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diff --git a/old/50224.txt b/old/50224.txt deleted file mode 100644 index cd3d442..0000000 --- a/old/50224.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3725 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Boy Scouts at Mobilization Camp, by Robert Shaler - -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 Boy Scouts at Mobilization Camp - -Author: Robert Shaler - -Release Date: October 15, 2015 [EBook #50224] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOY SCOUTS AT MOBILIZATION CAMP *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan, Rod Crawford -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - THE BOY SCOUTS - AT - MOBILIZATION CAMP - - - BY - ROBERT SHALER - - AUTHOR OF "THE BOY SCOUTS OF THE SIGNAL CORPS," "THE BOY SCOUTS OF - PIONEER CAMP," ETC., ETC. - - - NEW YORK - HURST & COMPANY - PUBLISHERS - - Copyright, 1918, by - Hurst & Co., Inc. - - - - - CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER. PAGE. - I Good Luck 5 - II A Breakdown on the Road 18 - III Rising Suspicions 30 - IV The Hold-up 39 - V An Echo from the Past 48 - VI The Burning Bridge 62 - VII The Accusation 73 - VIII In the Mobilization Camp 84 - IX the Disappearance of Felix 95 - X Bud Morgan on the Scent 106 - XI The Value of a Good Reputation 117 - XII The Search Squad 128 - XIII The House by the Roadside 140 - XIV A Successful Round-up 149 - - - - - The Boy Scouts at Mobilization Camp - - - - - CHAPTER I - GOOD LUCK - - -"Honest Injun, Hugh, I never wanted to go anywhere half so much as I do -right now to drop in at that State camp where the militia has started -mobilizing." - -"Just so, Bud, and, to tell you the truth, I'm feeling the same way -myself. Ever since we scouts waved good-bye to our gallant Battery K -some five miles up the road, and watched the last gun, caisson and -supply wagon disappear over the crown of Kettledrum Hill, I've had that -picture in my mind." - -"Say, I wager things are just _humming_ over at that same camp, Hugh," -sighed the first boy in faded khaki, "Bud" Morgan by name, and a member -of Oakvale's famous Boy Scout Troop. - -"They certainly must be," admitted his comrade, who wore the insignia of -rank that marks not only a patrol leader, but an assistant scout master -as well. "This morning's paper says that besides our fellows, there is a -full regiment already in camp, not to mention other commands, such as -the Engineers', Signal Corps and Red Cross detachments." - -"Don't forget to count the Aviation Squad, Hugh," added Bud, eagerly. -"You know, I'm head over ears interested in the birdmen and their -doings, as well as in signaling, surveying and inventions." - -"Yes, it certainly must be a glorious sight," Hugh said enviously. "To -tell you the truth, old fellow, I'm lying awake nights trying to think -up some reasonable excuse for paying a flying visit to the concentration -camp." - -"Anyhow," remarked Bud, brightening up a little, "we can squeeze some -satisfaction out of the fact that the scouts had a heap to do with -getting Battery K off to the camp with their roster on a full war -footing."[1] - -"We've undertaken an all-summer job helping to run the Pastor farm for -the crippled old man, so his boy, Corporal Tony, could go to the Mexican -border with his company. That's one way scouts can help Uncle Sam when -trouble comes along. It's partly on account of that promise I'm holding -back about leaving Oakvale." - -"Oh! so far as that goes, Hugh," said Bud, slyly, after the manner of a -tempter, "you've got the programme all laid out, and Alec Sands could -take your place for a week. The site for the camp we expect to start up -there near the Pastor farm has been arranged, so the boys would make the -hike, and then be handy in getting the hay crop cut, and have it taken -to the barn inside of ten days. If you took a notion, Hugh, don't you -think the two of us might manage to get away? Try hard and think up some -good excuse for making the trip. A dozen people here in Oakvale would -want to send messages and packages to their boys, you know." - -Hugh Hardin laughed at the entreating manner of his companion. They were -standing at the time in front of the post office building, where people -kept coming and going in squads and singly, for that was one of the -busiest places in the mill town of Oakvale. - -Hugh and Bud both belonged to the _Wolf_ Patrol of the troop, which was -in a most flourishing condition, having four full patrols, and another -well along. These enterprising lads of Oakvale had been more or less in -the limelight for several seasons past. Circumstances had allowed them -to engineer quite a number of really successful enterprises that were -one and all to their credit. Those readers who may be only making their -acquaintance with Hugh and his friends in this story, if at all curious -to know what some of those stirring adventures were, should secure -previous volumes in this series, and enjoy reading accounts of scout -activities as related therein. - -One thing certain, those same enterprising and ambitious scouts had -succeeded in convincing the most skeptical persons that the coming to -town of such an organization had been the means of a regeneration among -the boys of Oakvale. Many things had been tolerated under the old order, -with the familiar excuse that "boys will be boys, and you must expect -them to play practical pranks, and do all manner of shocking things in -order to work off their extra enthusiasm," but such outbreaks were quite -unknown in these later days. The reason was that a new means for -allowing the high-spirited lads to "let off steam" had been found. - -On the morning the call of the President came summoning the National -Guard to mobilize, with a view to being sworn into the service of the -Government, so as to proceed forthwith to the Mexican border, and guard -the same against aggression, it sent a thrill across the entire country -from the Atlantic to the Pacific. - -Tens of thousands of young fellows flocked to the armories, and the most -intense excitement followed, as hurried preparations were started -looking toward increasing these various military organizations from a -peace to a war footing. - -Oakvale had a battery of four guns, together with such equipment as was -necessary for utilizing these field pieces; but just then it happened, -as in many similar organizations, that the roster contained just enough -names to prevent the company from being disbanded under the law by the -State authorities. - -Consequently a feverish hunt began to enlist new units, or, what was -better yet, former members who had left the ranks to sign again, so as -to swell the number to a high level of which the town might be proud. - -In this little drama it chanced that Hugh and his fellow scouts bore -themselves right handsomely, so that it was chiefly owing to their manly -efforts that a number of former members came forward again to put their -names down. - -After a very eventful period of preparation, which lasted for several -days, Battery K had started for the mobilization camp. As connections on -the railroad did not happen to favor them, they concluded to make the -trip overland, knowing that it would take less than two full days, and -must prove of considerable benefit to both men and horses in the way of -practice, which they greatly needed. - -Once more Oakvale had settled down to the humdrum monotony of customary -life. Things resumed their former conditions, but after the feverish -outburst of patriotism people found it difficult to attend to business. -They missed the faces of those gallant young fellows who had gone to -serve their country. So, too, they found things terribly dull after all -that exhilarating music which the fine Oakvale brass band had provided -while the battery lay encamped on the grass-covered public square. They -missed the enlisting officers' tent, surrounded day and evening by a -curious throng, where the khaki-clad men urged their friends to sign the -muster roll so as to bring the local company up to a war footing. - -Some of the boys had been inconsolable ever since they watched the last -of the troop vanish over the hill, as Hugh had described. Being -ambitious and patriotic lads, they would have liked nothing better than -a chance to accompany those artillerymen to camp, and even to the far -distant Southwest border where the followers of the Mexican bandit, -Villa, were threatening further bold raids across the international -line. - -Never dreaming of having their ardent wishes suddenly realized, the two -boys continued to stand there, chatting of scout affairs in general, and -what they expected to do while in camp in particular. Bud, upon turning -his head, discovered something which he communicated to Hugh in his -breezy fashion: - -"Unless I miss my guess, Hugh, we're going to hear some news worth -while. There's our comrade, Blake Merton, heading this way like a -schooner with all sails set. He looks considerably worked up, too. I -wonder what ails him? Perhaps something's happened to keep him from -joining the bunch when we start on our hike tomorrow for that camp up -near the Pastor farm?" - -Hugh, taking a look, remarked calmly: - -"We'll soon know what's up, for he's heading our way, and making signals -that he wants us to wait for him. I hope it hasn't anything to do with -that case of scarlet fever my folks were talking about this morning, -because it happens that the Werner house is close to where Blake lives. -If one of his younger sisters came down with the disease they'd have to -quarantine the Mertons, and so Blake couldn't go with us." - -"Wee whiz! that _would_ be tough luck--with vacation just starting in!" -the sympathetic Bud went on to say. - -"Hello! Hugh!" remarked the newcomer as he arrived, partly out of breath -from hurrying so fast, and looking excited as well, "I've been searching -for you all over town. They put me on several false scents, but I'm -awful glad to find you at last!" - -"What's the trouble, Blake?" asked the patrol leader; for, although the -Merton boy belonged to the _Hawk_ Patrol, somehow, when he wanted -counsel and advice, he turned to the assistant scout master rather than -to Walter Osborne, who was the _Hawk_ leader. - -Blake glanced toward Bud, and then, as though making up his mind, -quickly exclaimed: - -"I guess Bud can be depended on to keep a secret as tight as a drum, and -so I'm going to speak up. Fact is, Hugh, I'm in a peck of trouble about -my cousin, Felix Platt." - -"Oh! I remember that he went away with the battery, being a member of -the same," Hugh observed. "What ails Felix? Has his mother fallen sick, -and ought he come home again before being mustered into Uncle Sam's -service?" - -Blake Merton shook his head. - -"No, it isn't that, Hugh, worse than that, even, I should say!" he -declared. - -"Well, you've got us worked up, all right, Blake," exclaimed Bud, -feverishly, "so please explain what you mean when you say that. I hope -your cousin hasn't gone and done something wrong?" - -"He's made a fool of himself, I'm sorry to say, and stands a good chance -of losing all his uncle's property. You must know that Uncle Reuben is -his guardian as well, and has made his will in favor of Felix, so as to -cut off that bad son of his who disgraced him several times." - -"Yes, we know all about what Luther Gregory has done to worry his -father," admitted Bud, encouragingly. "But Reuben isn't any blood -relation of yours, is he?" - -"Oh! no, though Felix happens to be my second cousin. You see, they had -some warm words the night before the battery left town, and Felix, being -a hot-blooded young fellow, said something he shouldn't, and which has -cut Uncle Reuben to the quick. Just this morning the old gentleman had -his lawyer, Judge Marshall, to change his will once more, cutting off -Felix. The good old judge managed to coax him to wait a bit; and so -Uncle Reuben has vowed that if he doesn't receive an apology from Felix -by sundown of tomorrow, nothing will keep him from doing as he -threatens, much as he has cared for the boy since his own son failed -him. Yes, he threatens to leave every dollar of his big fortune to -charity." - -"That's too bad," mused Hugh, shaking his head, for he had always liked -Felix, who was a pretty fine sort of a young chap, as they go in these -days. "But how is it you come to know about this matter, Blake?" - -"Just this way, Hugh," came the ready reply. "Uncle Reuben made Judge -Marshall promise that he wouldn't communicate with Felix, or send him -any direct word; but, having the best interests of all parties at stake, -and, believing the old man would secretly applaud his action if ever he -knew it, the judge called to me over the wire to drop in right away and -see him. Then he told me about it, not suggesting a single thing, mind -you, but leaving it up to me to do what I thought best, because he knew -how fond of Felix I've always been." - -"Well, then," said Hugh, beaming on him, "why don't you get busy, and -write Felix a letter right away, explaining the case, and begging him to -send the apology? By now he's cooled down, and ten chances to one is -mighty sorry for speaking as he did." - -"Hugh, I thought of that the first thing, but what if the letter didn't -reach him?" objected Blake, frowning as he spoke. - -"You could register it, or send with a quick delivery stamp," remarked -Bud. - -"Even then there would always be a lot of uncertainty about it," -continued the other, stubbornly. - -"Evidently, then, you've got some other dandy scheme up your sleeve!" -exclaimed Bud, suspiciously. "Let's hear about it, Blake, if you need -any advice." - -"Well, I've always believed that when you want anything done, the only -safe way is to do it yourself. You remember the bird telling her young -ones in the nest that so long as the farmer depended on his relatives -and friends to help cut the wheat there was no need for worry; but when -finally he told his son they'd start in and do the job themselves the -mother bird admitted it was time for flitting. Now, Hugh, I've got a -hunch that if only you'd go along with me to give advice, I'd make a -start for the mobilization camp right away, and tell Felix face to face -what a fool he has been, as well as fetch back a letter for Uncle Reuben -that would heal all the bitter feelings in the old gentleman's heart. -What do you say to that, Hugh?" - - - - - CHAPTER II - A BREAKDOWN ON THE ROAD - - -Hugh and Bud exchanged glances, and then the latter burst into a laugh. - -"Blake, bless your heart, of course Hugh will be glad to go along with -you over to the big State camp so you can tell Felix what a silly he's -made of himself. You know, scouts are always ready to perform a good -deed, and bringing Uncle Reuben and his favorite nephew together again -would be just bully. And, say, you've got to count me in the deal, -ditto, understand?" - -"Why, I don't know just how that might be?" stammered Blake; when -energetic Bud broke in upon him with a vigor that would brook no -refusal. - -"I'll tell you several reasons for my going along, Blake," he said, -tapping one finger after another. "First off, it happens that Hugh and -myself were just saying we only wanted some half-way decent excuse for -deserting the other fellows right now, and heading straight for the big -camp. Then, secondly, I c'n get a sort of decent old car in which we -could make the run, if nothing happened to ditch us on the road. Then, -last, but far from least, I want to go! And that settles it." - -"All right, Bud," agreed the other, carried away by this enthusiasm and -desire to serve a comrade in trouble, "what you say goes. That idea -about the car is a good one. Hugh, you haven't told me what you think -yet; please help me out of this pickle, won't you?" - -"Oh! just as Bud here remarked," laughed the patrol leader. "I'm like a -hungry fish biting at the first baited hook I see ahead of me. I -certainly do want to go over to that mobilization camp the worst way, -and the only thing that kept me from starting was the want of a decent -excuse. Now that a comrade has called on me to assist him, there's no -further reason for holding back!" - -"Bully for you, Hugh!" exclaimed Bud Morgan, beaming happily on his two -comrades. - -"I just knew I could depend on you to help me tide over this trouble, -Hugh," said Blake, grasping the other's hand, and squeezing it warmly. -"Now that we've got all that fixed, let's make the necessary -arrangements as soon as we can; time counts in a game like this; and, -besides, I've got certain reasons for fearing there may be -interruptions." - -He did not choose to enter into any explanation for these rather strange -words, seeing which Hugh presently went on to say: - -"I'll get in touch with Alec Sands, the leader of the _Otters_, and tell -him that he must take charge of things for some days while I'm away. -Alec can see about the hike tomorrow; making camp up there near the -Pastor farm; and even starting in at the hay-cutting if we're not back -in time. Fortunately, Alec knows considerable along the line of farm -work; and then, too, old Mr. Pastor can coach the boys." - -"But, Hugh, please don't drop a hint about why you've got to go over to -the big camp," pleaded Blake. "You see, it might happen to get to the -ears of Uncle Reuben, and offend him. That's got to be a dead secret -between the three of us until I can put a letter from Felix in his -guardian's hand, and know the old gentleman's really forgiven him for -his hasty words." - -"We'll both shake hands with you on that, Blake," said Hugh, wishing to -make sure that Bud would be willing to take the same vow of secrecy on -himself. - -When this operation had been completed, Blake appeared to be much -relieved. - -"How long do you expect it will take you to see Alec, and arrange other -things, Hugh?" he asked. - -"Oh!" the patrol leader immediately replied, "so far as that goes, I -believe an hour ought to cover everything, such as telling my folks at -home, and getting Alec to take charge. How about you two?" - -"I can do it in far less time," admitted Blake. - -"Same here, unless the old car has to be fixed in some way. Generally -the tires aren't holding any too well," explained Bud. "But, then, a -fellow mustn't look a gift horse in the mouth; all it'll cost us is the -gas and lubricating oil. We c'n fix that up among us easy enough, eh, -boys?" - -So it was agreed that they should rendezvous at a certain spot as soon -as possible. If Hugh could accomplish his several errands in any shorter -time so much the better, he remarked. The three boys hastened away in as -many different directions, each one making all possible speed, for their -hearts were evidently in the work that now engaged their attention. - -So well did luck stand by them, that before three-quarters of an hour -had passed by the trio met again at the appointed place. Each carried a -small package, and, besides, Bud had driven up in a rather dilapidated -looking old car that doubtless had a past history, and now quite out of -the running where speed was considered a prime requisite. - -Still, as Bud himself had remarked, it was not polite to be too -particular of a gift. The car might carry them in safety over the forty -miles or more that lay between Oakvale and the mobilization camp; then, -again, they might have a few punctures or blowouts, for the tires were -certainly in poor condition. - -Hugh looked the machine over, and raised his eyebrows expressively; -whereat Bud hastened to say: - -"Don't condemn the old rattletrap yet awhile, Hugh. Sometimes things -turn out mighty deceptive, you remember. She's seen heaps of service in -her day, for a fact, and been pretty dependable, too, I wager. May be -she'll behave scrumptuously for us on this trip. We're going on an -errand of mercy, and deserve encouragement, for a fact. Jump in, -fellows, and we'll get started." - -So they were soon off. The car groaned and wheezed when power was -applied, and Blake looked pretty anxious until finally they began to -move along the road out of Oakvale at a fair clip. - -"Say, she seems to go pretty decent, after all!" declared the driver, -for Bud, likewise Hugh, knew much about the mechanism of cars, and could -pilot one as well as any boy around Oakvale. Blake was a novice at such -things. - -"We must be making as much as ten miles an hour right now!" laughed -Hugh. - -"Which rate of speed, if continued, would fetch us to the camp in less -than five hours, wouldn't it?" demanded the now sanguine Blake. - -"Oh! well, the worst is yet to come!" grinned Bud Morgan. "You see, -we're going on the level now, and there happens to be some pretty tough -old hills which have to be surmounted before we reach our haven. Hills -can play hob with most old worn-out cars. I'm not boasting any yet, -Blake, you notice; hold your horses, and we'll see what happens." - -For some little time they continued to move along fairly well, and a -number of miles were placed behind them. Indeed, they had even managed -to climb several good-sized elevations; and, although once it seemed as -though the machinery was about to give up with a last groan, clever Bud -managed to pull the machine to the top of the rise, so that they could -coast down the declivity, which they did in great style. - -"She can run like a bird, once you cut the power off, and let her -coast," shrilled the enthusiastic pilot, as they continued to "scoot" -along the level below. - -"Whee! but look what's ahead of us?" cried Blake, in an appalled tone. - -"Oh! that hill isn't half as bad as it seems," Bud told him. "I'm going -to take it on the run, and get to the top, all right, watch me!" - -He made an heroic effort to accomplish the end he had in view, and, in -fact, did manage to negotiate more than three-fourths of the climb. Then -suddenly the engine gave up the ghost, and only through a frantic use of -the brake did the pilot keep the car from starting backward down the -steep incline. - -"Well, here we are, held up!" he remarked, calmly; "it's up to me to get -busy and see what's wrong." - -"I'll help you to it, Bud," Hugh told him, stripping off his coat, and -donning one of the old linen dusters Bud had thoughtfully fetched along -for just this purpose, since he suspected they would find good use for -it. - -They were a busy bunch for the next hour, the two boys most of the time -working under the car and Blake hovering near, growing more and more -anxious as the precious minutes slipped past. - -"How far have we come, do you reckon, Hugh?" he asked once. - -"I should say about seventeen miles," the other replied, after mental -figuring; "though that's only a guess, because we don't happen to have -any way of telling. This car isn't equipped with a cyclometer, you know, -or any other thing that costs money. I'm surprised that the tires have -held out so well." - -"That isn't much more than one-third of the way to camp, either," -declared Blake, disconsolately. "I'm wondering what I could do in case, -after all your work, you fail to coax the poor old engine into going -again. It'll be too bad if we get to the camp too late to carry that -letter back to Uncle Reuben in time; for he is a terrible man to keep -his word, and he'll make that new will tomorrow night as sure as -anything, unless he hears from Felix by sundown." - -"Well, if it comes to the worst," Hugh told him, soothingly, "you could -wire Uncle Reuben to hold up, and that a letter was on the way with an -ample apology. I suppose you don't have any doubt about Felix giving you -such a letter, Blake?" - -"No, I don't, Hugh. Not that he cares so much about the old gentleman's -money, because, you see, he has some of his own coming to him in another -year or so; but Felix is a good-hearted fellow, and really cares a heap -for his guardian." - -Meanwhile, Bud Morgan was working with all his might, trying to locate -and cure the engine trouble. Bud was a very determined fellow, as his -chums had learned many a time in the past. Once he set his mind on -accomplishing anything he would persist everlastingly at the job, even -when it seemed next door to hopeless. - -"I'm beginning to get on to it, boys, I want to tell you," he finally -said, as he crawled out from under the car so as to stretch his cramped -limbs, and wipe the perspiration from his forehead with a bandanna that -had once upon a time been a beautiful red, but was now sadly faded. - -"But almost two hours have slipped by since our plug engine balked on -us," complained Blake Merton, painfully. "Not that I'm trying to rub it -into you fellows, because both of you are doing the work, while a -greenhorn like me has to sit around and grunt, and count the minutes. If -only some other motorist would come along about now maybe he might be -able to lend us a hand." - -"Wish to gracious one would show up," sighed Bud. "What a fellow doesn't -know about pesky engines like this would fill a book. Another pilot -might just happen to be familiar with this particular kind of trouble. -'Many men, many minds,' you remember. But don't think I'm going to give -it up. There's a little of the old U. S. Grant about me, and I purpose -'fighting it out on this line if it takes all summer.'" - -"That's a bully way of looking at it, Bud, and I give you lots of -credit," said Blake, shrugging his shoulders. "If we stick here until -tomorrow I might just as well head back toward Oakvale, for all the good -a visit to camp will do me." - -"Listen!" warned Hugh, holding up a finger. - -"Ginger! some one coming, as sure as anything!" ejaculated Bud, looking -inexpressibly relieved. - -The plain sound of an approaching car could now be heard. It was also -coming from the same direction as their course had just covered, that -is, from distant Oakvale. - -"I can see him starting to take the hill," announced Blake, eagerly, -"and, say, if it is only a flivver, it tackles the rise as if no ascent -had any terrors for it. One man is in the little car, but, then, he may -be an angel in disguise. I hope so, I certainly do." - -So the trio of anxious scouts waited for the coming of the lone motorist -whose small car was already courageously mounting the elevation. - - - - - CHAPTER III - RISING SUSPICIONS - - -The oncoming car soon reached the spot where Hugh, Bud and Blake were -stalled. Hugh threw up his arm as a signal that they would be greatly -obliged to the party in the lone machine if he would stop for a brief -time to hear their tale of woe, and either assist them, or at least give -advice. - -The occupant of the little car was a dark-faced man of middle age with -what seemed to be a perpetual smile on his face, or was it a leer? Hugh -did not like his looks any too well, he confessed to himself. When -motorists are in trouble they have no business to find any fault with -the looks of a possible Moses who might lead them out of the wilderness. -Whether he is handsome or homely, pleasant-looking or a sour-visaged man -matters little if only he is accommodating. - -"We're in a mess, it happens, sir," Hugh commenced saying. - -"So I see," sneered the man, looking suggestively at Bud's grimy hands, -and then toward the stalled ramshackle car. - -"Our knowledge of mechanics isn't all it should be," continued Hugh, -determined not to be daunted by this poor beginning, "and if you could -spare five minutes to take a look at the cause of our trouble, perhaps -you might tell us how to remedy the same. I'm sure we'd feel under heavy -obligations, sir." - -"We certainly would," added Blake; "it's of prime importance that we get -along just now, because we're heading for the mobilization camp, on an -important errand, sir. Please oblige us, won't you?" - -He tried to throw all the pathos possible into his application. Hugh -thought the man was laughing in his sleeve, so to say. At any rate, he -failed to make the first movement toward getting out of his still -throbbing car. - -As a general thing, motorists are most accommodating toward those in -distress. It seems to be a rule of the road that when the signal is -given, any one passing by must be adjudged next door to a criminal. A -fellow feeling makes all men who drive motors sympathize with one -another, for there is no telling just how soon they may themselves be in -dire need of the same help. - -"Sorry to say I'm in a desperate hurry myself, boys," snapped the man, -between his set teeth. "I'd like to help you, but any delay just now -might cost me a big amount in money. I reckon you'll get her going, some -way or other. At the worst, you could let her drop back down the hill. I -think there's a farmhouse up that little dirt road half a mile or so -where you could stay over-night. So I'll have to push along and leave -you. Sorry, too, for I'd like to help you." - -With that he once more started along, and the three scouts stared after -him struggling under various emotions. - -"The mean skunk!" gritted Bud. "I'll fix my old engine if it takes a -leg. Course, he might have shown me a better way, but I'm coming along." - -Blake Merton was shaking his head as though some new thought had taken -possession of his mind. - -"This means _something_, I tell you, Hugh!" he burst out with. "It isn't -just one of those accidents that bob up now and then. That chap was -chuckling to himself all the while, just because he had come on us -stalled here." - -"What's that?" asked Hugh, somewhat startled by such an assertion. "Why -should a stranger care whether a pack of scouts were held up with engine -trouble or not?" - -"I'll try and tell you, Hugh," came the quick reply, as Blake's eyes -snapped. "I didn't think to mention it before because--well, so many -other things chased through my brain, you know. But this is the same -fellow I saw talking to Luther Gregory." - -"You mean the degenerate son of Uncle Reuben, the tough case he threw -over, and vowed never to have anything to do with again?" gasped Bud -Morgan, stopping when about to once more crawl under the stalled car. - -"No other," came the quick reply. - -"Has he been seen again in Oakvale lately?" demanded Hugh. "I remember -that he got mixed up in some row, and his father paid the bill only on -condition that Luke promised to shake the dust of the home town off his -feet, and never show up again. If the slippery fellow hadn't agreed to -this, Mr. Gregory was going to let the law take its course, for his -patience had reached the limit." - -"Listen," said Blake, earnestly. "I saw Luke this very morning while -getting my little package, after leaving you fellows, and going home to -say good-bye to my folks. I, too, was surprised to set eyes on him, -knowing about that promise to stay away from Oakvale. He was talking -with that very man we just saw pass us. Hugh, they seemed to be on good -terms, for I saw them shake hands as if to bind some sort of bargain. -Then Luke discovered me, and gave the other a nudge. I thought that man -stared mighty hard at me as I passed, just like he meant to remember my -face. Now, I'm wondering what all that could mean." - -Hugh was silent for a brief spell. His mind was endeavoring to grapple -with the problem that confronted him. - -"It seems almost too big a thing to be true, Blake," he finally -remarked; "but if Luke Gregory could have in some way learned what his -father was meaning to do about making another will, and cutting Felix -out entirely, why, he might think it worth his while to plot so as to -keep you from seeing your cousin in Battery K." - -Bud Morgan whistled to indicate his deep interest in the matter. - -"Now, I happen to know that Luke Gregory used to be a right smart sort -of a chap when he lived in Oakvale," Bud observed. "I wager he's up to -just that kind of a game. However he could have learned the news we'll -never find out. He may have a spy among the servants in the Gregory -house, some one who used to care for him when he lived at home, and who -reported the interview his father had with Judge Marshall. Then, again, -it might be that same spy followed the lawyer, and saw him talking with -Blake here." - -"That's pretty far-fetched," admitted Hugh. "You must remember that it -was over the 'phone the judge asked Blake to come and see him. Possibly, -though, this spy in watching the lawyer's house noticed Blake going in, -and guessed why he had been sent for. But, no matter, there seems to be -a chance that Luke _did_ know, and that he believes it to be to his -interest to prevent a meeting between Blake and Felix until the time set -has expired." - -"It might be," mused Blake, "that Luke has never stopped hoping he might -yet be able to make up with his father, and that he thinks his first -move should be to get Felix out of the running. This, then, would be too -good a chance to be lost. He has started that man toward the camp, -knowing about our coming. So, now, we can understand why he seemed to be -grinning all the while." - -"It did seem to tickle him, seeing us stalled here, and likely to stay -for goodness knows how long," admitted Bud, frowning. - -Hugh took more stock in the theory the longer he considered it. Although -at first it may have seemed far-fetched, just as he had remarked, -"familiarity did not breed contempt" in this case. - -"Well, there's nothing to be done but, get our engine running again, if -we can," he said, while Bud was hammering noisily under the body of the -car. "If, in the end, that fails, we'll try and think up some other -scheme, for the more difficulties that crop up in our path, the more -stubborn we become." - -"Oh! thank you for saying that, Hugh!" exclaimed Blake. "I know mighty -well that when you've set your teeth, and start in to win, something is -bound to come from it. I was beginning to get discouraged, but, say, -that's passing away now, and I seem to be drawing in my second wind." - -Just then there came a whoop from underneath the car. - -"Cheer up, fellows!" called out a muffled voice. - -"Do you think you've found out how to fix her up so she'll work again, -Bud?" cried Blake, his face aglow with renewed hope. - -"Watch my smoke, that's all," was the reassuring reply, followed by -additional pounding; and presently Bud wriggled out from his confined -quarters, a sight to behold, so far as face and hands and discolored -duster were concerned; but Hugh paid little or no attention to these -things, because he saw that a huge grin decorated the greasy countenance -of his chum. - -Some more pottering followed. Then Bud gave the crank a few turns. There -was no response, and evidently the balky engine still declined to behave -itself. Nothing daunted, Bud tried a second, and then a third time. When -still once more he flirted with the crank there came a sudden roar, and -sure enough the car rocked under the pulsations of the conquered motor. - -"Hurrah! you've done it, Bud, sure you have!" cried the happy Blake, as -he danced up and down in his excitement. - -"Wait till I get these things back again, and wipe some of this mess -from my face and hands," said the mechanic, "and then we'll start right -up the hill with a push that can do next door to anything." - -"I really believe she's working better than ever before," suggested -Blake. - -"Well, considering what I did in cleaning things up," grinned Bud, -holding out his grimy hands, "that isn't to be wondered at. She was -fairly clogged with dirt. Give me just another minute, boys, and then -we'll be on the jump!" - - - - - CHAPTER IV - THE HOLD-UP - - -"This is something like living," Blake remarked, after they had easily -made the top of the hill, and were coasting down the other side with -increased celerity, though Bud apparently did not dare allow full speed -for fear lest something would happen to a dilapidated part of the worn -machinery, and cause a bad accident. - -All of them were pleased. Although much time had been lost, still, with -anything like decent luck, they should easily be able to make the camp -while the sun still hung above the western horizon. Blake asked for -nothing better. - -"That scamp in the flivver had nearly an hour's start of us, boys," -Blake later on observed. "By rights he ought to be ten miles and more -ahead of us, I say; but do you know I half thought I caught a glimpse of -his car when we came over the top of the last rise, and not so very far -away, either." - -"I certainly heard a sound that might have been made by a car dashing -across a short bridge ahead, there," admitted Hugh. - -"All of which looks queer to me," continued Blake. "Do you think, Hugh, -he might have held back to see how we came out of that scrape? Would he -be figuring on doing something to hold us up on the way?" - -"I don't know," was the reply of the patrol leader. "All we can do is to -keep a good lookout as we go along, and fight shy of breakers. If only -Bud can keep that engine going, we're bound to arrive, some time or -other. If that man tries to bother us, he may wish he hadn't," and the -light that shone in Hugh's eyes as he said this told how he meant every -word. - -"Huh! he wouldn't be the first fellow who felt sorry he'd fooled with -the scouts of Oakvale," boasted Bud, with memories of previous exploits -crowding his brain. "If a silly bear will monkey with a buzz-saw, he c'n -expect to get hurt, that's all." - -"Pull up!" hastily ejaculated Hugh as he saw something glisten in the -road ahead of them. - -They had just started around a bend, and were going at a fair pace at -the time. Bud put on the brake, and the car speedily came to a stand, -but, alas! just a trifle too late to avoid the breakers. There was a -sudden explosion. - -"Gee! a tire's busted!" cried Blake, in dire dismay. - -All of the boys jumped out, and it needed only one look to tell them the -truth, for the left front tire lay flat. - -"Glass!" snapped Bud, wrathfully, as he glanced around. "Just think of -anybody heaving a bottle overboard like that, when there are so many -stones around. Seems to me the least the rascal could have done would be -to throw the same into the bushes here." - -Hugh was bending over as though deeply interested, and just then he -electrified his two companions by crying out: - -"It was no accident, after all, fellows, but a part of a cleverly -arranged plot! These bottles were fetched along purposely. They were -broken right on this rock, where you can see all the fine glass; and the -pieces were put on the road so that a car couldn't pass along without -being terribly cut. See here, and here, and here!" - -Bud was furious. He gritted his teeth, and growled like a "bear with a -sore head," as he himself afterwards explained it. - -"Hugh! you're right, hang the luck if you ain't!" he went on to say, as -he looked the ground over. "That miserable skunk laid the plot, and I'm -sorry to say it worked like a charm. See how he chose a place just -around a bend, so we mightn't get warning in time by the sun glinting -from the broken glass? Oh! he's a corker of a schemer, that chap is; and -I'd like to get my hands on him! Say, what I wouldn't do to him would be -hardly worth mentioning." - -"Forget all that, Bud," cautioned wise Hugh. "That sort of talk never -mends cut tires. All of us must get busy, and see what we can do. -Luckily enough you made out to have an extra tire along, even if it's a -tough proposition. Let's make the change in double-quick time." - -All the while they worked the boys exchanged opinions, and if that man -could only have heard what they thought of him surely his ears would -have burned. - -"One thing certain," Hugh was saying later on, as the job progressed -fairly well, "this thing has settled the question about his being -interested in keeping us out of the mobilization camp." - -"Just what it has, Hugh," admitted Blake, jubilantly. "When once you -know what you're up against, the chances of winning out are stronger; -anyway, that's always been my opinion." - -"Have you cleaned off the road ahead of us, Blake?" asked Bud, "because -we'll be on the move again as soon as I get a little more air in this -tire." - -"I walked along the road for a hundred yards," replied the other, "and -found no more of the glass. I reckon he bunched it all around here, so -we couldn't dodge running smack into the same." - -"After this," said Bud, grimly, "I'll slow up whenever we come to a -turn. You never can tell what a wretch like that may have fixed around -the bend. Once bit, twice shy, isn't a bad motto. I don't mean to get -trapped in the same way again, if I know it." - -"So I was right, wasn't I?" Blake remarked, with a touch of satisfaction -in his voice, "when I said I felt sure I had seen that flivver a mile or -two ahead of us, when it should have been at least ten miles further -along?" - -"That's correct, Blake," assented Hugh; "your eyes told you the truth. -All of us will have to keep on the watch right along. The man who could -play such a mean trick on people in a car with such bad tires as this -one has would be equal to anything, in my opinion. Ready now, Bud?" - -"Yes, and that tire seems to be pretty snug," came from the hard-worked -pilot, who, however, never once complained, for Bud was not a shirker, -if he did have certain faults of his own to contend with. "I only hope -the others don't turn out to have been cut so they'll go back on us -sooner or later. Glass like this is a bad proposition when you're -running on worn rubber." - -Once more they were moving along. How keenly they kept their eyes on the -lookout for further trouble ahead could be detected by the manner in -which all three forgot to observe the scenery around them, the dusty -road monopolizing their attention. - -As the minutes continued to slip past they had the satisfaction of -knowing that they were putting the miles behind them. Five and more had -been dropped since that last accident. Blake asked further questions -concerning the probable distance over which they had now come, and as -usual Hugh was able to give a conservative guess. - -"All of twenty-five miles from Oakvale by now, I should say," he -announced. "If you want to know how I'm able to say that, let me -explain. I have a rough map of the country up here. I copied it hastily -from one they had at the recruiting tent, for you know the battery must -have come along this same road we're now on. A mile back we saw a -crossroads. That was marked on the map with the figures twenty-four; so -after all it was easy to add another mile to that score; and there you -are." - -"Only for your long head in making a rough copy of that road map, Hugh," -declared the admiring Blake, "we would certainly be up against it now. -Well, that leaves some fifteen or twenty more miles. Can we fetch it by -sundown, do you believe, Bud?" - -"Oh! easy going!" came the flippant reply, though accompanied by a side -wink in the direction of Hugh, which was possibly intended to convey the -meaning that the aforesaid result could be attained if they were -fortunate, and met with no further mishaps such as had already delayed -them on two occasions. - -"I think we're coming to some sort of village," observed Hugh, later on, -"for I can see a small house on one side of the road, with some chickens -and a dog in the way. Slow up, Bud; we don't want to race through here, -and be hauled up for exceeding the speed limit; or else have to stop and -pay for some silly hens that were bound to get under our wheels." - -Several cottages were passed. Then they came to a stretch of woodland, -beyond which, doubtless, the town proper lay, for they could see signs -of smoke rising, and there was also a sound as of an engine working in -some sort of mill. - -Suspecting no immediate trouble, the boys were running along quite -smoothly when, without the slightest warning, they received a sudden -shock. Again it came to them just around a bend in the road, though Bud -had kept his word, and was moving slowly at the time. - -A rope was stretched directly across from one tree to another. To make -the hold-up even more positive, a log had been rolled out, and lay -there, blocking the road, so that even should a swiftly-going car have -broken the rope, it was bound to come to grief against that other -obstacle. - -"Pull up, Bud! quick!" almost shrieked Blake Merton, but he might just -as well have spared himself the trouble of letting out this frantic -appeal, for the driver had his car well under control, and was easily -able to bring it to a halt some ten feet away from the obstructions. - -No sooner had they halted than a gruff voice was heard calling out: - -"Throw up your hands and surrender, you three young raskels! I've got -yuh covered, all right, and yuh might as well give in peaceable like, -because you're up against the strong arm of the law!" - - - - - CHAPTER V - AN ECHO FROM THE PAST - - -The boys, following up this rasping voice, stared to see the figure that -broke out of the scrub close to the barrier, and approached them. No -wonder they almost felt their breath taken away, for had this been a -scene from some ridiculous motion picture play, the representative of -the majesty of the law as met with in a country marshal or constable, -could not have seemed more ridiculous. - -The man was old, and spare of figure. He was dressed in gray garments, -and wore a large soft hat built after the Western sombrero model. It had -a gilt cord around the crown, and was tilted up rakishly on one side. -Even to the glistening nickel star, that decorated his left breast, was -this representative of law and order, gotten up to shame one of those -stage sheriffs at whose antics youngsters in the cheap "movies" scream -with laughter. - -"Don't laugh, fellows, on your lives!" whispered Hugh, instantly, afraid -lest rash Bud, for instance, should break out into a loud roar that -would seriously offend the officer, and mean further trouble for them. - -He raised his hands, as did the other two boys, though Blake was -complaining after his customary fashion. - -"But, say, we couldn't have broken any speed law, Mister, because you -saw yourself we were just fairly _crawling_ along?" he protested, -weakly. - -The officer was holding a tremendous horse pistol of an ancient vintage; -it had an ominous look, and doubtless could give a fair account of -itself if fired, for they made good weapons in old-time days. - -"I never said as how yuh was pinched for speedin', did I?" he went on to -observe, with a grim smile hovering about his stern mouth, while his -beady eyes continued to rove from one boyish face to another. "Huh! I -guess now it's somethin' a heap worse nor _that_ you're wanted for. -Where did yuh git this car?" - -"Why, it belongs back in Oakvale," stammered Bud, hardly knowing what it -meant when the man with the nickel star shot this question directly at -him as the pilot of the expedition, or at least the one who was handling -the wheel. - -"K'rect. That corresponds with the information I had given tuh me," -continued their strange captor, nodding his head until his goatee made -him resemble a pugnacious billy-goat. - -Hugh instantly began to see a faint glimpse of light. Something about -the words which the constable had just uttered gave him a suspicion as -to the possible truth. He began to take a deeper interest in the -hold-up, which could turn out to be of an altogether different character -from what they had up to that moment believed. - -"My friend," he started to say, giving the constable one of his frank -smiles, "after all, don't you think you may have made a mistake in -holding us up as you have? Honest, now, do we look like fellows who -would steal a car; and even if we ever had such a scheme afoot, wouldn't -we be apt to pick out a machine worth taking, rather than a rattle-trap -like this ramshackle thing?" - -The constable somehow seemed a bit impressed. There might have been that -in the manly bearing of the boy who was speaking, as well as something -in his voice that touched a responsive chord in his old heart. He -stroked his straggly chin whiskers with his unemployed hand, and -continued to ogle the three lads so eagerly leaning toward him from the -car. - -"Uh! waal, it does seem like yuh'd be a passel o' fools tuh grab a -rattle-trap car as this un when yuh might a had your pick. But then he -says tuh me there was a reason why yuh did it." - -"Oh! then some one put you wise to our coming along this road, did -they?" Bud flashed out. "Guess we can hit on the skunk, all right, -Mister. He was a little ornery reptile, wasn't he, with a grin on his -black face all the time? Tell me, doesn't that cover his description all -right, sir?" - -"My name is Eben Wheezer, and I am the reg'lar authorized constable of -Halletsburg," the other went on to explain. "I'm free to confess that I -was give a pointer concernin' yuh boys. Mebbe it's jest a lark you're -playin', but, all the same, when a car has been taken without the -owner's knowledge or permission, the eye of the law looks on it as a -_bony fide_ theft. It becomes the duty of a constable to pinch the -offenders." - -"Listen, Mr. Wheezer, please," urged Hugh. "Delay of even an hour would -mean a serious thing to us just now. We are on our way to the -mobilization camp, and it is of extreme importance that we get there -some time this evening. That man you talked with seems to be an enemy of -ours. He is connected with a scamp back in Oakvale who would be glad if -we failed to get to the camp, because it might mean money in his pocket. -He has already done his best to knock us out, even filling the roadway -with glass from broken bottles, so as to cut our weak tires, and keep us -from getting on." - -"Which happened, too, as you can see if you glimpse that tire we're -carrying, and which is slashed something terrible," interjected Bud, -impulsively. - -The country constable was interested, seeing which Hugh returned to the -attack on the principle that when you have the enemy started a vigorous -offensive should be carried out to get him on the run. - -"Besides, Mr. Wheezer," Hugh went on to say, confidingly, "we are, as -you see, scouts. Our uniforms will tell you that, our badges too; and, -if you want, I can show you a number of clippings from the papers that -tell of certain things of merit the Oakvale scouts have done in the -past." - -"By gum! what's that shiny medal you're wearin', son, stand fur?" -suddenly demanded the constable, fixing his glittering eyes on Hugh's -left breast. "She looks a heap like the real stuff to me, an' gold, at -that!" - -Hugh at once took it off and passed it over. If ever he felt proud on -account of the possession of such a fine medal, that time was then and -there, because he believed it was going to save himself and chums a good -deal of trouble and time. - -The constable put on a pair of glasses with huge horn rims, and peered -at the inscription, turning the neat little medal over in his hands. -When he looked again at the owner there was a marked interest in his -thin and pinched face. - -"Tell me, air yuh this same Hugh Hardin it speaks of here?" he demanded, -hoarsely, taking a step nearer the halted car. - -"That happens to be my name, sir," replied Hugh. - -"Did yuh git this here medal fur savin' lives when that flood was -rampagin' through the town of Lawrence?" continued the officer, his -voice now showing signs of hoarseness that might have come from excess -emotion. - -"Why, yes. Several of my chums and I were visiting there when that dam -up the valley broke, and the bridge over the river was carried away. We -had a pretty lively time of it during the few days we were detained -there, on account of no trains running. We managed to hold out a helping -hand to some of the poor people caught in the flood. You know, sir, -that's what scouts live for, to assist others not so well off as -themselves." - -Eben Wheezer heard the boy through. Then he did a number of queer -things, first of all ramming that ancient pistol out of sight in one of -his pockets, and then actually holding out a thin and trembling hand to -Hugh. - -"Say, son, I want tuh shake hands with yuh, that's what I do!" he -startled them by saying, enthusiastically. "This hold-up is all off, yuh -understand. I was an old fool tuh take that rascal's seegar, and b'lieve -half he says tuh me 'bout some boys comin' along the road here as how he -reckoned had stole a car, and that there was likely tuh be a reward -offered fur their apprehension, which I might jest as well rake in as -the next un. But I kin see it all now, an' I'm right glad tuh meet up -with Hugh Hardin." - -"What do you know about me, Mr. Wheezer?" asked the patrol leader, -flushing at the same time with pleasure as he felt the cordial grip of -that lean hand. - -"Oh! only this, son," laughed the old constable, pumping the boy's hand -as though he might be the milkman making up a deficiency in his cans, -"it happens that I had an ole wife a visitin' over there in Lawrence at -the time that dam broke. Yes, and, what's more, she told me it was a boy -named Hugh Hardin that kim along with some other scouts in a rowboat and -saved her from a house that was a-floatin' off in the flood. Huh! think -I'd ever forgit _that_ name when it belonged to the lad who kept me from -bein' a forlorn widower? This here is a joyous occasion for me, I tell -yuh." - -Bud gave a whoop, and danced around like a crazy thing. - -"Talk to me about bread cast upon the waters returning before many -days," he was crying excitedly. "Did anybody ever hear the equal of -this! See, Hugh, how your good deeds repay you heaps of times over. We -thought we had run across another enemy, and he turns out to be a bully -sort of a friend. Won't you shake hands with me, Mr. Wheezer, even if I -wasn't lucky enough to be in that bunch that did such good work at -Lawrence--the honor of that exploit goes to Hugh, here, Billy Worth and -Monkey Stallings. But, then, we're all chums, you know, sir, and in the -same boat." - -The delighted constable was only too glad to oblige Bud, and so warm was -his grip that possibly the other felt a tinge of regret at insisting -upon being given a hand-shake. Blake Merton felt that it would not do -for him to be left out in the cold, so he had to grimace and bear it -when Eben got to working his lean fingers. - -Indeed, all of the boys felt they had good reason for feeling thankful. -What had threatened to prove a disaster and promised to overwhelm their -plans was now working in their favor. The wearing of his badge, given by -Scout Headquarters to those members of the organization who have saved -human life at great peril to themselves, had turned out to be a most -wonderful blessing to them. Instead of being held up, perhaps thrust -into a miserable country lock-up until the next day, with their plans -ruined, they were now free to proceed along their way. - -Hugh did not want to lose any more time than could be avoided, so -instead of entering into a long conversation with the constable, he -hastened to say: - -"If we were not in such a great hurry, Mr. Wheezer, it would give me -great pleasure to stop over with you, and visit your home, to meet your -wife. I reckon I would know her again if I saw her. I'd be glad to tell -you the story of what happened over in Lawrence when the flood swept -down the valley. But we have a big stake in trying to make that camp by -tonight. One of my chums here has a cousin in the battery who stands to -lose a fortune if we are kept back; and the man who hired that rascal -you met hopes to win it. So you'll excuse us if we say good-bye now, and -thank you for being so kind." - -The constable had already removed the log from the road, and now he -unfastened his stout rope from the tree to which he had attached it. - -"No apologies needed, son," he hastened to say, cheerily. "Yuh knows -your business best, and if yuh chase after it in the same way yuh won -your spurs over tuh Lawrence, I reckons now yuh'll upset all the -kalculations o' thet schemer. Good-bye an' good luck tuh yuh, boys!" - -He waved his official hand to them as they shot forward, and the last -Blake saw of the odd, though good-hearted country constable, he was -standing there in the road looking after the retreating car, and still -waving his sombrero, while that bright nickel star on his manly breast -gleamed in the rays of the westering sun. - -"Congratulations, Hugh!" cried Blake, bubbling over with delight over -their recent narrow escape. "They say chickens come home to roost, and -that good deeds will pay a fellow back a thousand fold. Well, I want to -tell you there never was such a positive illustration of their truth as -this." - -"The best of it is," laughed Hugh, happily, "that no matter how much our -enemy plots against us, something comes along to upset all his -calculations. He thought we were stuck there all afternoon, with an -engine out of joint, but Bud here fooled him. Then there was that broken -bottle game, which did hold us up a bit; but in spite of a slit tire we -got started again. Last, but far from least, he fixed up this clever -trick of telling the old constable three boys had stolen a car, and were -coming along the road a ways back; also hinting that there might be a -good reward offered for capturing the rascals and holding them -over-night in the town cooler. But again our luck held good, and we -slipped through." - -"I'm satisfied now," asserted Blake Merton, "that nothing is going to -keep us from getting there some time tonight. I'll hunt up Felix right -away, talk to him like a Dutch uncle, get him to write that letter, and -then the first thing in the morning we can start back home again." - -"If anything goes wrong with the car, we'll find some other way of -returning, make up your mind to that, Blake," Hugh assured him. - -It was in this happy frame of mind that the three scouts passed through -the little town of Hallettsburg, and continued onward. As they went they -could frequently discover plain signs that to their practiced eyes -assured them the battery had traversed the same road they were now on. -Perhaps a boy untrained in the art of using his eyes, and seeing small -things that told a story, would never have been able to accomplish this -thing; but Hugh, Bud and Blake had served their time at studying -woodcraft, as practiced by the Indians from the days of Daniel Boone, -and they knew dozens of things that would, when noticed and examined, -tell an interesting story. - -The sun was getting pretty low in the west, and evening was coming on. -It was about the last quarter of the moon, which had been full on the -fifteenth of the month, so that no help from this source could be -expected until toward midnight, when the silvery remnant would be seen -rising in the East. That was one reason why the boys were anxious to be -getting on as fast as they dared chance it, because, once night settled -in, their progress would be blocked. - -"The sun's going down, Hugh," announced Blake, with a touch of dismay in -his voice. - -"That's all very true," replied the scout master, "but we'll have half -an hour of light yet, perhaps more, and I think we ought to make the -camp in that time!" - - - - - CHAPTER VI - THE BURNING BRIDGE - - -"Hugh!" called out Blake Merton a short time later, "did you see that -light flash up ahead of us there?" - -"Just what I did," came the immediate reply. - -"Do you think it could be one of the camp fires of the boys, a sort of -vidette post, you might say?" further questioned Blake, eagerly. - -"There it goes again, as sure as you live!" ejaculated Bud Morgan at the -wheel, "and, say, it's a fire, all right--growing stronger all the -while. I wonder what it can mean for us?" - -"We'll soon find out," remarked Hugh, confidently. "We're advancing, and -will come to a clear stretch in a minute or so, where the trees happen -to be sparse, and we can see ahead." - -"Perhaps, after all, it's only some cabin alongside the road, with the -people doing their cooking outdoors," observed Bud. "I saw that done -heaps of times when my folks took me down to Florida that winter I was -sick." - -Their curiosity grew by leaps and bounds as they proceeded along the -road. The closer they drew to the scene of the illumination, the more -puzzled all of the boys found themselves. - -Then suddenly it broke upon them. They must have turned a bend in the -road, for just as though a wave of a magician's wand had caused the -picture to appear before their eyes, they saw it all. - -"Oh! look at that, will you?" shrilled Blake, aghast at the vision. -"It's a bridge afire!" - -"It sure is!" echoed Bud, staring as though he could hardly believe his -eyes. - -"See how the flames are creeping along the wooden sides!" continued the -Merton boy, hysterically. "Why, they look like red snakes, that's what -they do. Hugh, what can we do to get across that river if the bridge -goes down?" - -"I can't tell you just yet, Blake!" snapped the other. "Let her out some -more, Bud. Never mind the risk to the old plug of an engine; we've _got_ -to get there so as to fight that fire, or we'll be dished. I know what -stream that is, and it's a deep one, too, far too deep for us to ever -hope to ford it with this car. Faster, Bud, faster, I tell you!" - -Bud Morgan never accepted anything that bordered on a dare. He had held -in thus far principally because he knew Hugh would not be apt to -countenance speed when it necessitated additional risk. Now he "let out -another notch," as he himself would have expressed it. - -The old car shambled along with dizzying celerity, making all manner of -ridiculous sounds, as though protesting against such haste. Still -nothing happened to indicate another breakdown; and at least they were -advancing toward the burning bridge with accelerated speed. - -All the while Hugh was wondering what could have caused the fire. It was -very strange, he concluded, that a country bridge should take a notion -to start up in a blaze like this, and just when it became a most -important link in their drive to the concentration camp. - -So they arrived on the scene. Bud was evidently for trying to run the -gantlet with a mad rush, but Hugh called upon him to draw up short, -which he did, stopping the car close to the near end of the wooden -structure. - -"We might have made it, Hugh!" urged Bud, reproachfully, as though he -regretted the cautious policy of the scout master. - -"But there would always be a chance that our gas tank would explode!" -cried Hugh; "look how the flames are driven straight across the bridge -by the wind. Then the fire is along both sides, so we'd have to run a -regular gantlet. No, Bud, old fellow, we couldn't afford to take the -chances. Out with you all, and let's see if we can't save the old bridge -yet." - -"Go to it, boys!" shouted Bud, instantly on the move, for he was a lad -of action, and never happier than when doing things. - -"Work on the windward side first!" ordered Hugh, with the sagacity that -leadership in an energetic scout organization is apt to bestow upon any -wideawake youth. "Here, snatch up these old lap-robes, and souse them in -the water. If you beat at the flames just as we did when the woods on -fire that time, you'll find they can be mastered. Everybody get busy!" - -"Whoop! watch my smoke, will you!" cried Bud, starting off with a rush. - -There chanced to be some old lap-robes in the car that Bud had managed -to secure, not of any great value, to be sure, so far as things of -beauty went, but bound to be of great value in an emergency like the -present. Each of the three scouts managed to secure possession of one of -these, and it required but a brief time to submerge the same in the -swift flowing and deep stream. - -With this soaking cloth in hand the energetic boys started to fight the -fire, slapping at the running flames as they curled along the side of -the bridge in long spirals that resembled creeping snakes. - -When three lively fellows get started at a task of this sort it is -wonderful what remarkable progress they can attain. With each stout blow -it seemed as though the fire that was threatening to demolish the entire -wooden structure received a serious setback. The boys fought their way -completely across the bridge, which was not of any great length. - -"Good enough for us!" cried the panting Bud. "We've licked that line of -skirmishers; do we tackle the other side now, Hugh?" - -"One good turn deserves another, so go for it!" advised the leader, -setting a pace himself that kept the others hustling to continue in the -same class. - -Success is always encouraging, and, having found that they could get the -better of those creeping flames, the three boys fought all the harder, -determined to crush the fire completely. - -"A little more elbow grease, boys, and victory is going to perch on our -banner!" Bud was crying, while he slapped that scorched laprobe again -and again on the railing of the bridge, even mopping up the floor with -it when occasion demanded. - -The boys were past masters at this sort of thing. They had served their -time at it on another occasion, when the woods, catching fire not many -miles from Oakvale, they had been called upon to help save certain -isolated farmhouses and crops that were threatened with destruction.[2] - -Breathing heavily, the three lads finally had the satisfaction of seeing -the last zigzag line of fire succumb to the vigor of their attack. -Still, Hugh would not be wholly satisfied. - -"Let's go down and wet these rags again," he told his chums, "and hunt -out every crack where the least bit of fire hides, so that after we go -on it isn't going to spring up again." - -"Might as well make a clean job of it while we're about it," agreed Bud, -as he followed Hugh down to the edge of the river, there to immerse -their "fighting togs" again in the water. - -As they walked along, carefully scanning both sides of the bridge for -any evidences of hidden peril, Bud once more broke out, voicing some -suspicion that he had evidently been harboring in his brain. - -"Hugh, don't you think it's mighty funny how this old bridge could get -afire? Suppose a threshing machine traction engine could have passed -over here lately; but, then, it's too early in the season for anything -like that to be going around. If a man on a wagon threw a burning match -aside after lighting his pipe, would it start things to burning? Somehow -I just can't believe this is an accident at all." - -"Oh! do you really mean you suspect it was done _on purpose_, perhaps to -keep us from crossing this deep river, and making us miss connections -with the camp?" asked Blake, apparently thrilled with the thought. - -"I'm certain of it," asserted Hugh, positively. "I'll tell you why. Just -bend your heads closer here, and take a whiff where this rail has been -only a little charred; what does it smell like?" - -"Why, Hugh, it makes me think of home, when the girl is starting our oil -stove going!" - -"That's a fact," added Bud, gritting his teeth ferociously, "and -somebody's gone and saturated both sides of this bridge with kerosene, -so as to give the fire a good send-off. Oh! the low-down wretch, what -wouldn't I give to have a chance to choke him." - -"Try it again over here, and you get the same odor," Hugh observed, -impressively; "yes, and right there you can see where some of the stuff -spilled, for the spot looks greasy. He must have had a can of kerosene -along with him in his car for just such a purpose as this." - -Each boy in turn dropped on his hands and knees, the better to take a -"sniff" at the discolored spot on the floor boards of the bridge that -had such a "close call." As they once more regained their feet they -nodded their heads, unanimous in their opinion as to the origin of that -greasy mark. - -"Which shows that our good luck still haunts our footsteps," Blake said, -trying to smile happily, though there was a deep-seated look of -apprehension to be detected in his eyes. - -Truth to tell, all of them were more or less impressed with the -malignity shown by this party whom they believed to be in the pay of -Luther Gregory. He was evidently bent upon earning the sum promised him -in case he, by hook or crook, prevented the boys from reaching the -mobilization camp until it was too late to secure that apology from the -quick-tempered Felix. - -"Well, do we cross over now, and move along our way?" asked Blake, -unable to conceal the anxiety he naturally felt because of these -numerous delays. - -"Nothing to hinder that I can see," replied Hugh. - -"I'll drive the old car across, presently, while you two wait for me at -the other side," Bud said, as he climbed aboard. "Take a good look as -you go, and tell me if any of the flooring is burned through." - -As they crossed over, Hugh and Blake kept a good lookout, and reported -all safe; so presently Bud, having coaxed the engine to start again -after some effort, joined his mates on the further side of the stream. - -"I certainly do hope," ventured Blake Merton, with a sigh, as he -proceeded to settle down in his old seat again, "that we've run up -against the last obstacle. It's certain that chap can't think up much -more evil to turn against us." - -"What's coming now?" cried Bud. "I can hear shouts, and, Hugh, there -seems to be men running around that clump of undergrowth alongside the -road." - -"I bet you there's a village along there, and that the people have just -discovered the smoke of the fire here," advanced Blake. "They know about -the bridge, and are coming to save it. They would have been just too -late if not for us." - -"They ought to give us a vote of thanks, then, for our services," said -Bud. - -"Listen to 'em shouting, will you?" continued Blake. "Why, it sounds to -me like they were real mad at something. Hugh, don't it strike you that -way, too? Look at some of the fellows in the lead shaking their fists at -us, just as if we'd gone and done something mean. Gee whiz! I hope now -they don't get the notion into their silly heads that _we_ started this -bridge to burning." - -Quite a crowd was coming wildly toward them, consisting of men and boys, -though there were also a few energetic women. Some of them carried -clubs, and waved these in a suggestive fashion. - -"Sit tight," warned Hugh, sternly; "it means that we're up against it -again. Above all things, don't do or say anything to start a fight!" - - - - - CHAPTER VII - THE ACCUSATION - - -If one of the three scouts entertained doubts as to the hostility of the -mob that came running along the country road, these were quickly -dispelled. In another minute the car was surrounded by an angry crowd. A -dozen voices shrilled at them, and sticks were shaken in their faces. - -"Stand back, everybody!" shouted a burly man, who seemed to be invested -with more or less authority. "I'm the sheriff of this county, it -happens, and I don't allow any interference with my business. Three of -my posse being present, I call on them to stand by me. The rest of you -hold your peace. I'll do what talking is necessary." - -Hugh was glad to know this. He could deal with, a single individual, -where it was utterly impossible in the case of an excitable mob. So Hugh -hastened to speak up, addressing his remarks to the man of authority. - -"Will you kindly tell us what all the row is about?" he asked, -pleasantly. "We are heading for the camp where the State militia is -mobilizing, and, discovering this bridge afire, worked with all our -might to put out the flames. If you look at those dirty cloths lying -there, you'll find that they were once lap-robes. We soaked them in the -water, and slapped the flames out as we were trained to do in fighting a -forest fire." - -A few of the villagers may have been impressed with the words spoken by -Hugh, as well as his manly bearing; but they were vastly in the -minority. Most of those present were so worked up by anger that they -seemed blind to the facts. - -"Don't believe him, Sheriff," urged one man, venomously; "he's only -lying. All boys'll lie whenever they get a chanct. I know these here -scouts, how they like to strut around like heroes. And, Sheriff, you c'n -depend on it they set fire to our bridge just a purpose to make believe -they did a big thing whipping the flames out." - -"That's what he told us they'd like enough say," called out another man, -whose small face and vinegary looks told of a mind that was below the -mediocre. "He says he saw 'em running around like they was pourin' -something on the sides of the bridge from a bottle. Say, I kin smell -coal oil, by Jimminy crickets; if I can't now." - -"Lock the young rascals up, Sheriff!" - -"Larn 'em a lesson they'll never forget. 'Cordin' to my mind, there's a -heap too much talk nowadays 'bout boys doin' great stunts. It's jest -upsot a lot o' 'em, so they're lookin' around all the time for ways to -make people think they're jest like little David when he knocked over -that Goliath chap long ago." - -So several other men had their say. Hugh listened to it all, and waited -for an opportunity to get a chance to explain. He knew that he must -depend on the sheriff, and so he kept him in mind when he finally -started in to speak. - -"Please listen to me, Mr. Sheriff," he began to say, impressively. "We -belong in the town of Oakvale, where you'll find, if you telephone the -Chief of Police, that our reputation is gilt-edged. We are on our way to -the big camp over beyond the hills yonder, where Battery K, from -Oakvale, is located. We have very important business with one of the -members, who is a cousin of this boy here. It will cost him his -inheritance if we are unable to talk with him by tomorrow. There is a -man whose interest it is to keep us from doing this. He has tried -through an agent of his in a number of ways to hold us back; and, if you -wish, I would take pleasure in telling you all about these things. Sir, -we have good reason to believe that this setting fire to your bridge was -a part of his scheme to detain us." - -"What's that, boy?" asked the sheriff, hastily. "Can you tell us what -this man you're speaking of looks like?" - -"A man passed us while we were fixing our engine on the road hours ago," -Hugh readily explained, "and when we asked him to lend us a hand he said -he was in too big a hurry to stop. He seemed to be grinning all the -while, as though tickled at finding us in such a bad mess. We believe -that man is the agent sent out to hold us back from arriving at the camp -until it is too late to do any good." - -"Was he a little man, with a sharp face, and eyes that glittered like a -snake's?" called out one of the more friendly disposed men. - -"Yes, and he was in a flivver, a small machine with the top down," -explained Bud, taking part in the affair now. "He wore a suit that -looked as near green as you could find, and had on a leather cap with -goggles pushed up above the peak." - -The sheriff was impressed by what he heard. At the same time, he did not -appear disposed to drop the case against the three lads. Perhaps the -knowledge that some of those in the crowd refused to take any stock in -the story of the boys influenced him more or less; for murmurs were -heard rising here and there. - -"Don't you believe half he says, Sheriff," one man called out. - -"Boys c'n be all-fired tricky," another remarked, sharply, "and he's -certainly got a smooth tongue. Better run the lot of 'em in, and make -'em prove their innocence. That's the best way to fix it, 'cordin' to my -mind." - -Hugh felt uneasy. If the sheriff were so disposed he could, of course, -lock them up on suspicion; and while nothing might eventually be done -toward convicting them for the crime of setting fire to the bridge, the -delay would cost them dear. - -But it happened that once more in their extremity fortune worked what -almost seemed like a miracle in their behalf. Hugh noticed that two -children had joined the crowd. He also knew that they had certainly not -come along the road with the runners, for they could never have kept -pace with the mob racing toward the river. - -A sudden thought struck him. He turned to the sheriff and began to -suggest a plan of action that would possibly prove the truth or falsity -of the charges against them. - -"Listen, Mr. Sheriff," Hugh began. "I think that small boy and girl -there must have been somewhere near by, because they came up out of the -bushes here just now. Ask them questions, won't you, sir, and find out -if they saw anything of what took place here? It may be they were in -hiding, and saw us come up while the bridge was burning. It's only a -fair deal we want, sir, and I'm sure you'll agree to that." - -The sheriff was more impressed than ever with the bearing of the boy who -addressed him. Besides, the plea he advanced seemed very plausible. He -turned upon the two children, a bright-looking boy and girl of about -ten. They were barefooted. - -"Look here, Billy Burt, and you, too, Sally, were you hiding in the -bushes here when we came up?" - -"Yep, that's what we was," said the boy, urged to speak by sundry -punches in his side, given by the elbow of his girl companion. - -"Why did you hide there?" - -"We was skeered when we got here, and seen the fire," came the answer. - -"Then the bridge was burning, was it, when you came along?" continued -the sheriff. - -"It shore was," the boy told him, positively. - -"Were these boys around at that time?" - -The boy stared at Hugh and Blake and Bud, then he grinned. "Nixey, they -wasn't. They kim hurryin' along, and fit the fire like wildcats. Yuh -jest orter seen how they slashed and slashed around till every bit o' -flames was done fur. Me'n Sally jest hid there in the bushes an' watched -the fun. It was better'n the movin' picture fire I seen down in -Hallettsburg." - -"Huh! that ought to settle the case against us, I should think," laughed -Bud as the boy finished his recital, which, though framed in -ungrammatical language, loomed as high as any speech ever delivered -before a judge in an appeal to free the accused before the bar. - -The sheriff threw up his hands. - -"Boys," said he, briskly, "you win. Instead of plucking you, and running -you in for attempted arson, I'm goin' to thank you most heartily on -behalf of the village of Scroggs Corners, which I happened to be -visiting this afternoon on business. Only for your efficient work we'd -have been a bridge shy tonight. Shake hands with me, and kindly excuse -my excess zeal that might have worked you all an injury." - -Well, the boys bore no malice. They were only too happy to know that -nothing was going to interfere with their onward progress. In fact, they -felt as though victors in the brisk engagement between this clever foe -and themselves. It was likely to be the last expiring effort of the -unscrupulous schemer; after this he would have to give up the attempt to -keep them from the camp until sufficient time had elapsed to destroy all -hopes of Felix making his peace with his uncle. - -"If you could only manage to round up that smart rascal who did set this -fire, Mr. Sheriff," Bud could not help saying, when shaking hands with -the official, now very friendly toward their cause, "it might be -possible to prove the crime against him. Perhaps you may discover he had -been carrying kerosene in his car, and that would be a strong piece of -evidence against him. He's given us heaps of trouble, which is partly -why I'm showing such a rattlesnake spirit toward him." - -"I mean to send word along the line, and round him up if he can be -headed," the sheriff admitted, though Hugh really believed he had not -dreamed of such an idea until Bud made his suggestion. - -Of course, even those who had been most disposed to believe the boys -guilty of arson had now been convinced of their innocence by the -statement of the boy who had seen all that went on from his -hiding-place. So when Bud started the car once more there was no sign of -opposition; indeed, only cries of goodwill followed the scouts as they -proceeded. - -Passing through the village, which they found to be laboring under more -or less excitement, the trio continued on their course. Later on, when -they came to a steep hill, the engine balked again, so that half an hour -was lost in coaxing it to be good. - -Blake had been sighing with impatience through the operation. Once he -had even gone so far as to suggest that he and Hugh start on foot, since -it could only be a matter of a few miles at the most that lay between -them and their intended destination. The working mechanic, however, -nipped this scheme in the bud by declaring that he was getting the upper -hand of the balky engine, and hoped to be able to make a fresh start -before ten minutes more had passed. - -Still, that half-hour delay was fated to have some effect upon their -fortunes. - -When the engine trouble had been mastered, and they were again on the -way, Blake seemed content. The persistent manner in which his comrades -managed to meet each new crisis as it appeared, and win out through any -and every kind of trouble, elicited his ardent admiration. Blake was -ready to declare that the day's reckoning would only redound to the -credit of scout efficiency. - -Hugh suspected that they were now close upon the big camp. He must have -caught certain sounds to tell him this. At least, as they drew near the -top of the slope, he bade both his chums keep on the lookout, because he -believed they were due for a pleasant surprise. - -Loud exclamations broke from their lips when, on reaching the summit, -they beheld a wonderful spectacle spread before them. Night was -gathering, and already the broad valley beyond the ridge lay in -semi-darkness, for the moon would not rise until very late. - -Scores, almost hundreds of fires, were burning a mile or more away, -looking weird to the startled eyes of the three scouts. They could also -discover a myriad of the same kind of khaki waterproof tents that -Battery K had used in Oakvale when endeavoring to drum up recruits at -the station in the public square. - -There lay the great mobilization camp of the State before them, with -some thousands of stalwart young men training so as to be accepted by -the Government for service along the far distant Mexico, where the -threatening shadow of war hovered. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - IN THE MOBILIZATION CAMP - - -"Well, this sure pleases me!" exclaimed Bud, as he stopped the car on -the summit of the ridge, so that they could feast their eyes on the -remarkable spectacle of all camp fires burning in the near distance. - -"It is wonderful," breathed Blake, "and well worth all the trouble it's -cost us to get here. I reckon that we must be close to the border of the -camp, and can expect to be held up by a sentry any minute." - -"I'm going to start up my headlights going down this decline," admitted -the pilot. "The more we drop into the valley the darker it'll be; and we -can't afford to meet with a smash-up at this stage of the game, when -we've about won out." - -He took especial pains in going down the slope, and finally the bottom -was reached in safety. Here they were suddenly greeted with a gruff -command to halt, and discovered a soldier in khaki bearing a gun -standing alongside the road. - -"Say, this does look like war-times, doesn't it?" said Blake, in a low -tone, "when you get hauled up by a vidette post. Hugh, please fix it so -we can go on." - -Some conversation followed between Hugh and the guard. Then a -non-commissioned officer was called, and more talk ensued. Hugh had laid -out his plan in advance, and so sagaciously that in the end he was given -permission to move on, although a soldier was placed upon the footboard -of the car to accompany the scouts to the quarters of Battery K. - -Possibly the fact that they too wore the khaki had something to do with -their being allowed to enter the camp at this late hour, so long after -the time when soldiers were given a chance to see relatives and friends. -No matter what the reason, all of the boys felt as though they had won -fresh laurels in making that run from the home town in such a rack of a -car, and also being obliged to overcome baneful opposition of an -unscrupulous enemy. - -They followed the road and were soon amidst some of the glowing fires. -Here they found guardsmen sitting around, and eating their supper, which -had evidently been prepared by the company cooks according to the rules -that govern the summer training camps. - -So far as Hugh and his chums could see, they were a jolly crowd, -laughing and carrying on as though they did not have a care in the wide -world. Once the bitterness of parting from their loved ones had been -passed over, these healthy-minded young soldiers could play their part -like men, and meet every situation that was likely to arise. - -"I tell you I'm nearly tickled to death because I came," Bud was saying -as they rolled along the road between two rows of fires that crackled -and sent up myriads of sparks. "Talk about camping out, this has got all -our experiences knocked to flinders. Why, there must be millions of -soldiers here in this big valley." - -"Better say thousands, and be nearer the truth, Bud," cautioned Blake. -"But it is a great sight, and one we'll never forget, either. If a -fellow needed to have his patriotism stirred to the bone, he'd get it -done here. See how Old Glory is fastened up over that big tent yonder. -Now I wouldn't be surprised if that was the colonel's tent; or it might -even be Headquarters for the general in charge of all these forces of -the State." - -"We've got to pass through the whole camp before we come to where -Battery K is located, so the sergeant said," Hugh remarked, as they -moved slowly on. - -Numbers of the soldiers came forward to have a look at those in the car. -Possibly some of them may have entertained vague hopes that the -newcomers might turn out to be friends or relatives, urged to make the -trip by a desire to glimpse a dear face once more before the guardsmen -were ordered South. Hugh believed there was a wistful expression on many -of the faces he saw turned their way. - -As for Blake, he could hardly restrain his impatience. The fact that -inside of a comparatively few minutes more he was to see his cousin, and -that there was still plenty of time for accomplishing his mission before -another day dawned, filled him with ecstacy. - -"Don't you think we must be nearly there, Hugh?" he would say, -pleadingly. "There couldn't be any mistake now, could there, so that -we're going the wrong way to strike our boys of Battery K? Are you sure -it's directly along this road, Bud, we ought to keep on going?" - -"That's what the _non-com._ told us," replied the driver of the car, -"and we must abide by orders when we're in a military camp. Besides, -we've got some one along with us to show us the way; so ease up, Blake, -or you'll crack sure." - -"Guess you're right, Bud," admitted the other, "and I'll try to hold -myself in; but somehow I can't feel dead sure till I'm shaking hands -with Felix, and know it's going to be all right." - -The fact of the matter was, as Hugh suspected, Blake was now beginning -to fear that his impulsive cousin might prove obdurate, after all, and -absolutely decline to humble himself so as to write a letter of apology -to his uncle and guardian. Of course this would settle the matter just -as positively as though that agent of Luther Gregory had succeeded in -holding them up by having them arrested and kept for twenty-four hours -in some village jail. - -"Look yonder, will you?" suddenly exclaimed Bud, nodding his head, and -using one hand to point to the left with, "there's a battery of -field-pieces, but it isn't the one from Oakland. Just beyond must be the -camp of the Engineers, because you can see a heap of picks and shovels -and such tools lying there. You know the Engineer Corps have to make -roads, build cook-houses, lay tent-floors for the officers' quarters, -and do heaps of things like that. A fellow told me about it who used to -belong, and quit because he said it was such hard work." - -"Look over on this side, Bud, and you'll see something that tickles -you," called out Blake. - -"The Signal Corps' headquarters, I'll be bound!" ejaculated the other in -sudden admiration. "See the wires they've run out. I warrant you every -command in the whole camp has a telephone in its headquarters, with a -Central station to boot. Now, if only I could run across the aviation -field, and see a few hangers for aeroplanes in evidence, I'd be happy." - -"Oh! they're further away, over to the right," explained the soldier who -stood on the footboard of the car. "We have three 'planes working every -day now, and more coming along. My brother is one of the air pilots, you -know, so what I'm giving you is straight goods, boys." - -They were by this time gradually approaching the other end of the great -camp, as could be told from the fact that the fires were becoming less -numerous beyond them. - -"Your battery lies just ahead of us now," announced the soldier, who -seemed to be thoroughly acquainted with the lay of the camp, and able to -direct any one to the location of each and every unit composing the -entire mobilization centre. - -Yes, they could already begin to see guns posted in a clump, or -"parked," to use a military term. These seemed to have a familiar look -to the Oakvale scouts, because they had many times handled the -dull-finished modern field-pieces, doubtless envious of the luck of -those whom they chanced to know as members of the company. - -Leaving the car alongside the road, the boys followed after their guide, -who led them directly over to where the battery had its tents, -Immediately Hugh and his two chums began to recognize familiar faces. A -number of the men jumped to their feet and hurried toward the newcomers. -Hugh noticed that in some cases it was a look of sudden concern that -came upon the reddened faces of the young artillerymen; and he could -give a pretty good guess why this should be so. They were assailed with -sudden fears lest something terrible might have happened to those left -behind in the home town, and that the scouts had been dispatched to -carry the sad news. - -"Hello! Hugh. Hello, boys. What fetches you away off here?" called out -one of the Battery K members; and his question must have voiced what was -on the minds of several others, since they all waited anxiously to hear -what Hugh might say in reply. - -"We've come to have a little chat with Blake Merton's cousin, Felix -Gregory, that's all," the patrol leader answered, at which something -like a look of relief passed over several faces. - -"Well, it must be something pretty important to fetch the three of you -forty and more miles in a car?" suggested one fellow. - -"Just what it is," jauntily admitted Blake. "Now, can any of you direct -us to where we'll find my cousin Felix?" - -"I was talking with him about half an hour back, but haven't seen him -since, now you mention it!" one called out. - -"I'd advise you boys to look up Captain Barclay, and he'll put you in -touch with Felix, who must be around somewhere, because we have orders -not to wander beyond bounds. There's the captain's tent over yonder, -Hugh." - -The speaker was big Hank Partridge, a cousin of Lige Corbley, and quite -well known to Hugh. As the advice seemed sound, the scout master -immediately turned his face toward the tent thus pointed out. - -"Come along, boys, and we'll see what the captain can do for us," he -told his two mates, at the same time starting forward. - -Blake was by now beginning to have that worried expression steal back -upon his face. His old fears had awakened again, as was evidenced by the -remark he made almost immediately after they started toward the -captain's tent. - -"It's mighty queer, I think, how not a single one of all those fellows -could remember seeing my cousin inside of half an hour. Things have been -happening so contrary lately I'm beginning to be afraid that something -may have come along to whisk Felix out of the old camp here so I never -will find him." - -"Oh! how silly to let yourself borrow trouble in that way, Blake," Bud -told him, scornfully. "What could carry him off but an aeroplane, and -I'm pretty sure they haven't yet got to ducking down in the heart of a -camp, and snatching a fellow up bodily. Just hold your horses, and we'll -run on him pretty soon now." - -They reached the tent of the commanding officer, where a sentry always -stood on guard. Hugh, knowing the rules that applied, asked to see -Captain Barclay, with whom he was, of course, well acquainted. In -another minute the captain himself came forth. - -He shook hands with Hugh and the other two scouts. Then the story was -briefly told, particular emphasis being laid on the numerous attempts -that had been made to keep them from meeting Felix Gregory. The officer -was, of course, deeply interested. To lose such a fortune as Uncle -Reuben owned would, he felt sure, be a calamity for any young fellow. - -"You deserve every encouragement, boys, after what you've done to save -Felix from the folly of his quick temper," he told them at the close of -the recital. "I'm sure he must have been sorry long before. I know his -generous nature well. I'll send out and have him come here to you. Then -Blake can talk with him aside, and, if my influence is worth anything, -you can depend on it I'll only too gladly say a good word." - -So he gave an order, and the soldier to whom it was delivered hastened -away. While he was gone the boys continued their chat with the captain. -Finally the messenger returned, made his salute to his superior officer, -and said something. Hugh was watching and saw the other look grave. -Blake clutched the arm of his chum when the captain of Battery K, -advancing slowly toward them, went on to explain. - -"Strange to say, boys, so far no one can be found who has seen Private -Gregory inside of half an hour. He seems to have mysteriously -disappeared; but, of course, he can be found, and if you will wait for -me here I'll go the rounds myself and rout him out. Don't worry while -I'm gone, for it'll be all right." - - - - - CHAPTER IX - THE DISAPPEARANCE OF FELIX - - -When the captain turned and left them again, the three scouts exchanged -uneasy glances. Blake suffered more than either of his chums, for his -heart had been wrapped up in his task. It meant much to him whether he -failed or won out in his self-imposed mission to the camp. - -"Hugh, do you know I expected something like this would happen," was the -way he expressed himself. "Somehow, even when we had beaten that -scheming rascal at his game several times, I seemed to have a feeling -that in the end he might be too smart for us." - -"Apparently, then," remarked Bud Morgan, "you've already made up your -mind that this queer disappearance of your cousin Felix can be laid at -the door of the same man we had so much trouble with on the road, the -chap in the flivver?" - -"Doesn't it stand to reason it must be that way?" demanded Blake. "Why -should Felix clear out of camp here otherwise? These fellows of Battery -K are in for the war, and wouldn't desert for all the money going. Felix -is as loyal as they make 'em; he'd sooner cut his hand off than be -thought a coward or a quitter. So there's only one way of explaining his -vanishing; which is through this man." - -"How about it, Hugh?" and Bud turned toward the patrol leader, as had -become a chronic habit with most of the members of the troop whenever -anything arose to bother or mystify them. - -"All I can say as yet," replied the other, steadily, "is that it begins -to look a whole lot that way. We had better wait a bit before deciding. -The captain may pick up some information that will give us a pointer. -Men don't disappear from a mobilization camp, as easy as all this, -without leaving some traces behind them." - -Blake shook his head dismally. Apparently he was losing heart, for so -many things had arisen to balk his ambition that the strain was telling -on him. - -"Well, all I can say is I wish this business was all over," he observed, -plaintively, "and we were on our way back home with that precious letter -to Uncle Reuben. I tell you I'll feel like shouting if we do win!" - -"Victory is always sweeter when you've had to fight hard to get it," Bud -declared, with boyish philosophy. "Don't we all remember that when we've -been up against a tough proposition, and had to take the bit between our -teeth before we could land? Never lose faith in what you're doing, -Blake. For one thing, you've got a couple of comrades along that mean to -stand back of you through thick and thin. That ought to be some comfort -to you." - -"It is, Bud, it certainly gives me a heap of satisfaction, the way both -of you stick to me. I'm going to take a brace up! We'll get there yet, -we've just _got_ to, and that's all there is about it." - -Brave words, those, and possibly Blake Merton meant them, but, -nevertheless, there were times when that anxious look would creep over -his face again, as fresh difficulties kept piling up before them, and -the desired end seemed as far away as ever. - -They continued to stand there and talk for some little time, all the -while eagerly awaiting the return of the friendly captain, whom all of -them knew very well, since he was a prominent business man in Oakvale. - -"There he comes!" asserted Bud, suddenly. - -Blake lost color, and his hand trembled when he accidentally touched the -sleeve of Hugh's khaki coat--perhaps, after all, it was through some -design that this contact came about, for a positive realization that the -scout master was standing by him must have given Blake renewed -confidence, of which he was evidently in great need just then. - -Captain Lawrence Barclay came hastily toward them. Hugh, discovering the -look of annoyance still on his face, guessed that he bore bad news. - -"Brace up, Blake, and show that you can stand whatever may be coming," -he managed to say in a low tone to his companion. - -Then the commander of Battery K arrived. He was a bluff sort of a man, -not much given to beating around the bush when he had anything to say; -nor could he smooth over disagreeable news as some men might. - -"I'm sorry to report that young Gregory seems to have disappeared from -camp altogether," he immediately remarked. "It is a most extraordinary -occurrence. In fact, several officers with whom I've spoken say they -would never have believed a man could vanish from the midst of a -thousand or two of his fellows, with sentries posted, and camp rules in -force. But I've sent out in every direction to find Gregory, but without -any success so far." - -Both Blake and Bud left things pretty much to Hugh, knowing his ability -to handle such a case. Like a wise scout, the patrol leader immediately -began to ask questions, with the design of getting facts that might give -them a clue to the solution of the camp mystery. - -"Captain," he started in to say, "would you mind telling us when Felix -Gregory was last seen about here?" - -"Several men seemed to agree on that point," replied the accommodating -officer, "and I am inclined to say that it was just about half an hour -back. At the time he was talking with a civilian who had managed in some -way to gain permission to enter the camp in his car. From what I have -learned, I believe Felix appeared to be considerably excited while he -held this conversation with the stranger." - -"Hugh, just as we suspected, it must have been that man!" gasped Blake. -Bud Morgan nodded his head, and pinched the other to keep him quiet. - -"Did any of them describe the man and his car, Captain?" continued Hugh. -"You remember what we told you about the party who gave us so much -trouble on the road? He was a small fellow, with a dark face, and snappy -eyes, and his car was one of that cheap class called a flivver. Does -that agree with what any of the men said, sir?" - -"It seems to cover the case exactly, Hugh," the officer hastened to -admit; "and, taken in conjunction with your remarkable story, makes the -matter seem more mysterious than ever. Apparently, then, that man who -tried to prevent you from getting to camp, finding that all his schemes -had failed, turned another tack, and now aims to keep Felix from seeing -you. How he has been able to get him out of the camp beats me; it would -seem to be an impossible task." - -Hugh was on his mettle now; his fighting blood aroused. The gleam in his -eyes told that, as he shut his teeth together with a snap, and went on -to say: - -"There will be some way of tracking them, and we'll find it out by hook -or by crook, Captain Barclay. If that man succeeds in keeping Felix -hidden away for the next twenty-four hours our goose is cooked, because -then it's going to be too late for any reconciliation between him and -his guardian. But there will be hours before that happens, and every -minute of that time the three of us here will be working like beavers to -find out the truth. We never give up until the last gasp; that's a -slogan of the scouts, you know, sir." - -"A mighty fine rule for any one to go by, I must say," remarked the -officer, looking admiringly at the speaker's flushed and determined -face. "I've heard lots of good things said about you Oakvale scouts, and -now I can understand why you've always met with such splendid success. I -want to say, Hugh, that you can count on me to render any assistance in -my power. What can I do for you now?" - -Hugh was equal to the occasion. Although he had had little time in which -to map out his course, owing to the sudden surprise by which they had -been confronted, he knew that one thing would be needed. - -"If you could manage it, Captain Barclay, so that we three might go -about camp without being held up, and put to a whole lot of -inconvenience, it would help us a heap." - -"That can be arranged, I think, Hugh," said the other, after a brief -period of reflection. "I'll try and get the general to write out three -passes, such as they may be, and word them so that you'll be likely to -have no trouble moving about. It is something unusual, of course, to -allow civilians to remain in camp at a time like this, especially over -night; but I think I can manage it all right." - -Leaving the three lads again, the captain entered his tent to start -operations looking to securing the passes. There was more or less -sending of messages, possibly between Battery K and Headquarters, while -Hugh and his companions tried to possess their souls in patience. - -Finally, after a long delay, Captain Barclay again made his appearance, -and in his hand he bore several folded papers. - -"I've had more trouble than I expected, boys," he told them pleasantly; -"but I believe everything is smoothed over now, and you will find little -trouble in moving about. Only a few newspaper correspondents have so far -been given the same privileges; but when the general learned what fine -things you scouts had to your credit in and around Oakvale, he obliged -me with his signature. Which shows again how a good reputation pays -every one a high rate of interest." - -Each of the boys received one of the "passes" that would allow them to -wander at will through the mobilization camp for the next twenty-four -hours, the privilege expiring with the setting of the following day's -sun; for after that time Hugh and his comrades would have no longer any -desire to remain there, since their mission before then must be either a -success or a failure. - -"You didn't tell us what others thought of the disappearance of Felix -Gregory, Captain?" Hugh remarked, as though anxious to learn this fact, -since it might have a bearing on the solution of the mystery. - -"Well, I interviewed one man in particular who was rather chummy with -Felix," replied the officer. "His name is Andrew Burtis, and you all -know him well. He told me he felt sure there was something on the mind -of Felix, for he brooded over something, and acted strangely for a -fellow of his happy disposition. In fact, it was Andrew who suggested -that possibly the young chap had gone out of his mind over some trouble, -and while in this condition had managed to leave the camp, for some -purpose or other." - -"But we know what it was troubling Felix, sir, as we have told you," -burst out Blake Merton, eagerly. "I guess he was worrying about that -quarrel with his uncle, because they had thought a good deal of each -other. But it would never cause Felix to go out of his mind, Captain, -you can believe me. No, that man was responsible for his going away; and -Hugh here will get on the track, some way or other, I'm certain." - -"Well, you have my best wishes, boys," said the officer. "I must leave -you now, as I have duties to look after; but if I can do anything to -assist you later on, be sure and look me up." - -He shook hands most cordially with each one of them in turn, and there -could be no question about his sincerity when he made that assertion. -Left to themselves, the scouts faced a situation calculated to try their -mettle to the utmost. Poor Blake in particular looked woe-begone as he -turned a beseeching eye on Hugh, fully conscious that the last lingering -hope of finding his missing cousin rested with the scout leader's dogged -pertinacity. Belonging to the _Wolf_ Patrol meant a good deal to Hugh -Hardin; for in a case of this kind he knew that it would be necessary to -emulate the example of the wolf that follows the track of a deer over -hill and through valley, hour after hour, day and night, until by sheer -persistence he has run the tired quarry to earth, and so secures the -meal he sought. - -So Hugh would never give up so long as a shred of hope remained. He was -determined to start out and seek for a clue capable of leading him to -success. Yet, after all, it happened that accident had considerable to -do with the final outcome of the big game upon which the three scouts -had embarked. - - - - - CHAPTER X - BUD MORGAN ON THE SCENT - - -"What's our plan of campaign, Hugh?" asked Bud Morgan. - -"I was just going to say," remarked the scout master, "that if we -separated, and covered as broad a field as possible, the chances for -picking up some sort of clue would be all the better. In that way we -could agree to meet here, say in an hour or so, and compare notes. Then -if by good luck one of us managed to strike a warm scent we could lay -out a scheme for taking up the trail. What do you say to that, fellows?" - -Both of the others admitted that what Hugh proposed would be the wisest -move. Doubtless, Blake would have been happier had Hugh decided to keep -him in his company; but, then, he was too proud to hint at such a thing. -Besides, he realized that the greater field they covered, just as Hugh -had said, the better would be their chances for picking up news. - -So they separated, with the understanding that in about an hour from -that time they were to come together again near the tent of Captain -Barclay, so as to compare notes and decide on the next step. - -Bud Morgan was more than eager to wander about the big, bustling camp. -There were a thousand interesting things he wanted to see for himself. -This was a golden opportunity which he meant to utilize to the utmost. -He had been yearning for just such a legacy of good luck; and it had -really come to him. That magical paper, signed by the general himself, -would allow him to move at will. If any sentinel challenged his right to -be amidst the tents of the assembled guardsmen representing the -sovereign power of the State, all he had to do was to flash that -document before his eyes, and the sight of the name signed at the end of -the pass would end the detention instantly. - -So Bud started forth with high hopes. He really meant to do all that lay -in his power to assist poor Blake find his missing relative; but, then, -while thus engaged there was no reason that Bud could see why he should -not have a look-in at those things in which his heart were was bound up. - -For a short while, then, he talked with some of the Battery K boys whom -he knew, and who were naturally delighted to see any face from the home -town. - -Bud managed to show nice discretion. He was averse to telling the story -of Felix, and his silly quarrel with his rich uncle and guardian to -every one; and so, when by a few judicious questions, he found that -those with whom he chatted had no information to give him, he soon broke -away and resumed his wanderings. - -In this fashion he soon exhausted the limited fund of information that -could be picked up among the artillerymen of Battery K. The result was -so meagre that Bud felt disgusted. He must branch out and seek other -fields. Far and wide he would continue his investigations, ask his -leading questions, and seek by every possible means in his power to get -a clue worth having. - -By degrees, however, his ambition began to wane. He met with so little -success that he began to allow himself to grow slack in his efforts. -Hugh would be almost certain to unearth some clue, for he most always -did accomplish whatever he set out to perform. Then Bud was wild to -spend a little time with the Aviation Corps, for deep down in his boyish -heart he cherished an ambition to some day be an air pilot. - -This would account for his fetching up in the distant section of the -camp where he had been told the aviation squad had their hangars. More -than half an hour had passed since parting from his chums, and Bud could -truly say that he had worked faithfully to unearth a few crumbs of -comfort for Blake. - -"I deserve a little recreation," he told himself. "All work and no play -makes Jack a dull boy. I may never get another such a fine chance to -talk with fellows of the aviation class." - -Having thus relieved his mind of any remorse he might have felt, Bud -hurried his steps, and before long found himself in the region of the -odd-looking hangars, or sheds, hastily constructed, in which several -aeroplanes rested when not in use. - -He had met with little obstruction thus far. Several times a sentinel -had stopped him, acting under orders, but the sight of the magic paper -had always sufficed to cause the man with the bayonet and gun to wave -him along; so that by this time Bud was under the impression he could go -anywhere he pleased. - -Arriving at the ground where the birdmen held forth, he found a number -of bronzed young fellows squatting around a fire, and swapping stories -of possible past experiences. As Bud came up and stood there, curious -glances were cast upon him. Perhaps most of them jumped to the -conclusion that he must be the representative of some important -newspaper, for Bud was a pretty husky sort of a fellow for his age; and -young blood is often sought after by the great metropolitan dailies. - -So Bud presently dropped down, and sat there listening. He drank in all -he heard those aviators saying. One of them, it seemed, had been across -the sea, and taken part in some of the dangerous forays, when Allied -aeroplanes made daring raids on fortified towns or military -concentration camps in the rear of the enemy forces, and his -reminiscences of the thrilling scenes upon which he had gazed held Bud -spellbound. - -Others in the little group had not been so fortunate in seeing actual -hostilities, but each man in turn narrated certain adventures that had -befallen him; for even in piping times of peace aviators meet with -perils calculated to make a stirring story. - -One man in particular interested Bud. At the time he hardly knew why -this should be so, for they were all strangers to him. Afterwards he was -inclined to believe there must have been some sort of intuition about -it, causing him to listen to everything this air pilot was saying. - -His name seemed to be Johnson, for Bud heard him called that several -times. The conversation had turned upon odd incidents connected with -meeting people under peculiar conditions, and as he listened Bud heard -Johnson saying: - -"Queer how people bob up that you'd never expect to meet. Now, today -while we were on the road here from the station, with the truck carrying -our 'plane, I had a thing like that happen to me. Two years back it came -about that I was flying at county fairs down in Florida. I did it as a -means for making ready money, because I wanted to get hold of a new -model hydroaeroplane that I was wild to own. My companion in the Fair -venture was a fellow I never really liked, though he certainly had -plenty of grit, and knew a heap about this flying business. - -"Well, we separated in the end, because I couldn't stand for some of his -crooked ways. From that day to this I did not see him once; yet today, -when we passed a little old house on the road here from the railway -station, who should I see looking from the second-story window, and -staring at all the aviation squad moving along, but my former partner of -the Florida county fair flights. Which shows how small this old world -is, after all. Why, I wouldn't have been any more surprised if I'd -landed on top of Mount Washington, and come face to face there with -Luther Gregory!" - -Bud almost fell over, he received such a shock at hearing the aviator -calmly mention that name. Luther Gregory, the wild son of Uncle Reuben, -the very man whose scheming had caused the scouts all that trouble while -on the road to the mobilization camp--it came to Bud almost like an -inspiration that in this astonishing way he had struck a clue. - -Through his brain chased a dozen brilliant thoughts. Why, if Luther -Gregory had really been the employer whose money had hired that clever -trickster in the flivver to do everything in his power to obstruct the -progress of Blake and his chums, didn't it stand to reason that the -chief plotter must have come on the ground in order to have a hand in -the final attempt to keep Felix from making up with his uncle? - -Bud wanted to shake hands with himself, he felt so tickled. For some -little time he sat there and communed with himself, laying out various -plans whereby he and Hugh and Blake might yet win the game that had -seemed to be going against them. - -He was suddenly aroused by seeing Johnson getting on his feet, and -yawning, as if he felt sleepy, and thought of turning in, although -"taps" had not yet sounded. - -Bud came to a quick determination. He must have a little chat with the -air pilot, and learn a few facts from him. In order to accomplish his -end it would be necessary for him to relate the story of Felix, but he -could bind the other to secrecy. So he also arose and followed the -aviator. - -When a tap came on his shoulder, and Johnson turned to find himself -confronted by the boy, he may have noticed sitting near the fire, -listening, no doubt he felt a little curiosity as to why he had been -picked out for an interview. - -"Guess you've selected the wrong man, young fellow," he went on to say -with a jolly laugh, "if you're expecting a thrilling yarn for your -paper. Better tackle Tom Sherlock, who's seen exciting adventures over -the big drink. He can spin you a story that will make your readers' hair -stand on end." - -"But I want to have a little chat with you, Mr. Johnson," urged Bud. "I -would thank you to give me just a few minutes of your time. It is on a -matter that means a whole lot to a chum of mine. The queer part of it is -that the mention of Luke Gregory's name by you is the whole cause of my -asking this favor." - -The aviator, naturally enough, was surprised. - -"Well, you've managed to arouse my curiosity from the start, my boy!" he -exclaimed, heartily. "I'll be only too glad to listen to anything you -may have to say. Come over here to my tent and sit down on a bench -there; we can talk better at our ease. Right from the beginning let me -say that if Luther Gregory has any share in your story, I'd wager it -isn't going to be to his credit." - -"You hit the nail right on the head when you say that, Mr. Johnson!" -declared Bud, mentally hugging himself with delight over the wonderful -success that had come his way. - -He started in by telling how he and Hugh had been trying to find some -reasonable excuse for visiting the mobilization camp, when Blake came -along and told about the unfortunate quarrel between Felix and his -uncle. Then Bud went on to relate how they had started for the camp in -the old car. Step by step he narrated the difficulties they had to -surmount, and how they felt positive most of their troubles came through -the plotting of the man in the flivver, and who had been seen talking in -a mysterious fashion with Luther Gregory in Oakvale. - -It was an altogether thrilling story, and the aviator listened with rapt -attention until Bud had come down to the point where he heard him -mention that name of Uncle Reuben's profligate son, and tell how he had -actually seen him close to the border of the camp. - -"All I want you to tell me, Mr. Lawrence," Bud wound up with, "is the -location of that little old house where Luther Gregory, you say, was -looking out of the second story window as your Aviation Corps passed -this afternoon. Don't you see, if they have managed somehow to sneak -Felix out of camp, it stands to reason he would be taken to that place, -and kept hidden for twenty-four hours or so, until the time limit was -past. Oh! please tell me, so I can carry the news to my chums, who will -be tickled half to death to hear it." - -The air pilot saw the point, and proceeded forthwith to enter into such -explanations that Bud felt sure he could not miss finding the place; and -after that he hastened to break away, being fairly wild to see Hugh, and -tell him the great news. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - THE VALUE OF A GOOD REPUTATION - - -When Bud presently arrived at the appointed rendezvous neither of his -comrades were in sight. He was nervously walking up and down when a few -minutes later Blake put in an appearance. - -Blake looked particularly woe-begone. Evidently all his efforts to pick -up a promising clue to the solution of the great mystery had failed -miserably. Seeing Bud's nervous stride, he eyed him hungrily. - -"Something ails you, Bud, I'm sure it does from the way you act!" he -exclaimed, fresh hope struggling to gain a new grip on his heart. -"Please tell me if you've found out anything at all, because I haven't -had the least bit of luck." - -"Well, I've nosed around like a regular bloodhound on the scent," -observed Bud, with perhaps a little pardonable pride, "and I reckon now -I've got some _important_ news for Hugh when he shows up here." - -"Oh! have you found Felix?" burst from Blake, excitedly. - -"Er, hardly as strong as that," admitted the other, "but I've run across -a man who saw Luther Gregory looking from the second-story window of a -house not two miles from the border of this camp, and only this -afternoon, in the bargain; which you'll have to own up is some evidence -that he knows what's happened to your cousin." - -Blake proceeded forthwith to pump the hand of his wideawake chum as -though in this fashion alone could he show his sincere appreciation of -the wonderful news Bud had brought in. - -"There comes Hugh right now," added Bud, with the smile of conscious -superiority spread across his face, "and there'll be something doing -soon, believe me." - -The scout master approached. He did not look particularly happy himself, -for, to tell the truth, Hugh had failed to succeed in finding any -conclusive evidence that promised to take them to where the absent Felix -might be found. When he saw how his two comrades were beckoning to -hasten his steps, and discovered their triumphant manner, Hugh lost no -time in joining them. - -"Glad to see that you've had more success this time than fell to my -lot," was his salutation as he came up; "now string it off, and tell me -what's happened to make you both look so oh-be-joyful." - -Bud waited for no second invitation. It did not happen every day that he -was given such a splendid chance to shine in the limelight, and he would -not have been a genuine boy had he failed to take advantage of the -golden opportunity. So, in as terse terms as he could possibly summon to -the front, he told the story of how, after a myriad of efforts, he had -finally run across what seemed to be a most promising clue. - -Hugh listened and made little comment until the story had been ended. -Then he gripped the other's hand. - -"Bud, old man, I'm beginning to think that the luck of this deal is -running strongly in your direction!" he exclaimed, heartily. "If that -master schemer of a Luther Gregory is close by, the man he hired must -know where to find him; and it stands to reason that if he succeeded in -bundling Felix out of camp, even if no one is able to tell how it could -be done, why the first thing he'd do would be to take him to that -house." - -"Oh! and then all we've got to do," broke in the delighted Blake, who -was hardly able to keep from dancing on his tiptoes, such was his -increasing happiness, "is to get a detail of the guardsmen, and go there -to arrest the whole bunch." - -"Of course that's our move," admitted Hugh, "though we mustn't be too -fast about carrying it out. The whole night is before us, you know. They -won't hurt Felix, if our theory is correct. All they want to do is to -keep him out of our reach for twenty-four hours." - -"But we ought to see Captain Barclay again, hadn't we, Hugh?" questioned -Bud. - -"That would be our wisest move," agreed the patrol leader, "because -we'll need some help to round up those rascals; and it can only be -gotten through an order signed by our friend, the artillery captain." - -"No sleep for me tonight, I wager," said Blake; but somehow he seemed to -glory in the fact rather than put on a doleful expression. Action meant -a fresh possibility for a successful ending of his search. - -Hugh looked around him. The camp of the guardsmen still presented a -wonderfully fascinating picture in his eyes, even though some of the -tired militiamen had sought their tents in order to try and get a little -sleep, having had their rest broken more or less since leaving their -widely separated homes. - -"There's the captain heading this way now!" exclaimed Bud, with sudden -zeal. "P'r'aps we had better tackle him while we have the chance, Hugh. -He's got a heap of camp duties to look after, and, according to military -rules, they'd have to take precedence above any private business." - -"Come on, then, and we'll start the ball rolling," the scout master -agreed. - -When Captain Barclay saw his trio of boy friends from Oakvale heading -toward him, he smiled amiably, and nodded his head. - -"Any good news, boys?" he immediately asked, showing that he still -remembered about their mission; "heard of Felix Gregory anywhere, and -was he visiting in some other part of the camp?" - -"No, sir, nothing can be learned about him from any of the men," replied -Hugh, and then immediately adding: "Our chum here, Bud Morgan, happened -to learn something that we believe may offer a strong clue." - -"Tell me about it, then," the officer commanded. "I'm very interested in -the result of your noble mission; and this strange disappearance of an -enlisted man from camp is bothering some of us. I haven't mentioned it -to any one higher up, but was just thinking of seeing the general about -it. Things like that reflect upon the management of a military camp, -where it is expected that discipline governs every movement, so that it -would appear to be impossible for a single individual to drop out. Now -proceed, please." - -Hugh told the story, giving Bud due honors for having made the wonderful -discovery that Luther Gregory was hovering near by, evidently bent on -sharing some of the foul work with the man whom his money had hired. - -Captain Barclay asked several sharp questions. It could be seen that he -was intensely interested. Bud made haste to enlighten him on the points -that did not appear to be quite clear in his mind. - -"Just as you say, Hugh," he finally remarked, decisively, "things begin -to look promising. The chances are ten to one that if Felix has been -coaxed or smuggled out of the camp here, he was taken to that lonely -house on the road. I believe I can remember noticing the place as we -passed from the station this afternoon, where I went to look after some -additional baggage that had been shipped by rail from the home town." - -"You'll help us, won't you, Captain?" - -"I certainly will, to the full extent of my power," came the hearty -response, "though before anything can really be done in the matter I -must have a talk with my commanding officer at Headquarters. Fortunately -there seems to be nothing of moment to demand my attention. So, if you -will once more wait for me here, I'll see the general again. He was -interested in you before, after I had told him some things I knew, and -how Oakvale held the scouts in such high esteem." - -"Oh! I hope he agrees to let you help us surround that house, and see if -Felix is held a prisoner there," remarked Blake. - -"I don't have the slightest doubt about the ultimate outcome," said the -officer, "so far as the general's co-operation goes. Whether we find -your cousin there or not is another thing; but I believe the chances are -fairly good. Look for me inside of half an hour, boys." - -With that he hastened away, turning his back upon his comfortable tent -with its inviting camp cot, which must have appealed strongly to a tired -soldier. - -"Half an hour he said, didn't he?" sighed Blake. "Gee whiz! that's a -whole thirty long minutes. It'll seem like a week to me, I guess. But -what's the use looking a gift horse in the mouth. I ought to be thanking -my lucky stars that there's such a bully chance ahead. I'm going to quit -grumbling." - -"What do you expect he meant by saying the general was interested in us -as scouts, Hugh?" asked Bud. - -"Oh! just what he explained by telling us he'd mentioned some of the -things we Oakvale scouts had hung up to our credit," the patrol leader -answered. "I suppose there are few troops in the East that can point -with pride to a record like ours. We've been a whole lot lucky to have -such chances to do things come along." - -"At a time like this," Bud continued, a look of satisfaction covering -his face, "it certainly does make a fellow feel good to know he hasn't -any reason to be ashamed of his past record." - -"There, I saw a soldier stop the captain and salute, after which he -handed him something," Blake burst out with, excitedly. "Now Captain -Barclay is pointing straight toward us, boys; and see, he's handed the -thing back again. Looks to me as if he had ordered him to deliver the -same to us. I wonder what under the sun it can be?" - -"We'll soon know," advised Bud, "because here comes the soldier; and by -the same token it's Burch Shafter, Hugh, whom you got to join the -battery after convincing his mother it was a duty he owed his -country."[3] - -They watched the man in uniform approach them with growing interest. It -struck the scouts as having some sort of connection with their mission -in the mobilization camp. Perhaps the young fellow was bringing them -fresh news--Blake even began to speculate upon the most improbable -things, to the extent of wondering whether this might not be some -audacious communication from Luther Gregory telling him that his quest -would be fruitless, and that he might just as well return to Oakvale, -since he could not find Felix within the given time. - -Then the artilleryman arrived. Young Shafter recognized them all, and he -looked particularly at Hugh with a gleam of affection in his eyes, -because the scout master had been mainly instrumental in getting his -mother's consent to his enlistment. Nevertheless, he made a stiff -military salute upon first arriving, and then dropped his hand at his -side "at attention." - -"Huh! that doesn't go among old friends, Burch," chuckled Bud. "Nobody's -watching you now, so you c'n drop your camp manners, and be sociable." - -With that he clutched the other's hand and shook it. The "rookie" -laughed, and from that moment became companionable. Hugh and Blake in -turn greeted him; for up to then they had not chanced to run across -young Shafter, as he had been in another part of the camp, possibly sent -on official business. - -"Something was found in Felix Gregory's tent, and they dispatched me -with it to the captain," he went on to explain. "When he looked it over -he said Blake here ought to take charge of the same, and so I'm turning -it over to him." - -When Blake glanced at the object that was placed in his hand he gave a -cry of astonishment. - -"Look here, Hugh, Bud!" he commenced to say, deeply moved, "it's a -letter written by Felix, and sealed; and, would you believe it, the same -is directed to Uncle Reuben. Oh! I wonder now did Felix repent of his -own accord of those ugly things he said in his hasty temper, and write -to apologize? Wouldn't that be a great thing, though, and a bully ending -of the whole silly affair?" - - - - - CHAPTER XII - THE SEARCH SQUAD - - -"Don't be hasty about opening that letter, Blake," cautioned the scout -master, who saw that such a move was indeed contemplated by his chum. - -Blake held his hand before he had started to tear an end off the sealed -envelope. - -"Why, I thought it would be only right to find out if Felix had said he -was sorry, Hugh," he hastened to explain, looking somewhat disappointed. -"Because if things did turn out that way, you see I could get this -letter to Uncle Reuben, and then the object of our run up here to camp -would be accomplished." - -"Yes, I understand all that, Blake," answered the other, quietly, "but -we mustn't forget that a seal should be considered inviolate, and a -letter like this not opened except as a last resort. He hadn't mailed -it, and might reconsider writing the same, no matter what the contents -are. Then, again, you can't be sure that he did repent, and was wanting -Uncle Reuben to forgive him." - -Blake gave a big sigh. - -"I suppose you're right about that, Hugh," he admitted, reluctantly, -"though I'd certainly like to see what's inside of this the worst kind." - -"Better let Hugh keep it in his pocket," suggested Bud. - -"Which means that maybe I might yield to a strong temptation and slit -the envelope open some time or other," Blake remarked, quickly. "Well, -it might be just as good that I didn't have the chance, so here, you -keep it, Hugh." - -Accordingly, the patrol leader took the letter addressed to Mr. Reuben -Gregory at Oakvale. - -"I'll tell you how we'll settle this thing," he proposed, thinking it -best to have it decided, and wishing to give poor Blake what measure of -comfort he could; "suppose we say we'll leave the letter unopened until -nine tomorrow morning. Then, if nothing comes from our hunt for your -cousin tonight, and the mystery of his disappearance is still -unexplained, why, I'll take chances and we'll see what he wrote." - -"All right, Hugh," agreed Blake, instantly. "That's about as good a -programme as we could arrange. Still, we have all admitted that it looks -promising that Felix went to the trouble of writing a letter to Uncle -Reuben, Something must have been worrying him--we've heard from one of -his comrades here that he hasn't been himself ever since the battery -left Oakvale. It was an uneasy conscience, I'm sure; I know Felix pretty -well, and I'm certain that if he began to believe he had acted in a mean -way he would get no peace of mind until he had done all in his power to -rectify his error." - -Apparently Blake was in a decidedly "chipper" frame of mind since this -last odd happening. He seemed to feel that things were finally working -out to serve their ends, and that success must soon perch on their -banner. - -"Well," remarked the philosophical Bud, "nothing like having two strings -to your bow, I've always believed. Never put all your eggs in one -basket. Now, in case our little excursion along the road to the railway -station turns out a complete failure, you see we've always got this -letter to turn to." - -"And, of course," added Blake, "when the time limit has expired those -men won't bother trying to hold poor Felix any longer. They'll believe -their game is won, and turn him loose. Now, just ten minutes have -dragged by since Captain Barclay left us, and he said half an hour, -didn't he?" - -All this was like so much Greek to young Shafter, and, seeing the look -of bewilderment on his face, Hugh took pity on him. Besides, since the -story was getting to be in general circulation through devious channels, -one guardsman taken into their confidence would not matter. Then, again, -the telling might serve to kill a little of the time that promised to -hang so heavily on their hands. - -Accordingly he started in to entertain Burch Shafter with a remarkable -story that held his attention closely all the way through. Hugh was not -the one to waste words, and so he kept "hewing close to the line" until -he had arrived at the point where they were waiting for Captain Barclay -to return with permission from Headquarters to take a detail of armed -men and ascertain who the inmates of that old house on the roadside -were; likewise, whether Private Gregory were detained there against his -will. - -"All I can say," remarked the deeply interested listener, after the -stirring account of their adventures on the road had been brought to a -finish, "is that it beats the Dutch how you scouts do have thrilling -happenings come your way. Why, there's a list as long as my arm of fine -things you fellows have done. Here you promise to add another laurel to -the wreath you've won. I take off my hat to Hugh Hardin and the boys of -Oakvale Troop. They are trump cards, every one of them, and that's the -truth." - -He suddenly remembered he was a soldier, and that his time could not be -called his own; so, saying a hasty good-bye, Burch Shafter strode away. -His coming, and what he had brought with him, had given them all new -reasons for gratitude, and the rainbow of promise was once more shining -brilliantly in the heavens above. - -The time dragged horribly after that, although they talked of many -things, so that Blake might not give way to impatience. There was a -never-ending source of delight in just glancing around them at all the -queer sights by which they found themselves surrounded, with veterans -and rookies carrying on a multitude of camp duties. Had it been in the -daytime instead of about nine o'clock at night, doubtless the visitors -would have witnessed a multitude of intensely interesting things, such -as are born of camp life, from comrades being shaved by fresh barbers, -to others engaged in taking their first lesson in the art of washing -their own clothes under very primitive conditions. - -Finally, when Blake had sighed for about the hundredth time, and Bud -himself took to yawning because of the inaction, Hugh announced that he -believed he had seen an officer hurrying in their direction. - -"Unless I'm greatly mistaken, it's our friend the captain," he added. - -"Sure it is, and no mistake," chuckled Bud; while Blake drew in a long -breath that spelled relief because his "watchful waiting" period was -over. - -As the officer approached they took new hope upon seeing the look spread -upon his face. Surely he would not smile so broadly if he were bringing -them bad news. - -"It's all right, boys, all right," he told them, immediately. - -"Then the general has given permission for us to carry out the scheme, -has he, sir?" asked Hugh, greatly pleased. - -"He told me to take charge of it personally, and leave no stone unturned -to ascertain how Private Gregory could be taken out of the camp -undetected; also to bring before him those guilty of the outrage, if -they could be caught. That house, it seems, comes within the boundaries -of the camp, and hence any one living there, or occupying the premises, -is amenable to military discipline and rules." - -"Then if by good luck we trap that schemer and good-for-nothing Luther -Gregory," exclaimed Blake, rubbing his hands in joy, "it's going to be -hard for him because he's interfered with the liberty of one of Uncle -Sam's recruits? Well, I guess on the whole he'll get only what he -deserves, and I'll be glad of it." - -"Are you going with us, Captain?" asked Bud. - -"Yes, and I shall take a detail of men, so as to make doubly sure," -explained the officer, as though he had mapped out his plan of campaign, -like a wise soldier, as he came along. "The moon will soon be rising, -and we may get some benefit of her light, though that does not matter -much." - -He was told about the letter, and seemed to feel a good deal like Hugh -in that it had better not be opened, save as a last resort. If other -things failed them, and no signs of the missing Felix could be found, -then it would be time enough to think of breaking the seal. - -"You know," he went on to say, particularly directing the words toward -Blake, whom he guessed had been the one desirous of reading the letter, -"there's always a mean feeling comes on any one when you open a sealed -envelope surreptitiously. It's like a thief breaking into a house in the -night; you think you're doing something you ought to be ashamed of, no -matter how good your motives really are. So better let that rest until -all other hope has been abandoned." - -"Yes," added Bud, "and even at noon tomorrow we could telegraph to Uncle -Reuben we were on the road with a letter of apology, and he'd be only -too willing to wait for us to arrive before changing his will. I reckon -the old gentleman would be only too glad of a chance to meet a -compromise halfway, if he thinks as much of Felix as Blake Merton here -tells us he does." - -"I want you to come with me over to the camp of the aviation boys," said -Captain Barclay. "I have authority to enlist anyone I please in the -squad we shall take with us for duty, and that being the case it might -be just as well to have that party along who told you about Luther -Gregory." - -"Johnston was his name, Captain," explained Bud, "and I reckon he's some -punkins of an aeroplane pilot, too, because he's been giving daring -exhibitions in lots of county fairs down South last winter. From what he -said, I reckon Johnston will be glad to be in the bunch, because things -are getting kind of stale for him here, with so little material to work -with." - -The captain left them for a short time. When he came back, three men -carrying guns followed at his heels. Blake surveyed their armament with -considerable interest, as though convinced by this time that the clouds -were gathering around the devoted heads of the two schemers who must -soon find themselves in the toils. - -"There's the moon just peeping above the horizon, you see, boys," the -captain remarked, as he joined the waiting trio of scouts. "It isn't -more than ten o'clock, either, and we needn't be in any hurry. Let's -head across to where the aviation squad have their quarters, so as to -pick up Johnston, the air pilot." - -As they were proceeding along, the clear notes of a bugle ascended from -some point close by, and never would Hugh and his chums forget the -peculiar effect produced upon them when, for the first time, they heard -"taps" sounded in a military camp while the grim shadow of impending war -was hovering over the land. It seemed to thrill them through and through -with its significance, for they could not help remembering how it is -this same sweet sad call that is invariably given over the grave of a -soldier when his comrades bury him with full military honors. - -When they finally arrived at the border of the camp, where lay the field -that was to be devoted to such aviation work as could be carried on with -the poor material on hand, Captain Barclay immediately sought the -officer in command of the squad, whom he chanced to already know. - -He found no trouble in securing permission to have the air pilot -Johnston join them, though, doubtless, the other wondered much what it -all meant, for there was no time to enter into full explanations. -Captain Barclay did promise to see him on the next day, and tell him an -interesting story connected with the visit of these three scouts from -his home town. - -Johnston recognized Bud, and readily agreed to lead the little -expedition to the house where he had seen his old associate in -aeronautics, Luther Gregory. As he had, it may be remembered, heard -pretty much the whole story of the adventure from Bud Morgan's lips, at -the time the other was coaxing him to tell the location of the house -where he claimed to have seen Luther, the aviator did not express any -surprise, only satisfaction that his services had been thought worth -while securing. - -There being nothing else to detain them now, the captain gave the order -for marching, and the little company started forth. A sentry on the -border of the great camp challenged, and demanded the password, which -Captain Barclay whispered in his ear; and so with the last obstacle to -their progress removed they began to follow the road that led to the -railway station, possibly four miles away. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - THE HOUSE BY THE ROADSIDE - - -When Bud Morgan glanced back over his shoulder just as they struck the -road and were well launched on their night tramp, he could not help -thinking what a wonderful sight it was that greeted his admiring eyes. -Bud had always been a great hand for drinking in scenes that were -uncommon, and had been known to temporarily forget that he was engaged -in a running match, when from the top of a rise a vista of unusual -beauty burst upon his vision. - -The battered old moon was above the horizon now, and lay low in the -east. A myriad of camp fires flickered through the broad valley where -the State guardsmen were encamped, waiting to be sworn into the service -of Uncle Sam, and entrain for the distant border. All sorts of murmurous -sounds came floating to the ear, and formed a medley never to be -forgotten. - -Bud, finding that the others were fast leaving him in the lurch, -hastened to catch up with his chums; but he knew he would carry that -wonderful picture in memory as long as he lived. The very mention of a -mobilization camp would make him think of the soft dab of yellow in the -sky marking the rising moon, the glittering patches scattered about that -looked like giant fireflies; and the murmuring sound of many voices, -braying of mules, and kindred camp notes. - -But "taps" had sounded, and all this would presently die away, for -strict military regulations governed the uniformed community. - -Bud found a place alongside Blake, while Hugh strode on with Captain -Barclay and the aviator guide, Johnston. It was perfectly natural that -the two boys should desire to communicate while on the way. Blake in -particular wanted to find certain things, and as he could bend his head -close to that of his comrade, before they had been three minutes on the -road in company, he was whispering: - -"Bud, would you mind if I asked you something?" - -"Why, of course not, Blake," replied the other in a soft tone, "only be -careful how you speak. Remember that we're under the captain's orders -now, and he told us not to say anything louder than a whisper. So fire -away." - -No doubt Bud understood how very anxious the other must be, for Blake -had far more at stake in the successful outcome of their adventure than -either of his companions, hence the willingness of Bud to accommodate -him; for Blake was a pretty decent sort of fellow, as boys go, and well -liked by the Oakvale Troop. - -"Why, I only wanted to ask if you could give any kind of guess what the -programme is going to be after we get to that lonely house by the road?" -Blake asked, showing that, after all, it was more a desire to receive -some comforting assurance than a hope for knowledge that actuated him. - -"Oh! shucks! how c'n I tell that, Blake?" protested the other. "Just as -like as not we'll first of all throw a loop around the old shanty, so -nobody c'n skip out, and then start in to comb it from attic to cellar. -All I'm hoping is that they don't think to carry Felix further away in -that little flivver car, you know." - -"Huh! say, Bud, d'ye know that's just what's been bothering me right -along," admitted Blake. "Everything hinges on our finding that bunch -hiding at the house alongside the road. I wish we were there, so we'd -know the worst." - -"Brace up, Blake," said Bud, encouragingly. "I've got a hunch that it's -all going to come off gilt-edged. Show your colors, old fellow, and -don't forget that a scout can keep his fears under control." - -After that Blake fell quiet. Perhaps he realized that it was foolish to -give way to these doubts, just as Bud meant to imply. Silently the -little detachment advanced along the road, the four armed soldiers -bringing up the rear. Once they were challenged, for videttes had been -posted even outside the limits of the big military camp, since strict -army rules prevailed, and in a hostile country this would be the -practice. The captain, however, gave the password in the ear of the man -who suddenly challenged them, and they were permitted to move along. - -After this had kept up for possibly fifteen minutes, the boys knew they -must be close upon the object of their search. Johnston had, in the -beginning, said it was less than two miles away, and hence, at any -moment now, they might expect to hear a low command to halt, after which -the captain would give directions governing their future movements. - -Eagerly, Blake was straining his eyes in hopes of discovering some sort -of house ahead. More than once he thought he had hit upon it, only to -find, upon drawing near, that a clump of trees formed the dark shadow -patch upon which his gaze had settled. - -But all things must have an end, and in due time the guide of the -expedition signified that they were now within stone's throw of their -destination. The captain beckoned them to gather around him, after which -in whispers he designated every one's part in the venture. - -The four privates were to circle the house, guarding every exit, whether -this be a door or window. Their orders were to hail first, and then, if -the fleeing party refused to halt, to shoot, though trying to "pepper" -the man's legs rather than mortally injure him. - -As for the three scouts, they were to accompany the captain and -Johnston, whose intention it was to enter the building and arrest the -inmates. - -When Blake heard this he fairly quivered with an excess of emotion and -zeal. He was only too delighted at such a chance to be "in at the -death," as he mentally termed it. How good it was of their friend the -captain to allow them this privilege. Most army officers would have -considered boys a nuisance, and, doubtless, ordered them to stay back -until things had shaped themselves, and the danger was past; but then -Captain Barclay lived in Oakvale, and knew just how bravely the scouts -had carried themselves on numberless occasions. - -All of them could see the house, for they were creeping forward again. -It happened to be upon the side of the road where the low-lying moon's -rays did not fall, so that the shadows were fairly dense; but sharp eyes -could make it out. - -Blake was glad to notice that all seemed as still as death around the -place. So far as he could see, there was no sign of a light visible. If -the inmates were awake and burning a lamp, they must have first -carefully drawn the shades, and otherwise darkened the windows, for try -as Blake might, he failed to detect even a narrow shaft of illumination. - -A near-panic gripped the boy's rapidly beating heart. He feared that -those they sought might not be at the roadhouse--that when the man in -the flivver had arrived with Felix in his car they may have continued -the flight, and by this time were many miles away. - -However, Blake's fright was of short duration. He remembered what Bud -had said about mastering himself, and thus managed to get a firm grip on -his weak heart. - -Great care was taken while advancing to keep well in the shadow. -Although everything seemed so still about the place, there was no -telling whether the suspected inmates of the house were on guard or not. -For all they knew, hostile eyes might be peering out from some crack, -and ordinary caution required that they take just as much pains as -though they knew this for a certainty. - -By motions rather than even the lowest of words the captain stationed -his four men. He had evidently planned his every move, and there was to -be no hitch that would imperil the success of the enterprise. - -When the armed guards had been placed, the next thing was to approach -the door and knock. Blake again had a chilly feeling attack as he -realized that the crisis was now at hand, when success or failure would -follow. If repeated knocking went without any response, the chances were -the house had been abandoned, and that they would have had all their -trouble for their pains. Of course, though, Blake told himself, they -would give the place a thorough overhauling, so as to make sure those -they sought were not hiding. - -Well, there was one comfort that appealed to him. This lay in the letter -which Felix had written, and now in the possession of Hugh Hardin. If -the worst came they could open that, and always have a chance that it -would be what they wanted, an apology meant for Uncle Reuben's eye. - -The captain had stepped boldly up to the door. Blake saw him place his -ear close to the panels, after trying the knob and finding that a key -had been turned in the lock, for the door refused to open. If Captain -Barclay detected the least sign of human occupancy, he gave no -indication of it; but he did knock loudly with his knuckles. - -Everybody listened intently. The four uniformed guards had been -cautioned to keep out of sight, and the shadows engulfed them. Had any -one peered from a window he would have been able to see nothing, unless -in some manner he managed to glimpse that little group on the stone step -before the door. - -But some person was certainly moving inside, for even Blake heard sounds -indicating such a thing. The officer waited a minute, and then again -thumped lustily on the panel. A glimmer of light was seen, telling them -that some one approached; then came the sound of a key turned in the -lock, after which the door swung partly open, revealing a man standing -there, holding a lighted lamp. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - A SUCCESSFUL ROUND-UP - - -"Don't drop that lamp if you value your life!" called out Captain -Barclay, as he immediately covered the startled man with a weapon. - -"That's him, Captain--it's Luther Gregory!" shrilled Blake, forgetting -that as the captain lived in Oakvale he must also have known the other -in times gone by. - -Luther Gregory it was for a fact, and Hugh, upon discovering this, felt -a wave of relief rushing over him. He believed they were going to meet -with success in their undertaking, and that all would come out well. - -"What's all this mean?" exclaimed the man who held the lamp. - -Hugh immediately started to relieve him of the light, for he was afraid -that a sudden desperate move toward escape might be inaugurated by the -plotter dropping the lamp, and causing either an explosion, or darkness -to cover the scene. - -"Only that you are under arrest, Gregory, charged with unlawfully taking -an enlisted man out of camp against his will." - -With that the captain summoned one of the guards and placed him at the -side of the prisoner. When Luther Gregory saw this he laughed and -shrugged his shoulders after the fashion of a reckless man who, having -played for high stakes, sees his castles in the air falling in ruins, -and cares little what becomes of him. - -"Oh! the game is up, is it?" he called out. "Well, you won't hear a -squeal from me. I haven't done anything so terrible that the Government, -or the State, either, can hold me for it. Coaxing an enlisted man to -desert might seem a crime, but inviting him to visit you, and spend the -evening is another. You can't prove a thing against me, try as hard as -you please." - -"We'll see about that later on," said the officer, grimly. "Meanwhile -we'll take a look through this house, and make the acquaintance of your -confederate in crime. Come with me, boys; fetch him in also, Private -Fielder, and keep a tight hold on his arm. Remember you are at liberty -to shoot if he tries to break away." - -"I'm not so great a fool as to take such chances, Captain," the other -told him. - -When from the hall they stepped into the adjoining room Blake gave -utterance to a low cry of mingled concern and joy, for the very first -thing his eyes discovered was a figure lying on a cot. He flew across -the apartment and bent down. - -"It's Felix, boys, sure it is my cousin!" he called out. "Don't you know -me, Felix? Oh! Hugh, what ails him, do you think? See how he stares at -me, just as if he didn't recognize me one bit. Is he sick, Hugh; or have -those men done something to make him act so queerly?" - -The scout master knew. - -"I think they've given him some sort of drug, Blake," he went on to say, -laying a hand on Blake's shoulder, for he realized that the boy was -terribly wrought up. "He's already recovering, and will be himself -soon." - -"Is that the truth, Gregory?" demanded the captain, harshly frowning -upon the prisoner, who, however, was too clever to commit himself so -early in the game. - -"Why, the fact is," he remarked, airily, with a light laugh, "Cousin -Felix commenced to act strangely soon after coming here to visit me. I -thought he was going to have a fit, and coaxed him to lie down there as -you see. He is getting better, though, and will be himself before very -long. But his mind is apt to be clouded, more or less; and I shouldn't -be much surprised if he even got it into his silly head to think I had -something to do with his leaving the camp, and coming here to visit." - -Captain Barclay understood what the sly schemer was aiming to do. He -smiled in a satirical way, and then remarked: - -"You'll not be able to hoodwink the eyes of a judge and jury when you're -placed on trial for this nasty business, Gregory. You've played a high -hand, but this time you're going to get your reward, and see the inside -of a State's prison. But let's take a look around, and see what's become -of your accomplice; for since I noticed his little car drawn under a -shed back of the house, I take it he must still be somewhere around." - -At that Hugh and Bud began to take fresh interest in the case, though -Blake apparently had eyes only for his cousin, over whom he was bending, -trying to hold the attention of Felix by continual talking. The scout -instinct was strong in the makeup of the two lads, and no sooner had the -captain suggested a hunt to find the missing tool of the arch schemer -than they began to use their eyes in searching out every possible place -where a small man might conceal himself in an emergency. - -They had good reason to feel anything but kindly disposed toward that -man of the flivver. Not only did he curtly decline to assist them when -they had engine trouble, but had afterwards done everything in his power -to hold them up on the way to camp. The memory of the country constable -who believed them to be thieves running away with a car they had taken, -as well as what happened at the burning bridge, were things not -calculated to make them feel very friendly toward the unscrupulous man -who had been responsible for these various happenings. - -Hugh noticed almost immediately that while there was no blaze in the big -open fireplace, there did seem to be an unusual amount of soot on the -hearth. This must have given him his cue, for he stepped forward, bent -down, and tried to see up the wide-throated chimney. - -"See anything up there, Hugh?" asked Bud, close at his elbow. - -"Look at my face and tell me if you see little patches of black on it?" -demanded the scout master, turning his head to his comrade for -examination. - -"Just what there are, Hugh!" exclaimed the other, joyfully, "which -announces the fact that _somebody_ is up there in that chimney. How'll -you get Mr. Coon to come down?" - -"Captain, please lend me your revolver," said Hugh, in a loud voice, -purposely intended to pass up the chimney flue. "It's got six cartridges -in the chambers hasn't it, Captain? Well, they ought to be enough to -fetch him down, dead or alive." - -Instantly there came a half-muffled groan, and then following an appeal: - -"Hold on please, don't shoot! I'm coming down just as fast as I can. Oh! -I'm nearly choked to death with the soot up here. Wait for me, please!" - -More black stuff came down in a shower. Hugh stepped back, and with a -grin on his face, Bud followed suit. They heard considerable scratching -and puffing from inside the chimney, after which there came a thud. - -"Oh! what is it?" gasped Bud as he stared at a dusky object that huddled -there on the open hearth amidst the piles of soot. - -"It's me," piped up a half strangled voice. "Jones is my name, Pliny -Jones, and, as usual, playing in tough luck. I'll turn State's evidence, -gentlemen, if you can promise me immunity. But what I want most of all -just now is a plain drink of water, because I'm choking horribly. Please -accommodate a poor wretch, one of you boys." - -Bud could not resist the appeal, though he was quivering with half -suppressed laughter, for it was decidedly comical to see what a sight -the small owner of the flivver had made of himself by crowding into the -recesses of the chimney--a negro could not have been any blacker, Bud -felt sure. - -By slow degrees Felix seemed to be coming out of his stupor. He had -already managed to recognize Blake Merton, though it was hard for him to -realize just where he was, and what had happened to him. In fact, his -mind was always in somewhat of a haze concerning the events of the last -few hours. - -He later on remembered being spoken to by the small man in the car, who -had found a way to enter the camp. The other had whispered to him that -he was the bearer of an important message from his Uncle Reuben; and as -Felix just then was mourning the recent unfortunate break with his -guardian, he gave a ready ear to a request to join the other at a -certain spot outside the limits of the camp, knowing he could get -permission to go there. - -He also remembered being told to lean forward, and take a look at some -paper held by the other, and that a sudden vertigo seized him as a -handkerchief was clapped over his face. After that it was all vague, -although he believed he had been stowed away in the small car, and -driven a short distance, and only now to awaken from a dream to find -Blake there. Some strange things taking place puzzled him greatly. - -It was difficult to believe that such a kidnaping could actually have -taken place, and yet the evidence of it lay before them. The captain had -the two prisoners taken away, to be confined in the guard house until -morning, when he expected to put their case in the hands of the -commanding general, who, being a lawyer himself, would know what to do -with them, so that they might be made to suffer for their miserable -work. - -Felix, having recovered in part, was taken in the small car to camp, the -scouts following after with Johnston the aviator, from whom Bud picked -up many hints as they strode along. - -Later on that same night Hugh, Blake and Bud gathered in a tent with the -genial captain, who was, of course, deeply interested in their affairs, -and anxious to see the outcome. - -Felix was also present, having by that time fully recovered from his -recent adventure, though still pale. Here the story was gone over again, -in order that the two listeners might get a full comprehension of the -facts. - -They seemed to be deeply interested as the recital progressed, now one -of the trio taking it upon himself to do the explaining, and then -another, until in the end everything had been made clear. - -"And now," said Hugh, in conclusion, when they had come down to the -place where the capture of the schemers was effected at the roadside -house, "here's the letter they found in your tent, Felix, addressed to -Uncle Reuben, and which you evidently meant to mail in the morning. -Blake was crazy to open it, and see how you felt toward your guardian, -but I held him back,--although we would have had to do it in case we -failed to find you by noon tomorrow. You can do as you please about -showing us what you wrote." - -Felix never hesitated a moment, but, tearing an end from the envelope, -handed the enclosure to the scout master. - -"Read it out loud, please, Hugh," he said simply, yet with a gleam of -pride and satisfaction in his voice and manner. - -Hugh hastened to do as he was told. The letter proved to be long, and -need not be given here, but it was certainly just what might have been -expected from a quick tempered lad like Felix, who often said things -hastily, and then bitterly repented of them afterwards. Hugh knew that -Uncle Reuben would treasure that manly apology as a most precious -document. - -"It's all right, Felix; couldn't be better!" cried Blake, seizing the -young guardsman's hand and wringing it enthusiastically. "You're going -to give me that letter, sealed in another envelope and addressed to -Uncle Reuben. Then first thing in the morning I'll get him on the 'phone -and tell him all about it, so his mind will be easy in case anything -prevents us from getting back home by tomorrow night." - -So it was all arranged. The captain joined in congratulating Felix over -the successful outcome of his escapade. - -"I hope this will be a lesson to you, my boy, all your life," he told -him, seriously, as became a commanding officer, "and that you'll learn -to bridle your tongue. Lots of trouble is caused in this world by people -saying things they're sure to regret afterwards. But let me tell you, -Felix, you owe all your present condition of liberty and happiness to -these bright and bustling scout friends of yours. Once more Oakvale has -reason to be proud of her boys; and I mean that the story of this trip -to the mobilization camp isn't kept like a light hidden under a bushel. -Others ought to hear about such praiseworthy work, in order that they -may emulate the example set by Hugh and his two chums." - -The good captain would not hear of the scouts leaving the camp that -night. They could occupy a spare tent that he was only too happy to -offer them. The arrangement made with the commanding general would -answer for this; and, besides, in the morning he wanted them to meet the -"head boss" of the camp, who must hear the story of their late -adventures, for it happened that he had boys of his own who belonged to -a troop, and the general was deeply interested in all that concerned -scout activities. - -So we may leave Hugh and Bud and Blake there, to get what sleep they -could amidst such strange surroundings. In thus saying goodbye to the -boys of the Oakvale Troop, however, it is with the assurance that such -active fellows cannot rest long without engaging in further ventures -which will demand our attention, and necessitate another volume to tell -the story of their successes. - - - THE END. - - - - - Footnotes - - -[1]See "The Boy Scouts' Rally to the Colors." - -[2]See "The Boy Scouts as Forest Fire Fighters." - -[3]See "The Boy Scouts' Rally to the Colors." - - - - - Transcriber's Notes - - ---Copyright notice provided as in the original--this e-text is public - domain in the country of publication. - ---Added a Table of Contents based on chapter headings. - ---Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings, - dialect, and name inconsistencies unchanged. - ---Note that the villain "Luke" Gregory suddenly assumes the alias - "Luther" for no explicitly stated reason. - ---Note that the recruit Mr. "Johnson" becomes Mr. "Johnston" (with a - passing fling as "Mr. Lawrence".) - ---Note that one of the books mentioned in footnotes, "The Boy Scouts' - Rally to the Colors.", apparently was never published. - ---In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the - HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.) - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Boy Scouts at Mobilization Camp, by -Robert Shaler - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOY SCOUTS AT MOBILIZATION CAMP *** - -***** This file should be named 50224.txt or 50224.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/2/2/50224/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan, Rod Crawford -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - -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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