed Sleuth Piper, still adorned in football togs, standing a short -distance away and regarding him through half closed lids. In some story -Sleuth had read that whenever he wished to concentrate his mind on any -perplexing problem the hero of the yarn always gazed fixedly at some -object through partly closed eyelids. - -“Hi, there, Pipe!” called Fred sharply. “Going to sleep? Wake up. Going -to wear those rags the rest of the evening?” - -“Hush!” said Piper, frowning and lifting a reproving hand. “Don’t -interrupt me that way when my mind is at work upon a problem.” - -“Forget it,” advised Fred. “You’ll be late for supper. Cæsar’s ghost! -but _I’m_ as hungry as a bear.” - -He was the first one to leave the gymnasium, and he strode away -whistling. In a few moments, however, he ceased to whistle and proceeded -with his head slightly bent and his hands sunk deep in his pockets. -Finally, with a shake of his shoulders, he tossed back his head, -muttering: - -“Confound Sleuth, anyhow! He’s always trying to make a deep, dark -mystery out of any unusual occurrence. It was _queer_ that the man -should ask about the Sages and then run away when he knew I was coming, -but it isn’t likely he’ll ever be seen again by anyone around here, so -what’s the use for me to addle my brains over it?” - -Truly, Fred seemed “hungry as a bear,” and the manner in which he swept -the food from the supper table made his mother gasp and caused his -father to chuckle. - -“One thing about football,” said Mr. Sage, “boys who play the game -aren’t apt to be finicky about their food. How did you get along at the -field this afternoon, son?” - -“First-rate, everything considered. Of course the new rules are going to -bother us a little, but Stone seems wise to them, and I fancy he’ll be -able to do pretty well with the team, though of course we’re going to -miss Eliot.” - -“A fine boy, Roger Eliot,” nodded Andrew Sage. - -“Sure thing,” agreed Fred instantly; “and his father comes pretty near -being the real thing, too. When we first came to Oakdale people were -saying that Urian Eliot was cold and close-fisted, but look what he did -for the school. We’ve got a new gym now, heated and lighted and fitted -out with shower baths, like a first-class place. I tell you, the fellows -take off their hats to Mr. Eliot these days.” - -“Oakdale people are just beginning to realize that Eliot has done a -great deal for the town,” said Mr. Sage. “He’s one of our solid, -reliable citizens. Only for him, we’d still be without a bank.” - -After supper Andrew Sage lighted his pipe, and Fred, feeling no desire -to go out, settled down to a book before the comfortable open fire in -the sitting-room. - -An hour had not passed when there came a ring at the door-bell, and Fred -himself rose at once to answer. On the steps stood a dark figure with -coat collar upturned and cap pulled well down. Blinded a little by the -sudden change from light to darkness, the boy failed to recognize the -caller. - -“Good evening,” he said. - -“’St!” came back a sibilant hiss. “It’s me, Piper. Why don’t you ask a -feller in? Almost cold enough to freeze to-night.” - -“Oh, come in, Sleuth,” was the invitation, and the visitor lost no time -in stepping out of the chilly wind that swept round the corner of the -house. - -“What brings you up here at this hour?” questioned Fred. - -“Hush! I’m doing my duty. I’m gathering up the scattered threads one by -one. The skein shall be untangled.” - -Piper was known to Mr. and Mrs. Sage, who spoke to him pleasantly, -although both were somewhat surprised by this, his first, visit to their -home. Having removed his cap and jammed it into the side pocket of his -coat, Sleuth deported himself in his usual mysterious manner when -“investigating,” and suddenly the other boy began to fear that he would -speak of the stranger in the presence of the older people. - -“I’m glad you dropped around, Pipe,” said Fred. “I suppose you want to -talk football? Come on up to my room; we can chin there as much as we -like.” - -The caller was more than willing, and they mounted the stairs to Fred’s -room, which was large, comfortable and exceedingly well furnished. But -Piper, still bearing himself “professionally,” gave little heed to the -aspect of the room. - -“I’ve come,” he announced, declining to sit down, “to propound a few -vital questions, which I trust you may see fit to answer without evasion -or subterfuge.” - -“What’s this?” laughed Sage. “Is it a court of inquiry?” - -“Not exactly. Of course there is no compulsion in the matter, but, -assuming that you have nothing to conceal, there should be no reason for -refusing the information I require.” - -“Oh, say, Sleuth, don’t you ever get tired of it? It must be wearisome, -searching for these deep, dark mysteries in a quiet, uneventful country -town like Oakdale. Of course I know what you’re driving at, and in this -case I think you’re trying to make something out of nothing—and that’s -impossible.” - -Piper shook his head. With his hands locked behind his back, he slowly -paced the floor. - -“You are like the usual order of persons who lack the analytical mind,” -he retorted. “You fail to see the true significance of apparently -commonplace events. I am different. At this moment I feel assured that -we are face to face with one of the most perplexing mysteries on record. -I’ve interviewed Hooker this evening, and from him I obtained a certain -amount of information concerning the mysterious man he encountered in -the woods beyond Culver’s Bridge. According to his statement, that man -was about twenty-six years of age, and apparently something like five -feet and ten inches in height. Hooker judged that this person should -weigh in the neighborhood of one hundred and sixty pounds. His -complexion was medium, and he had hair slightly curly. His eyes were -blue, his teeth white and even, and his smile pleasant. His voice was -agreeable, but he showed traces of nervousness and anxiety. He spoke -with some bitterness of people who had wealth and employed laborers. Roy -states that, as far as he could see, the man bore no peculiarly -distinguishing mark, like a scar or deformity.” - -“Well,” said Fred, lounging on the Morris chair, “why should the -appearance of such a stranger interest you so deeply?” - -“Wait,” said Piper, halting in front of Sage’s chair. “This man made -inquiries concerning your family. He must have known you.” - -“We’ve lived in Oakdale only three years. There are people outside of -this place who know us.” - -“Quite true; but when he learned that you were near at hand, and when he -heard you approaching, the man disappeared in a most astounding, -inexplicable and unaccountable manner. He didn’t wait until you should -come forth to meet him face to face.” - -“That was rather odd,” admitted Sage. - -“And, furthermore, you have stated that you have no idea who the person -can be.” - -“Not the slightest.” - -“Is there anything connected with your past or that of your parents -which, for good and sufficient reasons, you wish to conceal?” - -Fred sat up suddenly. “Why should you imagine anything of that sort?” he -retorted sharply. “Of course it’s nonsense.” - -“H’m!” said Sleuth. “It’s a rare family closet that doesn’t contain a -skeleton.” - -“Well, Piper, if you’ve come here to pry into private family affairs, -you may as well chase yourself at once.” - -“Restrain your annoyance, Sage; check your angry resentment. If you -choose to unbosom yourself to me in my professional capacity, you may do -so with the assurance of my honorable intention to hold inviolate any -secret with which I may be entrusted.” - -Fred’s face was flushed and he betrayed annoyance, which, however, he -endeavored to restrain. - -“Cut out that fol-de-rol, Piper. There’s no reason why I should tell you -any family secrets, if we happen to have them. As you’ve just said, -doubtless there are few families who do not have some minor secrets they -choose to keep hidden; but, as a rule, such things concern no others -than those personally interested. Again, let me repeat that you are -trying to make something out of nothing, and it’s extremely ridiculous.” - -“Perhaps so,” retorted Sleuth. “But tell me, did you ever hear of a man -by the name of James Wilson?” - -“Never. What has he to do with the matter?” - -The visitor drew a folded newspaper from an inner pocket of his coat. -“It’s my custom,” he said, “to take special note of the records of crime -and criminals as contained in the press of the day. I never overlook -anything of the sort. Here in this paper is the description of one James -Wilson, _alias_ ‘William Hunt,’ _alias_ ‘Philip Hastings,’ but known -among his pals as ‘Gentleman Jim.’ This man is described as twenty-six -years of age, five feet, ten inches in height, and weighing one hundred -and sixty pounds. While there are no distinguishing marks upon his -person, he has blue eyes; a medium complexion; hair slightly curly; -white, even teeth; a pleasant smile; an agreeable voice; and white, -shapely hands, which show evidence of recent arduous labor. This labor -was performed in prison, from which Jim Wilson has but lately been -released. He is a confidence man and safe-breaker, and it seems that his -prison experience has done little to cure him of his criminal -proclivities, for it is suspected that since his release he has been -concerned in certain unlawful operations. One week ago he was arrested -in Harpersville, which is just over the state line, and placed in jail -to await the arrival of officers who wanted him. But Mr. Wilson, _alias_ -‘William Hunt,’ _alias_ ‘Philip Hastings,’ _alias_ ‘Gentleman Jim,’ is a -slippery customer, and he didn’t remain in that insecure jail. Instead -of doing so, he broke out of his cell, cracked the guard’s skull, and -made good his escape. The guard is not expected to live, and the -authorities have offered a reward of five hundred dollars for the -capture of the murderous scoundrel.” - -“Well!” breathed Sage, who had listened with swiftly increasing -interest. “Do you think this James Wilson and the stranger Hooker talked -with this forenoon are one and the same?” - -“I haven’t a doubt of it,” declared Sleuth. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - BY THE LIGHT FROM THE WINDOW. - - -“But that,” said Fred, “is practically a matter of supposition with you; -you have no real proof.” - -“Proof?” returned Piper reprovingly. “Why not? The circumstances are -significant, and it’s only the bigoted person who denies the value of -circumstantial evidence in criminal cases. The description of James -Wilson applies perfectly to the mysterious stranger with whom Hooker -conversed.” - -“If you’ll think it over a bit, that description might apply to a great -many persons. Wilson seems fortunate in having practically no personal -characteristics by which he might readily be identified. It seems to me, -Piper, that, casting aside your professed caution and acuteness, you -have jumped at a conclusion. Simply because you happen to read about an -ex-convict who has recently broken jail in a neighboring state, and the -description of this convict, although in a way indefinite and -unsatisfactory, apparently applies to a stranger in these parts, you -immediately decide that the convict and the stranger are one and the -same. I’m surprised at you, Sleuth.” - -“Wait a moment,” said Piper, holding up his finger. “Let me ask you a -question. Since you came to Oakdale, how often have you seen strangers -in these parts who looked like tramps, talked like educated men, and -deported themselves in a manner which, without the least stretch of -fancy, could be called mysterious?” - -“Seldom,” admitted Sage. - -“Never before,” asserted Piper. - -“And, because this happens to be the first instance of the sort, you -feel confident in your hasty conclusion. I’m afraid you’ll never make a -great detective, Sleuth, for in stories, at least, they never jump at -conclusions, and they always make sure they’re right before forming a -definite opinion.” - -Piper was not pleased by these words. He frowned heavily and shook his -head. - -“You can’t deny,” he retorted, “that it was most strange that the man -should inquire for your family and then take flight when he learned that -you were about to appear before him.” - -“That, I admit, was odd indeed. Nevertheless, I do not think it -justifies you in seeking to connect us with the ex-convict, James -Wilson. It’s scarcely necessary for me to tell you that we have never -known such a man.” - -“It gives me no small amount of satisfaction,” said Sleuth, “to hear -that statement from your lips, even though it may, in a measure, make my -work more difficult.” - -“Your work? What do you propose to do?” - -“I hope to lay this safe-cracker by the heels. I hope to enmesh him in -the toils and turn him over to the stern hand of justice.” - -“In which case it seems to me that your proper course would be to notify -the officers. Why don’t you go to Deputy Sheriff Pickle?” - -“Haw!” cried Sleuth, contemptuously snapping his fingers. “That would be -the height of folly. These rural officers are blockheads in ninety-nine -cases out of a hundred, and William Pickle is no exception. For -instance, recall the bungling mess he made of it when he arrested your -friend, Benjamin Stone. Only for me, Stone might have been convicted of -a crime he never committed.” - -“You helped get Ben out of an unpleasant predicament,” admitted Sage; -“but in that case Pickle did his duty, according to instructions. If you -are so positive that you’re not bungling in this case, you’ll require -the assistance of Mr. Pickle, for you can’t expect to capture James -Wilson unaided.” - -“And so you would advise me to apply to Pickle? You would advise me to -tell him my deductions, through which he would be enabled, perhaps, to -capture this jail-breaker and get the reward of five hundred dollars? -That’s what would happen if he made the capture; he’d claim the reward, -and get it. Oh, I know Bill Pickle!” - -“If you gave the information on which the man was arrested, doubtless -you could claim and obtain a portion of the reward money.” - -“Perhaps so, and perhaps not. I tell you I know Bill Pickle. He’d get it -all if he could.” - -“But, having talked with Roy Hooker of this matter, how do you expect to -keep it secret long enough to do anything yourself?” - -“I didn’t tell Hooker about James Wilson. I simply questioned him -regarding the stranger, and learned enough to satisfy me that he and -Wilson must be the same man.” - -“Well, how did you happen to tell _me_ so much?” - -Sleuth hesitated. “You see, I—I thought it might be—well, different in -your case,” he stumbled. “I fancied there might be reasons why you -wouldn’t care to say anything about it.” - -Sage rose to his feet. “You make me tired, Piper,” he said, with a touch -of angry reproof. “It’s evident that you _did_ think my family was -somehow connected with this criminal, whom we might be inclined to -shield. Just to show you what a bungler you really are, I think I’ll -tell Pickle myself.” - -In a moment the visitor was thrown into the utmost consternation. -Seizing Fred by the arm, he cried: - -“Don’t do that—don’t! Why, if you did, and Pickle should happen to catch -the man and he turned out to be the right one, you’d get part of the -reward! That wouldn’t be fair to me, Fred, and you know it. Give a chap -a square deal, old man.” - -“If you’re right in your suspicions, Piper, it’s a bad thing to have -this jail-breaker prowling around Oakdale, and it’s your duty to notify -the local officers.” - -“But supposing,” protested Sleuth, “that, by some unusual chance, I -should be mistaken? You can see what that would mean. I might get the -wrong man arrested and make an awful mess of it. I might become the -laughing stock of the village. My professional reputation might be -blasted.” - -“Oh, then you’re not nearly as confident as you pretended to be? It -seems to me like a huge joke, Piper, and if you’ll take my advice, -you’ll stop cramming your head with foolish detective yarns and abandon -the idea that you possess any special talents in the way of detecting -criminals or fathoming mysteries. The last I heard about you, you were -trying to write stories, and, by the way of amusement, I advise you to -rely upon that occupation. Not that I imagine you’ll ever write anything -printable, but it might serve to keep you from the rather obnoxious -habit of poking your nose into affairs which don’t concern you.” - -Thus reproved, Sleuth found it difficult to restrain his indignation and -resentment. - -“You’re like everybody else around here,” he cried. “But you should -remember the old saying that a prophet is never without honor save in -his own country. Some day I’ll show these people a thing or two, see if -I don’t. I’ll make them sit up and take notice. They may think Billy -Piper’s a fool, but I’ll show them. Say, Sage, give me a little time on -this case; don’t run straight to Pickle with what I’ve told you. Promise -me you won’t do that.” - -In spite of himself, Fred laughed. “If I really thought there was one -chance in a hundred that you had guessed right, I might insist on -telling Pickle, providing you refused to do so. Not having the slightest -confidence in your so-called ‘deductions,’ I’m willing to keep still.” - -“Thanks,” said Piper. “Some fellows I wouldn’t trust, even on their -promise; but I know you, and I’m sure you’ll do nothing without first -consulting me. I think I’ll be going.” - -Sage descended and bade Piper good-night at the door, watching Sleuth -slouch away toward the distant lights of the village, a few of which -gleamed through the darkness. Andrew Sage glanced up as the boy returned -to the sitting-room. - -“Well,” he said, “been discussing football, son?” - -“Not exactly,” answered Fred. “Piper had something else on his mind.” - -“Isn’t he a bit queer?” asked Mrs. Sage, who was employing herself with -some needlework in front of the open fire. - -“Most persons think he is.” - -“He behaves so oddly. Does he always act like that?” - -“Oh, it’s Piper’s way. The fellows don’t pay much attention to it, -though they josh him sometimes.” - -Fred attempted again to interest himself in his book, but in spite of -his efforts, his mind wandered from the story, and he repeatedly found -himself thinking of Sleuth and the matter they had discussed. There was, -of course, a remote possibility that Piper had not made a mistake in -fancying the stranger in Oakdale was James Wilson, for whose capture a -large reward had been offered; and only for his promise to remain silent -Fred might have told his parents. He was inclined to regret that -unconsidered pledge. Presently, his eyes drooping, he decided to go to -bed, and bade his father and mother good-night. - -In his room he paced the floor, thinking it all over, his perplexity -increasing. - -“I can’t understand why that man ran away after asking about us,” he -muttered. “That’s what gets me. If I hadn’t been afraid of giving mother -uneasiness, I’d have told about it when I first came home. Piper can’t -be right, for certainly we don’t know any convicts and jail-breakers.” - -As if his final words had given him a shock, he stopped in his tracks, -his lips parted, his face paling somewhat, and for some moments he stood -thus, without moving. Presently he resumed his walk up and down the -room, his brows knitted, his manner absorbed. At last he stopped and -laughed shortly as he thought of Piper pacing the floor in almost -precisely that same way. - -“Oh, he’s a joke. I’m going to bed.” - -The strenuous diversions of the day had given him a healthy weariness -which he was now feeling, and it did not take him long to undress. He -had put out the light when he remembered that his window was still -closed, and he turned to open it. - -With his hand on the sash he paused, an electric thrill shooting through -his body. Directly beneath his room the light from a lower window shone -forth into the darkness, falling upon the dimly seen figure of a man, -who, with his hat pulled down over his eyes, was standing where he could -look into the sitting-room. - -For some seconds Fred remained rigid, watching the motionless man. In an -instant he had become convinced that it was the stranger with whom -Hooker had talked, but the baffling hat-brim prevented Fred from seeing -the fellow’s face. - -Suddenly, as if becoming aware that someone was near who had no right to -be there, the dog barked in the room below. Immediately the man drew -hastily back from the border of light and retreated into the darkness. - -In a twinkling Fred Sage was leaping into his clothes. The dog, quieted -by a word from Mr. Sage, did not bark again. The deep darkness beneath a -tree near the house had enfolded the man. - -Fred did not strike a light. With his hastily donned clothes barely -clinging to him, he caught up a pair of rubber-soled “sneakers,” thrust -his feet into them, opened the door of his room quickly but quietly, and -crept down the stairs. He could hear his father and mother talking, but -they did not hear him as he turned the key in the lock of the door and -let himself out. - -Quivering with excitement, the boy reached the corner of the house and -peered round it. He could see no one, although the tree beneath which -the man had vanished was only a short distance away. - -“If I can find him, I’ll demand to know what business he has around -here,” thought Fred. “If mother knew, she’d be badly frightened.” - -Summoning all his courage, he stepped out boldly and advanced toward the -tree, but when he reached it there was still no living creature to be -seen. - -Twice Sage circled the buildings without result, and he became satisfied -that the unknown had lost no time in departing. - -“But it’s mighty queer,” he muttered—“mighty queer. I don’t understand -it. Perhaps I ought to tell father, but if I do I know mother won’t -sleep to-night.” - -Silently though he reentered the house, Spot barked again, and Fred’s -father opened the door into the hall. - -“Just stepped outdoors for a minute,” said the boy. “It’s going to be a -good day to-morrow, I think.” - -“Oh, is it you?” said Mr. Sage. “Spot barked, and your mother thought he -heard something. We had an idea you were abed.” - -“I’m going now. Good-night. Good-night, mother.” - -“Good-night, Fred,” called his mother in response, and Mr. Sage closed -the door. - -For more than half an hour Fred watched from his unlighted window. He -heard his parents retire, and the light no longer shone forth from the -sitting-room. His eyes had become accustomed to the darkness and he -could see certain objects in the vicinity of the house, but they were -all familiar objects, and amid them no strange shadow moved. - -“I’ll have to tell father and mother to-morrow,” decided the boy, as he -finally got into bed. - -Again and again during the night he dreamed of the mysterious stranger, -and once he awoke panting from a terrific hand-to-hand struggle with the -man. It brought him up to gaze once more from the window, through which -came the chill air of the autumn night. - -“I’m a fool,” he whispered, his teeth chattering with the cold. “I’m -going to sleep now, and see if I can’t dodge those silly dreams. -Confound Sleuth Piper, anyhow! Still, I’d like to know what that man was -doing here.” - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - CAPTAIN QUINN’S MONKEY. - - -Fred’s parents were regular church attendants, and Fred himself rarely -failed to appear with them at morning service on the Sabbath day. It -must be regretfully confessed that church had little attraction for many -of the youths of Oakdale, and among those who seldom sat through a -sermon was Roy Hooker. - -Roy, however, was waiting on the sidewalk in front of the church when -Fred came out. It was a mild, sunny day, and the outside world looked -most attractive. In response to a covert signal from Hooker, Sage joined -him. - -“Come for a walk, old man,” invited Roy. “Gee! you must be dopey, -sitting in that dark old church and listening to a dry sermon.” - -“I did get a bit sleepy,” Fred confessed. “You’re not going to walk far, -are you?” - -“Oh, you can suit yourself about that. What time do you have dinner?” - -“Around two o’clock.” - -“That will give us a couple of hours. It’s mighty pokey loafing around -all day Sunday, with nothing for amusement. If you’d only go gunning——” - -“Not on the Sabbath. Too many fellows do that around here.” - -Fred’s parents had lingered to exchange a few words with some friends, -and as they finally came down the walk he told them he was going for a -short stroll with Roy. - -“Be home to dinner, surely,” urged his mother. - -He promised, and set off with Hooker, turning down the street. At the -square, in the center of the village, they turned on to Lake Street and -proceeded eastward, passing the new bank, a small, square building of -brick and stone. - -“That makes a great improvement on this street,” commented Fred. - -“Oh, yes,” nodded Hooker; “but it would have looked better had they been -able to purchase that little old hut and the land belonging to Aaron -Quinn. That shanty, squatting right there almost under the rear eaves of -the bank, is a regular eyesore, but I understand old Quinn refused to -sell at any price.” - -The building in question was a tiny old house that stood some distance -from the street, partly hidden by two large oak trees and a straggling -growth of lilac bushes. It was sorely in need of repairs and paint, and -some of the broken windows had been patched or stuffed with rags. - -Aaron Quinn, the owner of this disreputable little shanty, was a surly, -blustering old sea captain, who had given up his calling on account of -age and rheumatism and returned to spend the latter days of his life at -his birthplace in Oakdale. His irascible temper and general crabbedness -made him more or less unpopular among the villagers, and especially so -with the boys of the town, who seldom lost an opportunity to jibe or -annoy him. - -As the two friends were passing beneath the spreading limbs of one of -the oaks, something struck Roy on the shoulder and bounded to the -sidewalk. It was an acorn, and Hooker might have thought that it had -fallen in a natural manner from the tree had it not been followed almost -immediately by another, which clipped the edge of his cap-visor. - -“Hey!” he exclaimed, looking up. “Who’s throwing them? Oh, I see; it’s -that confounded monkey.” - -Grinning down at the boys from one of the branches, a large monkey let -fly another acorn with surprising accuracy. The creature belonged to the -old sea captain, being, apparently, Quinn’s only congenial companion; -and, like his master, the monkey had learned to detest the village lads. - -“Ah! ha! Mr. Jocko,” cried Hooker, as he quickly stepped off the -sidewalk and found a stone. “Two can play at that game.” - -“Don’t,” said Fred. - -But before he could interfere Roy had sent the stone whistling and -clipping through the branches of the tree, causing Jocko to utter a -chattering scream of mingled dismay and defiance as he quickly mounted -higher. - -In a moment there came a roar from the hut beyond the lilac bushes, and -forth from the door, which had been standing ajar, issued Aaron Quinn -with his stout cane. At one time, although rather short of stature, he -had been a sturdy, husky man, who commanded the respect, if not the -liking, of his sailors. Now the bushy fringe of whiskers beneath his -chin seemed to bristle, his lips were drawn back from his teeth, and his -eyes glared with rage. - -“You young lubber!” he shouted, as he came hobbling down the path, -flourishing the cane. “I’ll teach ye! I’ll larn ye to stone my monkey! -If I ketch ye, I’ll break your back!” - -With a mocking shout of laughter and a taunt, Hooker took to his heels. - -“Run, Fred!” he cried. “The old gink will swat you if you don’t!” - -But Sage did not run. Instead, he remained calmly facing the wrathy old -sailor, who seemed bent on using the stout cane over the boy’s head. - -“Why don’t you skedaddle?” snarled Captain Quinn. “Ain’t you got sense -enough to run?” - -“I didn’t do anything, and I sha’n’t run,” was the quiet retort. “I -don’t believe you’ll hit me.” - -The man paused with the cane uplifted, surprise written on his face. - -“Oh, it’s you, is it?” he said in a milder tone. “You’re about the only -brat around here who hasn’t tried his tricks on me. You seem to be -different from the rest of these unmanly cubs. No, I won’t crack ye, but -if ever I get my hands on that other rascal, he’ll have to take to his -bed.” - -“Aw, you couldn’t catch a snail,” taunted Hooker. “Somebody will shoot -that monkey of yours some day.” - -“If anybody hurts him, they’ll sartain wish they hadn’t,” retorted -Quinn. “He knows more than half the people in this town, and that ain’t -giving him a great deal of credit. Here, Jocko—here, come down.” - -Chattering a little, the monkey slowly swung himself down to the lower -limbs and dropped to his master’s shoulder, where he perched in evident -assurance of security, making faces at the boys. - -Fred laughed and rejoined Hooker, while, assisted by his cane, Aaron -Quinn hobbled back toward the hut, carrying the monkey. - -“It would be a good thing if that old pirate would get out of town,” -said Roy. “He’s no benefit to the place.” - -“He’s harmless enough if people will let him alone,” retorted Fred; “but -he’s been pestered so much that he seems to have it in for everybody. At -the most, it’s doubtful if he lives many years, and when he dies the -bank people will doubtless get his little place for what it’s really -worth.” - -They proceeded on their way, the conversation soon drifting into other -channels, football for a time being the main topic, as, to Sage’s -surprise, Hooker betrayed considerable interest in the game. - -“You’re right about old Stoney,” he said. “He knows the new rules. Why, -he must have studied them until he has every word by heart. Perhaps -he’ll make a fairly good captain, after all, though he never can come up -to Roger Eliot.” - -[Illustration: - - AARON QUINN HOBBLED BACK TOWARD THE HUT, CARRYING THE MONKEY.—Page - 74.] - -“Perhaps not,” admitted Sage. “Eliot certainly was a natural leader at -anything he undertook. I’m glad you came out yesterday.” - -“Oh, it isn’t likely I’ll get a chance to play.” - -“I’ll guarantee you will if you pitch in. Why, there’s Piper, the last -fellow one would ever suppose could make good at the game.” - -“That’s right,” agreed Roy. “Say, he came round and interviewed me last -night. He’s got another bug in his bonnet. Asked me all sorts of -questions about the strange man I saw in the woods. What do you suppose -he thinks he’s up to?” - -“He’s struck a trail,” laughed Fred. “He was up at my house to see me, -too.” - -“Well, it would give me some satisfaction if he could find out who the -man was. Don’t suppose you were able to enlighten him any?” - -“Not a bit. I told you yesterday that I hadn’t the remotest idea who the -stranger could be.” - -“I know you did, but I thought you might have placed him since.” - -Down the river on the road to Clearport they entered a grove and sat -chatting for some time on a fallen tree. Roy was anxious for another -gunning expedition, but Fred feared that school work and football -practice would give him little time for it. Finally they returned to the -village, and Roy walked up Main Street to accompany his friend part of -the way toward home. - -On the sidewalk in front of Urian Eliot’s house they saw Mr. Eliot -talking with Lucius Timmick, the cashier of the bank. Timmick was a man -under thirty years of age, thin, smooth-faced, save for some high cut -“siders,” and a trifle sanctimonious in his manner. He was dressed -wholly in black and carried a Bible in his hand. - -Mr. Eliot spoke pleasantly to the boys as they passed, and Timmick gave -them a grudging nod. - -“That dried-up shrimp makes me tired,” muttered Hooker. “Just because -Urian Eliot took him into the bank and made him cashier, he thinks he’s -something. I know him; he always was a sneak. Why, he used to watch the -boys nights and blow on them every time they had a little fun. He caught -us hooking apples once, and made an awful fuss about it. Talked of -having some of us sent to the reform school. Now he teaches a class in -Sabbath School, and butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth.” - -“It is evident,” smiled Fred, “that you don’t love Mr. Timmick much.” - -“You wouldn’t think much of him either, if you’d lived long in Oakdale. -He has too much dignity now to sneak round nights trying to find out -what the fellows are doing, but he’s just as much a fox as he ever was. -If I was president of a bank, I’d never trust him to handle the cash.” - -“Evidently Mr. Eliot trusts him thoroughly.” - -“Oh, yes, he’s got Urian Eliot fooled. Well, guess I’ll hike for home, -as Rod Grant would say. Bye, bye, old man.” - -Thus far Fred had found no good opportunity to tell his father privately -about the mysterious stranger and about what he had seen from his window -the night before, nor did he find such a chance that day. The following -morning he dismissed the matter from his mind, fancying it improbable -that the man would again be seen around Oakdale. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - - ANNOYING ATTENTIONS. - - -Sleuth Piper seemed to develop a sudden remarkable fondness for Fred -Sage, upon whom he persisted in thrusting himself whenever possible, -although he endeavored to make his actions seem natural and -unpremeditated. At the academy he hung around a great deal in Fred’s -vicinity, usually near enough to hear and understand anything Sage might -say. Time after time he engaged Fred in conversation, which he usually -brought about by speaking of school matters or sports in which the most -of the boys were interested. - -Monday morning, as he was making his way to the academy, Fred had been a -bit surprised to encounter Sleuth in the vicinity of the Methodist -church, for Piper, if also bound for school, had come a considerable -distance out of his way. This action seemed to be explained, however, -when the queer fellow betrayed a certain amount of anxiety lest Sage had -broken his promise to maintain secrecy regarding the Saturday night -interview at Fred’s house. - -“What do you take me for, Piper?” exclaimed Fred, annoyed. “When I get -ready to tell about that, I’ll let you know in advance.” - -“No offence, old fellow,” said Sleuth hastily. “You understand anyone -can let such things leak unintentionally.” - -That night, after the shower in the gym following practice on the field, -Sleuth was waiting to join Fred and persisted in walking all the way -home with him, maintaining a confidential atmosphere, which seemed to -invite confidence and trust on the part of the other. This effort was so -palpably apparent that, although inwardly annoyed, Sage could not help -laughing over it when Sleuth finally set off for his own home. - -“The chump!” he muttered. “He thinks he’s clever, but it’s easy enough -to see through him.” - -But when, on the following morning, Sleuth again joined Fred on the way -to school, Sage could scarcely restrain his annoyance. Succeeding, -however, he tried the effect of joshing and banter. - -“Say, Sleuth,” he laughed, “you’ve certainly taken a sudden pronounced -liking for my society. I never dreamed you entertained such deep -affection for me.” - -“Oh,” returned Piper, with pretended carelessness, “I’ve always liked -you, Fred, ever since you came here from—from—. Let me see, where did -you come from? I’ve forgotten.” - -“Perhaps you never knew.” - -“That’s right, perhaps I didn’t. Seems to me, though, I’ve heard it was -somewhere in New York State. Is that right?” - -“Let it go at that; it’s near enough.” - -“Oh, if there’s any reason why you don’t care to tell, of course you’ve -a right to decline to answer.” - -“Do you know, Sleuth, I always feel a natural disinclination to gratify -the unwarranted curiosity of people who try to pry into affairs that are -of no concern to them.” - -“Oh, piffle, Fred! I’m not prying. What’s the matter with you? I was -just thinking that probably before coming here you attended a school of -more importance than Oakdale Academy. You knew as much about football as -any fellow in this town when you appeared here, and that’s how you -happened to get on the team as quarterback last year. Eliot said you -were the fellow best adapted for the position, and you proved that he -was right by the way you filled it.” - -“Thanks for the taffy. Your generosity in handing it out has got me -going. What do you want to know next? Ask and ye shall _not_ receive. -Rubber and you’ll get it in the neck.” - -“Oh, all right, if you’re going to take it that way,” muttered Piper -sourly. “Still, I don’t see why you should be so thundering suspicious. -That is, I don’t see unless——” - -“Unless I’ve some dark and terrible secret to conceal. You’re still -making a jack of yourself trying to connect the Sages with your -desperate jailbird, Gentleman Jim. It doesn’t seem to me, my astute -detective friend, that you’re making much progress on your latest case. -Apparently that reward is keeping well beyond the reach of your grasping -fingers.” - -“Even Sherlock Holmes required a certain amount of time to solve his -problems,” reminded Piper, causing his companion to laugh loudly. - -“As an imitator of the great Sherlock, you’re a merry jest, Pipe. Go -ahead and amuse yourself playing your little farce, but don’t bother -me.” - -It was difficult, however, to escape Piper, who again persisted in -hovering about in Fred’s vicinity throughout the day. - -That night, shortly after four o’clock, Mrs. Sage, at work in her -kitchen, was surprised and a little startled when Billy Piper came -walking in through the door, which chanced to be standing open, as the -day had been unusually warm for the season. - -“Good evening,” said the boy. “I just ran up to see Fred a minute. Is he -around?” - -“No, indeed,” was the answer. “He never gets home now until after dark. -Football practice keeps him. Don’t you play on the team?” - -“Oh, yes,” answered Pipe easily; “but I don’t have to practice all the -time. You see, I’m pretty well up on the game. If you don’t mind, I’ll -wait for Fred.” - -“Of course I don’t mind, though it’s likely he’ll not be home for more -than an hour.” - -“Oh, well, I’ll just make myself comfortable till he comes. Thought -perhaps he might have a book for me to read. I’m a great reader.” - -“There are some magazines on the sitting-room table.” - -“Thanks,” said Sleuth, entering the room indicated. “I reckon they will -do first-rate. Don’t mind about me, Mrs. Sage. Here’s a nice, -comfortable chair, and I’ll be all right.” - -Although she wondered that he should have come there expecting to find -Fred at that time, Mrs. Sage attributed it to the boy’s eccentricity, -though occasionally she glanced into the sitting-room when passing the -open door. Sleuth seemed to be interested for a time in the magazines, -but presently she discovered him gazing around the room, although he -remained seated near the table. A few moments later she saw his face -brighten up as his eyes discovered an old-fashioned family photograph -album within reach of his hand. In a moment he was looking through the -album, apparently deeply engrossed in the pictures it contained, and for -some time he remained thus occupied. Mrs. Sage had almost forgotten the -visitor when he reappeared in the kitchen. - -“I don’t believe I’ll wait for Fred after all,” said Sleuth. “I think -I’ll go home. Tell him when he comes that I was looking for a good book, -but I don’t believe he has anything of the kind that would suit me.” - -It was verging on twilight when Sleuth departed, and something like half -an hour later Fred reached home. On being told by his mother of Piper’s -visit, the boy betrayed some surprise and a singular amount of -annoyance. - -“Confound that fellow!” he exclaimed. “I’d like to know what he means. -Did he try to pump you, mother?” - -“Pump me? Why, no, I don’t think——” - -“Didn’t ask you a whole lot of foolish questions, did he?” - -“I don’t think he asked me any questions at all.” - -“Well, what did he do while he was here?” - -“Entertained himself by looking at some magazines in the sitting-room.” - -“He didn’t go prowling around over the house?” - -“He went no further than that room.” - -“Still, he had no business around here.” - -“He said that he came for a book. He wanted something to read.” - -“Bluff. He knows the stories I read wouldn’t interest him at all. -Furthermore, he knew when he came that I wasn’t here. He got excused -from practice to-night by saying that he had a cracking headache and -felt ill.” - -“He didn’t mention anything of the sort to me, and I’m sure he did not -appear ill. I’m afraid there’s something wrong with that boy, Fred. You -admitted yourself that some people thought him queer.” - -“I’ll queer him, if he doesn’t behave,” muttered Fred. - -On Wednesday morning Piper was not waiting for Sage on the way to -school, but Fred found him with some other fellows at the academy. -Straightway Sleuth was called aside by the vexed youth. - -“Look here, Piper,” said Fred grimly, “I want to know why you showed up -at my house last night and asked for me, when you knew I was at practice -on the field?” - -“Why, didn’t your mother tell you I wanted to borrow a book?” asked -Sleuth innocently. - -“Now don’t try any of that on me,” advised the other boy. “You knew I -wouldn’t have anything you’d care to read. Besides that, you pretended -that you expected to find me home.” - -“Who said so?” - -“My mother.” - -“Oh, she misunderstood me.” - -“But _I_ don’t misunderstand you, and I’ll tell you now to keep away -from me and my home in future. I mean it, too. This business of playing -the detective may be amusing and interesting to you, but it’s infernally -annoying to anyone you happen to pester. I’ve had enough of it, and I -won’t stand any more. Get that?” - -“Of course I get it,” replied Sleuth sulkily. “I’m no fool.” - -“Then don’t act like one. That’s all I have to say.” With which Fred -turned sharply and walked away. - -“Those who have guilty secrets,” muttered Piper to himself, “are always -annoyed by too much attention.” - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - HOOKER HAS A PLAN. - - -On Thursday afternoon the Oakdale football team put in the last -strenuous practice before the first real game of the season, which was -to be played Saturday on the home grounds, the contesting eleven coming -from Barville. As far as possible Captain Stone had drilled a knowledge -of the new rules into the heads of his followers, and although, like a -good captain, he was not wholly satisfied either with their advancement -or his own, he decided that stiff, strenuous practice work on Friday -would not be advisable, considering the possibility that someone might -get hurt, with insufficient time to recover before the Barville contest. -Therefore he simply notified his teammates to come out Friday for a -little brushing up in signals. - -Encouraged by Sage, Hooker had practiced faithfully, and had made a -fairly good showing in the line of the scrub team when it played short -periods against the regulars. Fortunately, Roy’s “condition” had been -excellent when he began this, and therefore, save for a few minor -bruises and sprains, which caused temporary soreness or lameness, he -escaped injury. He was feeling somewhat elated over this when he left -the gymnasium in company with Fred. - -“It doesn’t seem to be such a tough old game, after all,” said Roy. “Of -course a fellow gets pounded around a lot, but it doesn’t hurt him much -if he’s good and hard.” - -“That’s the point generally overlooked by people who put up a holler -against the game,” said Fred. “Football isn’t for babies and weaklings, -and the fellow who goes into it should be in perfect health and hardened -by training that will enable him to stand up under pounding and jolts -which would put a feeble chap all to the bad in no time at all. Observe -how quickly fellows in fine condition recover from injuries on the field -which would seem sufficient to put them under the doctor’s care for -weeks or months. When some foolish chap who is soft as mush or has some -chronic weakness attempts to get into the game, notice how often it -happens that he’s the one seriously injured; and of course this gives -people who do not understand the circumstances and who are opposed to -the game a chance to raise a great to-do.” - -“My folks have never wanted me to play.” - -“Well, mine are not enthusiastically in favor of my playing, although my -mother is the chief objector. But she’s always worrying about me of -late, no matter what I do. It has been that way ever since——” He checked -himself suddenly. - -“Ever since what?” asked Roy. - -“Oh,” answered Fred evasively, “ever since I got old enough to go in for -such things. She doesn’t like to have me go gunning, and she actually -cried when father bought me my gun.” - -“Oh, say,” exclaimed Hooker quickly, “that makes me think of something. -Why can’t we get in a little shooting Saturday morning? There ought to -be ducks over in Marsh Pond, and we could try ’em Saturday, and arrange -to get home by the middle of the forenoon--by half past ten or eleven, -at the latest. That would give us plenty of time to rest up before the -game.” - -“But Marsh Pond is nearly five miles from here, and, in order to get -there early enough to pick up any ducks in the morning, we’d have to -turn out in the middle of the night and make a stiff tramp of it. I’m -afraid that would be a little too much, Hooker.” - -“Now listen to me; I have a plan. I’m not in favor of rising at two or -three o’clock and hoofing it all that distance for half an hour’s -shooting after daybreak. You’re as wise to the signals as any fellow on -the team, aren’t you?” - -“I think so,” nodded Fred modestly. - -“Think so! Why, you’ve got them down pat. You can reel ’em off like hot -shot, and you know every time just what you’re firing at. A little -signal practice to-morrow wouldn’t do you any good, and, as I’m only a -scrub man, it isn’t worth my while bothering. I know where we can get a -good set of decoys to use on that duck hunt, and if you’ll go I’ll agree -to get ’em. We can start right after school to-morrow, and I’ll bet I -can hire Abe Hubbard to take us over to the pond with his old horse and -wagon. It won’t cost a great deal, for Hubbard isn’t doing much of -anything, and he’d be glad to pick up a dollar. It wouldn’t surprise me -if the sight of a whole dollar would hire him to tote us over there and -come for us any time we might set on Saturday. If I can fix it,” he -concluded eagerly, “will you go?” - -They had paused in front of the post-office, and Fred meditated a moment -over the proposal. They were standing there as Sleuth Piper came up, -passed them and entered the building, turning to cast a swift glance in -their direction. - -“It listens good, Hooker,” said Fred, tempted; “but where are we going -to stay all night? Have you thought of that?” - -“You bet I have. Why, don’t you remember there’s an old camp over there, -which nobody ever uses nowadays? It has a stone fireplace, and if we -take an axe along to cut wood we can be as comfortable as you please.” - -It was not remarkable that the temptation grew, for what real boy would -not be lured by the prospect of a night in an old camp in the woods? - -“It listens good,” repeated Fred, smiling a bit; “but how about a boat? -Without a dog to do our retrieving, if we shoot anything we’ll certainly -need a boat. Spot is no water dog, and he’d be practically useless for -us.” - -“There isn’t any boat,” admitted Roy; “but I know where there’s an old -raft on the shore within twenty rods of the shooting blind some hunters -made last fall. I know the raft ought to be there, for I used it when I -was over there fishing once this summer. I saw the blind and inspected -it, too, and it will be all right for us without doing a thing to it. -It’s close by the feeding grounds at the western end of the lake and -will serve us much better than a new one, as the ducks are thoroughly -accustomed to the sight of it by this time. You know how they shy -sometimes at a newly built blind they’ve never seen before. With that -raft near by for our use, we can pick up any ducks we knock down. Come -on, Fred, of course you’ll go.” - -“I’ll speak to Stone about it in the morning.” - -“That would be rather late, for you know I’ve got to see Hubbard and fix -it with him. Why not see Stone to-night? Give him a good game of talk. -Tell him you feel the need of something like this to brace you up. Hard -study, regular practice, monotony, anxiety about the game—you know the -sort of argument to put up. He’ll be a chump if he refuses. Why, if I -was on the team I’d simply see him and tell him I was going to go -anyhow.” - -“And you’d put yourself in bad with old Stoney. He’s an easy-going -fellow in some things, but when it comes to football matters he believes -in discipline and enforces it, too.” - -“Yes,” nodded Roy, “he’s a little too stiff to suit me; something of a -tyrant, it seems.” - -“Not a tyrant; simply a captain who knows what is right and demands it -of his followers. If Stone says he doesn’t think I should go, of course -I won’t, that’s all.” - -“But you will if he’ll agree?” cried Hooker exultantly. “Say, old man, -leave it to me; let me talk to Ben. I’ll tell him you want to go, but -don’t like to ask the privilege.” - -“And that would be the truth.” - -“Sure. No need to lie about it. Think perhaps he can put a substitute in -your place, same as he would have to do if you were hurt in a game, and -that will be a good thing, as it will brace the sub up on signaling. -Will you leave it to me, old chap?” - -After a little hesitation, Sage agreed. “Go ahead; have your own way -about it. If Ben says it’s all right, I’ll go ducking with you.” - -“I’ll let you know this very evening,” promised Hooker, as his friend -started up the street toward home. - -Sage did not see Piper come quickly out of the post-office and hasten -after Roy. Having observed the two boys in earnest consultation, -Sleuth’s curiosity was at white heat. - -Near eight o’clock that evening Hooker came to see Fred at the latter’s -home. - -“It’s all right,” he announced in enthusiastic triumph. “I brought Stone -round nicely, and he says you may go. I’ve seen Hubbard, too, and fixed -it up with him. He’ll be ready to start right after school to-morrow, -and he’ll come for us at half past nine Saturday morning.” - -Fred’s mother was listening with sudden interest. “What are you -planning, boys?” she asked. - -Fred explained, observing that her face took on a shade of anxiety. - -“Now don’t begin to worry, mother,” he begged. “You know Roy and I are -both careful with guns, and there isn’t a bit of danger. I don’t want to -fret you, but I hope you won’t object.” - -She sighed a little. “I suppose it’s foolish, but I can’t help feeling -anxious about you when you go gunning. However, your father bought you -the gun, and, now that you have it, it wouldn’t seem reasonable for me -to seek to prevent you from getting some pleasure through the use of -it.” - -“All boys love a gun,” smiled Andrew Sage, “and the right sort of a boy -rarely gets hurt with one.” - -“Then it’s all fixed,” laughed Roy. “Get everything ready to start right -away after school, Fred. Take along a blanket, for you’ll need it in the -old camp. If we have any luck at all, we ought to bring home some -ducks.” - -Roy had been gone some time when Fred’s mother came up quietly behind -his chair, bent over him and put her arms about his neck. - -“Don’t think me foolish, my dear,” she said in a low tone. “You -understand why I can’t help worrying. You’re the only boy I have left, -now.” - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - - THE CAMP IN THE WOODS. - - -Something over four miles from Oakdale Abel Hubbard reined his horse -into an old road which led from the main highway into the depths of the -woods. Fred and Roy, with their outfits, were in the wagon, and, the -time being short ere darkness must come on, they urged Hubbard to make -haste. - -“Can’t hit any high places along this old road,” answered the fat little -village constable. “If I tried it, I’d bounce ye both out in no time. -’Tain’t fur to the pond now, so what’s the use to be in such an -all-fired rush? All I want to do is git back on to the main road before -it sets in dark.” - -“But we’ve got some things to do ourselves,” said Roy. “We’ve got to -find the old raft and have it ready for use in the morning, besides -cutting firewood and getting settled down for the night.” - -“That hadn’t orter take ye long. I’ll git ye there as soon’s I can. It’s -sort of an accommodation, anyhow. I wouldn’t think of making both trips -for anybody else unless they paid me twice as much.” - -“You’re not very busy these days, are you, Mr. Hubbard?” asked Fred, -smiling a little. “It seems to me an easy way for you to pick up a -dollar.” - -“Oh, I could be busy,” returned the man, “if I wanted to work for Lem -Hayden in his quarry or kilns, and I guess I could find a job in the -mills; but, as a regular commissioned officer, it’s my duty to be -unhampered and ready for anything that may turn up. If I was workin’ and -Sheriff Pickle happened to need me, I’d have to knock off.” - -Real work had never seemed to have much fascination for Abel Hubbard. - -“Then there are plenty of jobs a man might get around Oakdale,” said -Roy. “If a stranger should show up with references, he could find -something to do, couldn’t he?” - -“Reckon he could, such as it was. I don’t cal’late them Dagoes in the -quarries bring many references.” - -“You haven’t seen any stranger around town recently looking for work, -have you?” - -“No, don’t think I have.” - -“I didn’t know,” said Roy. “Last Saturday, while gunning with Fred, I -met a man who said he was in search of a job, and he asked me about the -chances in town. I haven’t seen anything of him since.” - -“I generally take special notice of everybody that comes inter Oakdale,” -asserted Constable Hubbard. “I cal’late it’s good policy to do so. Ain’t -nobody new showed up lately, so I guess your man didn’t stop around -here.” - -“I don’t believe he did,” said Roy. - -Presently they reached the old camp, from which, through the trees, they -could get a glimpse of the pond. It did not take them long to jump out -and unload their belongings, which were carried into the camp, the door -being fastened merely by a wooden peg thrust through a staple. Hubbard -backed his wagon round, bade them good luck and drove off into the -shadows which were gathering in the woods. - -“Well, here we are, Roy,” said Fred. - -“Yes, and it’s up to us to hustle. Let’s look for that raft while it’s -light enough to find it. We can get together firewood later. Come on.” - -Leaving their property in the camp, they hurried to the pond, and Hooker -led the way along the marshy shore. The water-grass and rushes stood -thick and rank at this end of the lake, and soon Hooker pointed out a -mass of dead brush in the midst of the reeds some distance from the -marshy shore. - -“There’s the old blind,” he said. “You can see it is located so it -commands the cove beyond, and that’s where the ducks coming in to feed -usually ’light.” - -“How does a fellow get out to the blind?” - -“Wade. The water won’t come up to your knees. There’s a sort of little -knoll or island out there, and the brush has been built up and woven -into the branches of an old fallen tree that may have grown on that -knoll before the water was so high. It’s a fine chance all right. But -come on, we must dig that raft out.” - -They went forward again, and suddenly, with a splash and a sound of -throbbing wings, a small duck rose amid the rushes and went flying away -over the bosom of the lake. - -“Hang it all!” exclaimed Roy in vexation. “Just look at that! If we’d -brought our guns, we might have knocked her down. That’s a young duck, -or it would have flown before we got anywhere near. Young ones always -hide if they can, until they get thoroughly used to the idea that their -wings will serve them better. We’ll get some shooting here in the -morning, mark what I say.” - -The raft was found where Hooker expected to find it. It was a small -affair and would support only one of the boys, but would be sufficient -for their use in picking up such ducks as they might shoot. With the -raft there was a long pole and a piece of board that had been roughly -hewn into the shape of a paddle. - -When the raft was floated Roy got on it and poled it around into the -little cove near the blind, where he succeeded in concealing it quite -effectively amid the grass and reeds. Then he waded ashore in his -water-tight boots without sinking nearly as much as he had thought he -would. - -“That’s done,” he said. “Now we’ll get back to the camp and chop our -firewood while we can see to do it. There are no signs to indicate that -anyone has shot from the blind this fall, and therefore the ducks ought -to come up to it without fear.” - -Soon the strokes of an axe were ringing through the gloomy woods as Sage -worked at the trunk of a dry fallen tree. Hooker carried the wood into -the camp and piled it beside the old stone fireplace. Sunset’s faint -afterglow faded from the sky, and with gathering darkness the atmosphere -took on a sharp, nipping chill, which, however, was little felt by the -active boys. Sage continued chopping, while Hooker found time between -armfuls to build a fire. Through the open door of the camp Fred saw the -welcoming glow of the flames, and it gave him a feeling of buoyancy, of -keen relish, of intense satisfaction in life and the pleasures thereof. -It was good to be there with his chum in those dark and silent autumn -woods, making ready to spend the night together in that old camp before -the duck hunt that was to come in the crispness of gray dawn. - -Hooker’s figure was silhouetted in the open doorway. - -“I say, old man,” he called, as he came out, “there has been somebody in -this camp lately.” - -“That so? I thought you said you were sure no one had used the shooting -blind.” - -“I am; I’ll bet on it. I looked to see, and I could tell that no one had -been there. They would have left tracks and marks and probably empty -shells. Whoever it was that stopped in the camp, they did not try any -shooting from the blind. And say, I’ll bet somebody was in that camp -last night. I thought I caught a smell of tobacco smoke when we first -opened the door, but it was so dusky inside that I didn’t notice -anything else. There’s fresh-cut boughs in the bunk, and the ashes in -the fireplace were hardly cold. I found crumbs on the floor, too, and -part of a newspaper not quite two weeks old.” - -“Then I reckon you’re right,” agreed Sage, “though I don’t quite see why -anyone should stop in the old camp this time of year, unless he came -here to shoot ducks. We’d have been in a scrape if we’d found someone -here ahead of us to-night.” - -They bore the last of the wood inside and threw it down on a heaping -pile beside the now merrily blazing fire, which illumined the entire -interior of the camp. Hooker had thoughtfully brought a can of water -from a nearby spring, and, thus prepared, they were ready to settle down -to the supper of sandwiches and doughnuts put up for them by their -mothers. - -Roy closed and fastened the door with the inside hasp. - -“You can see,” he said, with a gesture toward the old bunk at one side -of the room, “those boughs on top are fresh cut.” - -“That’s right,” nodded Sage, after examining them. “Hacked off with a -jackknife, I should say, and not two days old. Well, somebody was kind -enough to help make us comfortable, for, with our blankets and a fire -going, we ought to find that bunk all right to-night. I’m really much -obliged to the unknown person or persons. I presume there may have been -more than one.” - -“Here’s that part of a newspaper,” said Roy, taking it from the small -rough table that had been nailed against the wall opposite the bunk. -“The date on it is enough to show that someone has been here lately.” - -Fred took the paper and glanced at it carelessly. In a moment, however, -a queer expression flashed across his face, his eyes opened wide, his -lips puckered, and he gave a long, low whistle. - -“What is it?” questioned the boy. - -“By Jove!” muttered Sage wonderingly. And then, after a moment of -silence, he repeated with greater emphasis: “By Jove!” - -“What is it?” exclaimed Hooker. - -“This paper,” answered Fred, staring at some headlines in bold-faced -type. “It’s either a part of the same one or a duplicate of an issue I -saw in the possession of Billy Piper last Saturday night.” - - - - - CHAPTER X. - - A PERPLEXING QUESTION. - - -The black headlines which had attracted Fred’s eye told of the five -hundred dollar reward offered for the capture of Jim Wilson, who had -escaped from the Harpersville jail after a murderous assault on the -guard. The manner in which the paper had been folded indicated that this -sensational article had been left outermost, and the blurred ink and -wear in the creases of the folds bespoke the fact that the paper had -been carried around in someone’s pocket. - -“Piper?” muttered Hooker. “Why, it isn’t likely that he has been here.” - -“It doesn’t seem at all likely,” agreed Sage; “but still——” - -“What was he doing with the paper, anyhow?” - -Fred turned sidewise, so that the bright light from the open fire fell -full on the page, and his finger indicated the news article which had -held such deep interest for Sleuth. - -“See that?” - -“Yes,” said Roy, peering over his chum’s shoulder. “‘Five hundred -dollars reward. Desperate character breaks jail after murderous assault -on keeper.’ Oh, yes, that’s the sort of stuff that would interest old -Sleuthy.” - -“I’ve kept my promise to Piper to say nothing about his wild theory,” -said Fred, “and, a full week having passed with no result, I don’t fancy -it will do him any good for me to continue a clam. I was sure there was -nothing in it, anyhow. You see, Piper had a crazy notion that this -escaped criminal and the stranger you talked with last Saturday might be -identical. It’s rather odd that the printed description of James Wilson, -as given here, corresponds with your description of the man who talked -with you and ran away at my approach. Here it is.” - -His eyes puckered, his lips pursed a little, Hooker read the description -of Gentleman Jim. - -“Why, that’s right,” he said slowly. “It does sort of fit, and no -mistake. But Pipe didn’t say anything about this to me. You know I told -you how he came round and asked me a lot of questions, some of which I -couldn’t answer, and the most of which seemed more or less foolish. He -tried to find out everything I knew about you and your folks, seeming -especially anxious to learn where you came from when you moved into -Oakdale. Now what’s that got to do with this stuff in the newspaper?” - -Fred laughed shortly. “You see,” he explained, with a touch of scorn, -“Sleuth was trying to connect us somehow with the notorious and -desperate Mr. Wilson.” - -“How could he do that?” - -“Have you forgotten that your stranger made inquiries concerning the -Sages in Oakdale? Now you tumble; you’re on. If that man was Wilson, he -would not make such inquiries without some knowledge of us, and, if he -knew us, it was natural to suppose that we knew him. I informed Piper -that I had never heard of such a man.” - -“That should have ended it.” - -“Not with Sleuth. Doubtless he reasoned that if we had ever known this -criminal we would, most naturally, be sure to deny the fact.” - -“But you never did know him?” - -Sage shot his friend a quick, resentful glance. “Do you think I’d lie, -even to Piper?” - -“Of course not.” - -“I never heard of this James Wilson, _alias_ Gentleman Jim, until Sleuth -told me about him. My denial, however, had little effect on Piper, who -hinted at family skeletons hidden away in closets and then proceeded to -watch me in true dime novel detective style. For a day or two I couldn’t -shake him; he hung around me all the time. At last I got tired of it and -gave him to understand flatly that he’d better let up.” - -“By Jingoes!” laughed Roy. “He was watching you last night. After we -fixed it up for this little expedition and you had started for home, -Piper overtook me and casually did a little pumping. Reckon I was easy, -for I told him all about it. Say, you don’t suppose——” Roy paused, as if -wondering over an idea that had flashed into his mind. - -“What?” - -“You don’t suppose he came here to this camp after that? Perhaps he -dropped the paper himself.” - -Following a moment’s thought, Sage shook his head. “It was after dark -last night when he found out what we had arranged to do, Roy. Piper was -at school to-day, and we left him starting out for practice with the -rest of the team. While it’s not impossible, it’s most improbable that -he visited this place after learning we were coming here, and got home -in time to attend school. The signs of a recent fire in the fireplace -and the fresh boughs on the bunk we may accept as positive assurance -that someone spent last night here. Under any circumstances, Sleuth -wouldn’t do that—alone.” - -“Never,” agreed Hooker, with conviction. “This piece of newspaper must -have been left here by someone else. It’s a mere coincidence that it -happens to be the same issue shown you by Piper, and it isn’t worth -bothering our brains over any further. I’m hungry. Let’s eat.” - -“All right,” agreed Fred, putting the newspaper into his pocket. - -Their lunch was opened up and placed on the table. Two old boxes served -them as chairs. The warmth of the fire made the camp quite comfortable, -and its light was sufficient for their needs. Sitting there and chatting -after the manner of bosom chums, they thoroughly enjoyed their supper. - -After supper there was much to talk over, things of mutual interest -which kept them for a time wide awake and in excellent humor. As it was -required, they placed fresh wood on the fire, reserving the heavier -sticks for the long hours of the night, when they would need a slower -blaze. - -The guns were looked over and fondled affectionately, while they -discussed their hunting experiences, laughing with relish over blunders -and failures which had seemed most annoying at the time of their -occurrence. They examined the decoys Hooker had borrowed, making sure -they were properly “strung” and ready for setting. Football and school -affairs also furnished topics for chatting and laughter and the -expression of more or less dogmatic opinions. At times in the lulls of -their talk they heard the night wind in the trees outside, and -occasional puffs coming down the chimney blew a little smoke back into -the camp, the odor of which did not, however, become strong enough to be -offensive. - -Behind them the firelight flung their shadows, huge and wavering, -against the camp wall, and, looking round once by chance, Sage was -startled to observe those shadows hovering there like something silent -and sinister and menacing. Although he did not refer again to the -strange man Roy had encountered, he was wondering who that man could -have been. - -“Whoo!” cried an owl from the blackness of the woods. - -Their chatter grew less; at last it ceased. They sat silently gazing at -the fire, with its bed of glowing coals. Hooker moved, stretched and -yawned. - -“It’s me for the sleeps,” he announced drowsily, producing a dollar -watch and beginning to wind it. “We’ve got to be up and in that blind -ready for business before peep o’ day, you know.” - -“I’m ready to turn in,” said Fred. - -“Fellow who sleeps on the front side of the bunk will have to replenish -the fire once in a while. We can change round in the night and take -turns at it. How are you about waking up?” - -“Pretty good. I’ll take my turn first.” - -Some heavy logs were placed on the fire, and Roy rolled himself into his -blanket, an example which Sage soon followed. In a few moments Hooker -was sound asleep, as his breathing indicated, but for a long time Fred -lay thinking and wondering. He could not rid himself of the conviction -that the discovery in that old camp of the newspaper containing the -account of Gentleman Jim’s jail-break bore a significance unexplained -and uncomprehended. If that paper had not been left there by Piper, who -had left it? - -“Whoo!” again cried the owl. - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - - THE HIDDEN SPORTSMEN. - - -Taking turns, the boys rose several times during the night and -replenished the fire. At best, the bough bed was none too comfortable, -but toward morning both lads slept soundly for some time. - -Awaking suddenly after this period of slumber, Sage lifted himself to -his elbow and listened, impressed by the hazy conviction that he had -been aroused by an unusual sound. The fire had sunk to a mass of coals -and embers, from which emanated a faint glow that barely reached across -the stone hearth of the fireplace. Beyond that dim gleam of light the -interior of the camp was wrapped in dense darkness. The wind no longer -roamed amid the treetops, and not even a breath came down the chimney to -disturb the gray ashes in the fireplace. - -Fred’s heart thumped annoyingly, while his ears were reaching out for a -repetition of the sound that had awakened him; and, when he had begun to -think it must have been a creation of his imagination or dreams, it came -again. - -It was like footsteps—stealthy, cautious footsteps, which, however, -seemed to move a bit uncertainly in the darkness. It seemed like one or -more persons walking in the woods a short distance from the camp and -occasionally stumbling a bit, although moving slowly and with -considerable caution. The sounds were receding. - -“It must be some straying animal,” thought Fred. - -Fainter and fainter grew the sounds. Once or twice there came a -cracking, as of dead branches beneath a heavy foot, and at last the -listening lad heard something that sent a shock through him. It was like -the suppressed murmur of human voices, and was followed immediately by a -low, soft, short whistle. - -Sage grasped Hooker and gave him a shake. - -“Hey? What is it?” mumbled Roy, awakened. - -“Hush!” breathed Fred excitedly. “There’s someone prowling around this -camp. Don’t make a noise. Listen.” - -Breathless, they listened for a full minute, but now the woods seemed -silent and lifeless, and not a thing could they hear. - -“Guess you’re mistaken, Fred,” said Roy in a low tone. “You must have -been dreaming.” - -“I wasn’t dreaming,” asserted Sage positively; “I never was more wide -awake in all my life. Keep still a little longer.” - -For a long time they remained silent, gradually growing tired and -cramped by the rigid tensity of their bodies. - -“They’ve gone,” decided Sage at last. - -“They?” questioned Roy. “Was there more than one?” - -“Two, at least. I heard them talking.” - -“Oh, say, Fred, you must be mistaken. Who would come prowling around in -these black woods at this hour?” - -“I haven’t an idea who it was, but I’ll stake my life on it that it was -somebody. Nothing in the world could convince me that I was mistaken.” - -“Oh, well, if you’re so positive——But it seems ridiculous, impossible, -preposterous. It’s pitch dark, and no one would be wandering through -these woods under such circumstances.” - -Fred threw off his blanket and got up. “I don’t blame you for thinking -so, and I would say the same if I had not heard them. What makes it all -the more unaccountable is the fact that they were sneaking. They were -using the utmost caution in their movements, Hooker, and when a person -sneaks he’s up to something.” - -“Perhaps,” said Roy, with an attempt at persiflage, “it was their design -to murder and rob us for our vast wealth.” - -“Whatever their design may have been,” said Sage, putting some small dry -wood on the coals of the fire, “it was not honest and open. People do -not creep around through the night like cut-throats unless they’re up to -something that won’t bear inspection.” - -“If I didn’t know you as well as I do,” said Roy, “I’d say you had a bad -attack of nerves. What time is it, anyhow?” - -A little flame leaped up from the dry wood, and by the light of this -Sage looked at his watch. “It’s almost five o’clock,” he answered in -surprise. - -“Jingoes!” exclaimed the other boy, rising with a bound. “It’s time we -were getting out. With sunrise an hour away, we’ve got to do some tall -hustling.” - -Fred agreed to this, and, although still disturbed and perplexed over -what he had heard, he imitated Roy in losing no time about the -preparations to set forth. They pulled on their boots, gray sweaters and -coats, and gathered up the guns, ammunition and decoys. Then the door -was opened, and they went out into the blackness of the last hour of -night. The sky must have been overcast, for above the treetops there was -no gray hint of light to suggest the coming dawn. The air was still and -impregnated with the coldness that suggested Thanksgiving, turkey, plum -pudding and skating. - -“I know the best way,” said Hooker. “Follow me close.” - -Even though Roy knew the way, as they proceeded toward the pond Sage was -impressed by the conviction that they made at least double the noise -that had been made by the unknown prowlers. Reaching the pond, they -hurried forward toward the blind, but only for Hooker, they would have -passed it. Ankle deep, they waded out through the swishing grass and -reeds, and found the old raft where it had been left. - -“Only one of us can work on the raft,” said Roy. “You take the guns into -the blind, while I set the decoys.” - -With no time to waste, Roy worked as swiftly as possible. From the blind -Fred could see the dark figure of his chum, kneeling on the raft, as he -spread the decoys out so that they would float upon the water in a -natural manner and anchored them with the weights. As soon as this was -done, Hooker poled the old raft back into the cover of the reeds and -hurried to join Sage. - -“Barely made it,” he chuckled. “There’s one thing we have to thank your -prowling friends for; if we’d slept half an hour longer, it’s likely we -would have gotten out here too late for the first flights. It’s getting -light now in the east.” - -It was true that far over the eastern end of the pond a dull, grayish -light was beginning to make itself apparent low down upon the horizon, -and as this slowly spread it was reflected on the glassy, unrippled -surface of the water. - -“Get ready for shooting,” said Hooker eagerly, as he broke his gun and -thrust two shells into the barrels. - -“I’m loaded up already,” stated Fred, settling down with his repeater in -a position which would enable him to shoot toward the decoys as well as -watch the open stretch of the pond, up which the birds were expected to -come from the eastward. - -Hooker knelt and tried aiming over the top of the blind, swinging his -gun to follow the movements of some imaginary ducks. - -“All right,” he laughed softly; “let ’em come.” - -With each passing moment the grayness in the east continued to spread, -until they could see the wooded outlines of the shores, bordered by deep -shadows. Morning did not break with a blush, but seemed to awaken -reluctantly and heavily, like a person aged and weary. Its chill bit -their noses, and would have benumbed their fingers, only for the heavy -protecting gloves they wore. - -Suddenly Fred gave a low, electrifying hiss. “Birds!” he whispered, -snatching the loose glove from his right hand. “Here they come!” - -Their nerves atingle, they crouched low, peering forth from the blind. -Against the eastern sky they could see some small, black, swiftly moving -specks, which they knew were ducks coming up the pond and doubtless -headed for the feeding grounds at the western end. The guns were held -ready for quick use, while the boys watched those black specks coming -nearer and nearer, skimming through the air slightly higher than the -treetops on the shore. - -“They’ll come in here sure!” breathed Hooker. “Be ready to nail them -when they settle. Fire when they discover the decoys aren’t the real -thing and start to rise again.” - -But barely had he uttered the words when, from a mass of swamp bushes on -a low point that thrust itself out into the pond a short distance away, -two puffs of smoke leaped upward, followed by the reports of two guns, -and, short-stopped in their flight, two of the ducks came tumbling -downward to splash into the water. Immediately, with quacks of alarm, -the others rose higher and whirled away. A third shot was fired from the -point, but apparently it was a clean miss, as not one of the frightened -and fleeing ducks betrayed a symptom of being hit. - -Thunderstruck, Sage and Hooker stared dumbly toward the cover from which -the unknown hunters had fired. After a time Roy savagely exclaimed: - -“What do you think of that! Wouldn’t it kill you dead!” - -“It killed our chance at those birds,” returned Fred, as he regretfully -watched them disappearing above the tree tops. “Who the dickens can it -be?” - -“We ought to find out pretty quick. They’ll have to pick up those two -ducks.” - -Eagerly and wrathfully they continued to watch, and after some moments -they saw a small object moving out from the point toward the floating -ducks. - -“They’ve got a retriever,” growled Sage, with increased disgust. -“They’re lying low and sending the dog to bring their game.” - -“Confound their hides!” raged Hooker. “They’re going to spoil our fun, -just as true as you live. I’d like to punch their heads!” - -“It would be a great satisfaction,” said Sage bitterly. - -“Look here, old man,” said Roy, smitten by a thought, “there are your -sneaking prowlers. They are the gentlemen who woke you as they passed -the camp. I’ll bet anything they had just come in by the old wood-road.” - -“I’m inclined to think you’re right,” admitted Fred. “But why were they -so careful about making a noise? Hook, they must have known there was -someone in that camp.” - -“Wouldn’t surprise me if you had stated the reason for their caution. -Furthermore, they must be wise to the way the ducks usually fly here, -and they have the advantage of us by hiding on that point.” - -One after another, the dog retrieved the dead birds and carried them to -the point, finally disappearing from view. - -“If some of the birds will only keep far enough from that point, we may -get some shooting yet, old man,” said Roy hopefully. - -In a short time another flock, larger than the first, was seen coming up -the pond, and, to the great satisfaction of the boys, they were flying -over the exact middle of the water, and would therefore pass beyond -gun-shot of the unknown hunters, unless they should change their course. - -“It’s our turn now,” exulted Roy. “I think that bunch will come in here. -Something doing in a minute or two, old chap.” - -There was—something tremendously provoking; for, as the flock came -opposite the low point, both of the unseen sportsmen fired, although, -with any reasonable amount of judgment, they must have realized that -there was not one chance in a thousand that they could make a kill. -Those shots, however, were sufficient to cause the flock to swerve, -swing about in a half circle, and go speeding off into the distance. - -Hooker said something violent, while Sage ground his strong teeth -together. - -“The chumps! The miserable, sneaking idiots!” raged Roy. “If they have a -bit of sense in their bone-heads, they must have known they couldn’t -start a feather at that distance. Why do you suppose they were foolish -enough to try it?” - -“I can’t imagine any reason, unless they were determined to spoil our -chance,” answered Fred, who was now furious enough to fight. “If they -keep that addle-pated business up, we won’t get a shot this morning.” - -“Slim chance of it now, anyhow. It’s broad daylight, and we’ve lost our -opportunity at two flocks. There may be other birds coming in, but those -that have heard the firing will be likely to keep away from this end of -the pond. It’s rotten, that’s what it is.” - -“With good luck, we might have knocked down half a dozen out of that -last big bunch. Whoever those chaps are, they’re poor sportsmen.” - -“They’re nasty sneaks; that’s my opinion.” - -In the course of ten minutes three ducks, evidently a remnant of a -flock, came winging close to the point, and with four shots the hidden -hunters tumbled the trio of birds into the water. One was wounded, for -it flopped about after splashing into the pond, but soon another shot -from the bushes finished it. Then the dog swam out and did the work of -retrieving. - -“It’s all off,” sighed Sage. “Our morning’s sport is ruined.” - -“Hardly a doubt of it,” agreed his companion. “That is, as far as -shooting ducks is concerned. I propose to have a look at the gentlemen -who have tricked us in this brilliant and commendable manner. They -aren’t going to get away before I see them and tell them a few things. -Come on; we can gather up the decoys later.” - -“You don’t think it’s any use to wait a little longer, Roy?” asked Fred, -loath to release the skirts of hope. - -“Not a bit. Besides, I’d rather face those chaps now than to kill one or -two stray ducks.” - -Leaving the blind, they hurried to the shore and turned their footsteps -toward the point upon which the rival duck hunters were ensconced. -Realizing it was wholly probable that their movements had been observed, -they lost no time in plunging forward through the woods and thickets, -fearing that the ones they sought might take alarm and depart. - -Bursting forth from the bushes side by side, they halted as they reached -the point, beholding two boys leaving the shelter in which they had been -hidden, burdened by guns and the slain ducks and followed by a -water-spaniel. These boys stopped as Sage and Hooker appeared before -them. - -One was Jack Nelson; the other Sleuth Piper. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - - DISAPPOINTED DUCK HUNTERS. - - -“Well, I’ll be switched!” exclaimed Hooker, in mingled astonishment and -anger. - -Nelson, whose dog had done the retrieving, beamed pleasantly on the -disappointed and wrathy young sportsmen. “Good morning,” he said. -“You’re out for a little shooting, I see. Had any luck?” - -“Yes—rotten,” flung back Hooker. “Confound you fellows! you spoiled the -morning for us.” - -“Really?” chirped Nelson, in pretended surprise, elevating his eyebrows. -“How was that?” - -“You know how,” grated Sage hotly. “You did it purposely, too. But I -suppose it was that pestering, sly, conceited, cheap imitator of -Sherlock Holmes who is really responsible.” - -Piper looked aggrieved. “If you’re referring to me,” he said, “permit me -to inform you that I’m not at all pleased by your insulting language.” - -“I didn’t intend you should be,” Fred flung back; “and you’d be less -pleased if I could find appropriate words to express my opinion of you. -It was a miserable, low-down trick you fellows played on us this -morning, and you know it.” - -“Now hold on,” Nelson commanded, his cheerful manner vanishing. “We -won’t stand for any of that. We’ve as much right to shoot ducks on this -pond as you have.” - -“Of course we have,” Piper backed him up; “but Sage seems to have an -idea that he owns the earth—that’s what’s the matter with him.” - -Fred levelled his finger at the speaker’s face. “You have annoyed me to -the limit recently,” he grated. “After getting a crazy notion into your -head, you’ve dogged me around constantly. You found out that Roy and I -were coming here to shoot ducks this morning, for, without suspecting -your design, he let you pump him. Straightway, in a highly commendable -manner, you arranged to sneak in here some time in the night, and you -planked yourself on this point, where you could bang away at the ducks -as they flew past, knowing perfectly well that every time you’d fire -into a flock you’d frighten them so that they would not come to our -decoys. A fine piece of work!” - -“I say, Sage, you take it hard, don’t you?” laughed Nelson. “Even if we -knew you were coming to the lake, we had a right to do so ourselves. And -as long as you had not possession of this point, which is the only -place, besides the old blind, from which any successful shooting can be -done at this end of the pond, it surely was our privilege to grab it. -Come, come, don’t be a squealer. I’ve always considered you game, but -you’re showing another side.” - -“Once,” said Fred, “you deliberately fired at a passing flock when you -must have known the birds were beyond gun-shot. If you did not do that -to frighten them from coming to our decoys, why did you do it?” - -“Yes,” cried Hooker, “explain that.” - -“We took a chance on bringing one down, that’s all,” said Nelson. - -“Oh, don’t bother yourself to explain,” Piper put in quickly. “It’s no -use; they won’t believe you. We’ve got to get home. Let’s not stand here -chewing the rag.” - -“A good punching is what you deserve,” snarled Hooker, “and I think we -could hand it to you, too.” - -“Permit me to express doubts,” said Nelson. “If you want to try it, -you’ve a splendid opportunity.” - -It was a tense moment, for both Fred and Roy had been striving hard to -hold themselves in check, and the insolent defiance of the other pair -was almost too much for them to swallow. It was Sage’s level head that -averted the clash. Knowing someone might be seriously hurt in a -hand-to-hand fight, and remembering that the first football game of the -season would take place that afternoon, he put forth a hand and grasped -Hooker’s sleeve. - -“We won’t scrap with them,” he said in a low tone. “They have shown what -they are; let them get as much satisfaction out of it as they can.” - -Piper, who had not really relished the prospect of a fist-fight, braced -up wonderfully, while Nelson laughed again. - -“You’re showing a little sense now,” said the latter, “which, doubtless, -you’ll realize when you come to think it over. The joke is on you, and -you may as well accept it in that light. It’s too bad you didn’t get -even a shot at anything, but you can’t expect to go home loaded with -game every time you hunt. Some rather pretty birds we have got, eh?” He -held them up tantalizingly, which caused Hooker’s teeth to snap together -and his hands to clench. - -“Come, Roy,” urged Sage, “let’s go back and gather up our decoys.” - -Reluctantly Hooker permitted his chum to swing him about, and he -muttered under his breath: - -“Sometime I’ll even it up with this pair. They’ll get what’s coming, all -right.” - -As they were returning for the decoys they heard for a time the voices -of Piper and Nelson, who seemed to be in high spirits, for they burst -into frequent peals of laughter. Finally the irritating sounds died out -as the triumphant duck hunters receded into the distance, following the -old wood-road toward the main highway. - -Grimly the disappointed lads gathered up the decoys and returned to the -old camp. Sage was the first to show signs of reviving good nature, -which symptoms at first caused Hooker more or less irritation. - -“Perhaps you can take it that way, Fred,” said Roy; “but I can’t. It was -a dirty piece of business, although it may seem very shrewd and humorous -to Piper and Nelson.” - -Their blankets being rolled up and everything made ready for the -appearance of Abel Hubbard, they still had some time to wait for the -village constable, and this time they spent discussing the affair. -Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, Fred clapped his hand to his pocket -and drew forth the remnant of a newspaper that had been found in the -camp. - -“By Jove!” he exclaimed; “that’s queer. I wish I’d questioned Sleuth -about it.” - -“What are you driving at now?” asked his companion. - -“It just occurred to me that, after all, this paper may have been -dropped here by Piper, although I don’t quite understand how it could -have been. If so, he must have come here recently—as recently as -yesterday or the day before.” - -“Nothing to it,” declared Hooker positively. “He was at school both -those days, and he has practiced regularly with the teams every night. -He had no time to come here.” - -“Unless he did so in the night—night before last. But I don’t see why -he——” - -“You couldn’t hire him to come here alone at night,” asserted Hooker; -“he’s too big a coward. A great detective should have plenty of courage, -but a rabbit is a lion compared with Sleuthy.” - -“He may have had someone with him.” - -“If so, it was some fellow we know, and we’ll find out about it. But I -don’t think there’s the remotest chance that it can be so, for he would -have announced the fact when we caught him face to face a short time -ago. It would have served as an excuse for his presence this morning. -Why, he could have claimed that he had come here ahead of us to look the -ground over and plan for a duck hunt. He could have accused us of being -encroachers. Forget it, Fred; Sleuth never dropped that paper in this -camp.” - -“Which,” said Sage regretfully, “leaves us just where we were before, up -against a mystery. I’m not going to puzzle my head over it any more.” - -“A sensible decision.” nodded Roy. “I’m inclined to fancy you’ve placed -too much importance on that particular scrap of a newspaper.” - -Shortly before nine o’clock, as they were sitting on an old log in front -of the camp, they heard the creaking of Hubbard’s wagon, and directly -the constable appeared with the conveyance. - -“Mornin’, boys,” he saluted. “What luck?” - -“Nothing but bad luck,” answered Hooker. “Some other chaps spoiled our -shooting for us, and we didn’t get as much as a feather.” - -“Sho! Now that’s too bad. I cal’late I seen them other chaps. Met ’em on -the road almost to town. They was Jack Nelson and Billy Piper, and they -had some birds. Seemed to feel purty nifty and chipper, too, for they -laughed when they spied me. Told me I’d better get a stouter wagon to -haul in my load, but I didn’t know just what they meant.” - -“Those chaps have a perverted sense of humor,” rasped Roy. “They’ll get -it taken out of them some day. Come on, Fred, let’s throw our dunnage -aboard and set sail. I’m anxious to get home to rest up before that game -this afternoon.” - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - THE TARDY QUARTERBACK. - - -The members of the Oakdale football team were gathering at the gymnasium -to dress and prepare for the game. Singly and in groups they came -hurrying in to open their lockers and drag forth suits, cleated shoes, -shin guards, head pieces, nose protectors and other paraphernalia. Some -were in high spirits, while others, as if impressed by the importance of -the approaching contest, appeared somewhat serious and grim. Chipper -Cooper, always volatile and lively, persisted in perpetrating some very -bad puns, being finally given a call-down by Sile Crane, who was wearing -an almost funereal face. - -“Oh, cut it aout,” remonstrated Sile. “Yeou’ll make us all sick with -yeour senseless slop. If yeou’ve got an idee it’s goin’ to be any picnic -trouncin’ them Barville fellers this arternoon, yeou’re away off yeour -base.” - -Chipper’s retort was particularly atrocious. “I would not _debase_ -myself by such a thought,” he said. - -Harry Hopper let fly a shoe, which Cooper deftly dodged. “You’ll be -murdered some day if you don’t quit it,” declared Harry. - -“It wouldn’t be murder,” said Chub Tuttle, carelessly spilling peanuts -from his pocket as he flung his coat aside; “it would be a noble deed -for the general public good. No jury would ever convict a feller for -killing Coop in a frenzied moment, following one of his alleged -witticisms.” - -“The assassin sure would escape on the plea of temporary insanity,” -laughed Rodney Grant. - -“I tell yeou, fellers, we’ve got to play some if we trim Barville,” said -Crane. “I’ve got it straight from Len Roberts that they’re goin’ to chaw -us up.” - -“In the name of a good old English poet, let them Chaucer,” snickered -Cooper, flinging himself into a defensive attitude. “Come on, you base -scoundrels; I defy you.” - -“Roberts is a big wind-bag,” was the opinion of Jack Nelson. “He’s -always blowing about what Barville is going to do.” - -“But they’ve got a coach,” said Crane. “Last year we had one, but this -season, without Roger Eliot to raise the spondulicks, we couldn’t git -one. They’ve got some new players, too, that are said to be rippers. I -tell yeou, boys, I’m worried.” - -“It’s just as bad to worry as it is to be overconfident,” said Ben -Stone, the captain of the eleven, appearing among them. “It’s my opinion -they’ve been trying to get our goat by setting afloat a lot of hot air -about the strength of their team and their wonderful new players. If we -go onto the field feeling a bit shy of them, which is doubtless what -they want, they will try to get the jump on us at the start. But we’re -not going to let them work that trick. Has anyone seen Sage? I wonder -where he is.” - -Fred Sage, who was usually one of the first to be on hand, had not -arrived, and when, a short time later, he still remained absent, the -captain’s wonderment took on a touch of anxiety. - -“Here, Hooker,” he called to Roy, who, as a substitute, was getting into -his armor, “do you know anything about Sage? He isn’t around.” - -“I’ve been wondering where he was,” confessed Hooker. “I haven’t seen -him since I left him in front of his house this forenoon.” - -“Perhaps,” suggested Jack Nelson maliciously, “he’s suffering from an -attack of indigestion. Wild duck is pretty heavy food, you know.” - -“Look out,” retorted Roy, “that you don’t have to eat crow yet.” - -Another five minutes passing, and the quarterback failing to arrive, -Stone decided to send out for him. - -“Here, Tommy,” he called to Tommy Shea, the mascot of the team, “you go -find Sage and tell him to get a move on. We must have our regular -warming up before the game, and I’ll guarantee Barville is on the field -now. I can’t see what’s happened to keep him away. Stir yourself, -Tommy.” - -As the little fellow dusted out of the gymnasium there came through the -momentarily opened door the sound of a hearty Barville cheer, which, -doubtless, proclaimed the advent of the visitors on the adjacent field. - -“They must have plenty of confidence in their team,” said Bob Collins, -“for they’ve certainly sent over a big bunch of rooters. People have -been coming from Barville in all sorts of turnouts for the past two -hours.” - -“All the more gate money for us,” exulted the optimistic Cooper. “In -fancy I can hear the merry jingle of their quarters. They can give us as -many as they please, but we’ll give them no quarter to-day. -Nevertheless, without Sage we’d be a quarter short, and we’d feel it -before the end of the first half. Mercy! I surrender! Spare me!” - -No one paid the slightest attention to him, however, which led him -disgustedly to mutter something about casting pearls before swine. - -In a short time Tommy Shea returned, followed closely by Sage, whose -face was flushed and who betrayed some tokens of unusual excitement. At -least, this was what the watchful Piper thought, and he became, if -possible, more watchful than ever. - -“Met him on the way, captain,” the mascot reported to Stone. - -“You’re late, Fred,” said Ben sharply. “We’re ready to go out now, all -but you. Anything the matter?” - -“No—no, nothing the matter,” was the somewhat faltering answer, as Sage -began ripping off his clothes, having given Tommy Shea the key to open -his locker. “I had—some things to do at home, and I didn’t—I didn’t -realize it was so late.” - -“Lame excuse,” whispered Piper to himself. “Something has happened, -sure. He’s in a perfect stew.” - -While Fred was hurriedly preparing for the field, Stone called the -others around him and talked to them earnestly, laying out a plan of -campaign for the first quarter. At first he addressed them all in a -general way, after which he singled out individual members of the eleven -and gave each one advice and instructions. Ere he had gone through the -list Sage was completely dressed for the game and apparently drinking in -the captain’s words, although to Piper it seemed that he listened with a -distinct effort which betrayed a tendency of his mind to wander. - -“Just a word to you, Sage,” said Stone in conclusion. “Keep things -moving on the jump. Don’t waste any time over your signals when we’re on -the offensive. I have an idea that Barville will try to rush us off our -feet at the start, and we mustn’t let them do that. We’ll hammer them -hard as we can with straight football to begin with, and hold back our -trick plays for use in emergencies. Of course if we quickly get within -striking distance of their goal, and they hold us for a down that -doesn’t give us a proper gain, you may see fit to try a trick or to work -the forward pass. Now come on, everybody; let’s go out with a snap and -show that we’re alive.” - -From the gymnasium to the players’ entrance of the field was only a -short distance, and Ben led his sturdy followers at a swift pace. The -visitors were practicing at one end of the field, watched and encouraged -by the surprisingly large gathering of Barville supporters who had -followed them to Oakdale. As the shocky-haired locals dashed out into -the open space they were given a lusty cheer by the majority of the -assembled spectators. At once two footballs were put into use by them, -and they went at the work of warming up with commendable method and -ginger. - -It was a hazy autumn afternoon, the sky being overcast with a filmy -veil, through which the sun shone with a muffled orange glow. A tempered -southwest wind was blowing steadily, but not with sufficient vigor to -give much advantage to the defenders of the western goal. For the -spectators on the seats, light outer wraps were needed, even though the -air was not crisp enough to make first-class football weather. - -With their coach watching them closely, the Barville lads were making an -impression by their snappy practice, in which short dashes, every man -starting fast and running low, seemed to be a particular feature. - -Stone took this in at a glance, even while he did not appear to give the -rival team as much as momentary attention. It was a reminder, however, -that for the past week he had striven constantly to drill into the heads -of his teammates the necessity for rapidity in both assault and defence, -and the advantage of hitting the opposing line low and hard. - -Among the followers of professional sports there can be no such genuine -loyalty and enthusiasm as that shown by the adherents of school and -college teams; for, as a class, the supporters of such teams are, like -the players, heart and soul in the game. In most cases the contestants -they are backing and on whom they pin their hopes are known to them -personally, which fact establishes between them such friendly personal -relations as seldom exist between masses of spectators and -professionals; and always a well-earned victory is a thing to be -rejoiced over by the satisfied supporter of the triumphant team, like a -piece of personal good fortune. - -The referee for this game came from Clearport, and was equally -acceptable and satisfactory to both teams, having demonstrated in other -contests his absolute impartiality and fairness. At the proper moment he -walked briskly out upon the field and held a low-spoken consultation -with the two captains. A coin was tossed, and, Oakdale obtaining the -choice, Ben took the western goal. - -The cheering of the spectators sank to a murmur, and was followed by a -few tense moments of silence as the youthful gladiators spread out over -the outlined chalk marks and made ready for the kick-off. Barville had -been given the ball, and the referee placed it carefully upon a little -soft mound of earth formed by his own hands at the exact center of the -field. A short distance away Copley, the fullback, who was to make the -kick, balanced and steadied himself, his eyes fastened on the huge -yellow egg. The referee retreated; the whistle sounded. With tensed -muscles, the players crouched a bit, ready for the dash. - -Copley advanced, quickening his steps. With perfect judgment, he came -into position with the proper stride, swung his lusty right leg with -vigor, and, following the plunk of his foot against the ball, the -pigskin went sailing and soaring far into Oakdale’s territory. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - THE FIRST QUARTER. - - -Warren and Forest, the Barville ends, raced along in a desperate dash, -closing in as the ball began to fall. Rodney Grant was waiting for the -oncoming pigskin, balanced ready for action, his arms outstretched. He -made a clean, fair catch, and was off like a broncho of his native -state, quirt-stung and spur-jabbed. On one side Warren was blocked off, -but on the other Forest came in like a charging fury and flung himself -at the Texan. Down they went on the thirty-yard line, with the other -players converging toward that spot. - -Remembering Stone’s admonition to hustle and line up without loss of a -moment, the Oakdale boys strained every nerve to get quickly into -position for the first scrimmage. This was their opportunity to show -Barville right off the reel what real snappy aggression meant. - -“Lively! lively!” urged Stone; and, ere the line of the locals seemed -fully formed, Sage began barking the signal. He spat out the numbers -sharply, every one clear and distinct, and Oakdale went into Barville -like a whirlwind before the visitors were fully set for defence. The -result was a gain of eighteen yards, made in a style which seemed to -carry the Barville boys completely off their feet, with the exception of -the sturdy fullback, Copley, who yanked down the runner and prevented -what had promised to be a clean break through the defence, and what -might have given the man with the pigskin a running chance to score. - -The home crowd went wild over this apparently demoralizing attack of the -Oakdale boys, and there were many who, forming a hasty judgment, -declared their conviction that the locals outclassed the visitors. - -Sanger, who knew Stone as a rather slow and methodical chap, had not -imagined for a moment that the Oakdale captain would spur his team to a -point of such rapid aggression. The Barville leader, however, was not -slow to grasp the fact that he had made an error in judgment, and his -voice was heard calling sharply to his somewhat disorganized men as he -ordered them to get into position to stop the next charge. Copley came -up somewhat dazed by the shock of the collision with the runner; but the -latter was even more dazed, and was so long about finding his place in -the formation that Barville was given sufficient time to make ready for -defence. - -Three stingy yards were all Oakdale could make on another line plunge; -and when, following this, a round-the-end run promised more satisfactory -results, the argus-eyed referee dismayed the shrieking adherents of the -team by penalizing the locals for holding. - -Barville took heart at once and fought Oakdale tooth and nail, until the -latter team was compelled to kick rather than take the chance of losing -the ball on downs. Stone, who had a lusty leg, booted the pigskin into -the enemy’s territory, where Larry Groove, the left halfback, scooped it -on the jump, dodged Hopper, and came all the way back to the center line -before he was slammed to the turf. Of course this gave the Barville -crowd its chance to cheer madly, and their cries mingled with the -Oakdale plaudits for the tackler. - -“Ginger up! ginger up!” Lee Sanger was calling, as he crouched behind -Bart Rock, the center. “Signal! signal!” Then he reeled off a few sharp -numbers, and the youthful contestants leaped at one another like tigers. - -Again and again they crashed together, but Oakdale stubbornly held its -ground until an unexpected fluke—a bad pass and a muff—gave Sage a -splendid opportunity. The ball came bounding to his very feet, with -Rollins and Tuttle blocking off two of the enemy, the only ones who -seemed to realize just what had happened, and Fred had time to scoop the -ball up and a fine chance to get away with it for a run. - -Instead of doing so, Sage stared for a moment at the pigskin, as if he -did not realize what it was. And when he awoke from this brief spell of -numbness and started into life and action, it was Nelson who flung -himself on the oval, to be pinned down by Hope, who had finally bucked -Tuttle aside. - -In this manner, through the faltering of Sage, Barville, although she -lost the ball, stopped what might have been a gain of ground by the -locals. - -Piper, who seemed to see everything, saw this, although he was too far -away at the time of the fumble to get his hands on the pigskin. Sleuth -glared at Sage. - -“Something wrong,” he panted to himself. “First time he ever did a thing -like that.” - -“Wake up! wake up!” Stone was calling sharply. “Positions! Get ready! -Come on, Sage, give us the signal.” - -“Signal!” said Sage, and then he paused, as if collecting his thoughts. -“Signal!” he repeated. “5-11-16-24.” - -It was the former line-bucking play, which, through experience thus -quickly obtained, Barville was ready to meet. Instead of a gain, the -result was a loss of two yards, the visitors actually bearing the line -of the home team back. - -As the tangled mass of men untwined, following the blast of the whistle, -Sage heard Stone calling in his ear: - -“Vary it, Fred. Something else; something else, quick!” - -The quarterback gave himself a shake. The men were hopping into the -line-up, and the Barvilleites, now equally alert and ready, were -planting themselves for defence. Straight old-fashioned line-bucking, -with no varying plays, had already become ineffective, and Sage gave the -signal for the double pass and the criss-cross. The ball went to Nelson, -who shot toward the right, Grant closing in as if to support him, but -passing across his very heels and taking the pigskin as he passed. -Cooper blocked the right end off. Piper put his body into the right -tackle and bore him in the opposite direction. A hole was opened at -precisely the proper moment, and through it went the Texan at full -speed. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Illustration: - - THE FULLBACK CAME CHARGING ACROSS, FORCING RODNEY - TOWARD THE SIDE LINE.—Page 156.] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -The main body of the enemy’s back field had been led into starting in -the wrong direction. The right halfback, who was one of these, saw -through the play a moment too late to reach Grant. The fullback, -however, came charging across, forcing Rodney out toward the side line. -It seemed that the Texan would be run out of bounds, but ten feet from -the border of the field he deceived the charging fullback by a sudden -half-pivoting swerve, and the would-be tackler’s fingers barely scraped -his canvas jacket as he shot by. - -The crowd rose and roared, for Grant was flying over the chalk marks -with giant strides, followed by the players of both teams. Head thrown -back, nostrils expanded, Rodney covered the ground as if his very life -depended on it. - -“Touchdown!” howled the excited Oakdale spectators. “Touchdown! -touchdown!” - -There was no preventing it. Over the Barville goal line went Grant, -planting the ball favorably for a goal. He did not seem to hear the -school cheer, which, with his name tagged at the end, came rolling -across the field. His manner was grim and businesslike; his attention -was entirely centered upon the matter in hand. - -There was no need to punt the ball out. Brought forth properly by the -referee, it gave Oakdale a most favorable chance to boot it over the -bar, and Stone performed the trick. - -As the teams changed positions on the field, the Oakdale captain found -time to rest his hand for a moment on the shoulder of Sage and speak a -few low, hasty words to him. In response Fred nodded. - -Soon they were at it again, but Barville, apparently nothing -disheartened, resumed the struggle more fiercely and grimly than ever. -The tide of battle ebbed and flowed, neither side gaining any great -advantage, until presently a long, shrill blast of the whistle announced -the end of the first scrimmage. - -As the boys jogged off the field, Chipper Cooper gave Piper a slap on -the back, crying: - -“Well, we put one across on ’em all right.” - -“Yes,” nodded Sleuth; “but Sage lost an opportunity for us before that. -He isn’t right to-day. There’s something the matter with him, or I’m a -dunce.” - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - - THE PLAYER WHO BLUNDERED. - - -The elation of the Oakdale players over making a touchdown and goal in -the first quarter was quickly subdued by their captain, who, in the -privacy of the gym, sternly informed them that they should have done -much better. - -“It was a lucky stab, nothing less,” said Ben. “Only for the -resourcefulness and speed of Grant, they would have held us scoreless. -We threw away fine opportunities, one splendid chance in particular; -and, although we got the start on them to begin with, we made nothing by -it. Unless we do better, we’ll be outplayed in the next quarter, mark -what I say.” - -After this bit of general talk, he selected several of the players for -special advice and criticism. Lastly he spoke to the quarterback, whose -eyes, although fixed on Stone, held a far-away look, which seemed to -indicate lack of attention. - -“Sage,” said Ben sharply, “Sage, listen to me.” - -“Yes, sir,” said Fred, with a start. - -“Several times you were woefully slow with your signals, and you know -that the swift aggression of a team depends mainly upon the quarterback. -No matter how prompt and ready the players may be, they can’t play fast -when a quarter dawdles over his signals. It’s not like you to be slow, -and I fail to understand it. You missed a fine chance to take advantage -of a Barville fumble, and, only for Nelson, those chaps would have -obtained possession of the ball after losing it on a bungling pass and -letting it bound to your very feet. Are you sick?” - -Fred’s face was crimson. “No, sir, I’m not sick,” he answered. “I’m all -right.” - -“Then it’s up to you to get into the game and play as if you were all -right.” - -“I will, depend on it,” promised the quarterback. - -Before the boys returned to the field Roy Hooker found an opportunity to -speak privately with his friend. - -“Get a brace on, Fred—get a brace on,” urged Roy. “If you don’t, they’ll -blame it on our little outing last night. I never saw you so punk -before. Your wits seem to be wool-gathering.” - -“I guess that’s right,” acknowledged Fred regretfully. “I’ll get into -gear now. Watch me.” - -“Has anything happened to worry you?” - -“Nun-no,” faltered Sage, “not a thing.” But, somehow, Roy felt that his -chum had not spoken the truth. - -The second quarter opened quite as fiercely as the first, but with -Barville plainly prepared for quick, savage work and ready to contribute -her part of it. Indeed, the visitors seemed the more aggressive, even -though Oakdale improved all the opportunities that were offered; and, -presently, after some eight minutes of play, the home team found itself -making a desperate defence on its own thirty-yard line. Right there, -after a first down had yielded no gain, Barville tried the forward pass -and executed it successfully, cutting down the distance to the home -team’s goal by fully one half. - -“Hold them, boys—you’ve got to hold them!” was the cry from the Oakdale -crowd. - -“Got ’em going!” came from the visiting spectators. “Keep it up, boys! -Put the ball over for a touchdown! You can do it!” - -Barville had found a weak spot in Oakdale’s line, and, mercilessly -buffeted and battered, Bob Collins, the left guard, showed signs of -grogginess. With only fifteen yards to gain, the visitors followed the -forward pass with another assault on Collins, which, although they made -only a slight gain, left him groaning on the ground. Promptly attended -by a doctor, Collins pluckily tried to stand on his pins and resume his -place in the line; but the moment he was released by supporting hands he -staggered, being prevented from falling only by the quickness of Nelson -in catching him. - -Stone saw that Collins could not continue and ordered him to the side -line, at the same time calling for Hooker. Surprised that he should be -selected from the waiting substitutes, Roy promptly responded. - -“Get in there at left guard, Hooker,” directed Stone, “and see if you -can stop that hole.” - -Fresh and exultant, Roy took his place in the line, and, when Barville -tried the quality of the substitute, the hole was found to be stopped -effectively. Not another foot could the visitors gain through Oakdale’s -left wing. - -Blocked and held, Barville apparently decided to try for a field goal, -even though success at that would leave the home team still in the lead. -It was Stone, however, who suspected a fake and hurriedly warned his -players; and Ben’s perception baffled the smashing charge of the -visitors, who were held for the final down, thus losing the ball. - -Of course no time was lost in booting the pigskin away from that -dangerous point. - -Nothing daunted over this failure, Barville resumed the battering -process, occasionally varying it with an end run or some peculiar piece -of strategy of her own concoction. But the locals, stronger on the -defence than the offence, refused for the time being to let the enemy -regain the lost advantage. - -In the last minutes of the quarter, with Oakdale in possession of the -ball, Sage once more betrayed surprising slowness and even symptoms of -confusion in giving the signals. This was true to such an extent that -finally, in desperation, Stone went in at quarter himself, letting Fred -play fullback. And even then Sage was slow about getting into the plays. - -The quarter ended with the score unchanged. - -In the second period of rest the Oakdale captain drew the quarterback -apart from the others and talked to him with great earnestness. Of those -who watched the two, Piper took special note of the fact that Sage -seemed discouraged and downcast, and it was evident that Stone was -seeking by every possible manner of encouragement to brace him up. With -Fred at his best, no one else on the team could fill his position nearly -as well, and for this reason Ben was extremely loath to make a change. - -Collins, having recovered from the gruelling he had received, was -anxious to get back into the game, and he made an appeal to Stone the -moment Ben finished his talk with Sage. Hooker, however, had done -surprisingly well, and the captain told Collins that he would have wait -until, during the course of the play, an opportunity offered for him to -return. - -The Oakdale boys were now showing few signs of elation, for the second -quarter had led them to realize that the two teams were more evenly -matched than they had supposed, and that, doubtless, they had been -rather lucky in securing six points in the first quarter, to say nothing -of their success in holding Barville in check after that. - -In the last minute before they returned to the field, Stone called all -the players around him and hastily gave them a plan of action. As soon -as the ball came into their possession, unless they should chance to get -it so close to their own line that a kick would be necessary, they were -to line up and attempt a series of three varied plays, without waiting -for signals. He was careful to make them all understand precisely what -those plays were to be, and in what order they would be carried out. -Having made certain that no man misunderstood these directions, he led -them back to the gridiron. - -It was Barville’s kick-off, but Copley’s effort was somewhat weak, and -Nelson ran the ball almost to the forty-five yard line before he bit the -dirt. This made it especially favorable for the carrying out of Stone’s -plans, and the Oakdale players lined up, eager to get the start on their -antagonists then and there. - -Tuttle, with the ball between his feet, took one quick backward glance, -and, seeing the others springing into position, prepared to snap it. -Just as he was on the point of doing so, he was astounded to hear Sage -cry: - -“Signal!” Following which, Fred rattled off some numbers which called -for a play entirely different from that agreed upon. - -A bit confused, Tuttle snapped the ball to Sage, who passed it instantly -to Grant. The confusion of the center was likewise felt by every member -of the team, which led to faltering and gave the enemy a chance to -overwhelm them and bear them back for a loss of more than five yards. - -In the midst of the untangling mass Stone reached Sage, grasped him by -the shoulder and almost snarled into his ear: - -“What’s the matter with you? What made you do that? You know we had -arranged to work three plays without signals.” - -“I—I forgot,” said Fred. “I’m sorry, but I forgot, captain.” - -“Well, you messed things finely! It’s too late now. Get into action and -see if you can make up for the blunder somehow.” - -Apparently Sage tried hard to atone, and for a time he displayed a -return to his best form. His blunder, however, had greatly disturbed the -others, and the entire team betrayed such uncertainty and lack of -cohesive, united action that the home crowd was dismayed. In a few -moments Oakdale was compelled to surrender the ball on a kick. - -After this the quarter was heartbreaking in many ways. Twice the -visitors threatened Oakdale’s goal, and twice they were repulsed. In her -turn Oakdale had an opportunity that set her supporters into a frenzy of -hope and enthusiasm. An end run that netted thirty yards was followed by -a trick play that yielded ten more, and then came a forward pass which -placed the locals within striking distance of the enemy’s goal. - -Right there Sage once more dashed Oakdale’s hopes. The team had two sets -of signals. This was necessary to enable them to switch from one set to -the other in case their opponents should get wise to the signals in use. -Now, however, Sage put them all into confusion by mixing the signals -himself in such a manner that it was impossible to tell which of two -plays he had called for. Then he made a bad pass, which was followed by -a fumble, and Barville, coming through Oakdale like water through a -sieve, got the ball. - -Immediately Stone ordered Sage out of the game. Nelson was placed at -quarter, and his position was filled by a substitute. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - REMARKABLE BEHAVIOR OF SAGE. - - -Crestfallen and deeply chagrined, Sage attempted to watch the game from -the side line. He gave no heed to the substitutes, who stared at him and -muttered among themselves. His face, at first flushed, gradually lost -its color until it became almost ghastly and haggard. He saw the -exultant, confident Barville team, with the ball in its possession, -tearing to pieces the defence of the locals in a manner that promised -disaster for Oakdale. - -“They’ll seek explanations in the next intermission,” he whispered to -himself. “I can’t answer their questions.” - -Turning suddenly, he left the field. Having passed outside, he made a -dash for the gymnasium, in which he began ripping off his sweat-soaked -football togs in a manner that was almost frantic. He did not pause for -a shower, knowing that there would be no time for it if he wished to get -away before his teammates appeared. Dully he seemed to hear the cheering -of the crowd upon the field, taking notice in a benumbed way that the -Barville cry was swelling stronger and more triumphant. - -Leaving his playing togs as he had dropped them, he dashed bareheaded -from the gymnasium, flinging himself into his coat as he ran. Round the -corner he darted, scudded down Lake Street until the entrance to the -academy yard was reached, ran panting across the yard and settled into a -rapid walk when his feet were presently on the path that led across lots -between Middle and High Streets. - -He had made his escape none too soon, for barely was he out of sight -when the third quarter ended and the Oakdale players came hurrying -toward the gymnasium. They were a soiled, battered, weary-looking band, -and more than one seemed to totter in his stride. In the gym they flung -themselves down upon benches and blankets, some even sprawling upon the -floor. - -“Cripes!” groaned Sile Crane. “Them fellers sartainly made us fight. We -barely held ’em.” - -“If they’d had another minute they’d have scored,” sighed Harry Hopper. -“They’re better trained than we are. They’re like iron. That’s what a -coach does for a team.” - -Two chaps were rubbing Chipper Cooper’s left ankle, which he had -wrenched in a scrimmage. The smell of witch hazel and arnica filled the -room. - -“Look at the confounded thing,” snapped Chipper, his face contorted by -grimaces of pain. “You can almost see it swell. I’ll be as lively as a -toad on that bum peg.” - -“If Sage hadn’t messed things up!” muttered Rodney Grant, as if speaking -to himself. “What was the matter with him, anyhow?” - -“Where is Sage?” asked Stone, looking around. “I don’t believe he came -in from the field. Here, Shea, go bring Sage.” - -Piper touched Ben on the arm. - -“Don’t bother to send for him, captain,” he advised. - -“Why not?” - -“You won’t find him out there. He’s gone.” - -“Gone—where? Why——” - -“I don’t know where,” said Sleuth; “but he’s gone. Here are his field -clothes just as he dropped them. He didn’t even stop to put them away.” - -Astonishment was plainly revealed in Stone’s face. - -“I don’t understand it,” he finally said in a low tone. “I can’t see why -Fred should desert us like this. What will we do if——” He checked -himself abruptly. - -“He’s run away! He’s quit!” cried Nelson. “What do you know about that, -fellows?” - -Hooker rose to the defence of his chum. “I’m dead sure Fred is sick,” he -said. “There’s no other explanation for his actions. He wouldn’t -acknowledge it, but he must be sick. You all know what a football -enthusiast he is, and you never before saw him put up such a numb, -bungling game.” - -“At least,” said Stone, “if he had to quit, he might have let me know.” - -The inexplicable action of Sage seemed to cast a heavier shadow upon the -team. Desperately though Stone sought to rally his players, he could not -help feeling that the effort was profitless. They returned to the game -in a spiritless, almost sullen humor, which made them, although they -fought stubbornly, quite unable to cope with the persistent, determined, -undaunted visitors; and, with the opportunity in their grasp, the -Barvilleites presently hammered out a touchdown and kicked the tying -goal. - -Oakdale made a mighty effort to hold the game to a draw, and for a time -it seemed that such would be the result. In the very last minute of -play, however, getting within the home team’s twenty-five yard line, the -visitors made a field goal. - -As the ball soared over the crossbar a groan of dismay came from the -Oakdale spectators. - -“That settles it,” declared a keenly disappointed man. “Our boys are -beaten.” - -He was right; the game ended with Barville victorious and jubilant. - -It was a sore and disgruntled bunch of fellows who took their showers -and rubdowns in the gymnasium. With scarcely an exception, they were -disposed to place the blame of their defeat entirely upon Sage. Vainly -Hooker tried to defend his friend. - -“He ran away without a word,” reminded Grant. “There’s sure no excuse -for that.” - -“Nary bit,” agreed Crane. “He done us a dirty turn to-day, and it’ll -take a whole lot of explainin’ to put him right with the bunch.” - -Roy was the first to leave the gymnasium, and he started almost at a run -for Sage’s home. - -“I don’t understand it myself,” he muttered, as he hurried along. “I -can’t imagine what threw Fred into such a pitiful condition. I hope he -can explain.” - -As he came within view of Fred’s home he discovered his chum and Mr. -Sage standing near the open stable door, apparently engaged in -conversation. At the same moment Fred seemed to espy Roy, and -immediately, with a quick word to his father, he darted into the stable -and disappeared. - -Mr. Sage walked out to meet Hooker. There was a strange expression on -the man’s face, and Roy fancied that he seemed somewhat nervous and -distraught. - -“I’d like to see Fred a minute,” said Hooker. - -“I’m sorry,” was the answer, “but he’s not feeling well. He can’t see -you.” - -His perplexity greatly augmented, Roy stared at the man. - -“Is he ill?” - -Andrew Sage seemed to hesitate. Lifting a hand to his lips, he coughed -behind it. - -“Well, not—er—not exactly ill,” he answered; “but he isn’t feeling well -enough to talk with anyone, Roy. I hope you don’t mind?” - -This treatment from his comrade piqued Hooker. “I didn’t suppose,” he -said, “that Fred would refuse to see me unless he was dangerously ill in -bed—and I know he isn’t that. It’s all right, though. Will you please -tell him that Barville won the game?” - -Turning, he walked slowly away, his brow knitted with perplexity. - -“I can’t understand it,” he told himself once more. “It’s too much for -me. He isn’t sick, that’s sure; and still, his father says that he -doesn’t feel well. Possibly,” he added resentfully, “the information -that Barville trimmed us will make him feel better.” - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - WORK OF THE YOUNG DETECTIVE. - - -That evening a group of somewhat doleful-looking boys gathered in front -of the Oakdale post-office and shivered as they discussed the game. -Without a single dissenting voice they blamed Sage for their failure to -win from Barville. - -Sleuth Piper appeared, hurried into the post-office and presented -himself at the delivery window. - -“Look a’ the businesslike bustle of the great detective,” said Crane, -watching Piper through the window. “Anyone would sorter s’pose he -expected to receive about a bushel of important mail. I bet he don’t get -a thing.” - -“You lose,” said Hunk Rollins, as a letter was passed out to Sleuth. -“He’s got something.” - -Before opening the letter, Piper was seen eagerly scanning the postmark -upon the envelope, and the watchers fancied there was an expression of -mingled excitement and satisfaction upon his face. Coming forth, Sleuth -paused in front of a lighted window a short distance from the others and -tore his letter open. In a moment he was eagerly intent upon the -contents. - -“Hi! Who’s the girl, Sleuthy?” called Jack Nelson. “Let us read it, will -you?” - -“’Sh!” sibilated Chub Tuttle, spluttering forth munched peanuts with a -hissing sound. “The great detective has a scent.” - -“Huh!” grunted Cooper, with a forced laugh. “If that’s so, he’s better -off than I am. I bet on the game, and I haven’t a cent.” - -“Look,” urged Nelson—“look at Sleuthy’s face! He’s excited. By Jinks! -that letter must be rather interesting.” - -“I’ll get a peep at it,” said Harry Hopper. “I’ll tell you if it’s a -girl’s writing.” - -But, although he tiptoed forward with great caution, Sleuth detected his -approach, and, having finished reading the letter, hastily folded the -missive and thrust it into his pocket. - -“Go chase yourself, Mr. Sly Boy,” he said, waving Hopper off. “Rubbering -will give you a cramp in the neck sometime.” - -Roy Hooker, looking decidedly glum, came slouching along, his hands -thrust deep into his pockets. Immediately Sleuth pounced upon him. - -“Just the man I’m looking for,” said Piper, in almost tragic tones. - -Roy drew away, seeking to shake Sleuth’s hand from his shoulder. - -“Well, I’m not looking for you,” he retorted. “I’ve no particular use -for you, Piper.” - -“Come now,” said Sleuth, “I wish to hold a private consultation with you -on a matter of immense moment.” - -“Run away and consult with yourself,” snapped Roy. “I don’t like your -company, and you know the reason why.” - -But Sleuth grabbed at him again as he made a move to pass on. - -“Wait,” whispered Piper. “Perhaps you’d like to know what was the matter -with Sage to-day? I can tell you.” - -“The deuce you can!” - -“I can,” insisted the other boy. “I’ve solved the mystery.” - -“Well, if you know what ailed him, why don’t you tell? I’m sure I’m not -the only one who would like to have the matter cleared up.” - -“It’s not a subject for the public ear, Hooker; it’s something to be -talked over privately and discreetly between ourselves. If you want to -know what I know, you’ll just take a little walk with me to some spot -where we’ll be all by our lonesomes. If you don’t want to know, if you -haven’t got any interest in Sage and his affairs, you needn’t bother.” - -To say the least, Roy’s curiosity was aroused. - -“I’ll wager it will be a waste of time,” he said; “but I’ll listen. What -have you done, concocted some sort of fool deduction about it?” - -“I have the straight, solid, indisputable facts right in my inside -pocket. I can tell you something about the Sages that will make your -hair curl. Where shall we go?” - -“You say.” - -“Down to the bridge. There’s not likely to be anybody around there.” - -It was somewhat chilly upon the bridge which spanned the river below -Lake Woodrim, and Hooker’s teeth were inclined to chatter as he leaned -against the railing and invited his companion to “divulge.” - -“To begin with,” said Piper, “I want to ask you a question, and I hope -you’ll give me an honest answer. You’ve been mighty chummy with Sage, -and I have a notion that he gave me away by telling you that I was -trying to make a ten-strike by capturing a certain criminal for whom a -large reward is offered. Am I right, or not?” - -“Whatever Fred has told me in confidence, I’ll not blow on him. If it -was your object to pump me, Piper, you’re wasting your time—and mine.” - -“You don’t have to answer,” said Sleuth instantly. “Your failure to give -me a fair and square reply is sufficient. Sage told you. I knew he -would. Well, I don’t care. I’ve got something to tell you now, and, as I -said, it will make your hair curl.” - -He paused impressively, apparently desiring Roy to urge him to go on; -but Hooker, shrugging his shoulders a bit, waited the promised -revelation. - -“I want to ask one more question,” said Piper, “and you’ll not betray a -confidence by giving me an answer. Saturday, one week ago, while out -hunting with Sage, you encountered a certain mysterious stranger in the -woods beyond Culver’s Bridge. You talked with the man face to face and -had a fine opportunity to look him over thoroughly. Tell me, did he bear -any personal resemblance to your friend, Sage?” - -“Huh!” grunted Roy. “Resemblance? What do you mean?” - -“Did he look as if he might be a relative?” - -“Why, I—I don’t know. What in the world are you trying to get at, Pipe?” - -“That man professed to know the Sages and made inquiries about them. -Nevertheless, at the approach of Fred he ran away, and, although he -pretended to you that he was looking for work hereabouts, as far as I -can learn he has not attempted to obtain employment, and has not been -publicly seen since that day.” - -“If you have an idea that he was some relative of the Sages, the mere -fact that he has not been seen seems to knock your theory into a cocked -hat.” - -“When I place you in full possession of the facts,” returned Piper, in a -lofty and superior manner, “you’ll perceive that the man’s care not to -attract public attention strengthens the foundations of my theory. You -have not answered my question. Did he look like Fred Sage?” - -“In some respects he may have borne a slight resemblance. He had blue -eyes, and Fred’s eyes are blue. But that’s nothing. Come across with -your dope that’s going to make my hair curl.” - -“Doesn’t it occur to you as very singular that so little is really known -about the past history of the Sages? This family, consisting of father, -mother and one son, came to Oakdale something like three years ago and -settled here. Yet who is there in this town that can tell where they -came from and how they happened to come? You’re chummy with the -before-mentioned son, Hooker. How much has he ever told you about his -past?” - -“Oh, say, Sleuth, if you’re trying to fasten a dark and terrible past -upon Fred Sage, you’ll do nothing but make yourself ridiculous. Why, -anybody knows that he’s been one of the openest, frankest fellows in the -world.” - -“Huh! Is that so?” sneered Piper. “Really, he may appear to be all that -you claim, Hooker, but appearances, you should know, are often most -deceptive. Mr. Andrew Sage has the bearing of a country gentleman in -moderate circumstances. Mrs. Sage is apparently a most estimable lady. -These people are regular churchgoers, and have the respect of their -townsfolk. Nevertheless, since living here they have never become -especially intimate with anyone, and you must admit that they are rather -reserved.” - -“Aw, rot!” exploded Roy in exasperation. “Simply because people don’t -choose to go about telling everybody their business and all their past -history, you get the notion that they must have some guilty secret they -are trying to cover up. That comes from reading the kind of trash with -which you stuff your mind, Piper.” - -“In a very few minutes,” retorted Sleuth, “I’ll make it necessary for -you to take back some of your slurs, Mr. Hooker. You know what country -people are. You know that gossip is one of their chief delights. As a -rule, let a strange family move into a town like Oakdale, and within -thirty days more than fifty per cent of the inhabitants of that place -are conversant with the history of those people as far back as it can be -traced. When the Sages came here the usual curious gossips attempted to -learn things about them. They failed. To me that’s a guarantee that the -Sages, for good and sufficient reasons, desired to keep their family -history from being probed. This thought has occurred to me more than -once, and many a time I’ve told myself that a little investigation of -the before-mentioned Sages might prove interesting to a sensational -degree. Recently I decided to investigate.” - -“In other words, you decided to pry into affairs which did not concern -you in the least. Poor business, Piper. The fellow who persists in -poking his nose into a crack is sure to get it pinched some day.” - -Not the least ruffled, Sleuth retorted: “The person who puts himself to -extreme trouble to hide his past must have a guilty secret. Sometimes -there are wolves in sheep’s clothing, and for the public weal they -should be exposed. In order to obtain information regarding the Sages, -it was necessary to learn where they came from when they moved to this -town.” - -“And you found out?” - -“Having decided on a course of action, I never permit anything to baffle -me.” - -“How did you do it?” - -“Oh, one day I dropped in on Mrs. Sage for a little social call. Fred -wasn’t home, so I waited for him; and, while waiting, I made myself -comfortable, at the lady’s invitation, in the sitting-room. I knew there -must be in that house something which would give me the clue I sought. -It was not long before I discovered the very thing, a family photograph -album. While seemingly amusing myself by looking at the pictures in that -album, I slipped several of them from their places and looked for the -imprint of the photographer. There were pictures of Mr. and Mrs. Sage, -and also of Fred, taken some years ago. Those pictures, I found, bore -the name of a photographer in the town of Rutledge, State of New York. I -lost little time in writing a letter to the postmaster of Rutledge, New -York, making inquiries concerning the Sages. I asked if they had ever -lived in that town. In case they had, I politely requested information -concerning the entire family. To insure an answer, I enclosed a stamped -and addressed envelope.” - -“And did you get an answer?” - -“Sure,” exulted Piper. “I received it to-night. I have it in my pocket -now. The information it contains is of the most sensational character. -It clears up the mystery of the Sages, and also, I firmly believe, fixes -the identity of the mysterious man you met beyond Culver’s Bridge.” - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - SLEUTH’S ASTONISHING THEORY. - - -Curiosity is one of the most powerful traits in human nature, and in -youth, being to some extent unrestrained, it often reaches its highest -development. It was chiefly curiosity that had led Hooker to listen thus -far to the words of Piper; but now, as if suddenly realizing the full -significance of Sleuth’s self-confessed and shameless prying into the -affairs of others, and remembering at the same time his familiar and -friendly relations with Fred Sage, Roy suddenly seared his companion -with the red-hot iron of contempt and wrath. - -“You miserable, sneaking puppy!” he cried. “Under pretence of making a -friendly call, you play a miserable trick like that, do you? I’ve a mind -to give you the finest drubbing you ever had.” - -Indeed, so savage and threatening was his attitude that Piper fell back -precipitately, lifting his hands as if to ward off a blow. - -“Now you hold on!” he cried. “You hold on, Hooker! You hadn’t better hit -me. Perhaps you think that would be a good way to make me keep still -about what I know concerning the Sages. I’m not going to blow this thing -round to everybody. I chose you because you’re Fred’s chum.” - -“Oh, is that so?” scoffed Roy incredulously. “You’ve begun blabbing with -me, and it isn’t likely you’ll stop there. I don’t know what you’ve -found out, but I do know that the way you’ve gone about it to obtain -your information was dirty—just plain dirty.” - -“It was thoroughly legitimate,” asserted Sleuth in self-defence. “These -people are living here in our town and associating with our citizens. If -they’re the right sort, there can be no harm in finding out about their -past history. But perhaps you’ve misunderstood me, Hooker. I’m not -making the claim that there’s anything wrong with the Sages we know.” - -“Oh, aren’t you?” said Roy in surprise. “I thought you were. If you -haven’t found out that there’s something wrong about them, what the -dickens _have_ you found out that was so wonderful? What is this -sensational thing that’s going to make my hair curl?” - -“If you’ll give me a chance and not get fighting mad over it, I’ll tell -you. You know it’s often the case that there’s a black sheep in the most -respectable family.” - -“Huh! There are only three persons in this particular family. Where’s -the black sheep?” - -“Only three of the family are known at the present time to the people of -Oakdale,” Piper said hastily. “Have you never thought that there might -be at least one other member of this family?” - -“Can’t say such a thought ever occurred to me.” - -“Listen,” urged Sleuth, “and keep your temper under check until I’m -through. The information I’ve obtained does not reflect upon Andrew -Sage, his wife or his son Fred.” - -“Well,” breathed Roy in relief, “there’s considerable satisfaction to be -derived from that statement.” - -“The postmaster of Rutledge states that Mr. and Mrs. Sage and their -younger son, Fred, are most estimable people.” - -“Whew!” whistled Hooker. “Their younger son, eh? Oh, do you mean that -there’s another—another son we don’t know anything about?” - -“There’s another son, of whom we’ve known nothing whatever up to the -present date. I know something about him now, and he’s the black sheep. -It was the criminal act of this elder son, Clarence Sage, that doubtless -added many gray hairs to his mother’s head and led the family, weighted -by the shame of it, to leave Rutledge and seek another home, where no -one would know of their disgrace. Now if you don’t care to hear any more -about the matter,” said Sleuth craftily, “I’ll close up.” - -Roy’s aversion to hearing the information Piper had secured was -completely swept away. - -“Oh, go on,” he invited, once more leaning against the bridge rail. -“What did this Clarence Sage do?” - -“Robbed a bank.” - -“In Rutledge?” - -“Yes. He was employed in a bank there, and he pilfered fourteen thousand -dollars from the institution.” - -“Jove!” muttered Hooker. “I don’t wonder Fred never has mentioned his -brother.” - -“The crime was discovered, as such things always are, and Clarence Sage -was arrested, tried, convicted and sent to Sing Sing for a term of -years.” - -“My hair curls!” exclaimed Roy. “So Fred has a brother in prison. That’s -a shame!” - -“He _had_ a brother in prison. Clarence Sage isn’t there now.” - -“Oh, his term has expired?” - -“No.” - -“Was he pardoned?” - -“No.” - -“Cæsar’s ghost! What happened then? Is he dead?” - -“Well,” answered Sleuth, “in my mind, at least, there is a doubt at this -point. He is supposed to be dead. With two other prisoners, he broke out -of Sing Sing in midwinter and tried to escape by crossing the Hudson on -the ice. The other two convicts were both recaptured. The trio had -separated immediately after getting out of the prison, and neither of -the recaptured rascals knew what had become of Clarence Sage. For more -than two months detectives sought everywhere for Sage, whose apparent -success in avoiding them was both astonishing and perplexing. Eventually -the body of a man was recovered from the river, but in such a condition -that identification was difficult. There were reasons, however, to -believe that the body was that of Clarence Sage. Andrew Sage viewed the -remains and decided that it was his recreant son. The body was buried in -Rutledge, and the grave is marked by a stone bearing the name of -Clarence Sage.” - -“Well, then, why do you doubt that he’s dead?” - -Piper tapped his forehead. “I believe I’ve got a little gray matter up -here,” he said boastfully. “After reading this letter, it took about -thirty seconds for me to form a theory in which I have the utmost -confidence. My conviction is that Clarence Sage is still alive. I think -he did make good his escape and succeeded handsomely in baffling the -officers who tried to follow him. The body that was taken from the river -and buried under the name of Clarence Sage was that of some other man, -as yet unknown. Perhaps it will continue to be unknown. When this -identification and burial had taken place, danger for the escaped man -was reduced to a minimum. Mind you, I’m not making the assertion that -Andrew Sage knew the body was not that of his son, but what would be -more natural than for him to identify it as such in order to give -Clarence a better chance for freedom? Perhaps, at the time, he really -believed it to be the unfortunate young man. Possibly, through some -means, he has since learned that his son is alive.” - -“If you hadn’t read so much detective stuff, such an improbable idea -could not have found lodgment in your crazy garret,” said Hooker. “I -understand you’ve even tried to write stories yourself lately. Say, -Sleuth, if this matter wasn’t so serious, it would be laughable.” - -“Your words,” returned Piper, “betray the narrow limits of your -reasoning faculties. I’m not basing my suspicions on mere guesswork, -Hooker.” - -“Then, for the love of Mike, what do you base them on?” - -“One week ago you met a stranger who behaved in a most peculiar manner. -Apparently of some education and refinement, this man seemed to be -somewhere near the age of Clarence Sage, if Sage still lives. He made -inquiries of you concerning the Sages in Oakdale, and when he learned -that Fred Sage was approaching he took to his heels and got away. He -didn’t dare remain to face Fred in your presence. Why, Hooker—why? -Simply because he knew that in his amazement Fred would call him by name -and give the whole thing away. What do you think about that?” - -For a moment or two Roy shook his head. “I don’t believe it. It can’t be -true, Piper. If that’s all you have to base your belief on——” - -“Did there seem to be anything especially wrong with Fred last night?” - -“No, not that I observed.” - -“Well, there surely was something the matter with him to-day. Something -had happened to upset him completely.” - -“What do you think it was?” - -“It was something tremendous, or it never would have led him to bungle -and blunder the way he did in that game. It was such a tremendous thing -that he could not get it out of his mind so that he might concentrate on -the game. Whenever he dismissed thoughts of it, he played in something -like his usual form for a few minutes, but it kept coming back at him -and putting him on the blink. He denied that he was sick. He denied that -anything had happened to upset him. All this is precisely what would -have happened had he made the amazing discovery to-day that his brother -Clarence was alive.” - -“Gee whiz!” breathed Hooker. “I’ll own up that you’ve got me staggered. -If you’re right, Piper, you certainly have got a head on your -shoulders.” - -The darkness masked the smile of satisfaction that Sleuth could not -repress. - -“You can’t dodge the force of my deductions,” he declared. “Let me give -you a further illustration of my reasoning ability. As an escaped -convict, is it likely that Clarence Sage would lead an honest life? I -admit that he might, but the germ of dishonesty must have been virulent -in his blood, or he, the apparently promising son of highly respectable -parents, would never have committed his first crime. Once a man has -taken a crooked step, he’s almost sure to take others. Supposed to be -dead, Sage surely traveled under a fictitious name. A certain crook, -called James Wilson and known among his pals as Gentleman Jim, bears a -strong resemblance to the young bank-looter who was sent to Sing Sing. -This crook was arrested in the town of Harpersville a short time ago, -but made his escape from the jail, nearly killing the guard as he did -so. A big reward has been offered for Wilson’s capture. The last peg in -my argument is that this Gentleman Jim is none other than Clarence Sage -himself.” - -“If that should prove to be right,” said Hooker, “I’ll admit that you’ve -got all the detectives of real life or fiction beaten to a froth.” - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - - THE NIGHT ALARM. - - -On Sunday night, or, rather, Monday morning, within a few minutes of the -hour of three (Captain Aaron Quinn afterward swore it was at six bells -precisely) occurred the explosion which, although muffled and faintly -heard by two persons only, was of sufficient importance to shake Oakdale -village to its very foundations. The only person actually to hear the -explosion, besides the old sailor, who could not sleep well on account -of his rheumatism, was Jonas Sylvester, the fat and pompous village -night-watch. With the establishment of the bank the town authorities had -decided that a night guard must be employed to patrol the streets, and -Sylvester, whose qualifications may be summed up briefly by the -statement that he weighed nearly three hundred pounds and had no regular -employment, was chosen for the job. - -With his greatcoat brass-buttoned tightly to the chin, Officer Sylvester -had paused at the end of Main Street bridge, the southern limit of his -beat, and was stamping his feet and thumping his mittened hands together -when, as he stated later, he heard something like the closing of a -distant heavy door, which seemed accompanied by a slight shock or -jarring of the ground. Wondering vaguely what it was, and recalling that -he had heard that earthquakes, however slight, almost always manifested -themselves by several recurring detonations, Jonas ceased stamping and -thumping and stood quite still in the muffling darkness, his lips parted -as he listened. - -“Hokey!” he muttered presently. “What was it? ’Twasn’t thunder, for it’s -out of season, and I’m too fur away to hear a horse kicking up in the -livery stable. The bank——” - -Immediately he started puffingly up the street toward the new bank -building. - -The clock in the steeple of the Methodist church struck three. - -In the meantime, Captain Quinn had been further aroused by his monkey. -Chattering excitedly, the creature leaped upon the old sailor’s breast -and began tweaking at his hair. - -“Quit it, ye swab!” rasped the old salt, thrusting the monkey away. -“Back to the fo’cas’le, you imp of mischief. Leave me alone, you scrub, -or I’ll give you a douse of bilge-water.” - -But Jocko refused to be repulsed by his irascible master. His chattering -rose to a squeaking shriek as he returned with a bound and gave a -distressing tug at the captain’s whiskers. - -“Keelhaul me!” roared Quinn, struggling up and casting the animal to the -floor. “I’ll throw you into the hold and keep you under the hatches for -the rest of the voyage if you try it again, you spawn!” - -Even though he now kept beyond his master’s reach, the monkey persisted -in such a chattering uproar and dashed about the dark room in such a -frantic manner that the wondering man, groaning at the necessity, -hoisted himself out of bed, struck a match and looked at the brass-bound -ship’s clock which hung near at hand upon the wall. - -“There’s something the matter,” decided Quinn, dropping the burning -match as the flame threatened to scorch his fingers. Then, forgetting -that he was undressed, from force of habit he placed his bare foot upon -the match to extinguish it. - -The racket made by the monkey was nothing in comparison to the roar that -broke from the lips of the now thoroughly awakened man, and had anyone -witnessed the tremendous jump which Captain Quinn made he would have -fancied the old tar suddenly cured of his rheumatism. The language which -burst in a torrent from Quinn’s lips was of a decidedly sulphurous -nature. - -“You imp of the Old Nick!” he bellowed, making a dive and a grab for the -elusive monkey. “I’ll wring your neck if I get my two hooks on it!” - -Jocko, however, bounding over the furniture, skimming the length of a -shelf, and seeming to swing himself along one of the bare walls of the -room, perched on a window ledge beyond immediate reach. If possible, -Captain Quinn was further aroused and enraged by barking his shins upon -a chair. - -“Furies!” he breathed. “Where’s my gun? I’ll blow a porthole in the hide -of that infernal pest!” - -As if realizing the peril to his very life, Jocko yanked away a mass of -old rags which had completely filled the opening left by a broken -windowpane, and darted through the aperture. - -At about this moment Officer Sylvester, hastily approaching the front of -the bank, fancied he saw a dark figure dart around a corner of the -building and disappear. Shivering, more from excitement and exertion -than from the cold, the night-watch pursued that shadowy figure, weapon -in hand. At the back of the building he paused, hearing the voice of the -old sailor raging within the nearby shanty. - -“I s’pose it’s that old fool that’s made the disturbance,” muttered -Jonas doubtfully. “Still, I kinder thought I saw something.” - -Producing the electric torch he always carried while on duty, he flashed -the light around him, making almost a complete arc of a circle. Suddenly -the light stopped, bearing full upon an iron-barred window in the rear -of the bank building, and there it hung quivering, revealing to -Sylvester’s bulging eyes a most astounding and disturbing fact. - -Three of the bars had been cut completely off and bent outward, and -beyond them an entire section of the window glass was missing, leaving -an opening large enough to admit the body of a man. - -Almost paralyzed by this amazing discovery, Officer Sylvester felt his -thick knees growing weak beneath him. - -“Robbers,” he gasped—“robbers, by the jumping jingoes!” - -That very instant there was a flash in the nearby shadows, and, with the -report of a pistol, a bullet almost grazed the torch in Sylvester’s -hand. - -The night-watch did not hesitate upon the order of his going, but went -at once. With a yell of terror he took to his heels, and his wild shout -of “Robbers! robbers!” resounded through the main part of the village as -he dashed toward the public square near the post-office. Reaching the -square, he increased his efforts to arouse the townspeople by firing his -revolver several times into the air. - -“Marlin spikes and belaying pins!” spluttered Captain Quinn, still -groping for his shotgun. “There’s blazes to pay! The monk wasn’t such a -fool, after all.” - -Presently, gun in hand, he flung open his door and stood peering into -the night. He could hear the courageous night-watch shouting from the -square and firing his revolver. But what interested Aaron Quinn far more -was the sight of two figures which seemed to drop from the rear window -of the bank and run away into the darkness. - -“Shades of Neptune!” said Captain Quinn. “It’s piracy on the high seas!” - -Somewhat tardily, he got into action, lifting the gun and firing into -the darkness which had swallowed the fleeing figures. - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - - IN THE BANK. - - -Naturally, all this shooting and shouting in the early hours of the -morning was sufficient to arouse the villagers. In house after house -lights began to gleam, and ere long half-dressed men were running toward -the square, where, still lustily bellowing, Jonas Sylvester was seeking -with trembling hands to reload his revolver. Hyde, the livery stable -keeper, Stickney, the grocer, Lawyer Francis and others surrounded the -officer and demanded to know the meaning of it all. Others kept coming -from various directions as Jonas told what he had discovered at the rear -of the bank and how nearly he had paid for that discovery with his life. - -“Robbers,” cried the livery man—“robbers in the bank? Why didn’t you -capture them?” - -“Yes,” demanded the grocer in a high, quavering falsetto, “why didn’t ye -nab ’em? What are you doing here? What do we hire ye for?” - -“I tell ye they shot at me,” replied Jonas. “They banged right at me, -and I couldn’t see a soul. They had the advantage. Think of my size. -S’pose I was going to stand still and let them pepper me full of -bullets?” - -“Fellow citizens,” said the lawyer, who of them all seemed to retain the -most presence of mind, “if there are robbers in the bank they may escape -while we stand here wasting time in talk. Lead the way, Sylvester; we’re -with you.” - -Thus encouraged, the night-watch took the lead, accompanied by the -excited crowd. A few of the more timid ones either held back or hastily -returned to their homes to procure weapons. Some expressed doubts, -declaring their belief that Oakdale’s nocturnal guardian must be -mistaken. - -But a single glance through the front window of the bank convinced -Lawyer Francis that something was wrong there beyond dispute. With a -word he called attention to the fact that the light which burned by -night in front of the vault had been extinguished. - -“Show us that winder,” commanded Hyde, pushing Sylvester forward. - -“Yes, show us the winder,” tremulously urged Stickney, falling back -until nearly all of the crowd were ahead of him. - -“Git ready for a bloody encounter,” warned the night-watch. “They’re -desperate men, and they’ll fight to the last gasp.” - -“We’ll find there are no robbers in the bank now,” said the lawyer; “and -all this uproar has sent them scampering long before this.” - -As they were hurrying round to the rear of the building a voice roared -at them through the darkness. - -“Avast there, you lubbers!” it shouted. “You’re too late for action. The -scoundrels hoisted anchor and made sail long ago. By this time they’re -running before the wind under full canvas.” - -The old sailor came hobbling swiftly toward them, bearing his gun, his -cane forgotten for the time being. - -“Did you see them, Quinn?” asked Lawyer Francis. - -“I did that,” was the prompt answer. “I put my lamps on them just as -they got under full headway, and I’ll swear I hurried them some with a -double charge of buckshot.” - -“You fired at them?” - -“Both barrels at once, and it’s a mercy if I ain’t got a busted shoulder -to pay for it. The old gun near kicked my head off, confound it!” - -“How many of them were there? How many did you see?” - -“It’s dungeon dark a’most, but I’m certain sure I saw two, at least.” - -“Mebbe some of you thought I was lying or a fool,” cried Officer -Sylvester triumphantly. “Now I guess you’ll change your tune. Here’s the -winder. Just look at it.” - -The electric torch was again turned on the cut and bended bars, and the -group of men pressed forward, staring and exclaiming. - -“Which way did the robbers flee, Quinn?” questioned Lawyer Francis, -grasping the old sea captain’s arm. - -“Back that way toward Middle Street,” was the answer. - -“They must not escape,” said the lawyer. “They haven’t obtained much of -a start. Let every man arm himself and take up the search. Deputy -Sheriff Pickle and Constable Hubbard must be notified at once. They must -organize posses and scour the country. Will you see to it that this is -done, Sylvester?” - -“Yes, your honor,” assured the night-watch. - -At this moment a citizen joined the group and announced that Lucius -Timmick, the bank cashier, had arrived and was about to unlock the bank -door. This information led Lawyer Francis to hasten back to the front of -the building, where, pushing his way through the rapidly increasing -crowd, he reached Timmick as the latter finally found his key and -inserted it in the lock. - -Doubtless fearful of entering, the cashier hesitated a bit even after -the key had thrown the bolt. - -“I’ll accompany you, Mr. Timmick,” said the lawyer. “I think you need -have no fear of encountering any of the rascals within. They have all -fled.” - -“Thank you, Mr. Francis,” said Timmick, his voice husky and not quite -under control. “Doubtless you are right, but I think it best that I -should have a few reputable citizens with me when I investigate.” - -“I’m here, Timmick; I’m with you,” encouraged Stickney, the grocer, -boldly jabbing his way through the crowd with his sharp elbows. “You’ll -find me ready to back you up if you need assistance.” His courage had -revived amazingly with the assurance that the robbers had fled. - -Rufus Sprague, the jeweler, and Lemuel Hayden, a leading business man, -both of whom were directors of the bank, were on hand, and with those -four citizens at his back the cashier opened the door. Others who were -inclined to crowd in were commanded to stand back, but one there was -who, crouching low, slipped in unobserved and congratulated himself over -his cleverness as he heard the door relocked. This was Sleuth Piper. - -Timmick’s hand found the button and turned on the electric lights. Then -he opened the door in the grating-guarded partition, beyond which was -located the bank vault. - -An odor like that of a burnt explosive pervaded the atmosphere of the -place, and increased, if possible, the tingling excitement of the men -who pressed after the cashier, eager to learn just what had happened. -What they now beheld caused them to gasp with dismay. - -A number of full sacks of grain had been placed on the floor in front of -the bank vault. This grain had doubtless been brought in the sacks from -the old feed mill, a quarter of a mile away; and the full sacks had been -skilfully arranged in such a position that the outer door of the vault, -blown from its hinges, had fallen upon them. A leather grip stood open -upon the floor, and scattered about on all sides could be seen a full -set of up-to-date burglar’s tools. - -“Look,” cried Timmick, aghast, pointing with a trembling finger—“look at -that, gentlemen! Oh, the scoundrels!” - -Outside, the crowd, with noses pressed against the cold plate glass of -the big front window, could see everything, and the sound of their -agitated voices reached the ears of those within. - -“The bank’s been robbed!” cried Stickney. “The critters must have done -it in a hurry.” - -“I don’t think it has been robbed,” said Lawyer Francis. “The inner door -of the vault remains in place. The burglars were detected at their work -before they could complete the job.” - -“Let us hope,” said Lemuel Hayden grimly, “that you are right, sir.” - -“Open that inside door, Timmick—open it!” spluttered Rufus Sprague. -“Let’s find out if they got anything.” - -But the cashier shook his head. “I think, gentlemen,” he said, “we had -better wait until the president arrives. When I open that door I wish to -do so in the presence of Mr. Eliot. At any rate, I think it would not be -advisable to go ahead beneath the watching eyes of that crowd outside -the window. Mr. Stickney, will you draw the shade?” - -“Yep, I will,” said Stickney, rejoicing with a feeling of high -importance over the fact that he was one of those who had obtained -admission to the bank. “Whether the robbers got anything or not, it will -be just as well to proceed with our investigation in private.” - -Hurrying to the window, he drew the shade, greatly to the disappointment -of the gathered watchers, some of whom expressed their feelings with -considerable emphasis. - -There was one person, however, who was not thus deprived of further -knowledge of what was taking place within the bank. In the shadows of -the patrons’ side of the cashier window, Sleuth Piper congratulated -himself again. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - - WHAT SLEUTH LEARNED. - - -The excited chattering of the crowd in front of the bank was broken in -upon by the harsh voice of Captain Quinn. - -“Ahoy, you blatherskites!” cried the old sailor, appearing upon the edge -of the gathering. “Stow that jabber a minute and tell me if you’ve put -your peepers on my monkey. The little whelp has run away, and he’ll -freeze to death unless I find him. It would break my heart if anything -should happen to my monkey.” - -This statement aroused some laughter and provoked a few jeers. - -“Go crawl into your bunk, you old pirate,” advised one of the younger -men. “It would be a good thing if your monkey did freeze. The town -wouldn’t miss it—or you, either.” - -“Take twenty years off my shoulders,” snarled the old tar, “and I’d lay -you by the heels for that, you swab! You talk bold and sassy to a man -three times your age and crippled with the rheumatics, but I’ve scrubbed -the deck of my vessel with dozens of your kind in my day.” - -“Everybody knows that, you old man-handler,” was the retort. “You’ve -cracked the skull of more than one better man, but the law protected you -because you were the master and they were nothing but common sailors. -Oh, we know you here in Oakdale.” - -“Yes, and I know you, the whole common crew of ye. You’re brave as -dogfish chasing po’gies until you spy a shark, and then you run and -hide. What are ye doing here? Why ain’t ye off with the men that’s -trying to run down the burglars? You’re afraid. There’s not one of ye’s -got the courage of a squid.” - -“If you weren’t so old,” said one of the wrathy listeners, “we’d be -handing you a taste of your own high-sea methods before you could say -half as much.” - -“Never mind my age,” bellowed Quinn, squaring away. “Come try it, any -one of ye or the whole crew together. You’ll find it a bit lively while -it lasts, or my name is not Aaron Quinn. Hoist anchor, you blackguards. -Up with your sails, and come at me with every stitch set. What’s the -matter, you lubbers—what’s the matter? Why don’t you come on? Afraid, -eh?—afraid of old Aaron Quinn! A bold lot you are! You can wag your -tongues loud and talk bold, but not one of ye has as much gizzard as a -chicken. Bah!” - -With a derisive gesture, he disdainfully turned his back upon them and -slowly moved off into the darkness, seeming deaf to their jeers and -cat-calls. - -A few minutes later Urian Eliot appeared, made his way through the -throng that respectfully stepped aside from his path, and was admitted -to the bank. The door had not long been closed behind the president when -it opened again, for Stickney, the grocer, whose manner as he came out -betrayed that he was leaving the place with great reluctance and much -against his will. - -“How is it, Stickney?” called one of the gathering. “Did the robbers get -anything, or were they frightened away?” - -“Huh!” grunted the grocer, standing on the steps. “I don’t know. They -waited for Eliot before they opened the inner door of the vault, and -when he came he proposed, as I didn’t happen to be a director or some -high muckamuck connected with the bank, that I should leave. And I was -one who risked his life to follow Timmick into that place, not knowing -but we might have to face desperate burglars armed to the very teeth. -That’s the way they treat a fellow citizen who is ready to shed his -blood for them. But what can you expect of men who try to run a bank in -these days without a night watchman of their own? That’s their idea of -economy, perhaps, but it will be a mercy if it hasn’t proved expensive -economy. They take our money in trust and then fail to give it proper -protection. Timmick refused to touch the inner door until Eliot came. -Perhaps it was unlocked. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that the bank -had been cleaned out of every dollar and every scrap of security it -contained. I have an account here myself; seventy-nine dollars balance, -too. If there has been a robbery, somebody will have to make good. They -can afford it, men like Eliot and Hayden and the others; but I can’t -afford to lose it.” - -His resentment seemed contagious, and there were others who began -murmuring about the bank officials. But, for the most part, those who -talked loudest had small accounts with the institution or none at all. - -“What have they done about catching the scoundrels?” asked Stickney. -“They ought to have ’em by this time.” - -He was told that armed squads were searching for the cracksmen, although -there had been no reports of a capture. - -“Oh, they’ll let ’em get away, I’ll guarantee,” sneered the grocer. “I -was opposed to the hiring of a night-watch by the town. I said it would -be an extravagant waste of money, and this night proves I was right.” - -“Only for him,” reminded some one, “the robbers might have finished the -job and got off without an alarm being raised. Likely nobody would ever -known it till the bank was opened at nine o’clock.” - -“He might have nabbed ’em, instead of running away and hollering like a -loon,” asserted Stickney. “He had the chance. If I’d been in his place, -I’d potted the whole bunch. Now it’s doubtful if any one of ’em is -caught. Well, I’m going home to get a little rest before breakfast.” -Apparently it did not occur to the courageous grocer that he might be of -service by joining one of the searching parties. - -It was growing light and a curious throng still lingered in front of the -bank hoping to learn if a robbery had actually taken place, when the -door of the building opened again, and this time Sleuth Piper was thrust -forth with such violence that he was saved from sprawling on the -sidewalk only by the quick hand of a man who stood on the lower step. - -“Hello, Piper,” said this man, gazing at him in astonishment. “How did -you get in there?” - -“Sh!” hissed Sleuth, pulling away. “Never mind, never mind. In pursuance -of my duty, I am liable to be found anywhere. Had they given me a little -time, I might have imparted some information of tremendous moment. But -let them go on. Let them work in the dark. They will need me yet.” - -“Tell us, has the bank been robbed?” - -“They are now going over the contents of the vault,” was the boy’s -evasive reply. “I’ll not forestall their report by a premature -statement.” - -Some one pulled at his sleeve, and, looking around, he saw Roy Hooker. -Willingly he followed Roy, who led the way to the rear of the bank, -where at least a dozen men were gathered outside the window by which the -robbers had obtained entrance. - -“You beat the Dutch, Pipe,” said Roy, in a manner bordering on respect. -“How the deuce _did_ you ever get in there?” - -Piper explained, taking to himself abundant credit for quick thought, -rapidity of action and amazing cleverness in keeping concealed once he -had slipped inside. - -“Well, what did you learn, anyhow?” questioned Hooker. “Did you find out -anything, or did you waste your time?” - -“I never waste my time,” retorted Sleuth with dignity. “It was through -my natural desire to learn all that could be learned that I was detected -and ejected. At the present moment the officers of the bank are in the -directors’ room at the rear, going over the securities. There’s a door -leading from that room into the outside corridor, and, in order to hear -and see, I had to open that door. They closed it once, but I opened it -again on a crack, and that aroused the suspicions of Rufus Sprague, who -stepped out quickly and nabbed me. Then, refusing to listen, they -chucked me outside. I was ready to throw a bombshell into their midst, -but I’m glad now that I was restrained from action.” - -“What did you propose to tell them, Sleuth?” - -“It was on the tip of my tongue to advise them to look for a certain -party known as ‘James Wilson,’ _alias_ ‘William Hunt,’ _alias_ ‘Philip -Hastings,’ _alias_ ‘Gentleman Jim,’ and furthermore and finally, _alias_ -Clarence Sage.” - -“Then you fancy——” - -“Fancy, Hooker? Nay, sir, this is no case of guesswork; I know what I’m -about. Doubtless Sage is as far from Oakdale as his feet could carry him -in the time since the would-be robbers fled.” - -“The would-be robbers!” echoed Roy. “Then they really didn’t get -anything?” - -“Right there,” said Sleuth, “you touch the one point that as yet remains -inexplicable to me. The inner door of the vault apparently has not been -broken open by the burglars. It was unlocked by Timmick in the presence -of Urian Eliot and the directors. They removed cash and securities to -that back room for investigation. At first everything seemed undisturbed -and they were congratulating themselves, when the discovery was made -that a package of securities amounting to twenty thousand dollars was -missing.” - -“Gee!” gasped Hooker. “Then there _was_ a robbery. But how can it be -possible, if the inner door of the vault had not been opened?” - -In the gray light of the morning a wise and significant smile flickered -across Piper’s face. - -“There’s but one explanation,” he answered. “The men who tried to rob -the bank last night did not get those securities. They were stolen at -some previous time.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXII. - - FOLLOWING THE TRAIL. - - -“Gee whiz!” exclaimed Hooker, astonished. “Who stole them?” - -“That question,” admitted Sleuth, “I’m not ready to answer at present. -I’ll focus my marvelous discerning intellect upon it after the would-be -bank robbers are securely in limbo. I’ll guarantee that the posses -searching for them are rushing hither and thither without rhyme, reason -or system. That’s no way to hunt the scoundrels down. Of course they may -blunder upon the fugitives by accident, but the trail should be taken up -and followed in a scientific manner.” - -“That’s easy enough to talk about,” said Roy; “but, without the aid of -bloodhounds, how is it to be done?” - -“To begin with, we know they fled in this direction, for old Quinn saw -them running from the back of the bank and fired at them. They must have -reached Middle Street a short distance away. It was impossible to follow -their tracks in the dark, but it’s now daylight, and I’m going to try to -pick up the trail.” - -“A fine job you’ll do at that,” scoffed the other boy. “Even if you -should find their tracks, you’d need the skill of an Injun to follow -’em.” - -“We’ll see,” said Piper—“we’ll see about that. There’s a cedar hedge -running from Main Street to Willow, and any person who dashed through -that hedge at full speed must have left some tokens.” - -“Let’s examine the hedge.” - -In less than a minute Piper found a place where the branches of the -trimmed cedars were bent and broken. He pointed at it exultantly. - -“There’s where one of them went through,” he declared. - -“Perhaps it’s where some one, hurrying to the bank, came in from the -other direction.” - -“Use your eyes, Hook. The manner in which the cedars are twisted and -bent shows that the person who passed through the hedge came from this -direction, and he was in a hurry, too. Look here! What’s this, Roy? It’s -blood—blood on the bushes!” - -No wonder Roy’s eyes bulged as he beheld the slight bloodstain at which -his companion pointed with a triumphant finger. - -“Blood!” he muttered. “Why, then——” - -“Old Quinn hit one of them, no question about it. There’s a wounded -bank-breaker fleeing for his life somewhere.” - -Both lads were now greatly excited, although Sleuth fought hard to -maintain such an air of coolness as he fancied would well become a great -detective. - -“By this trail of blood we’ll track him, Hooker,” he said. “If we -capture one of the rascals, perhaps he will squeal on his pals.” - -“If _we_ capture him!” spluttered Roy. “What are you talking about? Do -you think we could do it alone? He’s a desperate man, and he’d fight——” - -“Are you armed?” - -“No.” - -“Well, I am,” said Sleuth, displaying a small revolver. “It’s too bad -you have no weapon, but, nevertheless, you may be of great assistance in -capturing the man. If you’ve got nerve enough to stick by me, we’ll try -to run him down.” - -“Hadn’t we better get others? Do you think we ought to try it alone?” - -“If we call for assistance,” said Sleuth, “and the man is actually -captured, we’ll have to share the reward with others. You know there’s a -large reward offered for the apprehension of the man known as Gentleman -Jim, and it’s not impossible that the fellow who was winged by Aaron -Quinn is Gentleman Jim himself. If we take him, just you and I, we can -whack up on that reward money. I’ll agree to give you a fair share, -providing you stand by me through thick and thin.” - -“You’ve certainly got a nerve, Piper, to think of trying such a thing. I -don’t know about it, myself.” - -“Oh, well, if you’re scared,” said Sleuth, with no attempt to suppress -his scorn, “I’ll go it alone. I thought you had more sand, Hook.” - -“Well, nobody around here has ever figured that you were running over -with sand, yourself,” was the resentful retort. “I guess I’ve got as -much as you have. Go ahead and see what you can do at this job of -trailing.” - -Forcing their way through the hedge, they reached Middle Street, where -for a moment Piper hesitated, as if considering the probable course the -fugitive had taken. - -“About the time the man got here,” he said, “Jonas Sylvester was waking -people up by his yells and shouts from the square in front of the -post-office. Under such circumstances, fearing to encounter some citizen -of the town who had been aroused by Sylvester, the fleeing man would -avoid the streets as far as possible. I should say he kept straight -across the road here and struck across lots for High Street.” - -“Guesswork,” said Hooker. - -“Deduction, reasoning, sound judgment,” flung back Sleuth, as he hurried -to examine the top rail of the old slat fence upon the northern side of -the street; “and here’s my proof—a smooch of blood where the man grasped -the rail as he vaulted over the fence.” - -“Jinks!” breathed Roy, gazing at the sanguine mark. “You’re right; it’s -there.” - -Beyond the fence Piper continued northward, bending forward that he -might search the ground with his eyes. Again and again he pointed to -frozen blood-drippings upon the grass, and, at Sleuth’s heels, Roy felt -his pulse throbbing with a touch of the fierce excitement that -invariably seizes upon one who hunts fleeing men. For the first time in -his life he was beginning to believe that Piper had been underestimated -by those who had scoffed at his ambition to become a great detective. - -Across High Street and into the neglected, old-fashioned horse sheds at -the rear of the Methodist church the two boys followed the trail. In one -of those sheds there was a little pool of blood, surrounded by similar -drippings, at which Hooker stared in great fascination. - -“He stopped here,” asserted Sleuth. “Concealed by the darkness, he hid -in this shed for some little time. Perhaps he was led to do this through -exhaustion caused by the wound. Perhaps he did so because he heard -citizens running down Main Street toward the bank.” - -“Gee!” said Roy, giving himself a shake. “If he’s hurt bad, we’re liable -to come on him any minute. Why, we might have found him here, and -perhaps he’d filled us full of lead. It’s ticklish business, Pipe.” - -“He won’t be liable to fight unless cornered, and if we corner him we -must get him foul so he can’t pot us. Come on; time is precious.” - -As if the flow from the wound had been partly staunched, the trail now -became decidedly more difficult to follow. Nevertheless, Sleuth traced -it to upper Main Street, some distance below the home of Urian Eliot. -There it again led across the road and into the broad fields beyond. -Through the midst of these fields ran a tiny brook, the banks of which -were lined by scattering clumps of bushes. Here the brown grass was -rather tall, and the boys followed the man’s tracks with little -difficulty. At the point where the fugitive had started to cross the -brook a clay bank some three feet in height had caved beneath his feet. - -“He took a tumble here,” said Piper. “There’s where he got on his pins -again. See his tracks, Hook?” - -The prints of the man’s feet were plainly to be seen, and, it being no -more than a foot wide at that point, he had crossed the brook at a -stride. On the western side the trail again led northward, and before -long the boys paused within plain sight of the house of the Sages. - -“Ah! ha!” breathed Sleuth, with an intonation of deep exultation. “Now -you can see what he was doing. I’m sorry indeed for our mutual friend, -Fred Sage; but duty is duty, and we must not falter.” - -“It does look as if he made straight for the Sages’ place,” admitted -Roy. - -“No question about it,” nodded Sleuth, grasping his companion’s arm and -drawing him back. “Let’s preserve proper caution. We might be seen.” - -“I don’t see anyone stirring around the place.” - -“No, but you can see that the front door of the stable is standing open -a bit. That door was not left thus all night long, you can bet on it.” - -“I suppose they were woke up by the racket.” - -“But why should they go to the stable? If we locate our man there, -Hooker, I’ll stay and keep watch while you go for the officers.” - -“I don’t see how we’re going to——” - -“We’ll have to retreat a distance, cross the road out of sight of the -house and approach the buildings from the rear. That’s the proper -trick.” - -Hooker did not attempt an argument; he left the maneuver to be carried -through by Sleuth, whom he continued to follow without proffering -advice. - -Crouching low when the road was reached, they darted across it, one -after the other, circling until they could approach the stable of the -Sages from the rear. To their surprise, they perceived that the small -back door of the building also stood open. Their nerves taut and -tingling, they presently found themselves beside that door, where, with -one hand on his pistol and the other upheld as a signal for caution, -Piper listened intently. - -“Can you hear anything?” whispered Roy. - -“No,” admitted Sleuth, “nothing that seems significant to me. I’m going -to look in. Keep still.” - -Thrusting his head forward, he peered into the gloomy interior of the -building. After a few glances, reaching backward without turning, he -beckoned for the other lad to follow, and entered, walking on his toes. - -They were in the very center of the stable floor when a sudden stamping -and a snort caused them both to leap backward, Piper jerking up the hand -in which his nickle-plated revolver quivered tremulously. After a moment -he drew a breath of relief, turning a pallid face toward Roy as he -explained in a whisper: - -“Nothing but their cow in the tie-up yonder.” - -“Thunder!” sighed Sleuth’s companion. “She gave me an awful start. Don’t -look like we’ll find anything here, Pipe.” - -“Wait. I have a theory into which I’ve been led by the sight of the open -doors, but it’s best to proceed carefully and not overlook anything.” - -Ten seconds later, not five feet from the slightly opened front doors, -Piper discovered something that added in no small degree to his -self-esteem. Upon the floor near a small grain box was a pool of blood, -and beside that pool he perceived some shreds like ravellings from a -torn cloth. - -“Our man was here, Hooker,” he said. - -“_Was_ here?” muttered Roy. “Then you think he’s gone?” - -“I think his injury was bound up right here in this stable while he sat -there upon that box. I don’t believe he did the work of bandaging the -wound himself.” - -“He must be in the house.” - -“Don’t jump at conclusions. That’s the trouble with most people. That’s -how they lead themselves astray. The fellow came here. He must have been -pretty badly used up, too. Somebody tied up his injuries. Isn’t it -likely they realized the man would be traced by the blood-drippings? And -is it likely, in that case, that they would think of trying to hide him -here?” - -“Why, I don’t know——” - -“I don’t _know_, but I’m using logic, reasoning, horse sense. I saw -something as we entered by that open back door which makes me confident -that the fellow continued his flight in that direction. Beyond the -orchard, out there, lie the woods to the north of Turkey Hill.” - -“You think he hit out for those woods, do you?” - -“I think so, but unless I can find evidence to confirm my belief we’ll -not try to follow him haphazard.” - -They left the stable by the door through which they had entered, and -when they were outside Sleuth once more fell to searching the ground -with his eyes. - -“Tracks!” he muttered. “There were two of them—two of them! And here’s -the proof that our man was one!” - -He picked up a lump of half frozen clay which plainly had fallen from -the boot of a man. It was the sort of clay into which the fugitive had -slumped when the brook bank gave way beneath his feet. - -“You’re a wonder, Pipe,” declared Roy, his admiration unrestrained at -last. - -“Spare the compliments,” said Sleuth briskly. “We’re off again.” - -The trail led through the orchard, beyond which it was plain enough in -the hoarfrost which covered the ground. - -“And these tracks weren’t made so long ago, either,” asserted Piper. “It -won’t be so easy to follow them after we get into the woods. Too bad.” - -In truth, it was not an easy matter, and they were proceeding with -exasperating slowness when of a sudden Piper whirled and clutched his -companion, exclaiming in a hoarse whisper: - -“Hark! Some one coming! Get to cover, Hooker—lively!” - -Near by was a fallen tree. Sleuth cleared it with a bound, flinging -himself down behind the thick trunk. His example was followed by Roy, -and there, amid a mass of leaves which the wind had swept into a little -hollow, they knelt, peering over the fallen tree. - -Barely were they thus hidden when another boy came crashing at a run -through some bushes and appeared in full view. - -It was Fred Sage! - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - - THE CAPTURE. - - -Fred was panting, his clothes were torn, and his manner that of one -overwrought with tremendous excitement. He had come from the deeper -woods to the north of Turkey Hill, and was plainly hurrying homeward as -fast as his feet would carry him. - -Crouching behind the fallen tree, the two boys gazed in astonishment at -Sage as he passed them. They could hear his panting breath and see his -breast heaving, and into the minds of both leaped the strange thought -that only for his exertions his face would have been ghastly pale. There -was a wild expression in his eyes, like that of a person in great fear. - -Hooker remained kneeling, petrified, but Piper partly rose, his lips -open, as if he thought of shouting to the running lad. If this was his -intention, however, he changed his mind, not uttering as much as a -whisper, and stood staring after the hurrying boy, the crashing sounds -of whose movements could be heard for some moments following his -disappearance. Presently those sounds died out and silence fell upon the -woods. - -Shaking off his lethargy, Hooker rose. “Well,” he breathed, “what have -you got to say about that, Pipe?” - -Sleuth’s forehead was puckered in a momentary frown. Before answering, -he climbed to the bole of the tree and stepped down on the other side, -Roy following. - -“It simply confirms my theory,” announced Piper. “Fred is badly scared. -Somewhere yonder in these woods he lately parted from his brother, who -is wounded and a fugitive from justice. That’s quite enough to put -Fred’s nerves on the blink.” - -“But why is he running for home that fashion?” - -“For one reason, he doesn’t wish to be seen here in the woods by anyone -searching for the bank robbers. For another reason, he must remember -that there is a telltale pool of blood on the floor of his father’s -stable, every trace of which I’ll guarantee will soon be removed after -Fred gets home.” - -“I guess you’re right,” admitted Roy regretfully. “I’m sorry about this -business—mighty sorry.” - -“I, too, am sorry for Sage,” nodded Piper; “but in matters like this, -where justice and the rights of peaceable citizens are involved, -sentiment must be put aside.” - -“Fred’s a good fellow,” muttered Hooker. “We’ve been pretty chummy.” - -“Of course he’s a good fellow; nobody disputes that.” - -“But to think he has such a brother!” - -“That’s his misfortune, not his fault.” - -“And he’s trying to help the fellow escape.” - -“You’d do the same under similar circumstances, so don’t condemn him. -But while we’re gabbing here the fugitive is getting farther away. Of -course, if he’s badly hurt, as it seems he must be, he can’t cover -ground as fast as he otherwise might.” - -“We can’t find him in these woods; we might as well give up that idea.” - -“And give up all hope of copping the reward!” exclaimed Sleuth. “Not I. -The slope of Turkey Hill isn’t far away, and from it we can get a good -view of the swamp and the woods. Perhaps we’ll see something of the -fellow by climbing up there. Anyhow, it won’t take us far out of our -course, if we’re going to make for that old camp in the swamp, in which -I fancy our man, at Fred’s suggestion, may try to hide. Don’t quit. Come -on.” - -For a short distance Sleuth sought to retrace the trail made by Fred -Sage while hurrying homeward, but this was so slow and exasperating that -presently he abandoned the effort and made straight for Turkey Hill. -There the boys pantingly climbed the first steep slope, soon arriving at -a clearing upon the hillside where the timber had been cut away, leaving -an expanse of unsightly stumps. - -“From this spot,” reminded Piper, “Spotty Davis was seen when he shot -Berlin Barker’s hound. Use your eyes, Hooker. See if you can discover -anyone moving in the woods or the open places down yonder.” - -For some moments they searched the lower expanse of woods and clearings -with their eyes. - -“I don’t see a thing,” muttered Roy presently. “I don’t believe we’ll be -able to——” - -“Look at those crows yonder,” interrupted Sleuth, flinging out his hand. - -Some distance away, near the base of the hill to the westward, a number -of crows had suddenly risen into the air, cawing wildly. - -“We’re not hunting for crows,” reminded Hooker. - -“I’ve studied the habits of those birds,” asserted the amateur -detective, “and I’ll guarantee they’ve been suddenly alarmed by -something moving in the woods near by. Hear them cawing? Take it from -me, they are shouting in crow language: ‘Man! man! Here’s a man!’” - -“Oh, rot, Piper! You may be pretty wise about some things, but——” - -“_There he is!_” rasped Sleuth, suddenly seizing his companion’s arm and -pointing with the other hand. “I saw him—I saw him run across a little -opening! He’s coming back this way, too!” - -“Why—why should he do that?” wondered the bewildered Hooker. - -“Because, in all probability, he has discovered a posse of searchers -over yonder. He has been compelled to double back on his tracks. We may -be able to cut him off if we hustle.” - -Without waiting to see if Roy followed, Piper ran down across the -clearing, dodging hither and thither to avoid the stumps, and plunged -once more into the woods, setting a course calculated to intercept the -fleeing man. Once more he had drawn his revolver, which he carried in -his hand as he ran. - -Roy followed instinctively, although it must be confessed that he had -little relish for an encounter with a desperate criminal fleeing from -man-hunters. Sleuth was buoyed by excitement and a sort of fictitious -courage, which, possibly, might desert him in a twinkling when the -decisive moment came. On through the woods he darted, turning hither and -thither to avoid the denser thickets. His ears told him that Roy was -coming, and that was sufficient. Dead branches snapped beneath their -flying feet; in places fallen leaves were scattered with a swish and a -rustle; once or twice both lads felt their heart-strings tug as they -glimpsed black tree trunks, any one of which for a moment might have -been mistaken for a man. - -Suddenly they burst out into a rocky bit of pasture land, through which -ran a deep gully. And there, not thirty rods away, was the man! - -Evidently warned by the sounds they had made while running through the -woods, he was looking toward them when they appeared, and in every -respect his bearing was that of a creature hunted and nearly cornered. - -“Stop!” cried Sleuth, lifting the revolver and halting so suddenly that -Hooker nearly bumped against him. “Throw up your hands!” - -Instead of obeying, the man turned toward the gully and made a desperate -attempt to leap across it. Beneath his feet the ground gave way, and the -boys saw him disappear with one arm outflung, as if he had fruitlessly -clutched at the empty air. - -“Jerusalem!” burst from Roy’s lips. “He’s gone!” - -“And if that tumble doesn’t bump him some, I’m mistaken,” said Sleuth. -“We can get him before he recovers.” - -Nevertheless, he exhibited a certain amount of caution and apprehension -as he reached the gully and peered into it. - -“He may shoot,” called Hooker, holding back discreetly. - -“Not he,” exulted Sleuth. “Here he is! Come on; we’ve got him!” - -With seeming recklessness, Piper slid down into the gully, still -gripping his revolver in his right hand. - -“I never thought it of him,” said Roy, aghast—“never!” - -A moment later, peering downward, he saw the other boy bending over the -body of a man who lay amid some rocks at the bottom of the gully. - -“Come down,” called Piper chokingly, his voice husky and shaking with -excitement. “We’ve got him cold! He was knocked out, stunned by that -fall.” - -[Illustration: - - “HERE HE IS! COME ON; WE’VE GOT HIM!”—Page 242.] - -Hooker, his courage reviving, descended into the gully, bringing down -with him a small mass of loose earth and stones. He found Piper going -through the pockets of the unconscious man. - -“Here,” said Sleuth, passing over an automatic pistol, “take this thing, -Hook. We’ll render him helpless by disarming him so that he can’t do -much when he comes round.” - -“Hadn’t—hadn’t we better tie his hands behind his back?” faltered -Hooker. - -“If we have to, we will,” assured Sleuth; “but it will be liable to -cause him a great deal of suffering. You can see that he was shot in the -right arm and shoulder. That’s where old Quinn plugged him. His coat -sleeve is all bloody. The coat was removed while his wound was bandaged, -and his arm is hanging loose inside of it now. Certainly he couldn’t run -very fast that way. No wonder he didn’t get away.” - -“He isn’t—dead—is he?” whispered Roy, staring at the pale face of the -unfortunate wretch and noting a little trickle of blood which was -running down across the man’s temple from a cut higher up in the edge of -his scalp. - -“Oh, I guess not,” answered Piper, with an hysterical little gulp of -laughter. “He struck his head on the rocks down here when he fell, and -that put him to sleep for fair; but I’ll wager he’ll come round all -right pretty soon. This is a big piece of work for us, Hook, old pal. -Five hundred dollars for the capture of Mr. James Wilson, _alias_ -Gentleman Jim, won’t divvy up so bad between us. Eh? What?” - -“But is he—is he Gentleman Jim?” muttered Roy, staring at the man’s -face. “Have we got the right man?” - -“The right man?” echoed Piper. “He must be the right one, or Fred Sage -never would have tried to help him get away. Isn’t he the man you saw -and talked with in the woods beyond Culver’s Bridge?” - -“No, he’s not,” answered Roy positively. - -“Gee!” gasped Sleuth in dismay. “That’s queer!” - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - - SUSPICION. - - -“Not—not the man?” muttered Piper, still staring at the unconscious -captive. “Why, he must be the man—he must be! He can’t be anybody else.” - -“He’s not the one I talked with,” reiterated Hooker. “I never saw him -before. That man was larger, taller, better looking.” - -“Wait a minute,” said Sleuth, thrusting his hand into his pocket and -bringing out a clipping from a newspaper. “Here’s the description of -James Wilson. About twenty-six years of age, five feet ten inches in -height, weight one hundred and sixty pounds, hair slightly curly, eyes -blue, teeth white and even.” - -“Doesn’t come within a thousand miles of fitting this fellow,” asserted -Hooker. “This man is thirty-five, if he’s a minute. He doesn’t stand -more than five feet seven or eight, and he won’t weigh a pound over one -hundred and forty-five. His hair is coarse, black and bristly. Can’t see -the color of his eyes, but look at those teeth! You’d never call them -white and even, would you?” - -“I should say not,” acknowledged Piper, in a tone of profound regret. -“This isn’t Gentleman Jim, but it must be one of his pals. Do you -realize what that means, Roy?” - -“It means that we’ve caught the wrong bird and won’t get our fingers on -that reward money,” sighed the other boy regretfully. - -“It means,” said Sleuth grimly, “that Fred Sage was concerned in -assisting to escape a member of that gang, to whom he is in no way -related. It means that he’s an accomplice. There would be an excuse for -his aiding his brother, but not for rendering assistance to any other -member of the gang. It looks pretty bad for Fred.” - -“I can’t believe it,” muttered Roy—“I can’t believe he’d make himself -the accomplice of criminals.” - -“I don’t want to believe it, but what else are we to believe?” - -“I hope he can explain.” - -“_I_ hope he won’t have to.” - -“Look out, Pipe, this fellow is coming round.” - -The man’s breast heaved, and a faint groan issued from his lips, -following which his eyelids fluttered a bit and then lifted slowly. He -lay there staring dumbly at the two boys, each of whom menaced him with -a loaded pistol. For the time being he did not seem to realize what had -happened. - -“It’s no use to try to kick up,” Piper stated warningly. “We’ve got you, -and we’ll have to plug you if you try any tricks.” - -Slowly comprehension seemed to creep into the man’s brain, and presently -he made a weak effort, as if trying to sit up, but fell back with a -smothered cry that ended in a groan. - -“It’s pretty tough,” said Piper; “but you’ll have to make the best of -it, my man. Fellows engaged in your line of business have to take their -medicine when they run afoul of calamity. What’s your name?” - -Until Sleuth had repeated this question three times the man made no -attempt to reply. After the third demand he growled falteringly and -harshly: - -“None of your business.” - -“Thanks,” said Piper. “I guess your picture is in the rogues’ gallery -somewhere, and your identity will be learned all right when you’re -placed on trial. We’ve disarmed you so you can’t make any sort of a -fight of it, and we’re going to take you back to Oakdale. Our great -regret is that you’re not Gentleman Jim.” - -The man looked at them queerly. “Who’s Gentleman Jim?” he growled. - -“Bluff,” said Piper—“pure bluff. He’s your pal, and, doubtless, the -leader of the gang who broke into the Oakdale bank last night and blew -open the vault. Poor job, that. It’s tough to be pinched without ever -having lifted a dollar from that bank.” - -“You’re a wise young brat!” sneered the man. - -“Hark!” exclaimed Hooker at this moment, rising quickly to his feet. “I -hear voices. It must be some of the searchers.” - -“I hope so,” said Sleuth, who likewise could hear the sound of voices, -evidently approaching. “I’ll keep this fellow covered, Roy. See who they -are.” - -It proved to be a posse headed by Constable Abel Hubbard. From this -armed body of men the captive had fled, having discovered them ahead of -him in the woods. Hooker, seeing and recognizing the men, raised a shout -that brought them hurrying to the gully, and soon the two boys were -vainly trying to answer a score of questions hurled at them -promiscuously. - -“Well, I swan to man!” spluttered Constable Hubbard when he presently -understood the situation. “I swan to man, if these two younkers ain’t -ketched one of the rascals! That’s purty clever work for boys, feller -citizens.” - -With scarcely an exception they agreed that it was, and Sleuth and Roy -were showered with congratulations. - -“We’re rather glad you turned up, constable,” said Piper pompously. “It -relieves us of the trouble of marching this poor wretch back to the -lockup. We’ll turn him over to you with the understanding that we’re to -receive the reward, in case there’s one offered for his apprehension.” - -After a time the prisoner was lifted to his feet and boosted out of the -gully, to be marched away toward town by the rejoicing posse. The -shortest route was pursued, which led them down across the fields to the -Barville road and thence into Lake Street. - -Piper and Hooker followed. - -The appearance of the party in the village created a great sensation; -but when the citizens were informed that Sleuth and Roy had effected the -man’s capture, the sensation was even greater. The boys were plied with -questions. Hooker felt like running away, but Piper seemed to enjoy it -all hugely, and was tireless in describing how the man had been trailed, -although, for some reason, to the relief of his companion, he avoided -mentioning Fred Sage or speaking of the telltale pool of blood upon the -floor of Andrew Sage’s stable. - -The captive was confined under guard in the village lockup, and a doctor -was called to give his injury proper attention. - -The boys could not learn that anything further in connection with the -bank robbery had transpired. Several armed posses were still searching -in the vicinity of Oakdale, and the surrounding country and towns had -been warned by telephoning, which made it seem most improbable that the -associates of the captured burglar could escape. - -“I’m going home for breakfast,” Hooker finally announced. - -“I’ve just discovered that I’m hungry myself,” said Sleuth. - -At a street corner, having gotten away from the crowd, they paused a -moment. Piper, who had borne himself with no small amount of pride -beneath the eyes of the townspeople, now betrayed a disposition to be -somewhat downcast and gloomy. - -“Look here,” said Roy, “I took special notice that you didn’t mention -Fred Sage in connection with the matter. You dodged that, and so I kept -still, too.” - -“I was in hopes you’d follow my lead, Hook. Forgot to warn you until it -was too late.” - -“But what’s your idea in shielding Sage, if you think he’s guilty?” - -“Is he guilty?” - -“Why, you know it certainly seems that——” - -“It seems so,” nodded Piper; “but, still, I can’t bring myself to -believe that our respected schoolmate and comrade would make himself the -accomplice of criminals. I had this thing figured down to a fine point, -Roy, but I’m willing to admit that my calculations were decidedly upset. -I don’t want to make any charges against Fred until I talk with him face -to face.” - -“I’m glad,” breathed Roy—“I’m mighty glad of that. I thought you were -absolutely positive. I own up it does look queer for Fred, but perhaps -he can explain. I’m sure he can. I’ll go to him——” - -“No, you won’t,” interrupted Sleuth sharply. “You keep away from him, -Hooker. You let me do this. You’d make a mess of it. There are other -features of this affair that puzzle me a bit. For instance, there are -the missing securities. Queer business that a bank vault which was only -partly broken open should be discovered short to the extent of twenty -thousand dollars in negotiable securities.” - -“Haven’t you any theory at all, Sleuth?” - -“Only one. As long as I’ve trusted you this far, I may as well go the -limit. Swear silence.” - -“All right.” - -“Cross your heart.” - -“Here goes.” - -“Then listen,” whispered Sleuth, after an unnecessary glance around, as -if to make sure no one was within earshot. “I’ve never had much -confidence in that smug, smooth-faced, canting cashier, Timmick. I know -Urian Eliot trusts him, but I wouldn’t. I thought he acted queer while I -was watching him in the bank after the attempted robbery was -discovered.” - -“By Jove!” cried Hooker. “I’ve always said he was a sneak. I told Sage -so myself. You’ve hit it—I’ll bet you’ve hit it, Sleuth!” - -“Not so loud! Cautious! cautious!” warned Piper. “Now don’t forget your -oath. Don’t breathe this suspicion to a soul. If the robbers didn’t get -those securities last night, and it’s a certain fact that they didn’t, -someone removed them from the vault at an earlier date. The -investigation by the president and the directors led to the discovery -that they were gone.” - -“Timmick did it,” said Hooker. “He’s the man.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXV. - - THE BOY WHO ACTED GUILTY. - - -The bank officials were perplexed and mystified. With the arrival of -Urian Eliot the inner door of the vault had been opened by Timmick. It -was evident to them all that the looters had been driven away before -they could open this door, and therefore there was every reason to -believe that the contents of the vault would be found undisturbed. - -In order that a thorough examination might be made in the presence of -the president and the others, the cash and securities contained in the -various compartments of the vault had been removed and placed upon a -long oak table in the adjoining directors’ room. This done, the -officials gathered about the table and began the investigation, the -president, pencil in hand, checking everything off on a list that had -been furnished him by Timmick. - -Then it was that they were shocked to discover that twenty thousand -dollars’ worth of negotiable securities could not be found. The -suggestion that these securities had been overlooked sent Timmick and -one of the directors back to the vault, but without avail. In a few -moments the cashier and his companion returned, and Timmick’s face was -pale and his voice husky as he said: - -“Those securities must be here on this table. They’re not in the vault. -They must be here. They can’t be gone.” - -“We’ll go over the list again,” said Urian Eliot. “Let’s do it slowly, -carefully and systematically.” - -Their great care in this second inspection simply served to confirm the -fact that the securities were missing, whereupon Timmick collapsed upon -a chair, seemingly on the verge of fainting. - -“It’s awful—incomprehensible!” he whispered hoarsely, staring at the -faces of the other men. “I can’t understand it.” - -“Nor I,” snapped the little jeweler, rapping his knuckles sharply on the -table and facing the cashier with a piercing eye. “If you can’t explain -it, Mr. Timmick, I don’t know who can.” - -“Why—why,” faltered the distressed cashier, “I hope—you don’t mean, -sir——” - -“I’m sure Mr. Sprague will not be hasty with an insinuation,” -interrupted Urian Eliot. “I’m sure we all have the utmost confidence in -your integrity, Timmick.” - -It was noticeable, however, that none of the others said a word in -support of this assertion, and Mr. Lucius Timmick looked very ill indeed -by the white light of the shaded chandelier. - -It was some time after daylight before the officials came forth from the -bank and made inquiries concerning the search for the fugitive crooks. -Later they learned of the remarkable capture by two boys of the wounded -member of the gang, and when the prisoner had been attended by a -physician they sought to obtain some information from him by giving him -a mild sort of “third degree” treatment. The effort, however, resulted -most unsatisfactorily. The prisoner, stretched on a cot in the lockup, -grimly defied them and sullenly refused to answer a single question. - -“Aw, go on,” he growled. “You couldn’t make me snitch if you skinned -me.” - -“Your accomplices are certain to be captured,” asserted Lemuel Hayden. -“They can’t get away. It is your opportunity to obtain a little clemency -by confessing before any of the others do so.” - -“Bite it off,” advised the prisoner. “You’re wasting your wind, old -geezer. I never ties up with squealers.” - -About this time Roy Hooker, crowding down a breakfast rendered tasteless -by his excitement, was telling his astounded mother a story that made -her gasp and throw up her hands. - -“Mercy!” she cried, staring at him. “You caught one of the robbers—you -and Billy Piper? I never heard of such a thing! Two boys catching a -desperate burglar!” - -“We caught him,” laughed Roy, “though perhaps it wouldn’t have been so -easy, only he was pretty weak from his wound and the loss of blood.” - -“You’ll be killed some day, Roy,” prophesied his mother. “Now there’s -your father; I didn’t want him to go out with the men who are hunting -the robbers, but he just would go. I’m worried to death for fear he’ll -get shot or something.” - -“Wonder what he will say when he hears what Sleuth and I did,” chuckled -Roy, gulping down a final mouthful and pushing back from the table. “Bet -he don’t do as much.” He rose and grabbed his cap. - -“Where are you going now?” asked Mrs. Hooker apprehensively. “I won’t be -able to rest easy a minute.” - -“Oh, there’s something doing in Oakdale this morning. Only a dead one -could hang around home with so much going on. Don’t worry, mother; -nothing will happen to me. They ought to be marching in some of the -other crooks pretty soon, and I want to see ’em when they come.” - -Outside the house, however, he paused, as if doubtful concerning the -course he would pursue, and for some moments he seemed struggling with -contending desires. - -“Sleuth didn’t want me to see Fred,” he muttered. “He made me promise I -wouldn’t tell Sage anything. Fred’s my friend. If he’s mixed up in this -rotten business it’s a shame. I’d like to see him a minute; I must see -him. I won’t give anything away, but I’d like to see how he’ll behave. -I’m just going up to his house, that’s all.” - -Having arrived at this decision, he hurried up Willow Street, crossing -to Main only after the heart of the village had been left behind. As he -drew near the home of the Sages his pace slackened somewhat, and he -began to realize that he almost dreaded to meet Fred face to face. Even -when he had reached the proper point to turn in from the street he -hesitated and was almost tempted to retrace his steps. - -At that moment, as if he had seen Hooker, Fred came out of the house, -and Roy walked into the yard. - -“Hello, Hook,” said Sage. “What’s the latest? Have they caught any of -the robbers? My father is down town now.” - -It seemed rather singular to Hooker that Fred also was not in the -village, and, furthermore, Roy imagined he could perceive something -unnatural and distraught in his friend’s manner. - -“S’pose you’ve heard about Pipe and me?” said Roy. - -“No. I’ve been staying home with mother. She’s nervous. Father deposits -at the bank, you know, and he wanted to find out if there had really -been a robbery. What about you and Sleuth?” - -“We caught one of the gang,” announced the visitor proudly. - -“You—you did?” faltered Sage, seeming to stiffen a bit. “Really and -truly did you and Sleuth catch one of them?” - -“Really and truly, old man. We ran him down over behind Turkey Hill and -nabbed him. He’s in the lockup now.” - -“Back of Turkey Hill!” said Fred, a bit huskily, and the other boy -fancied his face lost color somewhat. “How—how did you do it?” - -“Oh, the fellow was wounded, and it wasn’t much of a trick. Old Quinn -blazed away blindly at the robbers when they ran, and he happened to hit -this one. Of course,” he continued, with a pardonable touch of pride, -“some folks seem to think we did quite a thing in nabbing him.” - -“I don’t wonder,” muttered Fred. “Tell me just how you did it.” - -With a sudden impulse, Roy strode past his companion, saying: “Come on -into the stable and I’ll tell you.” - -“We can talk just as well out here,” said Sage hastily. “Let’s not go in -there.” - -“But I want to go in there,” persisted Hooker, keeping on, although his -friend had grasped his arm. - -The sliding doors were now nearly closed, but Hooker thrust one of them -back sufficiently to enter, and Fred, ceasing to object, followed into -the building. - -At a glance Roy perceived a large damp spot upon the floor, where upon -his previous visit there had been a pool of blood. Every trace of the -blood stains was gone. Turning quickly to Sage, Hooker saw that he was -being watched narrowly, but instantly Fred’s eyelids drooped. - -“Sleuth was right in his suspicions, after all,” thought the visitor, -with sinking heart. “If there wasn’t something wrong, they’d never -removed those stains and kept still about it.” - -“Tell me,” urged Fred, “how you happened to find this wounded robber. -How did you trace him?” - -“I didn’t say we traced him.” - -“No, but I supposed—that is, I imagined you must have been led in some -way to search for him over by Turkey Hill.” - -“He’s in it—in it up to the neck,” thought Roy, almost bitterly. “It’s a -shame! He seemed like such a fine fellow!” - -“What’s the matter?” asked the other lad nervously. “Why don’t you tell -me all about it?” - -“Oh, yes, I—I will. You see, it was this way.” He began his story at the -point where he and Piper had discovered the fugitive from their position -in the clearing on the northern shoulder of the hill. In the midst of -the narrative, through which he was hurrying, the boys were startled by -the swift tread of feet, and a moment later several persons, led by -Constable Hubbard, entered the stable. - -“What—what is it?” demanded Fred Sage at sight of the men. “What are you -doing here?” - -“We’re a-looking for one of them there bank robber critters,” answered -the constable, “and for sartain reasons we’re led to believe he’s hiding -round these premises somewhere. The buildings are surrounded complete, -and he can’t git away.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI. - - ANOTHER CAPTURE. - - -Roy Hooker, interrupted in the midst of his narrative by the appearance -of the constable and the posse, was not a little startled, but his -dismay was nothing compared with that of Fred Sage. For a few moments -following the assertion of Abel Hubbard Fred apparently found it -impossible to speak, although he made an effort to do so. Recovering his -voice presently, he falteringly and huskily cried: - -“One of the bank robbers here? It’s impossible, Mr. Hubbard! You’re -certainly mistaken.” - -“Maybe so,” admitted the constable, rolling a quid of tobacco into his -plump cheek; “but we’ll see about that. I received notice that he was -here from a certain young feller that’s showed himself rather wise and -slick by ketching one of the bunch.” - -“By which,” said a voice, as Sleuth Piper stepped forward, “the worthy -officer refers to me.” - -“You!” gasped Fred, resentment mingling with his alarm. “You! I might -have guessed it! You’ve got a grudge against me, Piper, and you’ve made -all sorts of trouble for——” - -“I positively disclaim any personal animosity,” interrupted Sleuth. “I’m -simply doing my duty, that the ends of justice may be attained. I will -add, Sage, that I’m mighty sorry to see you involved.” - -Following this statement he turned somewhat savagely upon Hooker, to -whose side he quickly stepped. - -“You’re to blame,” he snapped in a low tone. “You forced me into this -sooner than I intended.” - -“_I_ did?” muttered Roy, astonished. “How?” - -“You broke your pledge to me. You forgot your solemn oath. I suspected -that you might, and, fortunately, I had my eyes open. I saw you skin up -here to tell Sage, and I lost no time in notifying the constable and -getting him to bring an armed party to search these premises.” - -“I’ll bet they don’t find anything,” said Hooker. “I hope not. If they -don’t, it will take some of the swelling out of your head.” - -“Time is val’able,” announced Abel Hubbard sagely, “so we’ll begin -s’arching right away. We’ll take the stable fust, and then we’ll go -through the house. Git at it, boys,” he commanded, with a wave of one -pudgy hand. - -The men started to obey, but before they could really begin the door of -the little granary at one side of the stable swung open, and a man -stepped out into view. - -“If you’re looking for me,” he said coolly, “you needn’t go any further; -but let me state right here that I was in no way concerned in that -attempted bank robbery.” - -“Clarence!” gasped Fred Sage. - -“The man I met in the woods!” burst from Hooker’s lips. - -“Gentleman Jim, or I’ll eat my hat!” exulted Piper. “Nab him, men! He’s -desperate! Don’t let him play any tricks!” - -Immediately the man, who was indeed the mysterious stranger with whom -Hooker had conversed, was covered by several loaded guns and commanded -to throw up his hands, an order which he disdainfully obeyed. - -“It won’t be necessary to shoot,” he said. “I sha’n’t offer the -slightest resistance.” - -“Keep him kivered,” fluttered Constable Hubbard—“keep him kivered till I -put the irons on him!” - -Producing a set of old-fashioned manacles, the excited constable -bunglingly snapped them upon the wrists of the man. - -“There!” he breathed in deep satisfaction; “we’ve got _you_, all right. -By golly! that boy Piper is a wonder.” - -“Constable,” said Sleuth, remindingly, “you mustn’t forget that it was -solely through information supplied by me that Mr. James Wilson, _alias_ -Gentleman Jim, was captured. I shall lay claims to the reward offered -for him.” - -“I guess you’ll git your share of it, if he’s the feller you think he -is.” - -“He’s nobody of the sort,” excitedly asserted Fred Sage. “He’s in no way -connected with the bank robbers. You’re making a dreadful blunder.” - -“Then what’s he doing, hiding here?” questioned Hubbard incredulously. -“Mebbe you can explain that.” - -“Yes, yes,” faltered Fred, “perhaps—I can.” - -“Don’t try it,” implored the prisoner quickly. “It won’t do any good, -Fred; they wouldn’t believe you. I should have gone away yesterday and -saved you all this trouble.” - -“It’s awful,” choked young Sage—“awful for you! Oh, what made you come -here at all!” - -“Simply because I was a fool and couldn’t keep away,” was the bitter -answer. - -“This ain’t no place to chin it over,” said the constable sharply. “It’s -my business to lodge this here gent in the lockup, and I’m going to do -so jest about as quick as I can.” - -“Wait a minute,” pleaded Fred. “My mother doesn’t know. She’s in the -house. Doubtless she’s in terror now because of all these armed men -around the place. Wait two minutes, until I can go inside and prevent -her from looking out of the window when you take Clar—this man away. -Won’t you do that much, Mr. Hubbard?” - -“I don’t see no reason why I shouldn’t. Go ahead, young feller, and -soothe down your mammy. I’ll give ye jest two minutes, and then we’ll -march this feller off to the caboose.” - -Flinging a final resentful look at Piper, Fred hurried into the house. -Sleuth, preening himself proudly, could not refrain from giving Hooker -another jab. - -“You did a good thing for yourself, Hook,” he sneered. “By going back on -me, you cut yourself out of any share in the reward money. We’ve got the -feller who calls himself James Wilson; there’s no doubt about that. -Furthermore, you must have observed that Fred called him Clarence, which -fully confirms my deduction that Clarence Sage is not dead, although an -unknown man was buried under that name.” - -“It looks as if you’re right, Pipe,” admitted Roy sadly; “but losing a -share of the reward don’t hurt me half as much as knowing what this -means to Fred and his folks.” - -“Time’s up,” announced Constable Hubbard, snapping shut the case of his -silver watch and dropping it into his pocket. “Come on, Mr. Crook; -for’ard, march!” - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII. - - THE TWO PRISONERS. - - -As the key rattled in the lock of the heavily barred door the wounded -prisoner looked up from the cot on which he was lying and saw the second -captive marched into the room by Constable Hubbard. - -“I guess,” said the constable, “I can chance it to take the irons off ye -while you’re in here, for we’ve got the place guarded by men who would -shoot ye quick as they’d spit if you ever did break out, which ain’t -nohow prob’le.” - -“Thank you,” said the man, as Hubbard removed the handcuffs. “I won’t -try to break out, I promise you that.” - -“And I’d be a fool if I took any stock in your promise,” said the fat -officer, as he backed out of the room, closing and relocking the door. - -With a grimace of pain, the wounded man lifted himself to a sitting -posture on the cot. The eyes of the two prisoners met. - -“So they nabbed you after all, Thirteen-thirteen,” said the first -prisoner. “Tough luck, old pal. I told yer to lay low.” - -The other man shrugged his shoulders. “I did,” he answered; “but they -surrounded the place and had me pinched, so there was no use trying to -make a run for it. If I’d tried that, the chances were a hundred to one -that the damage to your wing wouldn’t have been a patch compared to what -would have happened to me.” - -“Tough luck,” repeated the other. “But they can’t do anything to yer for -this job we made such a rotten mess of. I won’t forget how you tied up -this shoulder of mine, nor how the kid did his best to give me a show to -get away. I’ll swear you wasn’t mixed up in the job here.” - -The younger man smiled wearily. “It’s not fear of their nailing this -business onto me that gets me,” he said; “it’s the old case against me. -I was supposed to be dead and buried, you know. Yes, it’s tough luck. I -was born under an unlucky star on the thirteenth day of the month. In -prison I was ‘Number 1313,’ and that was a double sign of bad luck.” - -“You made a great break, you and your two pals. When they nabbed the -other pair and couldn’t find you, it seemed that all the luck was yours. -Course, arter I did my bit and was turned loose, I heard you had -croaked. When I was sitting on that box just at day peep trying to stop -the blood that was leaking out of me and you stepped out to give a hand -at the job, you certain looked like a ghost. I couldn’t believe you was -old Thirteen-thirteen till you owned up to it. Then the youngster come -on us, and we had to——” - -“That’s the thing I regret most. Look here, Riley, you owe me something, -don’t you?” - -“Anything you say, old pal.” - -“I bound up your wound the best way I could. My brother caught me at it. -Then we had to bring him into the business, knowing that the searchers -were likely to trace you to that place. If they did so, it was a sure -thing that I’d be nabbed, which must lead to the public knowledge that -Clarence Sage, escaped convict, had not been drowned in the Hudson. In -hopes of avoiding this, my brother guided you into the woods and helped -you as best as he could to get another start in your flight.” - -“The kid done his part all right, pal.” - -“Now I want you to do yours, Riley.” - -“Spiel it off. Lay it out. Put me on. What am I to do?” - -“Not one word about my brother and the part he played must escape your -lips. He did it for me, not for you, but you owe him this much: you must -protect him.” - -“Bank on it, cull—bank on it. They’ll never jimmy a word of it outer -me.” - -“Thanks,” said Clarence Sage, taking the single chair which the lockup -contained and seating himself near the cot. “That relieves my mind in a -measure. Fred’s a fine boy, and it would be a shame to have suspicion -fall on him. My misfortune has cast enough stigma on my unfortunate -family.” - -“Say, ’bo, there’s just one thing about you that I don’t like. You don’t -have to put up this misfortune bluff to me. Course it’s always hard luck -when we get laid by the heels on any little job, but seems to me you’re -throwing it out that you was on the level.” - -“I was,” asserted Clarence Sage grimly, almost fiercely. “I was -arrested, tried and convicted for a crime I never committed. If this -were not true, I wouldn’t think of saying so now. Somebody else looted -the bank, and I believe I know the man. It was on his testimony -principally that I was convicted. He saved himself, but the knowledge -that he sent an innocent man to Sing Sing may possibly have caused him -some uneasy and regretful moments.” - -“Well,” said Riley slowly, as he narrowly eyed his fellow prisoner, “you -spiels it like you was talking gospel. Mebbe it’s true.” - -“It _is_ true,” asserted Clarence Sage. “Think what it meant, Riley, not -only to me, but to my people. I have the finest mother a boy ever had. -The thought of her shame and suffering has been gall and wormwood to -me.” - -“My old mother,” said Riley, with a touch of sentiment, “was dead and -buried before I was pinched the first time, thank Heaven!” - -Sage bowed his head and spoke in a low tone, his gaze fixed upon the -floor. - -“It was to get another look at my mother’s face that I returned to -Oakdale. I was here a week ago, and I went away without obtaining a -glimpse of her. In all the years that I was supposed to be dead I have -carried her image in my heart, and it was the knowledge of her faith in -me—for she never believed me guilty—that kept me straight, I believe. -I’ve knocked about in many places and associated with all sorts of men, -some of them honest, but many more who were crooks. I’ve roughed it in -Alaska, sailed before the mast, starved and nearly died from fever in -the Philippines, tried my hand at coal mining in Australia; and through -it all the knowledge of my mother’s faith has kept me straight, even -though I’ve had many a chance to turn a good thing by crookedness. At -last, believing there was little danger, I came back and hunted for my -people. I found them here, and here I have likewise found my undoing.” - -“Tough luck,” said Riley again. “They’ll send you back to the jug.” - -“No doubt of it. I’ll have to serve out my term, with an additional -period hitched on to it because of my break. There’s water in my veins, -Riley; the dread of what I’m up against takes the heart out of me. -Perhaps you don’t know what it is to be sent to prison with the -knowledge that you’re innocent and serving time for the crime of another -man.” - -“It must be fierce,” said Riley sympathetically. “And you say he put it -on you at the trial? Pal, if I was in your boots, he’d get hisn some -day. When I’d done my turn and been discharged, I’d look the gent up and -hand him something he’d remember—if he was in shape to remember -anything.” - -“That would be poor satisfaction to me. It wouldn’t clear my name of the -crime. It might mean that I’d be sent up again for another, still -greater, crime. The only thing in this wide world that can ever give me -the least satisfaction is proof of my innocence. I’ve dreamed of -it—dreamed of it a million times. I’ve dreamed of standing before the -world free and exonerated. Of going to my old mother and feeling her -arms about my neck and her tears upon my cheeks, and hearing her glad -cry, ‘I knew it, my boy—I knew it!’ Nothing but that, Riley, can ever -satisfy me, and if there’s any justice under Heaven it will come some -day.” - -“I hope so, pal—I hope so,” said Riley, with genuine sympathy. “I’m just -a plain crook, and nothing else; but for an honest man to be marked as a -crook by the bulls and people in general—why, that’s blazes, sure.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII. - - THE SHREDS OF HOPE. - - -During the time that Clarence Sage had been practically in hiding upon -the premises of his parents his mother had been wholly unaware of his -proximity. Resigned in her belief that her unfortunate son lay buried in -another state, Mrs. Sage had bravely endeavored to make the best of the -terrible affliction which had come upon her at a period of her life when -all things had seemed the most promising of happiness and prosperity. -Never for a moment, even after the jury had pronounced him guilty and he -had been sentenced to prison, had Mrs. Sage entertained a doubt -regarding the innocence of her older son. As far as possible the -newspaper reports of the young man’s escape from prison were kept from -her; but in time, when, many weeks later, Andrew Sage had viewed the -body of a man recovered from the Hudson and pronounced it that of -Clarence, it had been necessary to tell her the crushing and terrible -truth. - -For a time the poor woman was prostrated and under the constant care of -a physician. During that period the body of the drowned man was buried -and a tombstone bearing the name of Clarence Sage was placed over the -grave. - -With commendable knowledge of feminine nature, the physician, finally -perceiving that drugs or medicines of any sort would never help Mrs. -Sage, succeeded in rousing her by turning her mind from herself to her -husband; by leading her gradually to believe that the shock of the -tragedy had benumbed Andrew Sage and threatened to crush him entirely -unless something could be done to encourage him to brace up; by -convincing her that she alone could do this, and that it was her duty to -make the effort. - -The result was most surprising. The sick woman rose from her bed, and, -seconded by the younger son, set about the task of cheering and -encouraging the stricken father. She pleaded with him to turn his -thoughts from their dead son and to remember that Heaven had graciously -spared them another son, to whom they owed a duty which must not be -forgotten. She forced herself to smile, and in time the sunshine of that -smile, even though tempered a bit with the faintest cloud of sorrow, -which promised never wholly to leave her, drove most of the black -shadows of bitter resentment from the heart of old Andrew Sage. In time -they came to talk the matter over calmly, and decided to leave their -home in New York, where, were they to remain, they must be continually -reminded of that which they wished to forget, and move to some obscure -town in another state. - -And so it happened that, after many years of hardships and wandering and -constant yearning for the sight of his mother’s face, the young man who -was supposed to be dead traced them to that little town. Through a -window of the house he had tried to get a look at his mother, but had -been sent scurrying away by Fred, who, discovering the prowler, came out -and circled the buildings. - -That very night Clarence tramped onward to another village, resolved to -return no more to Oakdale. He had learned that his parents and his -brother were comfortably settled there and apparently peaceful and -happy, and he told himself that the knowledge was sufficient. - -But he had not seen his mother’s face, and each hour and each day the -yearning to do so grew stronger within him, until presently it made him -falter, broke his resolution and caused him to turn back. - -Fred, returning home from the disappointing duck hunt at Marsh Pond, was -seen by Clarence, who suddenly decided to let his brother know that he -still lived. The reader may imagine the state of mind into which this -meeting between the brothers threw Fred Sage. It was this mental -condition which caused his thoughts to wander in the football game that -afternoon and made him responsible for much of the bad playing and many -of the flukes which prevented the home team from piling up a bigger -score in the earlier stages of the game, and thus encouraged the -visitors to keep plugging with all the energy and aggressiveness they -could work up, until eventually they swept Oakdale down in defeat. - -For two nights Clarence Sage slept upon some blankets in the stable -granary. After seeing and talking with Clarence several times, Fred -decided that their father should be taken into the great secret—should -be told that the boy he thought dead was still living. - -“If I know father,” argued Fred, “and I think I do, it will do him a -heap of good. On the other hand, I’m just as sure that it would be a big -mistake to let mother know. She’d want you to stay near her, that she -might be able to see you, and she would live in constant terror lest the -truth become known and you were taken back to prison. She has struggled -hard to forget you in a way, Clarence—that is, to put you out of her -mind so that she might cease to brood over that dreadful thing.” - -Clarence agreed with Fred, and thus it came about that on Sunday old -Andrew Sage came to know the amazing truth that his unfortunate son -still lived. While Fred entertained his mother in the house the -bewildered father talked with Clarence in the stable. - -At first old Andrew had thought that his wife must be told, but it was -not difficult to convince him that this would be unwise. He spent as -much time as possible talking with Clarence, who told him briefly the -story of his experiences since escaping from prison, and together they -laid plans for the future. Only once did Clarence declare to his father -his innocence of the crime for which he had been convicted. Mr. Sage -checked him promptly, stating positively that such a protestation was -unnecessary, as he had never permitted himself for a single instant to -entertain any doubts upon that point. - -Clarence thought of going away Sunday night, but he had no money in his -pocket, and, learning this, his father practically commanded him to wait -until Monday, when he would draw from the bank and furnish the wanderer -with funds, which might be taken as a loan and repaid when convenient. -Thus it happened that Clarence lingered, finally to be captured as one -of the bank robbers by Constable Hubbard. - -As he had expected, when he hurried into the house to quiet her -apprehensions, Fred found his mother much disturbed by the presence of -the armed men whom she had seen through the windows. - -“What does it mean, my boy?” she asked, her face quite pale. “Why are -they here?” - -“They’re hunting everywhere for the bank robbers, you know,” was the -answer. “There’s no telling where the scoundrels may have taken refuge.” - -“But not here—they can’t expect to find any of them here!” - -“Perhaps they don’t really expect to find them, but they can’t afford to -overlook the possibility. Why, what’s happened out here?” As he uttered -this exclamation he hurried to a window at the back of the house and -peered through it, pressing his face against the glass. - -The little subterfuge was sufficient. His mother likewise hastened to -the window and looked forth, questioning him agitatedly. - -“Two of the men out there—I saw them running, I thought,” he answered. -“They were running toward the corner. I didn’t know but they had seen -something. Look, mother, at that big tree at the edge of the orchard. -Father had to prop the limbs up when it was loaded with fruit. It must -be pruned.” In this manner he kept her at the window until he was quite -certain that the men with the prisoner had vanished down the road toward -town. - -Afterward he waited with no small impatience for the return of his -father from the village. He did not contemplate for a moment leaving his -mother alone. Ordinarily he might have done so, but, now that she knew -of the attempted bank robbery and had seen the armed man-hunters, she -was pitifully pale and almost bordering upon complete collapse. Fred -knew that her mind had been led to thoughts of Clarence and what he must -have suffered in prison and as a fugitive with the armed guards hunting -him across the frozen bosom of the Hudson. - -Fred’s own mind was in a scarcely less tumultuous and painful condition, -but he tried his best to lead his mother’s thoughts into pleasanter -channels. All the while, having placed himself where he could watch the -road, he waited for the coming of his father. - -In time Andrew Sage appeared, walking briskly, although his shoulders -were a trifle stooped. At once Fred made an excuse and hurried to meet -his father. - -As the boy drew near, he became assured by the old man’s appearance that -he did not know that Clarence had been taken. - -“Father,” said Fred hurriedly, “I want a word with you before you go -into the house. Something has happened.” - -“What is it?” asked Andrew Sage, a sudden shadow of apprehension -clouding his face. “Uncle Ed Tower just told me that another one of the -robbers has been caught.” - -“Father,” said Fred, standing with his back toward the house, “what I am -going to tell you will be a shock, and it’s possible that mother is -watching us from the window. You must not let her see that you’re -affected.” - -The man’s face grew suddenly ashen. - -“Clarence?” he muttered hoarsely. - -“Do brace up,” urged Fred. “They came here to search for one of the -robbers. They had been told that he was hiding in our stable.” - -“And they found Clarence?” - -“Yes. He gave himself up when he realized that it was useless to try to -hide.” - -“But—but he had—nothing to do with the attempted robbery. They had no -right to touch him for that. Didn’t he tell them?” - -“What good would that have done, father? He was found concealed in our -stable, and he’s a stranger in this town. You can see that no -explanation he could possibly make would keep them from locking him up.” - -“But they have no right to touch him!” cried Mr. Sage, with a sudden -vehement gesture. - -“Steady, father. Remember about mother. She does not know. I kept her -diverted while they took him away. You must be strong. We must continue -as long as possible to hide the truth from her.” - -“But it will all come out now,” groaned the old man, his shoulders -drooping more than ever. “It’s my fault—my fault! Why didn’t I let the -boy go yesterday? I am to blame!” - -“No one is to blame, father. It’s just fate. It had to come.” - -“But—but if they find he’s not one of the robbers—if he can prove that -he’s not,” said Andrew Sage eagerly, “perhaps they will let him go.” - -“That’s my only hope, and it’s a slim one, father. We mustn’t base too -much upon it.” Even as he said this, Fred realized how futile that hope -was. For had not Sleuth Piper, by prying and spying, learned the truth, -which would mean full exposure for Clarence? Still, it was not best to -let Andrew Sage know at present how desperate the situation was. - -“I’m going into town and see what can be done,” said Fred. “You’re -completely upset, father, but still you must keep it from mother. If -they capture the other robbers there may yet be a chance—a very small -chance—for Clarence.” - -“It’s fate,” mumbled Mr. Sage, repeating the words the boy had spoken a -few moments before—“fate! It would have been better had he never come -here; better had he left us in ignorance that he was alive.” - -He swayed, and Fred clutched his arm, again entreating him to brace up. - -“I’m tired, tired!” sighed old Andrew Sage, his face drawn and haggard. -“I must rest.” - -Alarmed, Fred said, “I’ll help you to the house.” - -In a moment, however, Mr. Sage drew himself up and protested that he -needed no assistance. - -“Your mother, boy—your mother,” he murmured. “She will see and be -frightened. I’m all right now; I’m strong. You see what more you can -learn, and if it’s anything favorable let me know as soon as possible. -Look! You can see that I’m all right now. Go!” - -Bravely, sturdily he started onward toward the house, even turning to -wave his hand and throw the boy a mock smile, which at that distance -might deceive the eyes of the woman within the house. - -After watching the old man for a few moments, Fred turned toward the -village, breaking into a run ere he had passed beyond sight of his home. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX. - - A CONCESSION FROM SLEUTH. - - -In a way, business in Oakdale was suspended, or, perhaps it should be -said that it had not really begun for the day. On the street corners -groups of men and boys discussed the recent exciting events and -speculated over the probability of quick capture of the robber or -robbers who still remained at large; for it was believed that at least -three men had been concerned in the effort to plunder the bank. Somehow, -it had leaked out that a part of the bank funds were missing, and of -course this created an additional volume of gossip and speculation. - -Fred, searching for Sleuth Piper, was hailed by various schoolboy -friends, but, further than to make inquiries regarding Sleuth, he had no -time for them. At last he found the boy he sought, who was on his way to -the office of the village lawyers. - -Sleuth turned and waited as Fred called his name and came hurrying up. - -“I want to see you, Piper,” said Sage. “I want a little private talk -with you.” - -“I’m pretty busy,” returned Sleuth; “but I presume I can spare you a -little of my valuable time. Of course I can imagine what you’re after, -but I’m afraid it won’t be any use, old fellow. I’m sorry for you, -but——” - -“Oh, yes, you are—_not_,” flung back Fred scornfully. “After what you’ve -done——” - -“Now wait; stop right there,” interrupted Sleuth. “I’ve simply done my -duty, although in your position you may not regard it as such. If my -brother was a bank robber and an escaped convict, perhaps I’d feel hard -toward anyone who tried to send him back to prison, but at the same time -I’m sure my sense of justice——” - -“Bosh! That sort of tommyrot gives me a cramp. Besides, my brother is an -innocent man.” - -Sleuth lifted his eyebrows and shrugged incredulously. - -“He’s innocent, I tell you!” panted Fred fiercely. - -“It looks that way, don’t it!” said the young amateur detective, unable -in spite of his professed sympathy for Sage, to repress a slight sneer. - -“No, it doesn’t look that way,” admitted the other boy. “I own up that -it must seem that he’s surely guilty. Here come some people, Piper. -They’ll stand around and listen. We can’t talk here. Won’t you come with -me some place where we’ll be by ourselves, with no rubbernecks around?” - -Sleuth hesitated a moment. “I can see the lawyers later,” he muttered -presently. “As long as it’s you, Fred, and you’re so badly broken up, -I’ll do what you want, though again I must say I’m sure it’s useless.” - -When Sile Crane and Chub Tuttle attempted to follow them as they turned -down the street Fred whirled and almost snarled: - -“What do you fellows want? Can’t you let us have a little private talk?” - -“Lordy!” gasped Tuttle. “Don’t snap anybody’s head off. Haven’t you had -breakfast? Here, take some peanuts.” - -Disdaining this placating offer, Fred strode away at Sleuth’s side. -Reaching the bridge, they paused. - -“I hope you’re not going to appeal to me from the standpoint of -friendship,” said Piper. “You must realize that it’s too late now, old -man. Your brother is captured, and I can do nothing. I expect to receive -the reward offered for his apprehension.” - -“The offer was withdrawn long ago, when it was supposed that he had been -drowned in the Hudson.” - -“Oh, I don’t mean that; I mean the reward offered for the party known as -James Wilson, or Gentleman Jim.” - -“Piper, you’re on the wrong track. My brother is not Gentleman Jim.” - -Again Sleuth shrugged. Slipping his hand into his pocket, he drew forth -the printed description of James Wilson which he had clipped from the -newspaper. - -“This fits him to a tee,” he said. “He must be the man.” - -“I admit that, in a way, the description of Wilson seems to fit my -brother, but still, I maintain that they are two different men, Piper. -You’ll find it out, too, if this Wilson was concerned in the attempt on -the bank last night and he does not escape the men who are hunting for -him. My brother had no hand in that business.” - -“How do you know that?” - -“How do I know? Why, he—he came here alone; came to get a glimpse of the -mother whose heart was so nearly broken over his terrible misfortune. -Oh, Sleuth, you can’t realize what you’ve done! You pried into our -secret. There are few families so fortunate that they have no secret -they wish to keep hidden from the general public.” - -“I won’t argue about that,” said Piper, returning the newspaper clipping -to his pocket, “for it can have no bearing on the situation. You say -your brother was not concerned in the attempt to rob the Oakdale bank. I -ask, how do you know? He was here, wasn’t he? He was hidden in your -stable. Of course he told you that he came here to see your mother. -That’s a plausible story. But how do you know he didn’t come here to -take a hand in that bank cracking? While you were asleep in your bed -last night, he was helping his pals cut their way into the bank and blow -open the vault.” - -“No—I tell you no!” contradicted Fred, his hands working convulsively, -as if he longed to choke the other boy. “Clarence never did a -dishonorable or criminal thing in his life. After his escape from prison -he fled to the West, and, while this man called Gentleman Jim has been -making himself notorious as a crook, Clarence has been in Alaska and -Australia. He has but lately returned to this part of the country.” - -“How do you know?” persisted Sleuth, unshaken in his position. “Of -course that’s the story he told you. Naturally, he’d lie to you.” - -Fred’s chest rose and fell; his teeth were set and his nostrils dilated; -his appearance was so ominous that Piper shrank away. - -“’Twon’t do you any good to jump on me,” spluttered Sleuth. “If your -brother wasn’t one of that gang, how did it happen that the wound of the -other chap who was captured was bound up in your stable? How did it -happen that you led him into the woods, in order that he might have a -chance to get away?” - -“I’ll tell you,” answered Fred, after exhaling a long breath that seemed -to relieve in a degree the tension of his nerves. “My brother knew that -man in prison. The man’s name is Riley. When Riley sought shelter in our -stable my brother saw him sitting there on a box and trying weakly to -staunch the flow of blood. Clarence came out and gave a hand to bind up -Riley’s wound. About that time some men searching for the robbers passed -our house, and we learned what had happened. I went into the stable and -came upon Clarence and Riley. Of course it was necessary for them to -tell me how matters stood. In a moment I realized the danger to my -brother—the terrible danger of having Riley traced there and captured on -the premises. I knew what I was doing when I guided the man into the -woods, but I did so for my brother’s sake.” - -Sleuth shook his head. “Too bad—too bad you had to do that, for it makes -you sort of an accomplice. However, Sage, even though you thought me -your bitter enemy and I knew just what you now own that you did, I -haven’t breathed a word that would bring suspicion of this matter upon -you. I’ve pledged Hooker to keep still. He’s your friend, and that fact -ought to help keep his mouth buttoned up.” - -“As long as you’ve done this much, why won’t you do something more? It’s -doubtful if the people here know anything of my brother’s history, and -so, if it’s shown that he was not connected with last night’s affair, he -may be released. They are still searching for the robbers who have not -yet been taken. Now if those men are captured and one of them proves to -be Gentleman Jim, you’ll see what a blunder you’ve made. It can do you -no good to expose my brother and send him back to Sing Sing. Before -telling what you know about him, won’t you wait to see if one of these -other burglars may not be Gentleman Jim? If you refuse to do that, I’ll -know that your behavior toward me was prompted by pure animosity, and -nothing else.” - -“You’re hanging on to a false hope, Sage,” said Sleuth, after a moment -or two of consideration; “but, seeing it’s you, I’ll agree to keep mum -for a while. That won’t hurt me, for your brother is safe in custody and -can’t get away. When the robbers are captured and you’re satisfied that -your brother is the only one of the bunch who could possibly be -Gentleman Jim, I shall tell the authorities everything. You can’t ask me -to do otherwise under those circumstances.” - -“You’ve agreed to do all I expected of you—and more,” acknowledged Fred -in relief. “I—I thank you, Piper.” - -“Don’t,” said Sleuth. “Some day you’ll understand that there was not an -atom of animosity or spite in my heart. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll go -see those lawyers. And don’t worry, I won’t blow until I’ve seen you -again.” - -A short time later Fred Sage presented himself at the lockup, where he -tried to get a word with Clarence, but admission was denied him. Ere -returning home, more from habit than otherwise, he called for mail at -the post-office and was given a letter addressed to his father. Not -until he had nearly reached his home did he observe that the envelope -bore the postmark of Rutledge, New York, and that the names of “Jorlemon -& Gates, Attorneys-at-Law,” were printed upon it. - -Jorlemon and Gates were the lawyers who had defended Clarence Sage at -his trial. - - - - - CHAPTER XXX. - - THE TRUTH AT LAST. - - -Old Andrew Sage uttered a choking cry and fell back on his chair, the -letter he had been reading fluttering from his nerveless fingers and -dropping upon his lap. - -Startled, Mrs. Sage hastened toward her husband, and Fred sprang -forward, crying: - -“What is it—what is it, father? What’s the matter? Are you ill?” - -No wonder he asked the question, for Mr. Sage’s face was white as chalk -and he was gasping painfully, as if he found it difficult to breathe. - -“Get some water quick, Fred,” urged Mrs. Sage, bending over her husband. - -In a moment Fred had brought a glass of water, and Andrew Sage took a -swallow or two, which seemed to revive him in a measure. - -“The letter,” he whispered hoarsely, peering from beneath his -spectacles—“where’s the letter?” - -“Here it is, father.” - -“Read it, boy—read it!” almost shouted the old man. “Read it aloud, that -your mother may hear. It doesn’t seem possible! It’s Heaven sent at this -moment!” - -Wonderingly Fred picked up the typewritten missive and began to read it -aloud: - - - “DEAR MR. SAGE: - - It is possible that you have not yet heard of the death of - George Barrows, late cashier of the First National Bank of - Rutledge. Mr. Barrows died yesterday, and, when he knew beyond - doubt that there was no hope for him, he sent for me to come to - his bedside and bring with me a stenographer. I complied, and in - the privacy of the unfortunate man’s death chamber I listened to - a most astounding confession which absolutely clears the name of - your unfortunate dead son from the stigma of the crime for which - he was convicted and sent to Sing Sing.” - - -At this point it was necessary for Fred to give his mother assistance -and aid her into her own special rocking-chair. The moment she was -seated, however, she begged him to go on with the letter. - - - “We have now in our possession (Fred read on), a full and - complete typewritten confession of the crime, in which Barrows - took the entire guilt upon his own shoulders. Before the man - passed away, we had this typewritten document read to him in his - presence and sworn to before a notary. The document is secure in - our private safe, and it can be made public at any time you - choose. Although, most unfortunately, this confession comes too - late to do your misjudged son any good, it, nevertheless, must - give you no small degree of satisfaction and happiness. If you - desire, Mr. Gates will come to you personally with the - confession and place it in your possession, it seeming unwise to - us to trust in the slightest degree to the uncertainty of the - mails. - - Permit us, my dear sir, to offer you and your good wife our - most heartfelt congratulations. - - Sincerely yours, - HENRY D. JORLEMON.” - - -The excitement and joy produced by the reading of this astounding letter -was unbounded. Amid tears and laughter the members of the little family -embraced one another again and again, and finally, when a little -calmness had come upon them, they knelt while Andrew Sage offered up a -prayer of thanksgiving which came from the deepest chamber of his -overflowing heart. - -The moment the prayer was ended Fred leaped to his feet, kissed his -mother, turned to his father and cried: - -“You tell her, father. I’m going back into the village. I’m going to -take this letter. You tell her the wonderful truth.” - -The door slammed behind him, and away he went as fast as his legs could -carry him. And thus it happened that the parents of the young man who -had been falsely convicted of a crime were alone together when old -Andrew Sage broke the marvelous tidings that Clarence Sage lived and was -even then in that town. - -Racing into the village in search of Piper, Fred was just in time to see -Sheriff Pickle and a large body of men conducting toward the lockup two -tattered and battered men, the associates of the wounded burglar, who -had been captured only after a hot pursuit and a desperate fight. - -The morning train had brought into Oakdale a slim, smooth-faced, quiet -man in dark clothes, who had seemed greatly interested in the story of -the attempted bank robbery. This man was also on hand when Pickle -appeared with the prisoners, and with an air of authority he forced his -way through the posse until he almost touched one of the captives, whom -he surveyed with no small amount of satisfaction. - -“Hello, Wilson,” he said. “You seem to have made a bad mess of this -job.” - -“Here! here!” cried the deputy sheriff, attempting to thrust the -stranger back. “None of that! Keep away! What do you mean, men, by -allowing anyone to approach the prisoners this fashion?” - -“Keep your clothes on, my friend,” advised the stranger, giving Pickle a -look in which disdain and amusement seemed mingled. “You’ll get your -share of the reward for capturing Gentleman Jim, but I’ll take him back -to York State.” - -“Who are you?” - -“My name is Burke Sheldon, and I’m a detective.” Saying which, he -flipped open his coat and displayed a badge that caused Mr. Pickle to -gasp and touch his hat with a sudden show of great respect. “I was -pretty close on this man’s heels. His pals are likewise wanted. See that -you hold them tight and fast, officer, until I secure the needed -requisition papers.” - -Now Sleuth Piper had not been far away when the new captives arrived, -and, crowding close in the throng that surrounded the posse, he heard -the words of Detective Sheldon. - -“Great scissors!” he muttered, aghast. “Is _that_ Gentleman Jim?” - -Fred Sage had followed Sleuth into the thick of the crowd, and he -proceeded to lay a hand on the shoulder of the bewildered boy. - -“_That’s_ Gentleman Jim,” he palpitated exultantly. “Now you see what a -blunder you made. Luckily, you promised to keep still until these men -were caught.” - -“It don’t seem possible!” muttered Piper sorrowfully. “I don’t see how I -could have missed fire in my deduction.” - -“Come with me a minute,” urged Fred. “I’ve got something to show you. I -want to prove to you that my brother told the truth when he declared his -innocence.” - -Seemingly dazed and crushed, Sleuth permitted Fred to drag him from the -crowd, and when he had read the letter from Jorlemon and Gates he was a -very sick-looking chap indeed. For some moments he stood with his hands -sunk deep in his pockets, his head drooping and his eyes fixed upon the -ground. Presently, kicking weakly at some pebbles, he began to speak. - -“I had that five hundred dollars pretty well spent,” he said. “I’d -bought everything with it from a new pair of skates to an automobile. -And now I don’t get a red cent!” - -Then, as Fred was about to say something bitter and cutting, Piper -braced up suddenly. - -“Look here, old man,” he exclaimed, with an air of sincerity that surely -seemed genuine, “for all of my confidence that I had that money as good -as nailed, I’ve been feeling pretty rotten. I don’t suppose you believe -me, but it’s a fact. I’ve been mighty sorry about the whole business -since you talked to me a while ago at the bridge. Now, even though I’ve -lost the five hundred, I’m feeling better. Say, Fred, you must be ready -to blow up with joy. Just think of it! Your brother is alive, and he’s -innocent. You have the proof. Old fellow, I congratulate you.” - -“Thanks,” returned Fred, a bit coldly. “I’m glad you have the decency to -say that much.” - -“There’s only one hope left for me now,” said Sleuth. “The bank is out -twenty thousand dollars in securities, and I believe I can put my hand -on the thief. Anyhow, that will be a feather in my cap.” - - * * * * * - -At eleven o’clock that forenoon, while the officials of the bank were in -consultation in the directors’ room, the door-man appeared and stated -that there was a boy outside who insisted that he could tell who had -robbed the institution. - -“It’s one of the boys who helped catch the wounded burglar,” he said. -“His name is Piper.” - -“Admit him,” directed Urian Eliot. - -Sleuth entered, bearing himself well. His eyes roved swiftly over the -assembled officials until they rested upon Lucius Timmick, who sat -huddled on a chair at one side of the great oak table. - -“What is this you claim, my boy?” asked Mr. Eliot. “Do you pretend to -say that you know who robbed the bank?” - -“Yes, sir,” answered Sleuth positively, “I’m dead certain I can point -out the man. He’s in this very room.” - -While the electrified assemblage gasped over this statement, there came -a sudden disturbance outside the door, which was violently flung open to -admit Captain Quinn, who was threatening with his cane the door-man as -the latter tried to collar him. - -“Keep away, you swab!” roared the old sailor. “I tell you I’ve got -business in here. Put your hands on me and I’ll mop the deck with you!” - -“He—he would come in, gentlemen,” said the door-man, seeking to excuse -himself for the interruption. - -“You bet I would!” rasped Quinn. “And if I’d had a marlin-spike instead -of this cane, I’d busted your head when you tried to put your dirty -hooks on me! I guess I’ve got something that belongs aboard this here -craft. I caught my monkey, Jocko, hiding it in my bunk. I reckon the -little rat must have come in here through the busted winder and swiped -the stuff, and I suppose in the excitement nobody saw him. Here it is.” - -He pulled a thick package from his pocket and flung it down upon the -table. Timmick, leaping from his chair, seized the package and took one -look at it. Then he uttered a joyful shout. - -“The missing securities!” he cried. “Here they are! That lets me out.” - -It likewise let Sleuth Piper out. At any rate, in the midst of the -confusion attendant upon the return of the securities Sleuth slipped -through the open door and made all possible haste to leave the bank. - -Some time later Rod Grant found Piper leaning on the railing of the -bridge and gazing gloomily down at the icy waters of the river. Sleuth -did not even look around when Rod slapped him on the shoulder, crying: - -“What are you thinking about, you great detective—jumping into the -drink? Going to commit suicide?” - -“I will admit,” answered Piper in a doleful voice, “that such black -thoughts have percolated through that empty chamber where up to the -present date I’ve supposed my brains were located.” - -“What’s the matter?” persisted Grant. “Why, you’re one of the heroes of -the hour. You and Hooker caught one of the burglars——” - -“After he had tumbled into a gully and bumped himself as helpless as a -dead flounder,” returned Sleuth, with unspeakable self-scorn. “A great -piece of work, that! Hook may feel chesty over it, but not I. Leave me, -Rodney—leave me to my sorrow. Let me suffer alone and in silence.” - - * * * * * - -Thus the Great Oakdale Mystery was cleared up to the satisfaction of -all, for in time even Sleuth Piper professed to be rejoiced, and his -profession was accepted as genuine by Fred Sage, whose own great -happiness would not permit him to hold hard feelings toward anyone. - -Clarence Sage, cleared of any suspicion of complicity in the attempted -robbery of the Oakdale bank, soon went to Rutledge, where Jorlemon and -Gates took up his case, and, with the aid of the dead cashier’s -confession, quickly obtained for Clarence the governor’s pardon. - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - -Transcriber’s note: - - Punctuation has been standardized. Minor spelling and typographic - errors have been corrected silently, except as noted below. - - On page 66, "reëntered" was changed to "reentered", as other uses of - the word "enter" does not use the diacritic e. - - On page 273, "ring" was changed to "bring". The original text was: - Then we had to ring him into the business - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GREAT OAKDALE MYSTERY*** - - -******* This file should be named 50792-0.txt or 50792-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/0/7/9/50792 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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