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diff --git a/old/66928-0.txt b/old/66928-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 5b8d13a..0000000 --- a/old/66928-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6706 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Ranger Boys and Their Reward, by -Claude A. Labelle - -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 -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Ranger Boys and Their Reward - -Author: Claude A. Labelle - -Release Date: December 12, 2021 [eBook #66928] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Roger Frank and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at - https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - generously made available by The Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RANGER BOYS AND THEIR REWARD *** - - - - -[Illustration: Finally Mr. Boone turned to him, and stretching out his -hand, advanced and said: “Don’t you know me, Richard?”] - - - - -THE RANGER BOYS AND THEIR REWARD - -By CLAUDE A. LABELLE - -Author of - - “The Ranger Boys to the Rescue,” “The Ranger Boys - Find the Hermit,” “The Ranger Boys and the - Border Smugglers,” “The Ranger Boys - Outwit the Timber Thieves.” - -A. L. BURT COMPANY - -Publishers New York - - - - -THE RANGER BOYS SERIES - -A Series of Stories for Boys 12 to 16 Years of Age - -By CLAUDE A. LABELLE - - The Ranger Boys to the Rescue - The Ranger Boys Find the Hermit - The Ranger Boys and the Border Smugglers - The Ranger Boys Outwit the Timber Thieves - The Ranger Boys and Their Reward - -Copyright, 1922 - -By A. L. BURT COMPANY - -THE RANGER BOYS AND THEIR REWARD - -Made in “U. S. A.” - - - - -THE RANGER BOYS AND THEIR REWARD - - - - -CHAPTER I - -THE PLEA FOR HELP - - -“Well, now that everything is going all right at the camp here, I -suppose we might as well say goodbye to our friends and get ready -for the return to the West Branch and resume our duties on the -forest fire patrol,” remarked Garfield Boone to his chums as they -sat in the crude office of the lumber camp. - -“Yes, this seems to be the best thing to do, but I almost dislike -the thought of going back. After all the excitement that we’ve had -lately, it will be dead slow on the hill. Nothing to do but walk the -patrol and take our turns in the Tin Can,” agreed Phil Durant. - -The third member of the trio of friends, tried and true, merely -yawned and said nothing. This was Dick Wallace, rather a heavy chap. -Some people would have called him fat, but he always referred to -himself as merely plump. - -“Come, say something, Dick. You’ve been sitting here for an hour and -the most you’ve said is yes or no, sometimes you didn’t even say -that. What’s the trouble?” inquired Garry. - -“Gosh, can’t you fellows see that I’m just resting? You want me to -say something? All right. I wonder what we’ll have for dinner -today?” - -His friends broke into hearty laughter. Dick’s appetite was a -standing joke with them, likewise his weight; for he always took the -easiest way of doing things when speed was not required. This does -not mean that the fat youth was a shirker or naturally lazy. When -occasion demanded it, he was all speed and as quick as a flash of -lightning. Like many heavy people, he could move with the utmost -celerity if need be, but his attitude was why hurry when you didn’t -have to. Time enough for that when something arose that demanded -action. - -“I say, boys, there’s old Lawrence with a mail bag. You know he went -to town at daybreak to get the mail. Wonder if there’s anything for -us?” remarked Phil, as he spied the old lumberjack coming towards -them. - -“Shouldn’t wonder if there was a letter from home for some of us,” -answered Garry, as he stuck his head out of the door and called to -the man to bring them what mail there was. - -“Three for Garry, one apiece for the rest of you,” said Lawrence, as -he handed them the small bundle of envelopes. - -The boys made a dive for the mail and soon each was busily engaged -in perusing the letter or letters sent him. - -As they are reading their letters, let us get acquainted with the -heroes of this coming volume. Those of our readers who have read the -preceding four volumes in this series, “The Ranger Boys to the -Rescue,” “The Ranger Boys Find the Hermit,” “The Ranger Boys and the -Border Smugglers,” and “The Ranger Boys Outwit the Timber Thieves,” -are already acquainted with the trio and the stirring adventures -they have had. For the benefit of others, however, we will give a -slight history of what they have done. - -The three boys, whose names we already know, have just finished -their junior year in high school, and while wondering what to do for -their last vacation together, are told by Garry’s father, a wealthy -timberland owner, that he will get them places in the Maine Forest -Ranger Service. - -The duty of the men on this service is to patrol the forests -constantly on the lookout for forest fires, and if any are -discovered, to report them promptly, as well as trying to do what -they can to put out the blaze. - -A short way up the river near their home the boys have a shack, and -one afternoon they go there to find it occupied by three tramps who -seize Phil and Garry. Dick makes his escape and brings help from -town. - -It is discovered that the three are badly wanted for robbing -postoffices, and the chums receive a sizable reward for their -capture. - -This money they use, or rather a part of it, to outfit themselves -for the forest. On the way to their work they make friends with one -Nate Webster, an old Maine guide who later does them many a good -turn. They also incur the enmity of a French Canadian halfbreed -named Jean LeBlanc, who finds out that one is the son of Mr. Boone, -a man he has hated for years. - -While on their patrol they meet a party of New York campers, and are -instrumental in saving the little daughter of Mr. Graham, head of -the party. A day or two later LeBlanc captures the child and intends -to hold it for ransom. - -A queer, unknown individual writes them constant notes informing -them of what is going on. This man they call the Hermit. Garry -finally rescues little Patty, and LeBlanc is captured only to break -out of jail later on. - -The halfbreed continually crosses their trail, causing them all -kinds of trouble, and several times endangering their lives. He sets -fire to the forest, and almost causes the death of the boys and a -party of motion picture people who are taking a forest picture. -Having checkmated him, they set out to find the Hermit, following a -clue given them in a cipher note, and Dick succeeds in finding the -old man, who is evidently a gentleman, yet seems to be a trifle -unbalanced mentally. - -So well do they succeed at their work in the forest, that when a -gang of fur smugglers start operations on the Canadian border, the -Chief Ranger recommends to the Customs authorities that they be sent -to help. - -They are instrumental in aiding an old man who has been caught in a -disused bear trap in the woods, and meet his granddaughter Ruth. -They get evidence against the smugglers after some thrilling -escapes, and find that part of the contraband of the smugglers -includes some wonderful jewels. LeBlanc is mixed up in this, but -makes his escape across the border, where the American Customs -authorities cannot pursue him. - -Coming into possession of a torn map, they work out its solution and -discover a rich mine of tourmalines, those gems that are famous in -the State of Maine, and are valuable both as jewels and as parts of -electrical apparatus. - -As they plan to return to their work as Rangers, they are asked by -Mr. Boone to aid him in unraveling the mystery of the trouble at his -summer logging camp. - -Again they find LeBlanc is mixed up in the theft of the timber, and -after a half a dozen narrow escapes from disaster, meet with -success. LeBlanc makes a mad dash for freedom and succeeds in -swimming to meet a motor boat containing some of his friends, -including his brother, Baptiste, who is just as great a villain as -Jean. - -In several of their adventures they have put to good use a wireless -telephone outfit given them by Mr. Graham in gratitude for the -double rescue of his little daughter, Patty. - -In the preceding volume Dick called for help when the timber thieves -had besieged the camp and captured the men loyal to Mr. Boone. -Through the machinations of Barrows, the camp manager, much of the -timber had been stolen, and enough harm done to seriously hinder -Boone from keeping his contracts to deliver a certain supply of -lumber at a set date. - -Thanks to the boys’ work, however, the plot was nipped before it had -gotten too far, and so we meet them now in the camp office after -order has been restored, and the men are working doubly hard to aid -their employer. - -Just one more thing must be explained, and that is the mystery that -entered Dick’s life when he was a mere child. His father, a friend -of Garry’s father, had been professor of botany at an Eastern -university. Dick’s mother died when he was a baby. One day Professor -Wallace fell from his horse and received an injury that made him -lose his memory. Before he could be operated upon he escaped from -the hospital, in delirium, and had not been heard of from that day. - -Out of sincere friendship for his old schoolmate, Mr. Boone had -taken Dick into his home and, after formally adopting him, brought -him up as he did his own son, Garry. - -Now to return to the boys, who are just finishing their letters. - -“Who is all that mail for you from?” quizzed Phil, as he spied Garry -finishing his third letter. - -“Well, you chaps were pining for more excitement, and dreading to go -back to the humdrum patrolling of the forest, and it looks as though -your desire for action was to be gratified,” answered Garry. “One of -these letters is from Mother. The other two are from Augusta; that -is, one is from the Chief Ranger and the other is enclosed in his -message. That one is from a young lady.” - -“What young lady would write to you, anyway, and why should she send -it through the Ranger?” scoffed Phil. - -“It’s from a young lady who lives on the Canadian border. Does that -tell you anything?” replied Garry. - -“Aha,” shouted Dick, as light broke on him. “Phil, it’s a love -letter!” - -“Nothing of the sort,” retorted Garry, though he flushed up a bit. -“It’s a plea for help.” - -This made the others stop their good-natured chaffing of their -leader, for it was Garry who was the elected chief of the trio, and -they importuned him to hurry up and read the messages. - -“First, then, is the one from Ruth, who says that she and her -grandfather have received several threatening letters, claiming that -all kinds of misfortune will follow them unless they leave their -home and get out of that section of the country. Along with her -letter is the one from the Chief Ranger, who says that in addition -to the threatening letters that have been sent, there are some -peculiar doings in the postal way at Hobart, and as we had such -success in helping the Customs man, he has recommended that we be -sent to Hobart to aid the postal inspector, who is on his way there -now. So that’s the story in a nutshell.” - -Dick jumped to his feet, all his “resting” forgotten. He seized Phil -by the shoulders and did a regular war dance, dragging the -protesting Phil, who was of a quieter disposition, around the floor -of the office. - -“Whe-e-e—, that means a trip back to the border, and all kinds of -things may happen there again. Let’s get going; we can pack in a few -minutes and get to town in time to catch a late train for Bangor.” - -“All right; see how quick we can get packed up. Also, I wish one of -you boys would pack up for me; some of my stuff is scattered around -the shack; and be sure and pack the radio carefully. I had it out -overhauling it this morning. I want to arrange about leaving, and -see Art Howells, the new manager, and tell him to try and get some -trace of Sandy before we go.” - -The mention of Sandy brought sadness to the boys. He was a big -Airedale that they all loved, and had been stolen or wandered away a -short time after they had reached the logging camp. - -Away went the chums to pack, and Garry sought out Howells. The new -manager assured Garry that he would do his best to find some track -of the dog. - -Howells also sent a man to get Mr. Boone, who was still at the camp -helping reorganize the men after the trouble of the preceding days. -When Garry returned to the office, he found his chums, awaiting him. -They had packed in a hurry, for Dick was still stuffing down the -contents of his knapsack as Garry entered the shack. - -“We’ll be all set in a few minutes,” declared Dick. “Have you sent -for Dad Boone, Garry?” - -“Yes, he’ll be here in a few minutes; he is only at the sawmill. -Sure you have everything packed? Haven’t you forgotten anything?” -asked Garry. - -“Everything is as right as a trivet,” answered Phil. “Wonder if we -can get the old Ford that was brought here yesterday to ride into -town on; it will save us a long hike and will get us there quicker.” - -“Guess we can have it all right; we’ll see as soon as Father comes,” -answered Garry. - -At this moment Mr. Boone entered the office, and noticing the -excited air of the boys, and the packed knapsacks, asked in some -surprise if they were not in an awful hurry to get back to work. - -It took only a few hasty words to acquaint him with the new -situation that had just arisen, and as Garry concluded the -explanation he asked for the use of the old auto to carry them to -town. - -This request was readily granted by Mr. Boone, and he wished the -boys good luck on their venture. - -“I had hoped that you would go back to the mountain for the rest of -the summer,” he said, “where there is some peace and quietness. It -seems that you have stepped into trouble at almost every turn, and -there is only one thing that I worry about. That is LeBlanc. He is a -most vindictive rascal, and I will not feel confident of your -security until you are off to school this fall or until he is safely -under lock and key in some prison, where he belongs. I hope you boys -have no wild times on this, yet I would be the last one to ask you -to shirk your duty; and since the Chief Ranger has such a high -regard for you, who are yet boys, to send you on such an errand, I -can only say I’m proud that you have done so well, and deserve all -the praise that can be accorded to you. Also, I wish that you would -postpone your departure for a few minutes, as I want to write a note -to Nate Webster for you to mail when you get to Bangor. It will go -quicker then, for the train that you will take this afternoon does -not carry mail.” - -Naturally they agreed to this, and went outside while Mr. Boone -wrote his note. In some way it had been noised about the camp that -the boys were to leave, and soon several of the men had gathered in -front of the office. Mr. Boone finished his letter, and gave it to -Garry and they got into the flivver. The man called Tom, who had -taken them on the coon hunt some nights before, started several -times to speak, and then decided not to. - -Just as they were about to start, Garry called to Art Howells to be -sure and keep an eye out for news of Sandy’s fate. There was a gulp -in his throat as he said this. His chums, too, were silent, for they -missed their faithful, four-footed friend sorely. - -This evidently decided Tom, for he came to the flivver, and said to -Garry: - -“If you can get me time off enough to go to town with you, I promise -you that you will have your dog a half an hour after we reach -there!” - - - - -CHAPTER II - -BAD NEWS IN HOBART - - -On hearing this, the boys gave a shout of joy, and in a minute had -arranged for Tom to come with them as far as town. - -With the cheers of the lumberjacks sounding in their ears, and with -a wave of Mr. Boone and Art Howells, the boys were off. The flivver -coughed, and gathering speed, rattled down the bumpy road. - -As soon as they had started, they hurled a number of questions at -Tom about Sandy. - -“I wasn’t goin’ to say anything about the dog, because you fellows -might take it out on us. My brother came to see me in camp the day -after the coon hunt, and stayed around for awhile and made half sort -of friends with the dog, and then later he was gone. I found out -that he had taken him with him. ’Course I know it was stealing, but -he was my brother and I was afraid he would get into bad trouble. -You fellows know how I felt. First place I was ashamed to tell you I -had a brother that would do that, and second place I was afraid -you’d have him taken up for it. But I was going to see that you got -him back somehow. When you got ready to go today, I knew how you -felt about the pup, and so I couldn’t hold in any longer. All I wish -is that you won’t have anything done to my brother, bad as he is.” - -The boys were so overjoyed with the thought of regaining Sandy that -they immediately promised Tom that the matter would be forgotten. - -Speeding up the machine as soon as they struck better road, they -made excellent time and reached the village ahead of their schedule. -They went direct to the station to get their tickets, while Tom -departed for his brother’s house to bring Sandy to them. After -buying their tickets, they were on tenterhooks waiting the return of -their animal friend. - -True to his word, Tom was at the station in half an hour. But Sandy -beat him by several seconds, for no sooner did he get his first -sight of the boys than he broke from the leash by which Tom was -leading him and made a mad dash for the chums. He nearly knocked -Garry over as he leaped on him, then he jumped from one boy to -another in frantic glee, giving vent to sharp barks of delight as -the boys mauled him in their joy at seeing him again. - -“Sorry we’ll have to put you in the baggage car on the trip, old -timer,” said Garry, “but the railroads have a rule against big -fellows like you being in the car.” - -At last the train came in and they were on their way. Sandy voiced -unqualified disapproval at being tied up in the crowded baggage car, -and occasionally one or another of the boys went ahead and petted -him a few minutes. - -The train was a slow one, and it was nearly eight o’clock when they -reached the Penobscot River city. For once they were quite ready to -follow Dick’s lead and get “eats,” then they went to the hotel and -reserved rooms. They found that their train was to leave fairly -early in the morning, but as not one of them was tired, they took a -walk down through the business center of the town. - -As they passed a brightly lighted drug store, Dick noticed something -in the window. - -“There, I knew there was something we ought to have had on our other -trips,” he announced to the others. - -“Hold him, Phil, he’s going to buy something again. Remember how he -wouldn’t go on without that knife last time he was here?” said -Garry. - -“Gosh, that reminds me I left that knife in the cabin at the little -lake,” he ejaculated. “I wonder if that chap is still around here -selling ’em?” - -“Hardly; he was just one of those sidewalk merchants that are here -today and gone tomorrow” answered Garry. “But what is it that you -want to buy now?” - -“Look at that display in the window, and see if you don’t think we -ought to have an outfit” answered Dick as he waved his hand toward -the indicated window. - -“Well, for once you see something sensible. We might have a lot of -use for them the remainder of the summer, and it will give us some -nice souvenirs.” - -What Dick had seen was a display of cameras, and followed by his -chums he entered the store and soon had purchased a good camera and -a sufficient quantity of films to take a number of pictures. As an -afterthought, he bought material to develop a limited amount of the -pictures, explaining that they might be able to print some in spare -moments. - -“Go ahead and buy whatever you want,” laughed Garry, “only remember -that this stuff all goes in your pack, and you will have to carry -the extra weight.” - -This, however, failed to bother Dick, and he bought such articles as -he needed. - -They were about to return to the hotel, when Garry noticed a -policeman coming down the street. This called to mind the night they -had been near arrest and had received the torn map that eventually -led them to the secret tourmaline mine. - -“Let’s drop around to the station and see if the Chief of Police -might be in. I’d like to say howdy to him, even if he once did have -an idea that we were a crew of runaways,” he suggested to his -companions. - -The idea was instantly approved, and they changed their direction -and headed for the station. They were just in time, for the Chief -was preparing to leave for home. He recognized the boys immediately -and invited them into his office for a chat. The few minutes -lengthened into an hour, for the Chief made them tell him about the -smuggling band and how they had aided in the capture. - -“I happen to know something about it, for some of them were brought -here for a hearing before the United States Commissioner, and I -attended the hearing. It’s natural in you boys, I suppose, to be -modest about it, but I wish that I had a son, or three of them like -you, that could get out and do such a creditable bit of work as you -did. If you ever want a job, apply to me,” he concluded with a laugh -in which the boys joined. - -The visit over, they hustled back to the hotel and to sleep, as they -were booked for early rising. - -A sharp tatoo on the door awoke them in the morning, and they -hurried into their clothes, for they had no more than time to eat -and get to the station. - -Aboard the train they chose seats, as was their custom, in the -smoking car, not that any of the trio was addicted to smoking, but -because they generally found several interesting characters to -watch, and this happened to pass away the time. - -Then, too, on one occasion, they had obtained a valuable clue that -aided them greatly in the successful carrying out of the mission -they had been sent on, and on their first trip they had made the -acquaintance of Nate Webster in the smoker of a train. - -They found facing seats and stowed their packs and rifles in the -racks overhead, and settled down for the weary ride that would take -them to Hobart. As was usual in this train, there were a number of -picturesque characters: lumberjacks going north to the woods, guides -returning after taking parties on camping trips, or going to meet -parties that were awaiting them along the way, French Canadians -bound for towns on the other side of the border, and several men who -were evidently bound on an extended fishing trip, to judge from the -paraphernalia they carried with them. The boys were just a little -bit amused at the amount of luggage that they carried. It was piled -at one end of the car, and from the looks of it would have required -the services of at least three porters to carry for them. This, by -the way, is the mistake made by the average camper, unless someone -wise in the ways of the woods gives them a friendly tip and tells -them to travel light. - -Each of the boys always made shift to travel with only one knapsack -each and everything that was not absolutely necessary was discarded. -As it was, their packs were quite heavy, for they had their carrying -sets of the wireless ’phone; but these were fairly light, since they -had been specially made for the Rangers by Mr. Graham. - -Garry and Dick amused themselves by playing checkers on a small -pocket board that was their constant companion, while Phil wandered -through the car stopping to watch several of the card games that -were in progress and listening to the conversation. As our previous -readers know, Phil could talk French as well as he could English, -but this was an accomplishment that the trio kept a strict secret, -since it enabled them at times to get valuable information. -Naturally a great deal of this language was spoken in this section -of the country, and more so as they approached the border and other -men got aboard. - -Phil’s trip was fruitless as far as getting any information was -concerned, for all the men were talking only of the most trivial -subjects. - -“What luck?” asked Garry, when Phil finally returned to his seat. - -“Nothing at all. There is no one on the train that I remember having -seen when we were here before, and everyone seems to be all right. -It is unlikely that I should have found out anything about the -postal trouble, for there is probably some single person at the -bottom of that, rather than a band such as that of the smugglers -that we ran down last time,” said Phil. “But there is one thing that -I thought of as I walked through the cars. We will be only a short -hike away from our mine when we get to Hobart, and I wonder if we -wouldn’t have time to make a little visit there and see that no one -else has stumbled on the secret. I wish I could pick about twenty of -the best tourmalines, for the money they would bring would be mighty -welcome.” - -“Guess great minds run in the same channel,” remarked Garry, “for I -was thinking of the same thing not very long ago. But I have a -better idea. By the time we get this business here settled up, it -will be fairly well along in the summer, and it seems to me it would -be useless to go back to the patrol for such a short time. We will -want to have a few days at home before we go to military school this -fall, and so I suggest that after this mission is ended, we get -relieved from duty and go and mine some of the tourmalines. We ought -to get quite a bit of the work done, for it is a comparatively easy -job to get them out, and then we can hire a couple of guards to -watch them until such time as we can come back, or get some -trustworthy person to operate it for us; such a man as Nate Webster, -for instance.” - -“That would be a jolly good idea,” remarked Dick. “I’d like a chance -at mining just to see how the thing is done.” - -“Well, we’ll have to forget about that for the time being, for we -have a big enough job on our hands for the present if we meet with -any success on this business. As a matter of fact, we won’t be able -to do a great deal on this anyway. It is something that we know -nothing about, and I imagine that the only reason we were sent here -at all is because we have had a chance to learn something about the -country here and know some of the people in Hobart. As for giving -any advice to the inspector, that of course is out of the question. -Really, this thing looks more like a vacation to me than anything -else,” concluded Garry. - -“You never can tell what will happen,” remarked Dick sagely. -“There’s one thing I would like to do before we quit here for the -summer, and that is cause LeBlanc to be taken up and held where he -can do no more mischief for a time. He gets worse every week, and -there is no telling what he will do in the end. I wonder if he is -the one that sent the letters to our friends? You know they were -instrumental in bringing his smuggling plot to a disastrous end, and -he is of the vengeful type that would seek some mean satisfaction.” - -“I rather doubt that he is the one,” said Garry. “It is more likely -some friend of Lafe Green, for he probably has some pals that were -not caught in the net of the law when the smugglers were rounded -up.” - -“Well, we can do little until we get there and see what it is all -about. There’s nothing to be gained by idle speculating as to the -perpetrator of the offense, so we might as well take it easy till we -reach our destination,” advised Garry. - -The morning dragged on, and the boys welcomed the half hour stop for -dinner. They ate in the same restaurant where they had met the -Customs man some weeks before. - -Their own dinner procured, they got something for Sandy and carried -it to the baggage car. - -The dog raised such a howl when they started to leave that Garry -volunteered to ride in the baggage car for a while, provided the -baggageman was willing. He heartily agreed to allow Garry to remain, -and the others returned to the smoker. - -The particular route over which they were traveling was not one of -the best, and occasionally they were forced to wait while other -trains made connections. - -About half way though the afternoon, as they were waiting on a -siding to allow a fast freight from across the border to have right -of way, the boys remarked on the fact that several tramps seemed to -have made a special train of it. They observed three hanging to the -end, grasping the trainman’s iron rungs for support. - -The train had half passed when Dick grasped Phil by the arm. - -“Look quick. There’s one of the tramps that we caught in our shack -at home!” - -Phil cast a quick glance and what he saw corroborated Dick. - -“There, I’m glad you saw him too,” announced Dick, “for I am sure it -was one of the gang. If I alone had seen him, you boys might have -said that I was seeing things. I move we drop out and tell Garry, -and one of us can stay behind with Sandy and let Garry come back to -the car.” - -This was done, and Garry was much interested in their story. - -“You remember we saw them in this section once before, and it is -possible they are making a stamping ground of this place. Now all we -need is a glimpse of LeBlanc and we’ll have all our enemies with us. -We might make a grand slam and clean them all out.” - -Two hours of riding brought them at last to Hobart, and they -gathered their traps and disembarked. - -Ruth and her grandfather, John Everett, were waiting to meet them. -Mr. Everett had fully recovered from his accident with the bear -trap, and both he and his granddaughter greeted the boys warmly. - -“First thing we want is to hear the whole story and then we will see -what we can devise in the way of plans for putting an end to the -annoyance. Shall we walk towards your house and you can tell us on -the way?” asked Garry. - -At the mention of house, both Ruth and her grandfather looked sad, -and Mr. Everett answered their query about walking in that -direction. - -“Just now we haven’t any house. It was burned to the ground last -night, and evidence seems to point to the fact that it was -deliberately set on fire!” - - - - -CHAPTER III - -LAFE COMES BACK - - -The news shocked the boys into silence for a moment, then Garry -burst out indignantly: - -“Well, that’s about the meanest thing I ever heard of. Are you sure -that it was deliberately fired?” - -“We are convinced of it,” said the old man. “The blaze started in a -half a dozen places at the same time. There was nothing that we -could do to save our home. As a matter of fact, we barely got out -some of our clothes. Of course we have insurance, but that will -never cover the loss of things that cannot be replaced,—some of my -old books, for instance.” - -“It seems likely that the man or men who have sent the threatening -letters are the same who fired the house,” mused Garry aloud. - -“Yes,” said Mr. Everett, “when we first received the letters we -thought that they might be a practical joke; and later, when they -still continued to come, we took it to be a means of frightening us. -I thought for a time that it might be some one whose enmity I had -personally incurred, but when Ruth got them too, with hints as to -why they were being sent, namely, the matter of the smuggling -attempt and capture a short time ago, I knew that it was some member -of the band who was still at large.” - -Garry pondered for a moment, Then he remarked: - -“There would seem to be only two sources from which the letters -would come. One is from some friend or friends of Lafe Green, and -the other—but that seems almost impossible.” - -“Who are you thinking of?” inquired the old man quickly. - -“Why, I was thinking of Jean LeBlanc,” answered Garry slowly. “What -makes me think that impossible is that I know where he has been for -some little time, and he doubtless did not send them, for he was too -busy with his other infernal mischief.” - -Ruth then interrupted the conversation. - -“Suppose we leave and go to Aunt Abby’s house, and talk about -things, instead of standing here like a pack of sticks. Aunt Abbie -isn’t really our aunt,” she said, turning to the boys. “She’s an old -lady who lives all alone in a big house, and occasionally she takes -in people to board and room. That’s where we are staying now.” - -This suggestion was voted a sensible one, and the party proceeded to -the house referred to. - -There they were met by Aunt Abbie, a little, old, grey haired -person, who beamed when she was introduced to the boys. - -“I’ve heard a lot about you boys from Ruth,” she told them; -“especially about Garry.” - -Phil and Dick burst into laughter, which they choked off as soon as -possible, while Garry turned a fiery red. He knew what was in store -for him as soon as they were alone. - -They were ushered into the trim parlor and took up the conversation -where it had been left at the station. - -Ruth’s grandfather asked what the boys knew of LeBlanc’s latest -movements, and this naturally led to the telling of the occurrences -that transpired at the lumber camp. The boys did not tell this until -they were hard pressed to, for they were modest when it came to -their own achievements. Finally the story came out, each of the boys -telling a portion of it in turn. - -“I wonder if that halfbreed could not have been at the bottom of -this after all. It was only a few days ago that he came to the camp, -and we have gotten the letters at intervals during the past three -weeks. He could easily have sent them through some friend. My only -hope is that he is not in this section again, but that arson -business was what I would have expected of a man of his stamp,” -concluded Mr. Everett. - -“Wonder if the tramps could have had anything to do with it? You -know the old saying about birds of a feather flocking together, and -it would be like them to hitch up,” queried Dick. - -“Yes, that’s possible but not exactly probable,” said Garry. - -“Have you the letters?” asked Phil. - -“Yes, they’re upstairs. Wait a minute and I’ll run up and get them,” -said Ruth; and away she went to do the errand. - -She was back in a few moments and handed them to Phil. The boys -crowded around to see them. They were all printed in a coarse -lettering, mostly on scraps of old wrapping paper; one was on a -hand-bill, and two or three on a cheap grade of stationery such as -may be bought at any notion store. - -The letters were all of the same tenor, warning the man and girl to -leave town at once else misfortune would visit them. - -“There isn’t much of a clue of any sort in the letters themselves, -but let’s see the envelopes; perhaps they will be more -enlightening,” remarked Garry. - -The envelopes were all of the same variety, cheap and flimsy as was -the paper. The postmarks were varied. Most of them were evidently -mailed in Hobart, but one had come across the border, as its -Canadian stamp bore testimony, and three came from the little town -of Coldenham, several miles up along the border. - -“Not much help in these after all,” said Garry in a disappointed -tone. “We might go to these various offices and see if the -postmasters have any remembrance of who mailed them, but that is too -faint a clue to waste time following up.” - -“Say, here’s something that might help. Just see how this sentence -is worded,” broke in Phil. “‘It is that the town you must leave -immediately.’ Now no person who was familiar with the English -language would have said it that way. The more likely phrasing would -have been, ‘You must leave town immediately.’ And that makes me -certain that only one man wrote those letters.” - -“Jean LeBlanc!” burst out Garry and Dick almost in the same breath. - -“That’s what I think myself. I’d stake a lot that I am right,” said -Phil. He began to look through the other letters and, as he -expected, his scrutiny revealed several other little oddities of -language. - -They were still discussing the matter when Aunt Abbie entered to -announce that supper was ready. The boys protested that they could -not put her to so much trouble, but were instantly hushed by the old -lady. - -“She prides herself on her cooking, and you’ll hurt her feelings if -you protest,” whispered Ruth to the boys, so the party trooped out -to the dining room where an ample supper was waiting them. - -As they ate, the question of quarters for the night came up, and -Garry suggested that they go to the lean-to which they had built in -the woods outside of the town on their previous visit; but Aunt -Abbie would not hear of this, and insisted that they stay there. - -“Land sakes, I have enough room here for all of you, and I like to -have people in this big, lonely house. Keeps me young to have young -people around me, too.” - -So it was settled that they should stay there for the night, but the -boys decided that in the morning they would visit the lean-to, and -repair any slight damage that might have been done to it, and make -their quarters there during their stay, for they thought they might -be in and out a good deal in search for the writer of the -threatening letters. - -After supper Dick announced that in the morning he was going to try -his hand at photographing the letters. This led to another -examination of the notes, and Garry made a discovery. - -“Look, there is a distinct sign of a fingerprint here. The paper -looks as though it might at one time have been wrapped around a -piece of bacon and is slightly greasy; enough to take a fingerprint. -When you take your pictures in the morning, Dick, I will fix it so -the print will show up.” - -Supper over, the boys decided to walk to the postoffice and -interview the postmaster, whose name they found out was Denton. They -also ascertained that he had held this position for nearly twenty -years. - -The postoffice was located in the general store, where they had -often purchased provisions while on the trail of the smugglers. -Denton was soon found, and the boys proceeded to recall themselves -to him. He greeted them warmly and asked if they were on another -camping trip. This last was accompanied by a sly wink, for naturally -he had heard of the part they had played in running down Lafe Green -and his gang. He showed no surprise when the boys asked if they -could hold a private conversation with him. - -Denton led the way back to a little cubby hole of an office, -furnished only with a desk and a fair-sized safe. In this, the boys -judged, he kept stamps and the records of the postoffice, as well as -what money he took in during the day’s trading at the store. - -Garry briefly explained what their purpose in coming back to Hobart -was, and exhibited the letter sent by the Chief Ranger as authority -for their statements. - -Denton glanced at the letter and then leaned back in his chair. - -“Well, I’ll tell you all there is to tell. I suppose you’ve seen the -letters that contained the threats, and if you can figure out who -sent them, it’s more than I can do. Just probably a case of spite -against ’em, and will doubtless blow over. I’ve always held to the -opinion that barking dogs never bite.” - -“Seems to me that the dog bit this time,” remarked Garry dryly. - -“How so?” - -“Why, the setting afire of the house last night.” - -“Oh, that. Well, there may be other reasons. Mr. Everett has a whole -lot of enemies. He’s pretty freespoken with his tongue. ’Course he’s -generally right in what he says, but there’s nothing that hurts like -the truth in some cases. All that’s a matter for the sheriff to help -out with. On the big matter we can’t do anything till the postoffice -inspector gets here. I’m expecting he’ll arrive some time tomorrow, -next day at the latest,” said Denton. - -The boys looked up in surprise. The “other matter” was a new one on -them. - -Garry looked at Denton, and in a rather bewildered tone asked: - -“What other matter?” - -This time it was Denton’s turn to look surprised. - -“Seems to me that is the thing we have to worry about. I don’t know -as I ought to say anything more about it to you. ’Course I figure -you’re all right, but you should know about that if you’re going to -help out on it.” - -Garry spent a few moments in argument, and finally convinced Denton -that they were all right in this matter, and at last, after giving -the subject several moments of thought, he enlightened them. - -“Why, I’m referring to the robbery of the mail that goes to the -paper mill!” - -The trio looked aghast at this piece of news. This was a brand new -angle to them, and they pressed the postmaster to give them the -details. - -“There ain’t much to tell. You probably know there’s a pulp mill up -the line aways at Coldenham. The owner is a queer old cuss; Scotch -feller name of Ferguson. He’s pretty near the richest man in this -neck o’ the woods and peculiar in lots of ways. Has this big pulp -mill, but won’t have a business office in Portland or Boston, but -does everything from the mill there. Owns the bank in the town, too, -so all his money goes through there. Now all mail that goes to -Coldenham from round Boston or New York comes through this office. -Mostly always it lays over a bit in this office, for the only -railroad between here and Coldenham is a short haul road that’s -owned by Ferguson; more money for him you see. We get the mail on -the regular mail train here and then transfer it and send it along -to him. Once in a while his mail comes too late to catch the return -trip of his train and then we send it along to him by a flivver. -Have a regular rural carrier here that does that extra. - -“Well, everything has always gone along all right until a couple of -weeks or so ago, the mail was rifled somewhere between its starting -point and its destination. ’Course there is no way of telling right -now just where this was done, but when the inspector comes we can -put a check on it from office to office and see at just what point -it was robbed. Most of the stuff has been checks, certified of -course, and so it’s done by someone that knows how to cash them -after they are taken. - -“There’s the story in a nutshell. If you can make anything out of -it, you’re a better man than I am, any one of you.” - -Denton concluded his story and leaned back in his chair surveying -the boys. - -Garry was silent for a few moments, and then he made answer: - -“I am afraid there is nothing that we can do. When the inspector -comes we can do anything that he asks and guide him around through -the country and that is about all. We are just Rangers and not -postoffice detectives.” - -“Well, there’s nothing I can do except sit tight and see that it -doesn’t disappear while it’s in this office. I wouldn’t have that -happen for the world. I’ve been postmaster here for nigh onto twenty -year, and never was so much as a postage stamp short in all that -time,” said Denton with an air of pride. - -As they talked, Phil had been listening intently. He possessed an -almost abnormal hearing, and had frequently heard things that warned -of the approach of danger when his two chums could not hear a sound. - -“Keep on talking, Garry,” he whispered to his chum, who happened to -be sitting nearest him. “Talk loudly.” - -Then stepping cautiously, so as to make no sound, he approached the -window, which was up on account of the heat of the night, and with a -quick snap of his hand, caused the roller shade to fly to the top. - -All present got a glimpse of the face of a man standing there at the -window, listening to the conversation. The chums made a dash for the -window and were fumbling at the screen when the man fled. - -“By gosh, that’s Pete Avalon, one of the hangers on at the -restaurant kept by the big Frenchman where you fellows have eaten, -and where, if I remember rightly, one of you had an unpleasant -experience a while ago.” - -“Now what was he there for if not to listen to the particular -conversation that we were having?” asked Garry of the others. “I -begin to make two and two into four on several of these questions. I -think that the sending of the letters to the Everetts and the theft -of the checks from the mail are done by the same people.” - -“By gracious, there’s something I noticed when we were examining the -letters and then it slipped my mind. There was one letter there that -had no stamp on it, and I was going to ask how it had been -delivered. I’ll bet a cookie that it was slipped into the mail bag -by someone who was fooling around with the other mail. Now this -Avalon has probably hot-footed it to the man back of all this to -tell him that the law is already on the trail of the missing checks. -They know that you can fool very little with Uncle Sam’s mail -system. It’s one of the safest and best protected things in the -world,” declared Phil. - -“Well, we can do nothing more tonight, except to notify the -constable to keep an eye on Avalon, and pick him up on suspicion for -questioning when the inspector gets here. We might as well go and -get some sleep now, and be fresh for a start in the morning,” said -Garry. - -“Not much use in having Avalon watched. Now that he knows he was -seen, he is probably off to some hiding place where he will lie low -till he can get across the border. Still we’d better be safe than -sorry, and I’ll tell the authorities first thing in the morning,” -said Denton. - -The boys took their leave of Denton and left the general store, -promising to look in next morning and buy some supplies, for they -intended to camp at the old lean-to outside the town. - -They stood for a few moments on the steps of the general store -chatting with several of the villagers who made a sort of a club -room of the store every evening. Then they walked down the street a -way, when Garry stopped them for a consultation. - -“I was just wondering if there was anything that we could do -tonight,” he told his friends. “I thought for a minute that we might -try and get on the trail of this Avalon and see where he went. If he -is mixed up in this, he probably went directly to where the head of -this mischief is and reported his discovery.” - -“Don’t believe there is a chance in the world. He went off as though -he were shot out of a gun, and by now he is probably safely hidden -or making his way guardedly to his hiding place. If we had brought -Sandy with us tonight he might have gotten on the trail. Next time -we make any move, we’ll have him with us,” advised Dick. - -“Guess you’re right, and the sensible thing to do is to go home to -bed,” answered Garry. They sauntered up the street towards the -section where Aunt Abbie lived, taking their time, for the night was -fine—a night such as is known only in Maine—when the heat of the -day is cooled off by the balsam laden breezes that blow through the -forests. - -“Say, I want some candy before I go to bed,” announced Garry. - -“Gosh, and you holler at me because I want to eat things now and -then,” laughed Dick. - -“It’s mostly now with you Dick, and in my case it happens to be -then. You boys walk on ahead and I’ll trot back to Denton’s and get -a little. I won’t be more than five minutes and will catch up with -you by the time you reach Aunt Abbie’s house,” and Garry was off at -a trot for the store. - -He procured his candy, and was walking back to join his comrades, -when he became suddenly aware that he was being followed. - -Garry could not see anyone, but he had that instinct that comes to -anyone when he is being followed. It is the same feeling that one -has when he realizes that there is someone else in a room with him -when it was supposed to be empty. - -He dodged behind a tree, and made a noise of tramping with his feet -as though he were still moving on. - -This ruse succeeded, and he saw a man dodging from tree to tree. -Garry left his shelter and turned the corner into the street that -led to Aunt Abbie’s house, and there stepped quickly into the shadow -cast by a large elm tree. The electric light on the street was a -wretched affair, casting only a few feeble rays on the street below. - -As he waited, a figure turned the corner, and with a start he -recognized Lafe Green. - -Garry was undecided as to what course he would pursue. Should he -call to his friends to come back and join him, and see if they could -not bring Lafe back to justice, or should he see if he couldn’t -shake him off and then turn pursuer himself and see where Lafe would -go? - -Green, however, decided matters for him. Evidently he had discerned -what Garry was up to, for when he reached the tree behind which -Garry was concealed, he darted around and came face to face with the -boy. - -Garry put on a bold front, although inwardly he was a little -troubled over what might be the outcome of this meeting. - -“Hello, Lafe,” said the boy. “How do you happen to be here?” - -“Don’t know as it’s any of your particular business, but before you -go trying any funny business. I’ll tell you that I am out on bail, -so you have nothing on me at all.” - -“I’ve been following you about, though, for the last few minutes, to -get a chance to tell you something. Unless you fellows get out of -here by tomorrow night, I promise you that you will be driven out in -a way that will make you sorry you ever came here. Get that?” - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE GUM HUNTER’S CLUE - - -With these words, Lafe turned and walked swiftly away, leaving Garry -standing there dumbfounded for the moment. There was much food for -thought in what Green had just said. In the first place, Garry had -little idea that he would see Green at all, and could not understand -how he had gotten bail for his freedom. Then came the recollection -that the man had several friends around this particular section, and -undoubtedly had quite a little money himself, made out of some of -his illegal practices, such as the smuggling at which he had been -caught only a comparatively short time ago. - -The threat of harm did not worry Garry particularly. He and his -chums had so often been in tangles that it did not faze him. - -What did cause him the most concern was why Lafe should want them to -leave town. Of course he would be vengeful about the part they -played in his arrest, but that would hardly make him follow them and -give a specific warning. - -Lafe and LeBlanc had been mixed up in the smuggling plot, and to -Garry it required no great stretch of the imagination to figure that -they might again be working in cahoots. - -There was no particular use in following him, since he would -probably go to his home, and had possibly been seen by some of the -people in the town. - -Deciding that he could do nothing, Garry hastened homeward, and -found that his friends had already arrived. They asked him what had -kept him so long, and he exploded a bombshell under their feet when -he told them of his meeting with Green. - -“Now if we find out anything that connects the tramps with this -outfit as I suggested a while ago, we’ll have a pretty pack of -villains, won’t we?” asked Dick. - -“I don’t think the tramps have anything to do with this, much as -you’d like to have it so, Dick,” said Garry. - -“There’s one thing we might do a bit later if we deem it advisable,” -suggested Phil, “and that’s make a little tour of investigation of -Green’s house as you did last time, Garry. We know of the secret -entrance to the house, and that would simplify getting inside.” - -“We’d have to have pretty good clues to make us do that again,” -decided Garry. “That last time was a pretty risky piece of business, -and luck was with us all the time. However, we shall see what later -developments will bring about. Now I move we say goodnight and crawl -off to bed.” - -Ruth had been an interested listener all this time, and she implored -the boys to let her help if they would. - -“I’d just love to think that I helped in any way to round up the -people that have been sending those horrid letters,” she said with -bated breath. - -The boys laughed, and assured her that if they could use her in any -way to play detective they would surely call on her. They said -nothing concerning the new developments in the postal situation, -deeming it wiser to keep this matter a secret until the arrival of -the inspector. - -Next morning after breakfast they set about taking photographs of -the letters. They did not think it highly necessary that this be -done, but there was little they could do until the arrival of the -man from the postoffice department, and besides, Dick was anxious to -try out his skill as a photographer. He was fairly adept already, -and was always trying to add to his experience. - -“Now how are you going to treat that fingerprint, Garry?” asked -Dick. - -“I won’t promise that it will be altogether successful; all I know -about doing it is something I read in a newspaper once. It seems -that the way they photograph prints is to cover the spot with some -specially prepared dark powder and that catches on the ridges of the -print left by the finger. Now we haven’t any of that particular kind -of powder, so we’ll have to invent something.” - -“Let Uncle Dudley here come to bat with a bright suggestion,” said -Phil. “Suppose we just take an ordinary lead pencil and scrape on -the lead until we have sufficient powder for the purpose?” - -“Fine. I believe that will do the trick,” responded Garry. - -A pencil was quickly procured and Garry scraped a little heap of -graphite powder while Dick prepared to take the pictures. - -He procured a board and tacked the letters on it, and then set it -against the house where the bright sunlight would strike it with -full force. - -“I’m going to give this a time exposure,” he told the boys. “This -kind of work is generally done with artificial light, using an extra -powerful bulb; but I think with this bright sunlight and a time -exposure instead of a snapshot, we will be able to do a good job.” - -Dick snapped the various letters, all except the one with the greasy -imprint on it. This was held to the last, and when he was ready the -board was laid flat while Garry sprinkled the powder on the print. -Then the board was tilted so that all the surplus scrapings would -slide off, leaving only those that adhered to the ridges. They were -delighted when they found that they could almost make out the -complete design of the print. - -“I’m no judge of such matters, but I venture to say that there’s -enough of a print there for any purposes of identification. Snap -away,” said Garry. - -Aunt Abbie and Ruth and her grandfather had been interested -spectators during this operation, and as soon as the photographing -of the letters was completed, Ruth asked if the boys would not take -a snapshot of the entire group. - -Dick said he would be glad to, and was arranging the members of the -little party in a compact group, when the gate was opened and a man -walked up the path. He was a lean, sallow looking man, and as he -observed the three boys, he said: - -“Am I right in supposing that one of you is Garry Boone?” - -Garry stepped forward and said that was his name. - -“My name is Simmons, and I’m from the postoffice department.” - -Here was the expected inspector, and the boys crowded forward to -shake hands with him. Garry acted as master of ceremonies, and -introduced all the party to Simmons. - -“We’re whiling away a few minutes taking pictures. Won’t you step in -and we’ll have a complete group; a regular illustration for ‘The -Mystery of the Threatening Letters,’” said Dick with a laugh. - -Simmons appeared to hesitate for a moment, and then with a smile -stepped in beside Aunt Abbie and in another minute the picture was -snapped. - -The boys neglected to mention the fact that they had taken pictures -of the letters—not meaning to conceal anything—but they were eager -to have Simmons go with them to the postoffice where they could -begin work on the mystery. - -Simmons went into the house to question Mr. Everett, and while he -was talking, Dick removed the letters from the board and gave them -to Ruth to carry to Simmons. They followed in a few moments, as soon -as Dick had taken out the film, which had been exhausted, and -substituted a new one for more snaps. - -“I’ll take charge of these letters,” said Simmons. “I don’t know -that you boys can be of a great deal of help. In fact I am of the -opinion that the less you are seen in connection with the case, the -better. Now I’m going to be perfectly frank with you. I don’t see -why boys were sent to mix in this case at all. It would have been -far better to have me here alone, where I could work with some of -the necessary secrecy that the case demands. Which reminds me, also, -that no one here is to tell anybody what my business is.” - -This had been delivered in a rather snappy tone, and the boys were -somewhat hurt at the attitude taken by the inspector. - -“Now get us right on this matter, please, Mr. Simmons. You won’t -find us making any silly suggestions to you how to do your work, and -as for our being here, boys or not, we came simply on the orders of -our superior. We are in the service of the State of Maine, and as -such are bound to obey orders, whatever duty may be assigned to us. -We were fortunate enough to give some slight assistance on the other -matters here, and it is probably for that reason that the Chief -Ranger had us come here.” - -“Slight assistance indeed,” burst out Ruth. “Why, Mr. Simmons, they -were the only ones that did anything on that smuggling business. All -the treasury man had to do was bring handcuffs and arrest the men -after the boys had found out who was in the ring, and everything -that had to do with the fur and diamond smuggling.” - -“Oh, I don’t mean that you may not prove to be of valuable -assistance,” Simmons hastened to say. “I merely thought that I would -get a good line on what is what, and it wouldn’t do for us to be -seen in company too much, for that would tip our hand to the ones -who are stealing the mailed checks.” - -This seemed good logic to the boys, and so it was agreed that the -only time they should meet would be after nightfall and at Aunt -Abbie’s home. - -Simmons decided to go alone to the postoffice, and the boys, seeing -there was nothing they could do for the present, determined to get -some supplies and go to their old lean-to and put it in shape for -habitation during their stay in that section. - -They procured their groceries and wandered down the leafy forest -lane to their old camping ground. They found the lean-to in -excellent condition. All that needed to be done was to fix up stones -for their campfire and cut new boughs for a “mattress” on which to -lay their blankets. - -“What do you think of this man Simmons?” asked Dick, as they set out -for a little clump of balsams to get boughs. - -“Don’t know just what to say offhand,” answered Garry. “I can say, -however, that he seems to be a little peeved at our being here to -help him out. Of course I realize that it is a cheeky thing for a -pack of boys to be sent to help a man that knows his business, or is -supposed to know it, but orders are orders.” - -“Well, maybe it is cheeky; but without being stuck on ourselves, I -don’t think the smuggler band would have been run down without our -help; or to put it more modestly, without the help of someone more -familiar with the ways of the woods than a city man from Washington. -However, we’ll do just what he tells us to, and let it go at that,” -said Phil, as he swung his hatchet and knicked off a few boughs. - -“That isn’t my idea at all,” interrupted Dick. “We will in all -probability not be asked to give any help at all if my impression of -this man is correct. Therefore I move that we do a little work on -our own hook and see what we can do ourselves. If we find any clue -that is really promising, we can turn it over to Simmons. If he -accepts it, all well and good; we will know that he appreciates the -help. If he doesn’t, we can go on quietly ourselves and do what we -can. If we are fortunate enough to get the right clue that will lead -to the real culprit, we will offer it to him again. Then if he bars -us and pays no attention to it, the best thing to do will be to -communicate with the Chief Ranger at Augusta and get his advice as -to what to do. How does that strike you fellows?” - -“Sounds good to me,” said Garry, “but I think you chaps are building -a mountain out of a mole hill. If we find something that means -anything, it will give the inspector a good impression of us, and we -will then be asked to give all the help we can. However, only a -little time will tell what is going to happen, and the first thing -to do is to find some real evidence that will help the case. Until -we do that we can’t claim to be much good, and I wouldn’t blame the -man for not wanting us to be bothering around.” - -“Well, then, let’s follow our usual custom and hold a council of -war,” suggested Phil, as they started back to the lean-to with their -arms full of the fragrant balsam boughs. - -This suggestion was hailed with delight by the others, and at the -lean-to they made haste to spread the boughs to that they would make -comfortable bunks, and then sitting Hindu fashion on the ground -between the two branch lean-tos, opened the council. - -Garry was the appointed leader of the boys on all expeditions. This -had held true ever since they had first become friends, for Garry -was a year older than the others, and possessed of a level head. His -was a forceful personality that made him a born leader. Yet there -was never a complaint on the part of the others against Garry’s -leadership, for he possessed the fine trait of never being “bossy.” -An important step was always discussed before a decision was made, -and when there was any doubt, a vote was taken after each man had -had his say. Oftentimes they decided such matters as who should -perform certain duties by drawing lots, using three twigs, the man -getting the shortest being named for the job. - -“All right, now,” said Garry. “Who has suggestion number one?” - -“I believe that I have a hunch,” answered Phil. “Perhaps I am all -wrong and am just trying to paint a villain blacker than he is; but -I cannot get it out of my head that the halfbreed is mixed up in -this some way. Perhaps he is not the brains of the organization, but -Lafe Green might be. He is a cunning man, versed in all kinds of -villainy, and with LeBlanc’s bravery, for bad as he is, you must -give him credit for being fearless, they make a dangerous -combination. Lafe Green can command a certain type of men by holding -influence over them, and LeBlanc can lead certain kinds through -making them fear him. Then they seem to be mixed up in any mess that -we come in contact with. I move we start on the premise that they -are the ones.” - -“Good logic, there,” said Garry, “and there is only one way to find -out whether or not your hunch is true. That is by following them all -and either pinning something on them, or finding that they are -guiltless.” - -“Of all the crowd that we have run afoul of in the past few weeks,” -said Phil, “who is still at large?” - -“Why, let me see,” said Garry. “I can think of only three. There are -the LeBlanc brothers and Lafe Green. Of course we don’t know how -many confederates there are for this outfit, but there should not be -many. Most of them were cleaned up at the time of the smuggling. -Then, too, this kind of business is something that does not require -a great deal of help. The threatening letters could be sent by one -man, and the mail robbery would not need many. I am inclined to -think there is inside help somewhere in that. Yes, there are only -three that I can think of.” - -“Wait a minute, now,” interrupted Dick. “You forget the tramps.” - -“Maybe, but I doubt it. There is nothing to make us think they would -have become acquainted with Green and his outfit, and besides they -have seen us a couple of times and failed to recognize us. That was -natural, because we are dressed differently and are tanned up so -that our own families would hardly recognize us. If they had been -part of the Green-LeBlanc outfit, they would have been told of us, -and when they saw us would have made it known in some fashion. I -think they are only in this section because it is close to the -border, and they can keep out of sight. Perhaps they are laying -plans for some sort of a crime around here. At any rate, it would be -well to watch them and if possible effect their capture, for they -are wanted in Portland for jumping their bail. Well, that being put -aside for the moment, what is our first step?” - -“I suggest first that we have a quiet talk with Denton, since we -were not allowed to be in the conference between him and Simmons. -Then I move that we take a little trip to Green’s house and try to -get in by way of the secret passage as you did the other time, -Garry,” said Phil. - -“That sounds good to me. I think we could do it, for there was never -anything said about our knowing it. If we had been discovered that -time, they would either have blocked the passage up, or made some -provision for keeping prying people out when they were holding a -conference. Suppose we set tomorrow night for the trial and draw -lots for the one to go?” offered Garry. - -“All right except for one thing,” said Phil. “I suggest that the -lots be drawn only between Dick and me. You had the thrill and the -adventure last time, so that ought to let you out, Garry.” - -“Suits me, but I don’t like to think of you chaps doing anything as -dangerous as that might easily be, without being in on it.” - -“Well, you did your duty the other time, and there will be no one to -say that you are backing out of danger, for you aren’t. Phil and I -are backing you out ourselves, so you can console yourself with that -thought,” said Dick with a laugh. - -The lots were drawn, and to his inward delight, Dick was the lucky -man. - -“That seems to be all that we can do for the present,” remarked -Garry. “Suppose we rest a bit and have dinner, then let Dick take a -few pictures and wander back to town and have a talk with Denton.” - -This was the course agreed upon, and Phil wandered into the woods in -search of squirrels for a squirrel pie. - -He was back in an hour with four beauties, and Dick was set to -skinning while Phil made the necessary dough for the pie crust. - -All busied themselves in the task of preparing the dinner, and soon -it was ready. They had barely sat down, when a voice startled them. - -“M-m-m, that coffee smells powerful good,” said the voice, and the -boys looked up to see a man standing near them. - -“Well, if it isn’t our old friend, the gum hunter,” cried Garry. - -And so it was. The gum hunter; meaning a man who made a part of his -living by wandering through the woods collecting spruce gum to sell -to the drug stores throughout the state, who had made their -acquaintance on their previous visit and at that time had given them -a tip that stared them on the quest of the smugglers that had ended -so successfully. - -“Sit in and have pot luck with us,” invited Dick. - -“Don’t know but what I will; was getting pretty hungry, and since I -was round near, thought I’d come here and fix myself some lunch. -Often come here because I can build a campfire at the same place, -and generally have a few old branches cut to use. Two or three times -I’ve slept here to save bother of going all the way back to town, -especially when I wanted an early start in the morning,” said the -gum hunter. - -They finished their dinner, and were about to clean up, when the gum -hunter bade them wait. - -“Callate I’ll have to furnish something towards this eatin’,” he -told them, and carefully delving into his pack brought forth a flat -package. “This is a home-made apple pie, and I hope ’tain’t squashed -up much, though I bin carryin’ it since morning. That’ll cut four -ways, and make good big pieces. ’Tain’t none of your miserable -little bakery pies.” - -“Gosh,” said Dick, “that’s just what I need to top off my dinner. -Garry, pass the coffeepot.” - -“Now what might you boys be doing back here? Setting out to catch -more smugglers? Saw Lafe Green in town again last night, and -wherever he is there’s bound to be contraband running across the -border.” - -The boys knew that the old man was reliable and trustworthy, and one -who could be relied upon not only to keep a tight mouth about any -confidence that was given him, but one who could give sound advice -when occasion demanded it. - -With this in mind, Garry sketched briefly the main points in the -matter that brought them back to Hobart and its vicinity. - -“M-m-m, now, that requires considerable thought,” said the old -woodsman. “This matter of the mail robbery is somethin’ new to me. -Guess naturally the postoffice kept mighty quiet about that. ’Course -I know about the letters, saw one of them. That’s something I’d put -right at Lafe Green’s door, and where he is, there’s the halfbreed -to consider also. Lafe has always had it in for Everett, and -especially since the smugglin’ business; for everyone round here -knows that you chaps were in on it, and your bein’ friendly with Mr. -Everett has given rise to pretty good guesses that he helped you -out. That was to be expected, his having been in the Customs service -so long. But this other matter, I can’t say anything about till I -think it over.” - -“We have had some idea that someone along the line in the -postoffices might have helped out. Otherwise this could not have -been done unless the mail carriers were held up at the point of a -gun and robbed,” said Garry. “What about Postmaster Denton?” - -“Honest as the day is long,” promptly returned the gum hunter. “I’d -trust him with anythin’ I have, and there ain’t a soul in Hobart -that wouldn’t do the same thing.” - -“That seems to let him out, then,” said Garry. “Now are we crazy and -stretching things when we figure that Green may have something to do -with this?” - -“Yep, seems to be stretching it a little bit, but I wouldn’t put it -past him. Let me light up and think this out for a minute.” - -So saying, George Washington Dudley—for that was the name of the -hunter—although he insisted that his friends call him “Dud,” hauled -out an old pipe and was soon puffing ruminatively away at it. - -“If this thing was done with the help of any of the postoffice men, -it ought not to be a hard matter to trace it down,” suggested Garry. -“How about the man who delivers the mail with the flivver to -Coldenham when the pulp mill owner’s private road isn’t running?” - -“He’s all right, cousin o’ mine; bank on his being honest,” returned -Dud. - -He was silent a minute and then burst out: - -“By ginger, it’s funny I didn’t think o’ that before. Find out one -thing, and you’ll have a good start. Find out if the robberies -happen to the mail that is delivered by my cousin or on the train -that runs between Hobart and Coldenham, and there’s your start.” - -“Why, how will that help us?” inquired Garry. - -“Why, dad blame it, the engineer o’ that train is a brother-in-law -of Lafe Green!” - -This surprising piece of news threw all into a silence for a moment. - -“You see how simple things are now?” queried Dud. “If you can find -out that letters are all right when they leave the Hobart -postoffice, and are all wrong when they get delivered to Coldenham, -then you have half the work done, and you can be pretty certain that -Lafe is back of it.” - -“That’s step number one, then,” said Garry. “Let’s hustle back to -town and have a little chat with Denton. Which way are you bound, -Dud?” - -“I’m off for about two or three days in the woods. Need some money -and so can’t afford to loaf; besides, these be great days for -wandering through the forest, and can’t afford to miss one of ’em. -We’re due for good weather for a week or two, then we’re due for a -spell o’ rainy days. All signs pint that way. So good luck to you. -I’ll look ye up when I get back, either here or in town. Ought to -catch you one place or t’other.” - -Dud shouldered his pack, and loped off into the woods with a wave of -his hand at the chums, and soon disappeared from view. - -The boys hastened to straighten out the camp after their dinner and -then prepared to go to town. - -“What say we do same as we did last time—cache the foodstuff in one -of the trees near here; that will prevent any marauder from making -off with it, and leaving us hungry some night?” asked Dick. - -“Good enough,” said Garry. “We can use the same tree, since it is -already marked so we can readily recognize it.” - -This was done and the trio proceeded townwards. Arriving at the -postoffice they found Denton sitting on the wide porch that -stretched for the full length of the store, gossiping with several -old men of the village. - -He hailed the boys as he saw them approach, and when they climbed up -onto the porch invited them to come inside. - -He led the way back to his little cubbyhole office, and when they -were seated, asked what luck they had had. - -Garry replied that little had been done and little could be until -they had asked him some questions. - -“First thing,” said the leader of the Rangers, “has Simmons, the -inspector, been here yet?” - -“Yes, drat him, only left a little while ago,” was the sour reply. - -“Why, what’s the matter?” asked Garry in surprise, at the tone of -Denton’s voice. - -“Seems to think I know all about this matter, and says he thinks -half the trouble is right here. Asked a lot of fool questions about -the letters sent to the Everetts and darn few about the stolen mail. -Seemed to be most interested in the contents of the safe. Made me -check over all the stamps and the cash of the postoffice, and wanted -to know how much money was generally kept there, and if it was cared -for safely, and all that sort of stuff. Seems kind of funny he’d be -worried more about a couple or three hundred dollars of postoffice -money than about Ferguson’s missing checks, which now total up -nearly three thousand dollars. I think he has an idea I’ve stolen -the dratted checks myself.” - -The boys did not pay too serious attention to Denton’s tirade -against the inspector, for they thought that his brusque manner, a -little of which had been displayed to them, had riled the -postmaster. - -Dick said so in as many words, and laughed a little at Denton’s -ruffled feelings. “What did he say about us?” asked Dick. - -“Well, young feller, you think I’m put out at the way Simmons talked -to me, here’s a little for yourself. He told me not to have anything -to do with that parcel o’ dime novel reading boys that had come to -town to tell the postoffice how to run its business. So there’s one -for you!” - -This time it was Dick’s turn to be ruffled, and in fact so were his -chums. - -“It’s plain to be seen that there can be little cooperation between -us and the inspector,” said Garry after everyone had cooled down a -trifle. “I think we had better proceed in our own way, being ready -of course to do anything that Simmons asks us to do. Now, if you -feel that you can give us any private information, Mr. Denton, we’d -be glad to have it. We have one clue now that may be worth -following. Can you tell us when most of the letters that contain the -checks are delivered and how?” - -“Surely can,” answered Denton. “They’re registered, and generally -come in on the noon train that goes across the border. That has most -of the mail from the big cities. Most of the mail that comes on the -local trains is only from Bangor and smaller towns along the way. -That means that it’s delivered on Ferguson’s one-horse train. We -call it the creeper around here, it’s so wheezy and slow. It comes -in mornings dragging a load of pulp which is generally left in the -storehouse that Ferguson has here until he gets a sizable amount, -then a freight train takes it from here to the paper mills down the -line. Late afternoon it makes a return trip.” - -“I always aim to put the registered mail and most of the Ferguson -mail on that train, for the carrier doesn’t start until later than -the train.” - -Garry looked significantly at his pals, and warned them with a look -to let him do all the talking. - -“What makes you ask about that?” asked Denton. - -“Why, we only have a hunch that it would be a good thing to check -the deliveries along the route and see if there is any way of -ascertaining where the letters might be opened,” answered Garry, who -decided that they had better keep their ideas to themselves for a -while, until they found there was basis for suspicion, or else found -they were on a wild goose chase. If the latter were the case, they -did not want everyone to laugh at them for their foolish hunch. - -The answer seemed to satisfy Denton, and he said: - -“As for giving you boys any help, you can count on me every minute. -I know what you chaps have done, and I kinder like you, and I don’t -like that man Simmons at all. In fact if he don’t show some signs of -life and do something after he’s been here for a reasonable time, I -am going to write the department and ask that another inspector be -sent that won’t bother about the stamps, which have a regular -inspection every so often, and will put his time in on the right -matter.” - -There was nothing further that the boys could ask then, so they went -out into the store. - -“Better buy something so that we will seem to have a purpose in -coming to the store other than our real one,” whispered Phil to -Garry. - -Garry nodded his head, and for the benefit of those who were sitting -out on the porch and who he knew were probably inveterate gossipers, -they made a few minor purchases, leaving them to be called for on -their way back to the lean-to. - -Then they went to Aunt Abbie’s to see their friends, and found that -Mr. Everett was out but that Ruth was at home. She greeted them with -sparkling eyes, and her whole manner indicated the she had some very -important secret or idea in her keeping. The boys could not help but -notice this, and pressed her to tell them what she was so excited -about. - -The girl, however, steadfastly refused to divulge her thoughts, and -seeing that she had made them curious to a great degree, teased them -considerably about what she called “womanish curiosity.” - -It was well along in the afternoon by now, and the boys, refusing -Aunt Abbie’s pressing invitation to stay for supper, withdrew to -make their way back to their camp. They wanted to talk over the new -angle in the case, which might mean a trip to Coldenham first, -rather than a search of Lafe Green’s house. That could probably come -later. - -They arrived at camp just before dusk and set about the routine of -preparing the evening meal. As the boys worked, Dick remarked that -he did not think he had enough boughs for a bed, as he was heavier -than the others and would sink in them much more easily. - -The chums laughed at this, and Dick retorted: - -“Go on, just because you skinny fellows can sleep on two branches -and a stone is no reason I should be uncomfortable. Go on, start the -supper while I get some more boughs.” - -“How about you helping out a little on the supper?” queried Phil. - -“I’ll tell you what I’ll do. You get the supper and let me get some -more stuffing for under my blanket, and I’ll wash the dishes.” - -This announcement was like a thunderbolt, for Dick hated dish -washing above anything else. He would cut wood or carry water or -cook without a murmur, but dish washing drew one constant grumble -from him. - -“Gosh, Garry, let him get all the boughs he wants. When Dick offers -voluntarily to wash the dishes, it’s a day to celebrate. By the way, -Dick, you might bring a few extra ones for me while you’re at it.” - -“Dick must be sick or something,” laughed Garry, as he watched the -fat boy depart. - -In a short time Dick came struggling back under a load of boughs, -and as supper was not yet ready, decided to re-arrange his bunk -while waiting. He went into the lean-to and kicked away the boughs -he had already placed. - -Then his chums were startled out of a year’s growth by hearing him -utter a piercing scream. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -AN INDIAN TRICK - - -With the scream still ringing in their ears, Garry and Phil dashed -into the lean-to to discover Dick staring spellbound at the ground. - -“Look,” he gasped. - -The boys cast their eyes on the ground, and beheld a big -rattlesnake, stone dead. - -“Did you kill it, Dick?” was Garry’s first question. - -“No, it was laying there under the boughs that made my sleeping -place. Gosh, it scared me, I can tell you. I don’t know what made me -scream so. I guess it was just the thought that it might have been -alive, and that I would have laid down there tonight. I saw that it -was dead, of course, the minute I looked at it, but I couldn’t help -letting out that yelp. Ugh, it makes me creep now to think of it. -Wonder how it chose that place to die?” - -“Must have crawled in and then gave up the ghost,” said Phil. - -In the meantime Garry had been examining the reptile’s body. - -“That snake was killed by a human being,” he announced. “See, its -head is crushed, and it has been hit several times with a club. -Don’t see how it could have crawled very far after being mashed up -that way.” - -“What do you mean?” was the startled question of Dick. - -“Looks suspiciously like an ill-timed practical joke to me,” -answered Garry. “Of course it is foolish to think we are the only -ones that ever come near here, and some passerby or camper might -have killed it and seeing that this place was occupied, hidden it -there to do just what it did—scare one of us half to death. Any -snake is bad enough, but a rattler, even a dead one, is enough to -shake anyone’s nerve for a minute.” - -“Well, let’s throw the thing away and forget about it,” said Phil. - -“I think I remember Dud say once that among his many occupations and -ways of making a living in the woods, was by skinning a snake -whenever he happened to kill one, and selling the skin. There are -some people who want such things for curios, but blessed if I would -want one,” said Dick. “Chuck it outside and next time we see him we -can tell him he can have it.” - -“Wonder if Dud would have done that for a joke,” asked Phil. - -“I doubt that,” said Garry. “Dudley is too sensible a person to play -a fool trick like that, knowing how it would startle anyone. No, -whoever did that was half foolish. Gosh, there’s the coffee boiling -over,” and Garry dashed to the campfire. They forbore talking about -the snake during supper, and were about to forget it, when Garry -looked at his chums with a gleam of understanding. - -“Listen, you two. I may be wrong, but am more likely right. I just -happened to remember something that gives me the creeps. If I’m -right, it is the most dastardly attempt to kill a person that I ever -heard of.” - -“Gosh, don’t give a lecture; tell us what you mean,” broke in Dick. - -“It’s just this. That dead rattler was put there with a distinct -purpose by some one who wants us out of the way!” - -“You don’t think anyone is foolish enough to believe that a dead -reptile would drive us away do you? Of course we would be startled, -but it wouldn’t make us run out of the country,” scoffed Phil. - -“No, you don’t get the point at all,” said Garry, his face paling at -the thought. “Haven’t you ever heard that the mate of a dead snake -will always find the body and wait there, sometimes for days? It -must be some instinct that makes it think the killer of its mate -will come that way, and enable him to get revenge.” - -The truth of this sank in with such appalling suddenness that the -boys were speechless for a moment. - -When at last Dick found his voice, he said in a trembling tone that -he tried to conceal but could not: - -“Why, that means that I might have been bitten as I slept tonight; -and not only that, but all three of us might have met the same fate. -Who do you suppose was at the bottom of that attempt on our lives?” - -“Well,” remarked Garry grimly, “I can think of only one person who -would have been fiendish enough to do that, let alone think of it. -It’s an old Indian trick to get rid of an enemy without leaving a -trace. Boys, just as sure as we’re sitting here, Jean LeBlanc is -back on our trail, and that snake was put there by none other than -our halfbreed enemy!” - -“That means step carefully every minute then, doesn’t it?” asked -Phil. - -“You bet it does,” responded Garry. “From now on we go back to our -old system of night watches. Two hours and a half of duty for each -of us every night while we are in the woods, and eyes in the back of -our heads all the time.” - -“Do you suppose Lafe Green could have done that?” queried Phil. “You -know he gave a pretty significant warning to you last night, Garry.” - -“No, I don’t believe he would have thought of that, and besides he -was around town all day, as you will remember Denton told us when we -asked him. It means that LeBlanc has come back and they have joined -forces.” - -The chums carefully searched every nook and corner of the lean-to, -and shook out the boughs that made their bunks, for they did not -know what other infernal contrivance their enemies might have laying -in wait for them. - -It was also agreed to keep the campfire going all through the night, -the boy being on sentry duty being detailed to keep it supplied with -fuel. To this end, all hands turned out for a few minutes and -gathered firewood. A sharp watch was kept for the mate of the -rattler, and before turning in, it was carried several feet away -from the camp, and thrown at the foot of a tree. - -“You know I have an idea that whoever did that, or rather say -LeBlanc, since we are morally certain it was his work, will come -back here tomorrow to see if his ruse worked. If he finds us gone, -he will be likely to look under the boughs to see if the reptile is -still there. Now we are not certain that it is LeBlanc or Green, it -may be someone else. In that case we would want to know what he -looked like. So here is my idea. Just before we leave in the -morning, I am going to rig up a camera trap,” said Dick. - -“A what?” asked Phil. - -“Camera trap; haven’t you ever heard of one? They’re often used in -the woods by people who want to get good pictures of wild animal -life. You just fix a place for the camera and focus it on a spot, -then set a trap that will pull down the lever when it is stepped on -or moved. Simple as A B C. I’ve never done it before, but I know how -to construct one. We’ll do it first thing in the morning.” - -By this time it had become quite dark, and the boys turned in, -except for Phil, who drew the first tour of sentry duty. Warning him -to keep his eyes and ears open every minute, Garry and Dick rolled -into their blankets. - -Phil was as restless as a cat on a hot plate. Every snapping twig or -soughing of the breeze through the trees made him jump. He made -constant patrols around the lean-to, snapping on his pocket electric -light as soon as he got out of the range of the light afforded by -the campfire. - -Nothing, however, developed during his watch, and it was with a bit -of relief that the end of the two and a half hour period came. He -awakened Garry, who was to take the second watch, and soon was -curled up in his blanket and fast asleep. - -Garry felt much the same as Phil had, although he took things -easier, for he was not of the sensitively nervous type as was Phil. - -Nevertheless, he too was glad to call Dick. It was not that the boys -were in any way cowards, for they were not. Had it been a human -being whom they expected, they would have thought nothing of it; -rather they would have considered it a welcome bit of excitement. -But this was an entirely different matter—a creeping enemy that -would come on them unawares, and which was more dangerous than human -being or animal could have been. - -Dick yawned and grumbled when Garry shook him, then he rubbed the -sleep out of his eyes, and looked to see that his rifle was in good -working order. - -“Anything stirring?” he asked, as Garry handed over the electric -torchlight to him. - -“Nothing breezing yet; keep your eyes peeled,” whispered Garry. - -Dick took a round of the lean-to, then running true to form, -rummaged around till he found a package of cookies he had bought the -previous day, and munched away at them as he watched. He kept his -eyes glued to the spot where the dead reptile had been thrown, -flashing his light there at momentary intervals. - -Then another thought struck him. He now wondered whether the snake -would go directly to the body, or whether it would come first to -where its mate had originally been. This made Dick jump to his feet, -for he had been sitting with his back to the lean-to where his chums -were asleep, where he could watch everything for several feet around -in the gleam of the campfire. He patrolled the camp, and then came -and threw fresh wood on the fire. As the dry branches caught and -burst into a bright flame, he cast one look at the spot where the -dead snake had been put, then let out a yell, and throwing his rifle -to his shoulder, fired after a hasty but accurate aim. He emptied -the magazine before he stopped firing. - -The shots brought his companions tumbling out with their rifles. - -“What is it Dick?” shouted Garry. - -“Gosh, it’s a wonder I had presence of mind enough to shoot,” -shivered Dick. “I looked at the place once and saw nothing, then -made a patrol of the camp and threw on some more wood. It couldn’t -have been quite five minutes when I looked at the spot once more, -and there, coiled up was a real live snake. Let’s go over and see if -it’s dead.” - -“Careful now; throw on some more wood and get your flashlights out,” -ordered Garry. “Dick, you take the three of them, they’ll give a -fine light. Phil, you and I will take our rifles, and we’ll edge -over there very slowly. Be ready to shoot on the instant.” - -“Wait a minute,” said Phil. “Bullets won’t always kill a snake. Get -a pole and be ready to break its spinal cord with a good blow. One -can keep his rifle ready. A rattler can’t strike without coiling, -and if it is alive it’s probably threshing around from the bullets. -Here, grab this heavy sapling that forms a support for this side of -the lean-to.” - -It was only an instant to tear away the pole, and then with Dick -holding the flashlights they advanced cautiously. When they reached -the spot they heard no warning rattle. The rattle snake never -strikes without first whirring the button-like appendages on the -tail. They looked and saw that Dick’s aim had been deadly. Dick’s -magazine rifle contained fifteen bullets, and he had emptied the -whole of them at the snake. One had taken deadly effect, smashing -the reptile’s head, and one or more had severed the spinal column. - -“Ugh, that’s over with, unless they bring some of their cousins and -aunts,” said Dick with a little shudder. - -Dick’s remark brought a relief to the tension, and the others -laughed heartily. - -“No, it’s all over now,” said Garry. “We’ll heave these things far -into the woods and forget about it. Mark where we put them and Dud -can have the skins. Now let’s get back to bed. Just to be safe, -however, Dick you finish the night watch.” - -Quiet then reigned in the camp, and Dick waited contentedly until -dawn, when he started the coffee and then awakened his companions. - -Immediately after breakfast, Dick set about making his camera trap. - -“First thing we must do,” he announced, “is to make this lean-to so -that there is only one entrance. That’s because I can focus the -camera to cover only so much ground. Best way to do is to lay two or -three more saplings crosswise between the two brush shacks, and -weave some branches on them.” - -All three set to work and made the lean-to inaccessible on one side. -This was done by laying four saplings across the opening and -fastening them to the uprights that held the lean-tos. On these were -hung quantities of branches, which were then twisted in and out of -each other much as one would weave a basket. This is the usual way -to make a brush house in the woods, and so constructed, they are -easy to make and all right for good weather. Of course a heavy rain -will soon penetrate, and so they are not generally used for -permanent camps. Still, when they are properly prepared, and thickly -woven, these houses will keep out an ordinary summer shower. - -“There, how’s that for a job?” asked Garry. - -“Pretty good, except for one thing. We’ll need some more branches so -as to make that wall extra thick, because it is in that that I am -going to mask the camera,” answered Dick, who was superintending the -job since it was his idea. - -This was soon done, and then they stepped back and surveyed their -handiwork. - -“Now what’s the next step?” queried Phil. - -“Next thing to do is to dig a shallow trench two feet square and six -to eight inches deep. Only way I see to do that without a shovel is -to use our hatchets as pickaxes, and then scrape away the dirt with -our hands.” - -“What’s the idea of the trench?” asked Garry. - -“You ought to be able to see that without asking questions. That’s -what I’ll use to lay some sort of a platform on that will cause the -lever of the camera to snap. Thing that stumps me just now is how to -make that platform. Before we cross that bridge, however, let’s get -that trench fixed. On second thought, it need be only about three -inches deep. I am beginning to see light.” - -The work of making the trench was simple, and when it had been -completed, Dick ordered them to get about a dozen thin saplings. - -“Strikes me the fat boy is pretty good at bossing, isn’t he, Garry?” -said Phil with a laugh. - -“Go on now, get those saplings. You see before you a mighty inventor -who cannot be bothered with menial tasks,” said Dick in a lofty -tone. - -“Don’t know whether to trip him up and sit on him, or just ignore -him,” said Garry to Phil. - -Still chaffing good naturedly, the two set out for the saplings, -while Dick busied himself with setting his camera in the brush, -masking it so that only the lens appeared. Having done this, he -stepped away a few feet and looked to see if it was observable. He -decided that no one could see it without looking for it especially. - -Garry and Phil came back and stood for a moment, looking straight at -the brush screen that had been erected. - -“Why didn’t you improve the shining moments and put your camera in -place?” asked Garry as he saw the closed case lying on the ground. - -“Fine!” exclaimed Dick delightedly. “It’s there already, and if you -boys who know about it couldn’t see it, then certainly no one else -will. Now for the trap.” - -The making of the trap was a delicate process. First he took two -sticks and laid them crossways at each end of the trench. Then he -anchored these securely at each end, putting dirt on them and -stamping it down with his heavy shoe packs so that it would not stir -in the slightest degree. - -Next he delved into his knapsack and brought out some strong but -thin linen cord they had bought some time previously and which had -served them well at various times, since it was light enough to do -fairly delicate work with, yet strong enough to bear some strain. He -ran a length of this from the lever on the camera to a sapling which -was laid across the two supports that he had built. With this as a -guide, he attached a dozen threads a foot or two from where the -nearest sapling began. - -The next thing was to run the main string down and under one of the -sapling supports on the brush screen where the camera was concealed. -He smoothed away the bark from the wood so that the string would -slip easily, and then ran it back up to the ridge of the lean-to. -From there it was brought across and down to the ground, where the -trap was to be laid. - -“You see the idea, now, don’t you?” Dick asked. - -“Well, we have vague glimmerings, and that is all,” answered Garry, -speaking for himself and Phil. - -“The thing is simple enough. This cord has been brought around so -that it is attached to the lever and to this trap. When someone -steps on the trap, it will sink just enough to pull on the cord, and -that will bring down the lever, and presto, your picture is taken.” - -“Well, I see that,” said Garry, “but what’s to prevent its taking -another picture when someone steps on it again?” - -“Easy again. Once the camera has been snapped by the trap, its work -is done. You see the lever on this camera takes one picture when you -pull down, then to get another, you push the lever back up. Of -course there is nothing in this crude trap that will push up, so you -can take only one picture without resetting the trap,” explained -Dick. - -“That’s well explained; now tell me something else and I will keep -quiet for a while,” said Garry. “Why have you tied some extra -threads to your main line that leads to the lever?” - -“That’s an extra precaution. If I had a wide board that I could set -in the ground, a weight on any portion of it would cause the entire -board to sink a bit, and that would give the necessary pull to -release the lever. But we have no board and so I must lay these -strips of sapling close together. Suppose that the intruder steps on -one spot, he would only cover about nine or ten of these saplings, -and if my string was not hitched to those particular saplings, the -trap wouldn’t work. The idea of the extra strings is so that on -whatever portion of saplings anyone stands, he will be sure to pull -down on a string. Savvy?” - -“Right, as usual, I stand corrected,” murmured Garry in a purposely -humble tone. - -Dick looked at him sharply. - -“Are you trying to rag me a bit?” he asked. - -“No, not trying to,” answered Garry with special emphasis on the -word “trying.” - -Dick was about to make a retort, then kept silent, for he knew that -Garry was having a bit of fun with him, and in a battle of words -with the sharp-witted leader, he knew from experience that he would -come off second best. - -All that remained now to do was to set the saplings. Dick filled in -the trench so that the saplings would clear the ground by just about -half an inch, all that was necessary to bring down the little lever. -One by one the saplings were laid and the threads attached, Dick -drawing the string taut while Garry held the lever up so that it -would not be accidentally pulled down. Finally the saplings were all -laid. - -“Now we must cover the saplings with some dirt very carefully and -smooth it down hard,” said Dick. The dirt was sprinkled on and then -bidding Garry guard the lever, Dick patted it down hard on the -improvised platform. - -“That’s good so far,” said Phil. “But won’t the person who steps on -that feel the give of it, and become suspicious?” - -“That’s one chance we will have to take, but I intend to sprinkle a -few pine needles on top of this and try to give it the appearance of -soft ground. You know how often one steps on a springing, spongy -surface in the woods.” As he talked he threw handfuls of pine -needles on the spot. - -“There, guess that’s camouflage for you. I don t think anyone would -ever know it had been fooled with,” said Dick, with some pride in -his handiwork. And indeed he had good cause to be pleased, for the -ground looked not a whit different than the surroundings. - -“There is just one thing more. That is the liability of the intruder -sneaking around the corner of the lean-to and dodging the trap -altogether,” said Dick, “and we can soon fix that with a few -saplings. We will make a sort of little fence with an opening only -wide enough for an entrance. That will serve a double purpose. It -will make the intruder step on the trap, and it will offset the -appearance of the brush wall at the back by making it appear that we -have simply fixed up our lean-to in fancy fashion.” As he spoke, -Dick began to make the “fence,” and the others, catching onto the -idea, lent a willing hand. - -When it was completed, the shack had a comfortable air about it that -led the boys to decide that when the trap had served its purpose, -the other trappings would be left as they were. - -“Now let’s pull out for town and see Denton and look up Simmons, -just to see what he has to say for himself,” suggested Dick. - -The chums slung their packs over their shoulders, for they seldom -went anywhere without them, not knowing at what moment they might be -called on to make a hurried move. - -The work of making the trap had required about two hours, and the -walk to town generally took them an hour. This morning it was a -trifle longer, for the day was fine, and there was no especial need -of haste, hence they sauntered along at an easy pace, while -chattering about half a dozen different topics. - -They reached town about ten in the morning and proceeded to the -general store. Denton was sitting on the front porch, his usual -place when the duties of the store did not demand his attention. - -He saw the boys approaching and waved to them as they walked up the -street. - -“Well, what news this morning?” asked Garry. - -“Nothing much more than usual. Simmons was in this morning and -looked around and asked when the next batch of registered letters -was expected, and then said he was going to drive to Coldenham, and -off he went.” - -“Why should he ask you when registered letters would come?” asked -Garry, who was rather puzzled at what seemed the peculiarity of the -question. - -“How are you supposed to know anything about when certain letters -will arrive?” - -“Lately, Ferguson’s office has been calling me on the telephone to -let me know when money was expected, in the hope that I could -exercise special care for the safety of the letters. Of course I -told Simmons about it, so it was natural that he should ask me about -this.” - -“Are any letters due today or tomorrow?” asked Garry. - -“Yes, I got notice early this morning that some were expected from -Portland in payment of the last loads of pulp sent down the line.” - -There was nothing else in the way of news, and so the boys, after -chatting about other matters for a few moments, took up their way -towards Aunt Abbie’s house. On their way they passed the French -restaurant where Dick had once been imprisoned by LeBlanc and Green, -and were not greatly surprised to see Lafe Green standing in the -doorway. He gave the boys a malevolent look as they neared him, and -when they passed by whispered sibilantly: - -“This is your last warning; get out of here and get out quick!” - -Garry stopped in his tracks. - -“Listen, Green. Let me give you a little warning. You can’t drive us -out of town with threats, and all your little schemes and those of -LeBlanc won’t do you a bit of good. And there won’t be any -kidnapping either, for we are making no move without letting someone -know where we are going and why. The moment that anyone of us -disappears for more than six hours, you and all your friends will be -tracked down and arrested. - -“I am writing a complete account of this business for the sheriff, -and for the state authorities at Augusta, so that any move you make -will bring you speedily before someone that you cannot get away -from. Now, is that clear to you?” - -Green laughed loudly, but there was a false ring in his mirth. The -idea of the boys having a constant check kept on their movements was -not evidently to his liking, neither was the fact that the state -authorities would take up the matter. He knew, of course, that the -boys were in the Ranger Service—LeBlanc had told him that—and knew -that the Rangers would leave no stone unturned to run down anyone -that would harm a member of that service. - -“You make big talk, young fellow, but I’m telling you that this -country is dangerous for you; not from me, understand, but from some -people that I don’t control. Better save your skins and get back to -the city and not concern yourselves with things that you shouldn’t.” - -Green turned on his heel and walked into the restaurant, and the -boys resumed their way. - -“What’s all this about a letter, Garry?” asked Dick. “That is the -first I’ve heard of it.” - -“Same here,” said Garry. “It just struck me at the moment, however, -that it would be a wise thing to do, and so I threw it at Lafe in -the hopes that it might check his future actions slightly. I believe -the shot went home at that.” - -Arrived at Aunt Abbie’s, they found her all wrought up. - -Her first words exploded like a bombshell. - -“Ruth went out last night and hasn’t been home since!” - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -GARRY’S CHASE - - -“Ruth gone?” ejaculated Garry. “Are you sure she has disappeared, or -is there some place she would have gone to visit?” - -“Why, she would never have gone out for any length of time without -letting someone know where she was going. She dressed for a walk a -little while after supper last night, and said she might drop in and -see her girl friend, Nellie Crombie. When it came almost eleven -o’clock her grandfather got worried and went to Nellie’s house, -where they told him Ruth had left almost a half an hour before. It -wouldn’t take her more than ten minutes to get home, so her -grandfather got still more worried and came straight back here. At -midnight she hadn’t come, and so he started out looking for her. He -went to all her friends, but no one had seen her. Then he called up -several people who live around the Crombie’s place to see if they -had seen her, but no one had. He’s been up all night and was out -this morning looking around. He is nearly frantic and so am I. I -don’t know where she could have gone.” - -Aunt Abbie was all of a tremble as she told the boys of the missing -girl. - -To the boys, here was something that demanded immediate attention. -They surmised at once that it was part of the plan of the letter -writers to terrorize the family. First there was the burning house, -and since this had not succeeded in showing the little family that -the conspirators were in deadly earnest, this last had been resorted -to. - -“Where can we find Mr. Everett now?” Garry asked Aunt Abbie. - -“Goodness only knows; he’s been everywhere, asking all his friends -if they have seen the girl. Best thing to do would be to go back to -the village and ask if he has been seen. You ought to find him real -easy that way. There has been some talk of organizing a search party -to go into the woods, but what would Ruth have wanted in the forest -alone and at night?” - -The boys could not answer this question, and were about to turn back -to the village, when they saw Mr. Everett approaching the house. He -shuffled along as though he were extremely weary. When he saw the -boys, his tired face lighted up. - -“I’m glad you are here, for maybe you can help me; no one else can -around here. I suppose Aunt Abbie has told you what has happened?” - -“Yes, sir, and we’re just on the point of starting out to see what -we can do,” said Garry. “Have you any news at all?” - -“Yes; I found a man that said he saw Ruth going up Clemson street -about twenty minutes to eleven.” - -“Where is Clemson street and where does it lead to?” asked Phil. - -“Why, it’s on the other side of the village. You boys know where it -is; it’s the one you took that night you went to Lafe Green’s farm; -it leads right past there and along towards the border.” - -Suddenly a staggering thought hit Garry. Clemson street leading to -Lafe Green’s farm. The secret passage. Ruth’s desire to help the -boys play detective. Her eagerness last night. The secret that she -would not let the boys in on. - -All these thoughts flashed through Garry’s mind in rapid succession. - -“I believe I have a good clue, and we’ll follow it up right away. My -advice to you now, sir, is that you hustle off to bed and get some -sleep. You’ll need all your strength, and you can depend on us to do -everything in our power to help you,” said the Ranger leader. - -“I guess I will take your advice. I’m tuckered out, and I don’t -believe I could go another step without dropping. Now that I know -you fellows are here, it relieves my mind considerable. I’ll only -take a short nap and then wait for you to come back with news,” said -the old man as he turned into the house. - -Aunt Abbie was about to follow him, when Garry caught her by the -hand. - -“Listen, Aunt Abbie. Don’t wake him up under any circumstances, or -we will have a mighty sick man on our hands. Let him sleep as long -as he can, and in the meantime we’ll find something to work on. Now -you’ll do that, won’t you?” - -“Bless your heart, of course I will. He hasn’t had a mite of sleep -since yesterday morning. Now good luck, boys, and bring our little -girl back to us,” said the kindly old lady. - -Off down the street started Garry, followed by his curious chums. - -“What’s the big idea?” asked Dick. “Tell us before we explode with -curiosity. What is your hunch?” - -“Yes, out with it,” added Phil. - -“I’m going to in a minute. I just wanted to get away from the house -so that Aunt Abbie or the old gentleman would not hear us and worry. -Here’s my hunch. You know how Ruth has said a half a dozen times -that she envied us for our adventures, and that a girl never could -do anything, and how she would like to help us out in this -business?” - -“Yes, we understand that; go on,” said Phil. - -“And you know how excited she was yesterday afternoon? Well, I think -she went to Lafe Green’s house to see if she could find anything out -that would be of help to us. You know she’s daring and not afraid of -anything, like so many girls are. It’s ten to one that she went -there. You remember she knows about the secret passage because she -was there when her grandfather told us about it that night.” - -“Say, I believe you’re right, Garry. What’s the next move then?” -said Dick. - -“Looks to me as though the next move were to go directly to Green’s -house and have a showdown,” said Phil. - -“Right you are, Phil. On the march now. We’ll keep this under our -hat so that there will be no danger of Lafe Green and his gang -getting a tip.” - -Almost running, they reached Clemson Road and headed in the -direction of Green’s farm. - -On the way they discussed the most advisable way to approach the -house. Should there be any force of men there, it would be folly to -approach the house openly, as it would give warning. - -As they neared the place, Garry called a halt to allow them to -regain their breath, for they were all puffing so fast had Garry set -the pace. Also, he wanted to hold a council. - -“There, we can see the house from here,” he said as they gathered -under a big tree. “I thought I remembered the general lay of the -land. You see we can go around through the field there and come up -back of the barn, and from there to the house is so short a distance -that we can make it in a few seconds on the run. Dick, you get in -front of the barn after we reach the house, to prevent anyone from -making an escape through the secret passage. Phil and I will beard -the lion in his den.” - -“Just a minute, though,” put in Dick. “I am game to do anything you -decide, but can we go busting into a man’s house without a warrant -or any authority?” - -“Technically we can’t, but this seems to be a time for action if -ever there was one. If we find our guess to be correct, and Ruth is -held there, no one will bring up the question of our authority. We -are dealing with known criminals, and we can show good cause for our -suspicions. At any rate, we’ll think about that later. Like the -western sheriffs used to say, it’s a case of shoot first and ask -questions afterwards.” - -“Let’s go,” said Garry enthusiastically. - -Garry’s enthusiasm was transferred to the others, and off across the -fields they started, bending low in the hay to avoid detection as -much as possible, although they did not think too sharp a watch was -being kept in the day time, except possibly the roadway that led to -the house. - -When they reached the back of the barn, Garry halted them again. - -“First look to your rifles. We might need them. Now, Dick, give us -forty seconds to reach the house, then run around and take your -stand where you can watch the barn door. If you need help, fire your -rifle twice. Now Phil, shoot for the house.” - -Garry and Phil started and Dick glued his eyes on his watch. - -At the house they saw no sign of anyone having heard their approach, -and there seemed to be no indication of anyone’s being around. Garry -began to think the house was deserted and made up his mind that even -if this were the case he was going through it. - -They came around to the front door, which stood open, and Garry -stuck his head through the doorway and called: - -“Hullo, there in the house.” - -Both boys kept their rifles in such position that they could be -thrown up instantly. For a moment there was no response, then Garry -repeated his call. There was a sound of someone shuffling along in -his stocking feet, then a man came into the hall. - -Garry and Phil almost dropped their rifles from surprise, for there -stood one of the tramps. - -“What you want,” he half grunted. From his tousled appearance he had -evidently been asleep. - -“We want to have a look through this house, and while we’re at it we -want you,” answered Garry. - -“Want me?” asked the man, surprised out of his drowsiness. - -“Yes; you’re wanted for bail jumping down Portland way. The Gordon -station and postoffice robbery, you know.” - -“You policemen?” asked the man, who appeared dazed at the knowledge -of the boys concerning him. - -“No, we’re not policemen, but we’re going to take a look through -this house and then take you back to the village,” said Garry -firmly. - -“Where’s your warrant?” demanded the tramp. - -“Haven’t got one,” returned Garry promptly. - -“Then you can’t do anything with me,” announced the man, becoming -bolder. - -“Oh, yes we can. We’re officers of the state, and besides, any -citizen can apprehend a criminal and turn him over to an officer. -Now speak up lively and tell us if there is a girl being held -prisoner in this house.” - -A momentary gleam of fear appeared in the man’s eyes, but he made -haste to answer: - -“’Course not; ain’t no womenkind of any sort around here. This is -Mr. Green’s house.” - -Both Garry and Phil could see the man was lying, and knew that their -guess was correct. Either Ruth was in the house, or this tramp knew -something about her. - -“Come on now, come through. You know the girl I mean. Where is she? -Phil, keep your rifle on this fellow, and if he makes a move while I -go through the house, blow him up,” ordered Garry. - -“Say, listen. What do I get if I put you fellows wise to all this?” -demanded the tramp. “And how do you chaps know anything about me? -Not that I’m admittin’ anything you said about me.” - -“We know you all right. We helped catch you in our cottage down -Portland way early this summer,” said Garry. - -The tramp peered at Garry closely. Then he spat out an oath. - -“I thought I knew you when I saw you the other day. Guess you’ve got -me right. Well, you haven’t told me what I get if I tell you about -the girl.” - -“You’ll get nothing in the way of being let loose, if that’s what -you’re driving at,” answered Garry. “And if you don’t tell us what -you know you will come in for a few years extra on a charge of -abduction. I’ll do this though. You tell us what you know and we’ll -put it in on our report and that will get you out of this scrape.” - -The tramp thought this over for a moment, and then appeared to -decide that the jig was up and he might as well save himself at the -expense of his pals. - -“There was a girl came here last night through a certain passage to -the house here, and Green and the Frenchman discovered her listening -to them talk and caught her before she could get away.” - -“What Frenchman do you mean?” interposed Garry quickly. - -“The one they call Jean,” answered the tramp sullenly. - -So there was another hunch that made good. Green and Jean had -hitched forces again. That meant that the halfbreed had come -directly to this place after he had made his escape from the -lumber-camp with the aid of the motor boat. - -“Where is she now, in the house here?” demanded Garry eagerly. - -“No,” said the man. “They was afraid someone was with her or was -going to follow her here, so they rushed her out. That is, the -Frenchman did. He said he would take her to a hideout he had. I -think he said it was on the river; what did he call it? Penicton, or -something like that.” - -“I know. Penocton is the name, Garry. That’s the one we visited that -time we found our tourmaline mine,” put in Phil. - -“Do you know anything more about it than that?” quizzed Garry. - -“No, that’s all I know.” - -“Just one thing more,” said Garry hurriedly. “How did you fellows -come to be hitched up with this gang?” - -“Green hired us to do a little job for him.” - -“What was it?” - -“None of your business. Say, look here. I’ve told you all you wanted -to know, more than I should. Now my mouth’s shut, see? I ain’t a -goin’ to tell you nothin’ more. Not even if you beat my head in with -your gun,” and the tramp relapsed into sullen silence. He seemed to -be sorry now that he had gone so far in his answers. - -“Phil, there’s one chance that all this may be a string of lies; and -to be on the safe side, I’m going through the house. You keep this -fellow under cover, and if anyone approaches, fire your rifle once, -and back this fellow into the house, and make him lock the door. -I’ll be with you, then, in a minute.” - -Garry went into the house and made a systematic search of the house, -starting with the top floor and the attic, peering into all the -closets and any spot that would make a likely hiding place. He made -no discoveries on the top floor, and descended to the main floor -again. Here he found nothing, and was preparing to descend the -cellar for a last look, when he saw the latch on the door being -raised. - -He stood stock still, and lifting his rifle, waited in silence. - -The door opened slowly and noiselessly, and he was just about to -order whoever was behind it to come out, as he was covered, when a -head came cautiously around the door, and Garry dropped his rifle -butt to the floor and began to laugh. - -Instead of Green or one of his cohorts, as he had expected, the head -belonged to no other than Dick! - -“Say, I’m glad to see you” said Dick with a sigh of relief. “We did -a fool thing in not deciding how long I was to wait without hearing -from you; and you were so long that I thought you had been found and -were tied up in some corner with Green and all his friends standing -guard over you. So I came through the passageway to see if I could -be of any help. What’s new? Have you found Ruth?” - -In a few brief sentences Garry informed him of what had transpired -in the past few minutes. - -“Now we’ll get our prize tramp here and hustle him back to town and -deliver him over to the constable. Then, while you fellows follow -our original plan about the engineer, I’ll set out after Ruth. It’ll -have to be luck for me to find her, but I’ll track down the river -bank in the hope of finding some trail.” - -The return to town was made without incident, though the boys kept a -sharp watch for fear that some of the tramp’s friends might come -along and attempt to free him from his captivity. They led him -directly to the little lock-up and turned him over to the constable -with instructions to notify the sheriff so he could get in touch -with the authorities at Portland. - -Garry’s last words to the tramp were to bid him to keep silent about -his having told them about Ruth and LeBlanc, threatening if he -opened his mouth to forget his promise to plead for special immunity -for him. The tramp readily agreed to keep his silence. - -“Now gather round here fellows. I’m going to stock up on provisions, -and start for the river. You fellows had better arrange between -yourselves to keep an eye on the engineer and Green. Decide who will -take the engineer, and the other one watch Lafe. Either one may lead -you to a clue. - -“So that we will have check on my movements, start about eleven -o’clock tomorrow morning to call me on the wireless. Keep calling me -at intervals for two hours. Set your range for about twenty-five -miles. I won’t be further away than that. If you cannot get me, get -the sheriff and have Green taken up again and squeezed until he -comes through with information about the girl. Of course LeBlanc -will be arrested on sight, if he comes back here, but he probably is -wherever he has taken Ruth.” - -“Suppose we don’t hear from you; what about your own safety?” asked -Phil. - -“In that case, get some help and come after me. My plan is to go to -that little town we passed through the time we found the tourmaline -mine, and then head across the river. You remember it was all wooded -land on the other side. I’ll leave several trail signs to show -whether I went up or down the river. Then at intervals of a half a -mile, I’ll tie a strip of white cloth to a bough on one of the trees -along the river bank. If I turn into the woods at any point, I’ll -tie the strip there and then leave trail signs. Keep an eye out for -a small stone cairn, for I may leave a note. Now I’m off to the -store for some groceries.” - -Giving each of his chums a hearty grip of the hand, Garry headed for -Denton’s general store. - -Denton asked him several questions about why he was purchasing extra -provisions, but Garry gave him evasive answers. - -“By the way,” said Garry, “how come you didn’t think to tell us this -morning about Miss Ruth Everett being missing?” - -“I swan, I forgot all about it. I haven’t been thinking about much -of anything lately except that dratted postoffice business. Then -when I did think of it, you were out of sight. Have they heard -anything about the girl?” - -“Guess they’re working on something now.” Garry refrained from -answering any questions, for there were three or four other men in -the store, and he was now proceeding on the idea that every man was -a potential enemy until he was proven otherwise. - -Garry packed his knapsack carefully, and as a last thought bought a -couple of yards of white cloth with which to make the trail marks he -had promised to leave. - -He took the trail they had taken the day they set out to discover -the mine after they had succeeded in getting the missing portion of -the torn map. - -It was a good twenty mile hike to the town, and Garry put his best -foot forward, for he wanted to reach the town before dark. He -decided he would put up there for the night in the village hotel, if -there was one, rather than stay in the woods. - -Garry did not think it wise to sleep out in the forest where some -misfortune might befall him, at a time when he needed all his -strength, and above all, his liberty. Then, too, he wanted a good -night’s sleep to be fresh for the coming day, which he fancied would -be a hard one. - -As he walked, he kept a keen lookout for any signs of trail,—a -dropped handkerchief, or something of the sort. Garry hoped that -Ruth would find some way of dropping something that might serve as a -clue, for she was a bright girl, and knew that any little help would -aid those whom she knew would seek to trail her as soon as her -absence was discovered. - -His pains were unrewarded, however, as he walked mile after mile. -Garry was straining every nerve to make time, and took a pace that -was much faster than the boys generally used when on plain patrol -duty. Their summer in the woods had made good walkers of all of -them, and they were able to make decent distances without more than -ordinary fatigue. - -It had been noon time when Garry left Hobart, and allowing himself -until seven o’clock to get to the village of Chester, it would mean -that he must make a trifle less than four miles every hour, counting -out a few minutes for a breathing spell after every fifty or -fifty-five minutes of walking. - -His reckoning was not far wrong, for it was only about a quarter -after seven when he pulled into Chester. He asked a pedestrian if -there was any sort of a hotel or boarding house in the village, and -was directed to one a short ways down the street. Garry was -ravenously hungry, so he had his supper at the hotel, getting in -just before the dining room closed. It was a typical country hotel, -and the fare was good. After he had eaten, he sought out the owner -and engaged him in conversation. - -Garry asked what the other side of the river was like and if the -woodland extended for many miles in both directions. - -“On the upper side is the State Forest reserve, well patrolled by -Rangers, while to the south is wild land that has not been cut for -years,” said the hotel man. - -“There was some talk of cutting there last winter, and then they -decided to hold up till a track could be laid and the logs hauled to -the river on flat cars to save time. In that way they could begin -cutting at the far side and work toward the river. A party of -surveyors laid out the proposed track, and they even laid about a -half a mile of track. Then the owner died—name was Hasbrouck, I -think—and his estate got tied up in the courts, and the work on the -road was stopped. Now there’s no one around there. Once in a great -while a camping party goes in there, but it isn’t popular except -during the deer season, because of its wild growth, lots of ravines -and rocky places.” - -This long explanation was given Garry by the hotel owner, and Garry -mentally decided that if LeBlanc had come there—and this was likely -if the tramp’s words were true—this would be the section he would -go to. The halfbreed would probably keep away from the Forest -Reserve, with the chance of running across a Ranger. - -Asking if the general store was open, and receiving an affirmative -reply, Garry got directions for reaching it and set out. He knew -that in all New England villages, the general store is the hangout -for most of the men after nightfall, and here was the best place to -get any likely gossip. - -Garry found a half dozen men gathered inside, watching a checker -game between two old men who were evidently the crack players of the -village. - -He made two or three minor purchases, mostly to get into -conversation with the storekeeper. - -The owner himself was there, and after he had sized up Garry’s -attire, asked in true Yankee fashion: - -“Come from the city?” - -“Some little time ago,” answered Garry, “if you can call living only -a few miles from Portland being from the city.” - -“Figure on going campin’ around here?” - -“No, just hiking through for awhile.” - -“Fellow in here this morning and bought a lot of stuff, enough to -last a while, so thought that you might be following him up, since -he was alone, and camping alone ain’t much fun.” - -Garry was not particularly interested in campers, but he wanted to -ask some questions later, and knowing the Yankee way, which was to -talk of other things and get acquainted by asking questions first, -asked carelessly if the storekeeper knew the other man, or heard -where he was going. - -“No, never saw him before, and he warn’t the kind to give out much -information about himself. After I talk with a man a few minutes, I -generally get to the point where I can swap questions with him; but -this chap looked as though he didn’t want a friend in the world, and -maybe didn’t have one.” - -“Grouchy looking customer, eh?” said Garry with a laugh. - -“Yes, siree Bob, not only grouchy looking, but hard looking. Now -that I think of him, I see it was foolish to ask if you were with -him, for he was a different breed of cats from you. Funny looking -bird.” - -“What did he look like,” asked Garry, mainly to keep conversation up -for a few minutes longer. - -“Big black-haired chap with a black moustache and dark skin, high -cheek bones, looked like a halfbreed to me. Talked pretty good -English, but with a little accent like they do up by the border.” - -Garry’s heart beat high with excitement, for the storekeeper had -described Jean LeBlanc to a “T.” - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -WHAT THE ENGINE CAB REVEALED - - -When Garry left them, Phil and Dick debated as to what course they -would pursue. Phil advanced the suggestion that one should make -shift to get on the train that went to Coldenham and see what, if -anything, transpired along the way. - -“First I move we go to see Denton and find out if there will be any -valuable mail sent this afternoon,” said Phil. - -This was met with assent by Dick, and they departed for the general -store. - -“Your friend was here only a little while ago,” Denton told them. -“Bought a lot of stuff and then hiked off. Goin’ to follow him?” - -“No; he’s gone off on a little private trip,” said Phil. He gave no -more information, since he saw plainly that Garry had told the -postmaster very little about what he intended to do. - -When they asked about the mail, Denton said: - -“Yes, there’s quite a batch of it for the Ferguson outfit came in on -the noon train, and there are several letters with cash in them from -around this section. He owns a lot of property round here, and this -is about time for the rents to be sent to him. Getting near the -first of the month, and he’s a hard landlord, especially to the -tenant farmers. Raises hob with them if they’re a day behind on the -rent, and to be on the safe side, most of them send it before the -first.” - -Dick glanced at Phil, as though to say that this was the proper day -to start investigating. - -Phil asked Denton if he would mind his looking at the letters. - -“’Tisn’t a regular thing to do, but guess it will be all right.” - -“I don’t mean that I want to inspect the letters. I only want to see -the way they are carried. I wouldn’t ask to touch United States mail -without proper authority,” explained Phil. - -“Oh, that’s all right,” and Denton led the way to the office, where -he opened the safe and showed them a heavy leather sack. - -“I lock it here and keep the key, and the postmaster at Coldenham -has a key to open it with. Often times there’s registered mail only -for the Ferguson mill, and that’s the case today,” said the -postmaster, as he locked the safe. - -“How is that taken to the train?” questioned Dick. - -“I generally take it myself, or else send Bill, my assistant in the -store, with it. We give it to the engineer, Gardener his name is, -and he gives us a receipt. We have regular blanks for it. Then it’s -met by the postoffice man at the other end.” - -“What does the crew of that train consist of,” was Dick’s next -question. - -At this query Denton began to laugh. - -“Well, now let’s see. There’s the engineer and the fireman and the -conductor and the brakeman and the railway mail clerk. And the name -of all of him is Gardner.” - -“You mean it’s a one-man train?” asked Dick. - -“Exactly. Don’t need any more than that. There isn’t any stop -between here and Coldenham, and the only provision for passengers is -about half a coach; the rest of the car is used for baggage, -whenever there is any. Then the rest of the train is made up of -freight cars that are used for pulp. The station agent here takes -the tickets as the people get on the train, and the engineer only -has to run the train. He fires himself most of the time. In bad -weather he has a helper. It’s only a one-way track and few -crossings, so he’s really all that’s needed. Old Ferguson is a tight -Scotchman and won’t pay out any more than he can help in spite of -the fact he’s the wealthiest man around here.” - -Having gotten their desired information, they left the store and -held a conclave. - -“See how this strikes you, Dick. I’ll find some way to get on that -freight train without being observed, and after we get started I’ll -get near the engine and watch if the engineer throws any letters out -to anyone, or makes a stop to let some confederate on. - -“In the meantime you keep watch on Lafe Green, and perhaps you could -go to the lean-to and see if your camera trap worked. I suggest that -I go on the train, because it would be easier for me to board it -while it was going, as I may possibly have to do, and since I am a -little lighter than you, no offense, Dick, I could manage better on -a moving train.” - -“That gives you all the fun,” half grumbled Dick, “But I see your -point, and this is a case of getting results and not having -adventure. Besides, I want to see if that trap worked, and if we can -find out the perpetrator of the rattle snake trick.” - -This being settled, the boys separated. Dick thought for a moment of -going straight to the French restaurant and getting something to -eat, and sizing up the inmates, also to see who Lafe might be -talking with. - -However, he discarded this thought as being foolhardy, and wisely -decided there was no need of putting his mouth in the lion’s jaws -needlessly. He remembered the time he was captured by this outfit -before, and had no desire for a second experience. - -Furthermore, his appearance there would immediately put anyone he -wanted to watch on guard, and he could accomplish nothing. It was -well past noon, and Dick, as usual, remembering his inner man, -decided to go to Aunt Abbie’s and prevail on her to give him -something to eat, and at the same time see how Mr. Everett was. -There was always the slim chance that Ruth might have turned up, but -this was only a chance in a thousand. - -For his part, Phil went towards the station to reconnoitre the -ground and see what would be his chances of boarding the train that -went to Coldenham. - -He looked carefully around the station platform to see if there was -anyone he knew, or anyone who would be apt to be interested in his -movements, but outside of one or two loafers, the platform and -station were devoid of people. The station agent was in his little -office busily ticking away at the telegraph key, sending a message. - -After his hasty survey, Phil darted on into the yards. Although -Hobart was a very small town, the yards there were quite sizable, -since it was a sort of a transfer point for freight and passengers -bound into Canada, and then there was a long siding that was used -for the pulp cars that came from Ferguson’s mills at Coldenham. - -Along one side of the siding was the long storehouse where the bulky -packages of pulp were stored until a sufficient quantity had -accumulated to make it worth while to have a long string of freight -cars come from Bangor or below to carry it to the paper mills. - -Phil noted that the Coldenham train was already on this siding, but -the engineer was nowhere to be seen. He made his way to the -storehouse landing and walked along the string of cars wondering in -just what manner he could get on the train without being observed. -He did not, of course, care to buy a ticket and ride as a regular -passenger, for that would tip his hand to any of the enemy that -might be around. - -There was the chance of ducking into one of the freight cars, and -hiding there until the train started, and then in some manner making -his way to the roof of the car, and in this way proceed along the -top until he could come within sight of the cab. - -The slight element of danger in this was that some station employe -or the engineer himself, for that matter, might make a tour of the -cars just for the purpose of preventing anyone from getting a free -ride. - -After conning over the situation, Phil discarded the idea of -boarding the train while it was in the yard. - -There was still a long wait until the train would start, so Phil -decided to utilize it by strolling up the track for a short distance -to see if there was any spot where he could wait and, unobserved, -get on the moving train. He walked nearly a mile, but saw that there -was no spot where he could do this. In some places, a house or two -bordered the tracks, and women could be seen working in little -gardens, or sewing while sitting in front of the houses. - -At others, where there was no danger of being seen, the ditching at -the side of the road provided no place where he could locate himself -without being observed by the engineer. - -He glanced at his watch and saw that he still had plenty of time for -further investigation, so he walked on. - -His added walk was rewarded, for he came to a spot where there was a -fairly deep cut between two natural miniature cliffs. Spanning the -cliffs was an open bridge; that is, it was open at the top, but the -sides came up for a matter of three feet or so. - -This was just what he wanted. He could wait until he heard the -approach of the train and then hide behind one of the sides of the -bridge. As soon as the engine had passed under, he would only have -to crawl over the side, and drop to the top of one of the cars as it -passed under the bridge. Looking up, Phil estimated that there was -only about two feet clearance between the top of a car and the -bottom of the bridge. - -This would make it a safe proposition to drop to the train, even -though it was moving. Had it been anything but the slow Coldenham -train, he knew such a feat would be impossible, for a swiftly moving -express would have thrown him off almost as soon as he touched the -top. - -There was little to do now but wait until the train should approach. -Phil wondered if the road was in constant use, for should a team or -an automobile be passing as he attempted to board the train, his -work would be for nothing. - -This, however, was one chance that he would have to take. - -It was a warm, drowsy afternoon, and but one team passed him as he -sat on the wall that protected the bridge. He whiled away the time -by finding a stick of soft wood, which he whittled into odd shapes, -for Phil was a wizard with his penknife, and a friend to all the -children in his home town, as they were constantly importuning him -to carve dolls for them or whittle a ball inside of a little cage. -Phil, who loved the work for an idle moment, seldom refused them. - -At last he heard the sound of the train approaching, and quickly -dropped to cover behind the wall. The train came along at a fair -rate of speed, wheezing and puffing at every revolution of the -wheels. - -Phil’s heart beat rapidly, for this was the crucial moment. If a -team or auto should happen to pass just as he was in the act of -dropping to the train, there was no knowing what might happen, and -he did not want anyone to have the knowledge that he had gone on -this mission. - -He strained his ears to catch the sound of the approach of any -vehicle, but the noise of the oncoming train drowned out all other -sounds. - -Phil heard the engine pass under the bridge, and then hastily -clambered up over the wall, and giving a quick look in either -direction, and fortunately seeing nothing, lowered himself and -dropped to the roof of a car about midway in the string. He hit the -roof with a thud that almost knocked the breath from him as his feet -hit the top. - -However, he retained his presence of mind, and dropped quickly to -his hands and knees and grasped the running board that is on the top -of all freight cars. The momentum of the moving train was greater -than he thought it would be, and he was afraid for a moment that he -was going to be thrown off after all. - -But fortune favored him, and he kept his grip, although he scratched -his hands severely in so doing. - -The train chugged on its way, and Phil was content to lie on the top -of the car for awhile and get a breathing spell. He had been told -that after the train was about five miles out of the town, it passed -a long strip of woodland that reached almost to Coldenham. Phil -thought it wiser not to attempt to get near the engine until they -had reached these woods, and also he knew that lying there on the -top of the car, he might attract some attention from a chance -passerby. - -With this thought in mind, he began to edge along toward one end of -the car. Reaching his objective, he found the ladder and crawled -down between the two freight cars, and clinging to the ladder, with -his feet braced on the narrow ledge over the coupling, maintained a -safe but uncomfortable position. - -Suddenly the train began to slow down perceptibly, and he wondered -whether or not he had been seen, and the engineer was coming back to -investigate. - -In that case there would be only one thing to do, and that was cut -and run, taking refuge among the trees, for he had seen that the -train had entered the woodland. - -Phil risked taking a look by peering out around the car’s side, and -what he saw surprised him sharply, although he was prepared for -anything that might happen. - -The train had come almost to a stop, and he saw the engineer leap -down from his steps on the cab and stretch out a helping hand to -someone that darted at that moment out of the woods. - -The person that the engineer helped aboard was none other than -Simmons, the postal inspector! - -“Aha,” thought Phil to himself. “I am beginning to think I am on a -warm trail. Now to get up towards the cab and see what this is all -about.” - -There was every chance that he would be seen as he got near to the -cab, but at that moment Nature came to his aid. The sky darkened. -Great black clouds rolled across the dome of the world, and it -became almost as dark as dusk. It was one of those sudden summer -storms, and that, and the fact that they were passing through the -forest, made it just a shade lighter than night. - -This Phil thought was the appropriate time to get close to the cab, -and clambering back to the top of the car made his precarious way -along the tops of the string. The pelting rain soaked him to the -skin, and in addition made the walking perilous, for the boards -became almost as slippery as glass. - -When he came within two cars of the engine, he dropped to his hands -and knees, and crawled, animal fashion, along the top. The rain and -the darkness still continued, and as he neared the end of the last -car, he laid flat and wriggled along until he came to the edge. - -From his perch he could see down into the cab of the engine, across -the small coal tender. He could see the engineer and Simmons engaged -in an animated conversation, but the rush of the train and the noise -of the rain made it impossible to hear what they were saying. - -He could see perfectly, by the light from the open engine boiler -door, all that was transpiring, and what he saw gave him the -solution to the mystery of the missing letters. - -Simmons had taken a small tool of some sort from his pocket and was -engaged in picking the lock of the registered mail bag. - -He made short work of this, and then ensued a strange scene. - -The engineer worked a small pet-cock that let out a thin stream of -hot steam, and passing the letters back and forth over this, Simmons -opened them. That is, he opened several that he had selected, after -a hasty glance at the superscription. - -From the envelopes, he took out some of the contents, and then -moistening the glue again with steam, carefully pressed them back. -This process is often used by culprits, but it speaks well for the -law that few of them get very far with it, for Uncle Sam safeguards -his mails with an eternal vigilance. - -To Phil it appeared that the postal inspector was either an out and -out criminal, who had successfully blinded the postoffice department -to his criminal ways, or had for some reason succumbed to -temptation. Later he was to learn what the real reason was. - -Phil was wondering what his next step had better be,—to go back and -seek the safety of the space between two cars and ride to Coldenham -and there get into connection with Ferguson and have the pair -arrested, or to try and drop off just before they struck the town -and get some conveyance to take him back to Hobart, where he could -confer with Dick and possibly arrange to see how far Simmons would -go. - -Then he thought that the best course would be to get straight to -Coldenham so that Ferguson could have the guilty pair taken up and -recover the money and checks that had been taken from the envelopes. - -He had decided that this was the wisest course, and was about to go -back along the top of the car, when the train suddenly swerved, as -it rounded a curve, and threw Phil, who was not expecting it, from -his perch. - -Had it been dry, he could probably have kept his grip; but the -continued rain had made the top wet and slippery, and try though he -did to keep hold, he was unsuccessful and slipped from the top. - -As he fell, he remembered that he should relax his muscles as much -as possible, as acrobats do when they fall while doing some tumbling -trick. - -He struck the ground and a sharp twinge of pain ran through his leg. -He could not keep his balance, and fell back against the ground with -a jarring thud. - -His head hit a stone, and he lapsed into unconsciousness. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -DICK’S FOOTBALL TACKLE - - -Left alone by Phil to pursue his own devices, Dick carried out his -intention of getting something to eat before going any farther, and -accordingly turned his steps in the direction of Aunt Abbie’s house. - -He went around to the back door, and with his hat in his hand, gave -an imitation of what he imagined would be a tramp asking for a -“hand-out.” - -He knocked at the door, and just as it was opened, asked in a -whining tone for something to eat. The door was hardly opened, when -he heard Aunt Abbie’s brisk voice: - -“Start right in on that woodpile first.” - -At this Dick could not hold in, and he began to laugh heartily. - -The laugh evidently surprised Aunt Abbie, for she threw the door -wide open and peered out over the tops of her glasses. When she -recognized the “tramp,” she too began to laugh, and said: - -“Come in, you young scalawag. Just for what you did I’ve a good -notion to make you earn your dinner anyway.” - -“Glad to help out a bit even for nothing,” promptly offered the fat -boy. - -“Well, seeing you’re so willing, we’ll let you off this time. I -dunno what I can give you to eat. Fire’s gone down, and all I’ve got -is some fresh tomatoes and some salad dressing and cucumbers and pie -and doughnuts, and some cold milk out of the ice box, and——” - -“Hold on, Aunt Abbie,” interrupted Dick. “There’s only one person -here. I haven’t got a half a dozen people with me.” - -“Why, what difference does that make?” inquired the old lady, -somewhat tartly. - -“Well, you’ve named over enough things to feed a regiment with.” - -“Good land, don’t you suppose I know just what a growing boy can -eat? Goodness knows I ought to. I raised four sons myself, all of -them in the city and all doin’ well too.” - -Dick sat down in the cool kitchen while Aunt Abbie scurried about -getting his lunch. She kept up a running fire of chatter as she -worked, it being mostly about the missing Ruth. She wanted to know -what news any of the boys had, and what they were doing to find her. - -“Garry has some sort of a clue that he has a lot of faith in, and -has gone to look it up. You needn’t worry, Aunt Abbie. If she’s to -be found, Garry is the boy to do the trick.” - -Dick did not want to tell her that Ruth was in the power of Jean -LeBlanc, for he knew that she would worry even more. Then he asked -how the grandfather was. - -“Land sakes, he’s still asleep; just played out, and it looks as -though he will sleep till night anyway, maybe more. I’ve kept -everything quiet about the house so as not to disturb him. There, -now, eat your lunch, it’s all ready. What are you going to do this -afternoon?” - -“I am keeping my eyes on Lafe Green for awhile, and then I thought -I’d go back to our place in the woods and see what luck I had with a -little experiment that I’m trying out,” answered Dick as he tackled -the luscious food set before him. - -“Well, you better get into the woods pretty soon and get back again, -for it’s going to rain great guns before night. Not a storm that -will last long, just a good shower that will wet things down right -and set the gardens growing again.” - -Dick looked out through the open window at the cloudless sky, and -asked in surprise: - -“Why, the sky is as clear as crystal. What makes you think it’s -going to rain?” - -“Lots o’ signs say it’s going to, but there’s one that never fails,” -answered the old lady. “My cat’s been washing her face all morning -and bringing her paw over her right ear every time, and further -she’s been outdoors eating the tops off the grass for the last -hour.” - -Dick laughed heartily at this as a weather sign, until he saw that -he was in danger of offending the old lady. So he muffled his -laughter and said: - -“Excuse me, Aunt Abbie, but that’s a new one on me. I never before -heard tell of a cat acting as a barometer.” - -“Well, you can depend on Thomas Jones, that’s the name of my cat, to -let me know whenever it’s going to rain in the summer.” - -Dick finished his luncheon and then took his departure, promising to -be back for supper unless something tied him up and prevented him. -It should be mentioned that the boys had made arrangements to board -at Aunt Abbie’s whenever they were in the town, so he was not -exactly inviting himself to be a guest that night. - -“Well, go along, and bring good news back with you when you come,” -said the kindly Aunt Abbie as she began to clear away the dishes. - -Thoroughly satisfied with the world, the fat youth sauntered towards -the center of the village, and reconnoitred about the restaurant -kept by the old Frenchman. No one was in sight, and he wandered down -the street. - -As he neared the corner where stood the general store, he saw Lafe -Green disappearing around the side of the store. He followed -cautiously, and let Green get a considerable start, and then trailed -him. It was an easy job, for Green took to the woods that surrounded -the town and walked swiftly. Dick dodged from tree to tree, keeping -well back, but always close enough to make out Green’s form. - -Lafe seemed to be circling as he walked, and Dick wondered what the -idea was. Then it dawned on him, that from the direction he was -taking, Lafe was headed for his own home. Dick at once concluded -that there was some reason for his wanting to approach his own place -without being detected. It was only a few moments before the boy saw -the reason for the roundabout course. - -Lafe took a stand under one of the trees, and in a few minutes was -joined by two other men. Peering from his vantage point in back of a -great spruce, Dick was startled to note that the new companions of -Green were the two tramps that still remained at liberty. - -They talked together in low tones for a moment, and then moved away. -Walking as though the ground were covered with sharp needles and -eggs and seeking shelter behind a tree every few seconds, Dick -followed the trio. - -As he thought, they headed for Lafe’s house, coming in from the -back. When he was sure of their destination, Dick cut through the -standing hay, and wriggling along on the ground, in a manner that -the boys had read of the Indians doing, and had often practiced as -youngsters, he approached the house. The hay field, as he knew, ran -almost to the house, and ended at a stone wall not fifteen feet from -the farmhouse. When he arrived at the wall he saw that the two -tramps were sitting on the porch, while Lafe had gone inside on some -errand. What the errand consisted of, was presently shown when the -owner of the farm came out with a jug of cider. - -“Not a soul inside, not even poor Bill. How he managed to let those -cussed boys get him is more than I can make out,” muttered Green to -the tramps. His words were quite distinguishable to Dick, for a -gentle breeze was blowing in his direction, over which the voices of -the men were carried as though on a telephone wire. - -“Well have a score to settle with those birds aforelong,” growled -one of the tramps. “But anyway, Bill can’t be much good when he lets -a bunch of boys take him off. Can’t we get him bailed out?” - -“Don’t see how. I’m out on bail myself, and it took nearly every -penny I had to do that. Besides, I ain’t any too well liked by the -law and order folks around here, and ’tisn’t likely they’d take my -bail for him. We’ll have to do those two jobs alone tonight, and -that will give us some money to work with and we’ll see then what -can be done.” - -“Speaking of jobs, which will we take first, the store or the bank?” -asked one. - -“Guess we better take the store first and get that over with; then -it’ll be pretty late and we can take our time with the bank,” -answered Green. “Say we get to the store at midnight; everyone’ll be -in bed then. Look here, it’s getting hot outside, and it’s cooler in -the house. Bring that jug inside with you,” and Lafe turned and went -into the house, followed by the others. - -Light instantly broke over Dick. That was the reason for the -friendliness between the tramps and Lafe Green. They were evidently -plotting to break and enter the store and the bank. Green knew -nothing of this branch of criminality, and had in some way become -acquainted with the tramps and had gone partners with them in this -nefarious expedition. - -Dick wished that they had stayed out on the porch and further -discussed their plans. He knew it would be foolhardy to try and -approach the house with the three of them there, for one might be at -a window and they could easily seize him. He had not brought his -rifle with him, but left it at Denton’s. - -Still he had all the information that was necessary, and winding his -way across the hay field, got out of sight of the house and then -legged it for town as fast as he could go. He was puffing when he -reached the village, and he stopped to get his breath. As he stood -in the shade of an arching elm, the village constable came by and -hailed him. - -“Got any more tramps up your sleeve?” he asked facetiously. - -“No, I got something better than that this time,” answered Dick. “I -have three bank robbers for you.” - -The constable thought that Dick was joking, and was about to make -some humorous reply, when he noticed that Dick was in dead earnest. - -“You really serious?” he asked. - -“Never more so in my life,” answered Dick, and in a few brief -sentences imparted his information to the constable. - -“Now what’s the next step?” asked Dick, as he finished telling his -story. - -“Well, things are breaking lucky for us. I telephoned the sheriff -after you brought in that other chap, and he said he’s starting -right for here in his tin flivver. That was just before noon, and -allowing him plenty of time along the road, he ought to be here any -minute now. He’s only about forty-five miles from here. Let’s get -back to the lockup and wait for him.” - -This they did, and had barely gotten inside when they heard a motor -engine come to a coughing stop outside and in walked the sheriff -with one of his deputies. He recognized Dick instantly, for he had -been at the head of the party the night that the smuggler band had -been surrounded and captured. - -The constable asked Dick to relate the occurrences of the morning -beginning with the capture of the tramp and the subsequent -developments that warned them of the attempt that was to be made -that night. - -The sheriff took in the whole talk without interruption, and then -quickly made his plans. - -“If any other person than this fellow had told me such a wild story, -I’d be laughing yet; but I’ve seen a little of the work of this boy -and his two companions, and so I’m taking a chance that he hasn’t -been dreaming. You’re sure these are the same fellows you had a -run-in with down in Cumberland county, are you?” he asked, for Dick -had told them how they had first known of the tramps. - -“Sure I’m sure,” said Dick indignantly. “Do you think I’m spinning -tales just to hear myself talk?” - -“That’s all right, Dick, don’t get hot,” laughed the sheriff. “I’m -just getting the lay of the land, that’s all. Now here’s what we’ll -do. I have Brown, my deputy, with me here, and the constable will -make three. We’d better get one more man, Constable, just to be on -the safe side. Who can you get?” - -“Why, there’s Bud Harkins, who takes my job when I’m off on -business, or on a little vacation. I can have him here in half an -hour.” - -“All right; be off and bring him here, and say nothing of what it’s -all about. That will make us four, one more than the other outfit.” - -Dick had been listening to this in a surprised sort of a way. - -Suddenly he burst out: “Four? Where do I come in?” - -“Why, you’ve done your share already, and there’s no need for you to -be putting yourself in danger needlessly,” answered the sheriff. - -“Say, that isn’t hardly fair. Here I get this tip, and then I’m to -be cheated of the fun of being in at the end,” protested the fat -boy. - -“Might as well let him be the fifth man, Sheriff,” said the deputy. -“He and his friends are pretty solid headed kids, and they were with -us, you remember, when we rounded up Green and his gang first time.” - -The sheriff debated with himself for a moment, and then gave in. - -“All right, another person in the party won’t hurt any.” - -Dick gave the deputy a grateful look, and said he had some other -business to transact, and so would hop off and do that, and would be -back at the little police station in plenty of time to join the -capturing party. - -“Take your time. We won’t gather here till about ten o’clock, and -then we can slip around and take cover near the store and await the -coming of the outfit. Don’t let anyone see you coming here, if you -can help it, tonight,” answered the sheriff. - -Dick hopped out and started for the lean-to in the woods. The -business that he wanted to transact was to see if the camera trap -had been sprung, and if so to bring the film back to town with him -and develop it before it was time to join the sheriff’s party. - -It was a hiking afternoon for Dick, and he thought that he must have -walked nearly a score of miles that day in the hot sun. But Dick -could put on speed when the occasion demanded it, and this was -certainly such an occasion. - -He glanced at the sky from time to time. It was still bright and -cloudless, and he indulged in several little chuckles as he thought -of the gentle chaffing that he would give Aunt Abbie about her “cat -barometer” that evening. - -He retrieved his rifle at Denton’s and then at a half trot made for -the woods. - -It was cooler walking under the trees, and he kept up a swift pace, -watching carefully as he walked, so that he would not be surprised -by any one. - -He did not meet a person on his way to the lean-to, and as he -approached the brush shack, redoubled his vigilance. There was no -sign of anyone around, and keeping his rifle in a handy position, he -made his way to the place they called home while in the woods. - -Dick stepped over the trap carefully, for in the event that no one -had been there, he did not want to have a snap of himself taken, and -thereby necessitate some minutes in resetting the trap. - -He went directly to the bush screen, and looked. - -Then he gave a whoop of delight. The little lever of the lens had -been pulled down. - -Carefully he took the camera out of its hiding place among the -branches, and turned the roll so that a new film was exposed. He -knew from the numbers on the little peekhole that there were three -more exposures on the roll, and so to use them up, rather than -develop them blank, he snapped the brush lean-to from three -different positions, thinking that the folks at home would be -interested in seeing what kind of a place they lived in while in the -forests. - -Then pocketing his camera, he cast a last look around the lean-to -and set out for the village and Aunt Abbie’s house. - -He had gone less than five hundred yards when the sky began to -darken, and in a few minutes the big rain drops were pattering down -through the branches of the trees. - -“Well, I’ll be jiggered,” he muttered aloud. “If Aunt Abbie wasn’t -right. Believe me, next time I want to know what the weather is, I’m -going to hunt me up a cat and observe his actions for awhile. I’m -due for a nice wetting now.” - -He wound a large bandanna handkerchief around his neck to keep out -the wet, and pulled his coat collar up. Then he broke into a long -lope, that would take him over the ground at a fair rate of speed, -and yet not be tiring. - -The rain increased in force, and soon he was pretty thoroughly -drenched. He wished he had his rubber poncho with him, but that was -strapped to his knapsack, safely tucked away at Denton’s store, -nearly four miles away. There was nothing to do but get wet, thought -Dick philosophically, and he put his best food forward. He had -cheerful visions of Aunt Abbie’s warm house and a good hot supper, -for the rain was cooling off the heated air like so many monster -electric fans. - -He reached Denton’s store at last, and getting his knapsack and -refusing the postmaster’s invitation to stay and get dry, made his -way to Aunt Abbie’s. - -“Good land o’ liberty,” said the old lady, when she saw Dick’s -condition. “Come right out to the kitchen stove, and get those wet -things off. Lucky there’s some old clothes belonging to my youngest -son upstairs, and you can put ’em on till yours get dry.” - -Dick protested that he wanted nothing more than a chair by the -stove, for a wetting more or less was nothing to him; but the old -lady wouldn’t hear of it, and to humor her, Dick told her to go and -get the clothes and he would wear them. - -“By the way, Aunt Abbie, I take back all the laughing I did at your -‘cat barometer’ this afternoon.” - -“I knew you would. Thomas Jones has never failed me yet,” and she -bustled out to get the dry clothes. - -In a short time she was back with them. - -“These ought to fit you pretty well, my boy was about your size when -he had them. Now hurry up, for Mr. Everett has waked up, and said -he’d be right down to talk to you.” - -Aunt Abbie left the kitchen, and Dick made haste to get into the dry -clothes, for although he was used to being wet, he did not deny that -the dry apparel was mighty comfortable. - -Ruth’s grandfather soon appeared on the scene, and his first anxious -question was for news of his granddaughter. - -Dick told him the whole story, and did his best to comfort the old -man by telling that Garry rarely failed on a mission. - -“Besides, it seems to be our fate to overcome the evil schemes of -that half breed, and this time ought to be no exception. I’ve a -hunch also that LeBlanc’s race is pretty nearly run, and we are due -to turn him over to the law before we finish our work here.” - -Dick’s optimism transferred itself in a measure to the old man, who -said philosophically: - -“Well, the only thing to do is to wait, I suppose, until Garry gets -back, either with her or with news. All my faith is pinned on him, -and I feel he won’t fail.” - -After supper, Dick asked Aunt Abbie if she had a closet that had an -electric light in it, and found to his delight that she had. - -He borrowed some flat dishes from her, and then went to the closet -she indicated and proceeded to make a darkroom of it. There was a -flat-topped trunk there, and this he converted into a table. - -In the flat dishes he put the necessary water, and then from his -knapsack got the hypo and developer and a piece of red cloth that he -had bought for just such a purpose. - -This red cloth he twisted around the bulb of the electric light, and -in this way made his darkroom. Requesting Aunt Abbie to turn off the -lights in the room, he entered the closet and proceeded to prepare -his developer and fixing bath. - -Dick was no mean hand at developing pictures, and he did the job -speedily but carefully. After the necessary developing, he left the -developed negatives in the water for several minutes, sloshing them -around occasionally to wash them free of all the acid that was used -in developing them. Then he let them dry somewhat, and held them up -to the ruby light he made with the red cloth. The negative showed -the upright figure of a man, but he could not make out who it was. - -It would be necessary to make prints. Having finished with his -developing, he went out of the closet and turned on the light in the -outer room. - -“Now, Aunt Abbie, can I bother you for one more thing?” he asked. - -“Bless your heart, a dozen more if you want them. What is it now?” -she replied. - -“I’d like a small piece of glass and a flat piece of wood. I am -going to try and print some pictures, but have no printing frame; -although with the two things mentioned, I can improvise one that -will do the work.” - -Aunt Abbie directed him to the cellar, and he rummaged around until -he found a piece of glass that was of the size he wanted. It was -evidently one that had been procured to mend a light in the cellar -window which he observed was broken. Then he found a board, and -proceeded to saw it to the same size as the glass. He now had the -principal parts of the frame. - -All that remained now to do was to hinge the board and the glass, -and this he did with a piece of insulating tape from his ever ready -knapsack. It was some that had been bought for the purpose of -repairing the telephone lines when they were on the forest fire -patrol, when they had first entered the woods. - -Dick then retired to the darkroom, and setting his negative against -a piece of sensitized paper, inserted the two between the glass and -the wood. Then holding the other end firmly together between his -thumb and fingers, held the improvised frame with the glass up to -the electric light from which had been removed the red cloth. - -Dick was familiar enough with printing to “read” the paper as it -developed. This was then put into the printing bath and soon the -picture appeared. When it was finished, Dick stared at it in -amazement; for instead of the features of Jean LeBlanc, which he -firmly expected to see, he noted that it was not Jean, but his -brother, Baptiste! - -“I might have remembered that they would probably be together,” he -thought, as he remembered that Baptiste had been in the motor -launch, by the aid of which Jean had escaped from the lumber camp. -“Well, that leaves still two to be disposed of, for the tramps and -Lafe Green will be taken tonight.” - -He cleaned up after his work of developing and printing, and then -looking at his watch, found it was nearly time to be starting for -the rendezvous with the sheriff and the constable. - -“Where’s Phil?” asked Aunt Abbie. “I thought he would be around for -supper tonight.” - -“He went off to Coldenham to do a little investigating,” answered -Dick, “and there was some likelihood of his not being back tonight, -unless he could get a conveyance to bring him. There’s nothing to -worry about, however,” said Dick lightly, not knowing of the -accident that had befallen his comrade. - -At the police station, he found that all the men of the party had -already arrived. The sheriff stated that they would wait for about -one hour and then proceed singly or in pairs to the general store -and postoffice. Here they would take positions in hiding and wait -for the approach of the raiders. - -“We’ll let them get in the store so that we can catch them -red-handed, and that will give us enough to keep them in prison for -a good while to come. Also, it will cause the re-arrest of Lafe -Green, who, to my mind, should never have been let out on bail. This -second offense will forfeit his right to asking bail again, and that -will clean up the last of a bad gang in these parts,” said the -sheriff. - -The hour passed quickly, while Dick told of some of the events that -took place at the lumber camp. - -“After we get through with this job, I think I’ll make it a point to -go after LeBlanc and get him proper. He should not be at large, for -he’s a dangerous person as well as a criminal,” remarked the -sheriff. - -Dick mentally agreed with him, as he thought of the several narrow -escapes that he and his friends had had from The Bear, as LeBlanc -liked to call himself. - -The start was made, and they arrived at the general store. - -There the sheriff stationed them in spots where they could observe -the store and yet be in hiding themselves. - -“They’ll probably approach from the woods there where you say you -followed them Dick, and will likely get in through the back of the -store, as I happen to remember there’s a window there.” - -They waited nearly an hour, a long, slow, dragging hour, before the -approach of Green and his two evil companions. - -Then there was a slight hitch that threatened their plans for a -moment. Instead of all of them entering the store, Lafe Green -effaced himself against the side of the store in the shadows, -evidently to act as lookout while the others plied their nefarious -occupation. - -“We’ll have to get up on him unawares,” whispered the sheriff to -Dick, who was standing by him. - -“Why can’t we draw back a bit and then approach him from the other -corner. We can creep along in front of the porch there, and take him -by surprise. He would only be expecting to see some straggler -approach up the street, and would not think of anyone creeping up on -him,” suggested Dick. - -“Good an idea as any, suppose we try it,” whispered the sheriff. - -They followed out the idea, and taking several minutes in order to -make no sound, crept up on the unsuspecting Green. - -“Put ’em up, Green, and don’t let out a yip, or I’ll blow the -daylight through you,” whispered the sheriff sibilantly. - -Then he and Dick straightened up, leveling their firearms at Green. -Green was so taken by surprise that he was only able to gasp. - -“Now, Dick, round up the boys while I watch this fellow,” ordered -the sheriff. - -Dick hastened to do his bidding, and in a trice the other members of -the party were at the sheriff’s side. Green had already been -handcuffed, and warning him to make no sound, the party moved -towards the window in the rear of the store where the tramps had -made their entrance. - -Bidding the constable guard Green, the capturing party crept toward -the cubbyhole office. - -Everything was going according to schedule, when the constable’s -assistant stumbled against a crate, barking his shins severely, and -forgetting the necessity for quietness, let out a muttered -imprecation. - -Instantly the tramps wheeled from their work, and making out the -forms of the sheriff and his men, let loose with a volley of shots -from their revolvers. - -There was the sound of a falling body, and a groan from the -sheriff’s deputy. Dick was about to rush to his assistance, when he -called: - -“Never mind me, just got me in the leg. Get the men.” - -The tramps had snapped out their light, and so offered no mark for -the guns of the authorities of the law. Flashes of orange flame -pierced the darkness as the sheriff fired at the spot where the -tramps had been working. Finally there was a rush of feet, and the -sheriff fired in the direction of the sound. - -There was a cry of pain from one of the tramps, and then a crash as -one hurled himself through the open window. - -Dick was the nearest to the window, and in a flash had followed the -lead set by the tramp. He had dropped his rifle as he jumped, and -was therefore unarmed, while the tramp still had his revolver. - -The refugee was only a few steps ahead of him, and had slackened his -stride for a moment to get his bearings and determine in which -direction he should run. - -This was Dick’s opportunity. Straight at the tramp he ran, and with -the practice borne of long years on the football field,—for he was -the star center of the high school team,—dived straight at the -running man. - -He hit him with a shock just above the knees, and the man fell like -a stricken ox. It will be remembered that Dick was a heavy chap, and -the weight of his body added to the great force with which he struck -the man, was enough to knock the wind entirely out of the tramp. - -As the man lay there, stunned for the moment, Dick possessed himself -of the revolver, and with this show of arms was able to force his -prisoner to march back to the spot where Lafe Green was being held -under guard. - -There were no more shots from the store, and in a moment or two the -sheriff appeared with the constable and the prisoner. He gave these -in charge of Dick and the man Hawkins, and then went back to aid his -deputy. - -The fusilade of shots had drawn several half-dressed men to the -scene, and great was their astonishment when they saw the sheriff’s -party and their prisoners. - -The deputy was carried to the home of one of the men, and a doctor -called, but it was found that he had sustained nothing more than a -bad flesh wound. - -Among those who had been attracted by the shots was one Mr. Arthur, -the president of the bank. - -When he was informed that his little bank was to have been the next -scene of operations on the part of the yeggman, and was told that -Dick’s work had prevented it, he shook hands with the boy heartily. - -“It would have been a hard blow for me, for I have more money than -usual, since several mortgages have been paid during the past few -days. You can be assured that I will not forget your brave work,” he -said. - -“Looks like I lost out with you, young feller,” said Lafe to Dick. -“But let me tell you this. There’s one more left to reckon with you, -and I guess he’ll wipe the slate clean for me!” - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -SAVED BY A JAP TRICK - - -The force of Phil’s fall had stunned him into complete -unconsciousness. He lay there for several moments, and the force of -the rain beating on his face was evidently what revived him. He -raised himself to a sitting posture and stared about him. Then his -gradually dawning consciousness became complete and he remembered -his falling. - -He felt the back of his head, expecting to find that he had cut it -badly, and was surprised to find there was nothing but a bad lump. - -Phil figured that his heavy scout hat had somewhat broken the force -of the blow. He felt of the bump gingerly, for it was as sore as a -burn. Then he started to get on his feet, and groaned when the -weight of his body bore down on his right foot. - -He sat down again quickly and unlaced his shoe-pack. - -A quick examination told him he had either sprained it, or at the -least badly strained the ankle. Snatching a handkerchief from his -pocket, he tore it into wide strips, and seeing that there was a -puddle of water in a depression near him, soaked the strips in this, -and then tightly bound the ankle, which was beginning to swell since -the support of the shoe-pack had been removed. - -Phil pulled the bandaging as tight as he could bear, clenching his -teeth as sharp twinges of pain ran through his ankle and leg. Then -he put his shoe-pack on again, lacing it tightly as he could. - -Another try at standing proved to be little more successful than the -first. He knew that it would be foolish to attempt to walk on it, -for that would delay its recovery, and this was a time of all times -when he did not want to be laid up. - -Phil knew that he had to get home somehow, and yet he was a good ten -miles, perhaps a trifle more, from home. How to get there was the -question. Then he bethought himself of something. - -He dragged himself to where he saw a sturdy sapling with a forked -branch on it. Taking his knife, he whittled away laboriously at the -bottom until he had cut it down. He had judged what would be the -proper distance from his arm pit to the ground, and began to cut -there. Then he whittled off the extra branches at the fork, leaving -about four inches of each fork projecting. In this way Phil had -fashioned a crutch for himself. - -Using the crutch and hopping along on his one good foot, he searched -until he found a mate for it, and after a few minutes more of work, -had a serviceable if not comfortable and handsome pair of crutches. -He then tore strips from the bottom of his shirt, and with these -padded the forks as well as he could so that they would not chafe -his armpits too severely. By this time the rain had stopped, and -Phil decided that he would strike out for home immediately. - -He had no idea how long it would take him to get home, but judged -that it would be several hours, as he would be lucky if he could -make two miles an hour with the crutches. After he had gotten the -knack of using the crutches, he made better time, and after five -miles of laborious and painful walking along the uneven bed of the -railroad, he came to a pathway across the tracks that led up over -the bank. - -Phil decided to investigate this a bit, and getting up on the bank -saw that the path widened considerably; at least he figured that it -did, since it was too dark to see very plainly. He thought that it -might lead to some house, and decided he might as well take enough -time to follow it a little distance. - -He was glad a few minutes later that he had decided thus, for he saw -a light gleaming a few rods away. He hastened his steps, and came to -a small cottage. - -He banged at the door, which was thrown open, and a man stood there -with an oil lamp in his hand. Phil explained the situation to him, -saying that he had had a fall and sprained his ankle. - -The cottager’s wife had followed her husband to the door, and when -she saw the wet, bedraggled looking boy standing there, immediately -invited him in, and soon Phil was enjoying the warmth of the fire. - -He found out that the cottager was engaged in cutting cordwood, for -that section was hard wood, rather than the usual spruce, hemlock -and pine. - -“I wonder if there is any way that I could get back to town,” said -Phil. “It is important that I get there, as my friends will be -worrying about me. I would be glad to pay for the trouble.” - -“I’ve a horse and cart that I use to haul cordwood in, but it’s -pretty late tonight. Hadn’t you better plan to stay here for the -night and let me take you in the morning?” - -Phil noticed that the cottager was reluctant to go out, and -immediately made an attractive offer for the drive, provided they -could start out immediately. - -“Where you staying in town?” asked the man. - -“At a Mrs. Drysdale’s. She’s generally known as Aunt Abbie in town, -though, I guess.” - -“Well, well, that’s a different matter altogether,” said the -cottager. “Aunt Abbie is kin to my wife, and she’d raise fits if she -found that a friend of hers wasn’t obliged in any way possible. I’ll -hitch up the horse while Mother makes you a cup of hot coffee, and -you dry out a little, and then I’ll have you there in no time at -all.” - -This was absolutely to Phil’s liking, and he waited for the coffee -to be made. When it was ready he drank it gratefully, for the rain -had drenched him to the skin and chilled him completely. - -On the way into town the cottager, whose name Phil learned was -Lorimer, asked several questions about Phil, but none that caused -Phil to have to be evasive in answering. - -At Aunt Abbie’s, he was ordered straight off to bed, and only Phil’s -violent protestations kept her from sending for the doctor. - -“Where’s Dick?” asked Phil. - -“He went gallivanting off on something he said was important -business nearly two hours ago, and hasn’t come back yet. My -goodness, for boys like you, you seem to have a lot to do in the -dead o’ the night; but I guess it’s all right, it’s in a good -cause,” remarked Aunt Abbie in a doubtful tone. “My, these last few -nights I’ve been staying up till all hours. Such excitement!” - -She had no sooner finished speaking when there was a knock at the -door, and she went to open and admitted Dick. - -The chums greeted each other heartily, and quizzed each other as to -developments during their respective missions. - -Dick’s news was received with astonishment by all present, and he -was warmly congratulated for his part in the successful night, -although he modestly disclaimed having done such a great deal. - -“I certainly am glad to see that Green again under lock and key,” -said Mr. Everett. “I can’t help but think he is the one who is at -the bottom of my misfortune; that is the threatening letters and -then the burning down of my house. That leaves very few of that gang -at large, now, doesn’t it?” - -“Just Jean LeBlanc, and he hasn’t much farther to go,” said Phil. - -“You forget one other, Phil,” put in Dick, “and that reminds me to -tell you that I think I know who did the rattlesnake trick. I -developed and printed the picture that was caught by the camera -trap, and found that it was Jean’s brother, Baptiste.” - -“I’d forgotten all about him, to tell you the truth,” said Phil. -“Well, if we can get one, the other cannot be far away. Now let’s -off to bed. With the wetting and this uncomfortable ankle, I am -pretty tired.” - -“Yes, it’s way beyond bedtime. All we can do now is wait for the -morrow and pray that good news will come with it,” said Mr. Everett. - -Phil had purposely said nothing of the startling disclosures made by -his afternoon’s work, but waited until he and Dick had gone to their -bedroom. There, as he undressed and rebound his ankle, he told Dick -of the treachery on the part of Simmons. - -“I waited until I could come and advise with you on the subject,” -said Phil. “I thought at first of going on to Coldenham, when my -fall put an end to that, and the best thing to do then seemed to be -to come back.” - -“I hardly know what to advise,” returned Dick. “I wish that Garry -were here, so we could put the matter up to him. I should say, -though, that action was needed. Now the sheriff is a sensible man, -and so I move that we put it up to him. We can see him in the -morning, that is we can if your ankle is better, if not I’ll go -alone, and bring him here. Then we can follow his advice.” - -“Yes, and there’s one other thing we can have him do. He probably -knows how to take a fingerprint and he can take Lafe’s and those of -the tramps, and while we are not experts, they are plain enough so -that we can tell with a bit of study whether or not they compare -with the one on the letter.” - -“Well, that’s that, then. I’m going to turn in,” remarked Dick, -smothering a yawn. - -“Same here. Goodnight,” answered Phil. - -They had hardly gotten into bed, however, before there came a knock -at their door, and they heard Aunt Abbie. - -“There’s a Frenchman just came to the door and says he has a message -for you from Garry,” she announced. - -“I’ll be right down, tell him,” said Dick, hopping out of bed as he -spoke; and reaching for his clothes, started to dress. - -Dick dressed hastily and went to the front door. When he opened it, -he could see no one, and stepped down onto the walk to look about. - -He had barely done so, when he was seized by the arm by someone who -stepped out of the shrubbery that lined the walk. - -“Come on,” said the man in French, and a second appeared in his -wake. - -Dick recognized the voice. It was that of Baptiste LeBlanc. - -Certain capture stared Dick in the face. To call for help would be -of no avail, for there was no one that could come to his aid -quickly. He thought swiftly and then acted. - -Once upon a time, during their school year, a Japanese boy had lived -for a time in Colfax, the home town of the boys, and was the marvel -of the town for his ability at jiu jitsu, the Japanese art of -wrestling. He had taught many of the boys some of the simpler tricks -of judo, as the art is often called, and now Dick remembered these. - -Snapping back with his foot, the heel of his heavy shoe-pack caught -the man standing in back of him square on the shin. - -Then when the other had come near him, he used one of the holds -taught him by the son of Nippon, and sent the other flying. - -The beauty of the art of jiu jitsu is that weight and size of the -opponent are never taken into consideration. Knowing the proper -method, a girl of sixteen can throw a full-grown man several feet. - -As everyone knows who has ever experienced it, there are few things -that hurt any more than a well-directed blow on the shin. The force -of the one dealt Dick’s capturer was sufficient to make him groan -with pain, and loose his hold on the boy’s arm. - -Free of his captors, Dick figured that discretion was the better -part of valor in this case, and darted back into the house, slamming -the door shut, and turning the key in the lock. Then he reached for -his rifle and went to the front window and saw the pair sneaking off -down the road. - -“What was it?” asked Phil speedily. - -“Nothing much; just Baptiste LeBlanc is on the trail of yours -truly.” - - - - -CHAPTER X - -THE CABIN IN THE RAVINE - - -We left Garry talking with the storekeeper at Chester. - -The storekeper had just described Jean LeBlanc to him as having -bought a liberal supply of provisions. That meant that the tramp had -not played them false but had given a straight tip. - -Having gotten all the desired information, Garry bade the -storekeeper goodnight and hastened back to the hotel where he turned -in. - -LeBlanc already had twelve hours’ start on him, and by morning it -would be a full day, but there was no use in Garry’s trying to go -further that night. - -He would have a blind enough chase in broad daylight, and he needed -sleep so that he would be fresh for the hard trail ahead. - -Garry woke with the dawn and sprang from his bed, determined to make -every minute that day count. He descended to breakfast, and after a -hasty meal asked the hotel owner if there was any place there where -he could hire a canoe for two or three days. - -“Sure there is; right here. My boy had one that he used a lot, but -he’s working in the city now, and so it just lays there in the -boathouse doing nothing,” answered the hotel man. - -Garry soon struck a bargain, and a reasonable one, and the hotel man -sent one of the loungers to show him where it was. - -He unshipped the canoe from its resting place, and gave it a hasty -examination to determine whether or not it had sprung a leak -anywhere from its long disuse. It was a well-made Kennebec canoe, -however, and in sound condition. - -Packing his knapsack and rifle securely in the bow, Garry took his -paddle and started out straight across the river, which was not less -than a quarter of a mile wide at this point. - -On the other side, he beached his canoe, and taking one of the white -strips he had prepared, tied it to a branch, so that it was not -conspicuous but could be easily seen by anyone with whom -arrangements had been made to look for it. - -Then he arranged the trail signal to show that he was going down -river. This consisted of three stones. On the largest stone he -placed a single one, and then on the ground beside it was placed one -indicating the direction he was to take. - -This done, he pushed out in the river again and paddled down stream, -always keeping a sharp lookout along the banks. - -At intervals of a quarter of a mile or so he would beach the canoe -and attach signals to guide his companions should there be need of -following him. - -Several times he wondered if his hunch in going to the place where -the attempt to lay a railroad had been started was wise. Then he -reflected that he had no stated course to pursue, hence following a -hunch was the only thing left to do. He was sure of one fact, that -LeBlanc had come that way. Then this was the only likely place to -come. - -He would hardly take a captive to the Forest Reserve; there was -always the danger that he would come upon a Ranger, and this reserve -was better patrolled than any other of the state woodlands, for the -government and not the state exercised supervision. The Rangers here -covered more ground, for Garry had been told that they were all -mounted. - -On the side of the river where the town lay, there was no place -where one could hide out very successfully, for the timber growth -there was mostly hard wood, and there was constant cutting. -Straggled farms dotted that part of the country. - -The only logical place, therefore, was the wild land toward which -Garry was heading. And, he figured, what more likely place to make a -start than the old railroad. One could easily follow that, and let -circumstances decide on what course to pursue as soon as the track -came to an end. - -Garry judged that he had paddled about ten miles, when he came to a -bit of beach, or rather a spot where the growth had been cut away, -leaving a bare spot except for the scores of stumps that dotted the -land. - -It has probably been the intention of the railroad builders to make -a slide here for the logs to be rolled into the river. Garry headed -the nose of his craft into the bank, and hauled up the canoe. Since -he had determined to trek into the forest, he had to secrete his -canoe. He cast about for a good place, and noting an extra thick -undergrowth several yards away, went to see if it was a practicable -hiding place. - -Great was Garry’s surprise when he parted the underbrush and found a -birch-bark canoe already hidden there. He crawled into the thick -bushes to make a closer examination of the craft. - -The thought that instantly sprang to his mind was that this was -LeBlanc’s canoe. If such was the case, Garry determined that it -should be put out of commission. - -Still, supposing it belonged to some of the boys that lived on the -other side of the river? In that case the destruction of the canoe -would be rather a mean trick to play. - -Garry looked into the canoe and found some trash left there. This -appeared to be paper in which parcels had been wrapped, and seemed -to have been only lately discarded. Looking closer, he noted the -twine that was used. It was a cheap twine composed of red and white -strands intermixed. - -Immediately Garry remembered that this was the sort of twine used by -the storekeeper with whom he had talked the night before, and who -had told him of selling supplies to a man that answered the -description of the halfbreed. - -Garry reflected that it was better to be safe than be sorry, and -determined to disable the canoe. In case it was the halfbreed’s, all -well and good. If it was that of some of the boys, he could leave -word with the hotel man and the storekeeper that he would make good -the damage. - -There was something else to be considered. Should he disable the -canoe and should LeBlanc come back, would it not immediately give -warning that he was being tracked, and cause him to turn in his -tracks and trace his pursuer? - -Garry gave the matter several minutes’ thought, and then the idea -occurred to him. He could disable the canoe by puncturing the -innumerable “eyes” that are frequent in birch bark—the little -places where a branch would later pierce though. - -Hastily he took his pocket knife, one of the Scout knives that was -equipped with several tools, among them being a sharp instrument -that could be used as a brad awl. - -Working speedily, he plunged it through all the eyes he could find. -This would cause the canoe to leak, and make it useless as a craft. -There is only one way to fix this, and that is one that requires a -great deal of time. It consists of making a slashwise cut in the -bark through the “eye” and sealing this down with hot pitch. The -damage that Garry had done would take a good while to repair -properly, and if it was LeBlanc’s canoe, it might hinder him in -making an escape at some time. - -The easy manner in which he found LeBlanc’s canoe was a warning to -him. He carefully obliterated all traces of having been there, and -returned to his canoe. Getting aboard again, he paddled down the -river about a hundred yards, till he came to a rocky bank. There he -succeeded in bringing his canoe up on to the land, and as the growth -was thick here also, had no trouble in finding a perfect place of -concealment. - -This done, he scrambled through the undergrowth back to the spot -where he had first landed. Hitching up his knapsack, and looking to -his rifle, he set off into the woods. The track had been laid for -some little distance, and piles of ties lay along the track. After a -matter of perhaps half a mile, the trackage ceased, and from there -on was only a trail marked by the triangular stick such as surveyors -use to mark out the particular line that their engineering matter -requires. - -Garry knew now that extreme caution was required. Provided LeBlanc -had come this way, there was every possibility that he might be -returning over the same route. - -For a matter of two miles Garry walked, peering ahead of him, and -straining his ears to catch the slightest sound. - -Finally he came to a little natural clearing in the midst of the -brush and trees, and saw ashes. Someone has made a campfire there, -and not very long ago, either. Woodsmen can always tell within a -short time, just how long since a fire has been used. It is almost -impossible to describe, and can only be done intuitively or by long -practice. - -Garry decided that this fire had been built not more than a day ago, -and a tin tomato can that had been thrown to one side, had barely -corroded from exposure to the elements. - -He was on the trail, but where did it lead? And was it made by the -quarry he was seeking? - -He glanced at his watch and saw that it was almost eleven o’clock, -the hour when he had promised to open his receiving station and wait -for a message from his chums. He decided that this was as good a -spot as any, and unpacked the apparatus from his knapsack, adjusting -and extending the rods from which his aerial could hang. - -As he looked about for a good place to stand his rod, he caught a -glint of something bright in the tangled grass near him. - -He bent and picked it up, and was amazed to find that it was a small -gold locket. Hastily he opened it, and there staring at him from the -two compartments, were pictures of Ruth and her grandfather! - -Garry almost shouted with glee. They had come this way, and the next -step was to determine in which direction they had gone. - -That, however, must wait for a moment, for he wanted his chums to -know that he was safe, and hence must wait for a time for a message -from them. - -But when he spread out his apparatus, a pang struck him. Part of the -detector, the most essential part of the receiving apparatus, was -missing! - -Garry examined it closely and saw that it had been broken; and when -he took thought, he remembered the haste in which the boys had -packed their knapsacks, his among them, when they left the lumber -camp some days before. - -Inwardly the boy berated himself for his stupidity in setting out on -this search without first seeing that all his apparatus was in -perfect order. - -The detector, sometimes known to users of the radio as a “cat’s -whisker,” is a thin wire with a point attached to it, extending from -the sounding posts to a piece of galena or silicon. This detector is -used for this reason: The voice waves that are sent out through a -radio transmitter are too faint to be heard by the human ear unaided -by a mechanical apparatus. - -The detector or “whisker” is moved about on the silicon until it -strikes a sensitive spot, and in this way the air waves are brought -into proper tune, and may be heard through the receiving ’phones. - -Attached to the end of the wire that is fixed to the baseboard is -either a point, welded to the brass wire that leads to the cup -holding the galena crystals, or else a point is carefully fashioned -on the end of the wire to the same sharpness as a needle. - -In the case of Garry’s detector, both the point and the entire wire -were missing. - -Somehow he must fix this, else his friends would immediately set out -in search of him, and that perhaps at a time when they had important -work to do at Hobart concerning the mission they had embarked on. - -But how was he to repair a part of a radio telephone, that most -delicate instrument, while he was out here in the wilds? It would be -a hard enough task in the village, for there were no stores where -radio equipment could be bought. - -Garry, however, was not one to give up hopelessly on anything. He -set his wits to work to think up some way in which the detector -could be fixed. A search of his knapsack revealed nothing that could -be substituted for the original whisker. - -He knew enough about the apparatus to know what would be needed. -First there was a piece of brass wire, and that must be sharpened to -a needle point. - -As he thought of the words “needle point,” he was struck by a -brilliant idea, and gave a soft whoop at the thought that it might -work. - -In his knapsack was a small “housewife” that his mother had given -him just before he set out for the big woods at the start of the -summer. He resurrected this, and from it drew a large needle. - -There was part of the battle won, but there were still two other -necessary things to obtain. One was the brass wire, and the other -was a method of welding or soldering it to the needle. - -He rummaged through his belongings, in the vain hope of finding some -bit of wire that would answer the purpose, but could find nothing. -Desperately he glanced at his watch. It was already twenty minutes -after eleven, and the boys were probably trying vainly to talk with -him. - -As he looked at his watch, a thought struck him. - -Presto; here was the brass wire. It would mean sacrificing the use -of his watch for a time, but that could be easily dispensed with. He -unscrewed the back of his watch, and ruthlessly took out the -mainspring, which was a small coil of thin brass, not a wire -exactly, but something that would answer the purpose just as well. -His screw driver that he carried in the knapsack was too clumsy for -such work as tinkering with a watch, so he used the point of his -knife blade instead. - -Getting the mainspring out was a matter of a few seconds only. Now -remained only to think of some ingenious way to solder the brass -coil to the needle. In his search through the knapsack he had thrown -much of the contents on the ground near him, and in looking these -over, in the search for inspiration, his eyes lighted on his fishing -tackle. - -There was the final thing needed. From the tackle book, where he -kept his flies, he undid a little flap that covered a pocket, and -drew out a split lead sinker. This was just what he needed for -soldering the coil to the needle. - -With his pliers he bent the end of the coil tightly about the center -of the needle, and widening the split in the shot with his knife, -slipped it over the needle where it was held to the brass coil. - -Using the handle of his knife, he carefully pounded the sinker until -it held of its own accord. Soldering was now a simple matter. - -Garry lighted a small fire, and when the dry branches had burned to -coals, thrust the screwdriver into the glowing bed. - -“That spoils a good screwdriver,” thought Garry, “but at least it’s -in a good cause.” - -As any boy knows that has ever used tools, heating a screwdriver, if -it is a good one, ruins the temper and makes it easy to break when -struggling with a refractory screw. - -As soon as the blade had gotten sufficiently heated, he applied it -quickly to the lead sinker and caused it to melt and fuse around the -needle. Two or three applications of the hot screwdriver were -necessary before the job could be called complete, and then Garry -sat back and surveyed his work with satisfaction. - -Now remained only the biggest question of all. Would this crude -contrivance work? Garry felt that it would, since it followed in -principle the theory of the detector. - -The quickest way to find out if it was workable, of course, was to -try it out, and this he immediately did. - -Noting that all the rest of the radio outfit was in good condition, -he adjusted the headpieces and tuned up back and forth over the -tuning coil to get the proper range. Soon he heard frequent buzzes -in the receivers and knew that everything was all right. Now came -the crucial test of the detector. He moved the needle point around -on the silicon and soon was rewarded by getting the proper -induction, and distinctly heard a voice. The forest-made detector -worked! - -The voicing was chanting over and over again: - -“Boone, Garry Boone. Calling Garry Boone.” - -Garry laughed to himself as he thought how much it sounded like a -bellboy in a hotel paging one of the guests. - -Turning to his sender he called. - -“Boone talking.” - -This he repeated at intervals, and after a few minutes, in which he -divined that Phil and Dick were probably working their tuning coil, -he established connection. - -But the connection was faulty, and he was afraid that at any moment -the detector would fail to work. So he called briefly: - -“Have found a clue to Ruth and am on her trail. Am safe. Tell Mr. -Everett everything is coming out O. K. What news have you?” - -From the other end came this startling, to Garry, news: - -“Simmons arrested this morning, and——” - -Then all became silent. Only an indistinct buzzing came into the -receivers. He worked his tuning coil back and forth, but brought no -results. Then he tried switching the “cat’s whisker” to another spot -on the cup of silicon, and found that this, too, was futile. - -Something had evidently gone wrong with his apparatus. So after a -few minutes more of vain attempt to establish connection again, he -gave it up as a bad job. - -However, the vital thing had been accomplished. He had informed his -chums that he was safe, thereby freeing their minds from worry, and -he knew that they were on the job at their end. Also his message -would prove of great cheer to Ruth’s grandfather and Aunt Abbie. - -He could not, of course, understand what his friends had meant by -Simmons being arrested. Simmons was the postal inspector, and should -be making arrests, rather than be subject to seizure himself. - -There was no use, though, in racking his head to try and puzzle out -the situation. There was still the important part of his work ahead -of him. - -He felt hungry and decided to make a hasty meal before going any -further. He produced from his supplies enough stuff for a cold -lunch, and was wondering if it would be worth while to search for a -few minutes for a spring. - -Garry figured that five minutes could make no great difference, and -looking around for moist ground that would denote the proximity of a -spring, advanced a short distance into the woods. He had not gone -far when he heard the murmur of water, and pushing ahead, came to a -fair-sized brook. - -Quickly he noted that there were footprints on the soft bit of -shore, and bent to examine them. After some scrutiny he could make -out distinctly at least three sets of prints. One set seemed to be -made by moccasins, for the prints were blurred and indistinct, and -another set was evidently left there by some man who wore a pair of -shoes with heels. - -What made Garry’s heart beat quickly, was the sight of the third set -of prints that were of a certainty made by a girl. - -The two sets of male footprints of course denoted two men, and since -it was a foregone conclusion that the moccasined walker was LeBlanc, -Garry wondered who his companion could be. - -He searched about for more prints in an endeavor to find which way -the tracks led, but they soon broke back onto the hard ground, -covered with countless thousands of pine needles and spears from the -spruce trees. - -He was about to give up the search and debate with himself as to -what course to pursue, when he saw, lying among the pine needles, a -dress button. - -Garry seized it eagerly. It looked like an ornamental button from a -waist or dress. Since it lay some little distance from where he had -found the footprints, it must mean that the girl and her captor had -come this way. - -It was new looking, and was undoubtedly dropped there not very long -before the time he found it. Had it been there for some time it -would show it had been exposed to the rain and ground. - -Filling his collapsible bucket with water, he hurried back, and -having made his coffee, hastily ate his meal. The wireless was then -dismantled and along with the other contents of the knapsack -repacked quickly. - -Shouldering his knapsack, and stamping out the remains of the fire, -also removing, as far as possible, any trace of having eaten at the -spot, Garry made his way back to the place he had found the button. - -The discovery had shaped his course for him. It was probable that -the trail led up the brook. If LeBlanc had some hideout in the -woods, what was more natural than having it near a brook, both for -the fact that it was a supply of water and a place where a certain -amount of food could be obtained, since Garry, with an angler’s -instinct, had mentally decided that the brook abounded in fat trout. - -The final reason for believing this to be the proper trail lay in -the fact that it was less brushy and thick along the bank of the -brook, making it easier walking. Garry walked along for some -distance, keeping his eyes glued to the ground in the hope of -finding “sign” of some sort to show that his quarry had passed that -way. - -With a muffled exclamation he bent to the ground and picked -up—another button. - -Carefully comparing it with the other, he found them to be exactly -alike. Then it dawned on him that Ruth in some manner must have been -able to detach them from her clothing and was dropping them for the -purpose of leaving a trail behind her. - -Garry wondered if the locket might not also have been purposely -dropped with the same idea in view. The discovery made him hasten -his steps, and he fairly tore off yard after yard. The walking was -none too easy, for it was not the soft flooring of the forest such -as he had patrolled on his father’s land. Here the way was rough and -uneven, and as he walked he noted that the grade tended to rise, and -thought it would shortly get into hilly country. - -Sometime later he found a third, and then a fourth button. After -that he found no more. Each time that he had made a discovery, he -had marked the spot carefully and made short detours from the path, -to see if at any time the party had turned off. - -This had naturally taken a great deal of precious time, and peering -up into the sky through the branches of the trees, he discovered -that he could not see the sun, and judged that it must be at least -five in the afternoon. - -Garry had gone nearly two miles after finding the last button, and -since he could find no more, wondered if he had lost the trail. By -the time he stopped to consider this, he found he was at the -beginning of a sharp rise in the ground, and figured that he was at -the foot of a hill. A few minutes’ hard walking convinced him of the -truth of this thought, and he came to what was evidently the top of -a high knoll or hill. - -There was one thing left to do, and that was to climb a tree and -sweep the surrounding country through his glasses in the hope of -finding a clue. The brook which he had been following stopped at a -spring almost at the top of the little hill. This spring naturally -was the source of the brook, which likely ended in the Penocton -River. - -He selected the highest tree he could find, and since the branches -did not begin for some feet from the ground, had recourse to the -method he and his chums used. - -This consisted of taking a long piece of cord, or better still a -stout wire, and circling it around his person and the tree. By -alternately lifting this and bracing his heels against the tree, he -was able to edge himself up inch by inch till he could reach one of -the branches. - -From then on climbing was a simple matter. He reached the top of the -tree, going as high as he dared before it would bend with his -weight. He had shown wisdom in picking the particular tree he had, -for it towered above its fellows for several feet. - -Garry found he had a good view of the country around him. He was -surprised to note that he had made a considerable climb without -noticing how great it was, for although he was conscious while -walking that he was on rising ground, he had no idea that the -gradient was so steep. To one side he could see a little depression, -and then a sharp rise that led to a series of ever mounting hills. - -At another point there was a depression as though some ravine -existed there. He watched this spot fixedly for some minutes, for -the sun was just dropping over the horizon, and the vicinity was not -perfectly visible. Then he gave a sharp exclamation. Rising from the -ravine, or depression, or whatever it was, was a thin spiral of -smoke, that grew a little thicker after he had watched it for some -moments. - -He fished in his pocket and drew out his compass, noted the exact -point from which the smoke seemed to come, and then made haste to -descend the tree, scratching his hands in his hurry to get to the -bottom. - -He got to the ground by “bending” one of the limbs. This is a simple -matter, as nearly every boy knows. It consists of crawling out on -one of the branches until the weight of the body begins to pull it -toward the earth. The farther one goes the nearer the earth comes to -the limb, until one can drop off and let the limb fly back to its -original position. - -Calculating the direction by referring to the compass, he set off in -the direction of the place from which he had seen the smoke -emanating. - -While in the treetop he had estimated that it must lay almost a mile -away, and the going was hard. The brush was tangled and thick, and -the ground rocky. Where there were scattered rocks, the roots of the -trees projected as though coming in search of nourishment that was -denied them in the rocky soil. - -Here and there he noted places where the brush had evidently been -torn away to allow some one to pass through. - -After almost an hour of tiresome toil, he approached a little -clearing, and then became exceedingly cautious and wary. He could -see that there was a slight ravine there, with an entrance between -two great rocks. - -Creeping to this entrance he peered in, and saw that a crude shack -had been erected at one end. He must approach the shack without -knowing who was in it, or how many might be there. He divested -himself of his knapsack, sticking it in back of a pile of brush, so -that should anyone approach, they would not be warned of the -presence of a stranger. - -Then with his rifle grasped firmly in his hand, he walked slowly and -noiselessly to the door of the shack. He half expected to be -challenged by LeBlanc before he could reach the door. - -No one halted his approach, however, and he came up to the door. It -was half ajar, and holding his rifle so that he could instantly -cover anyone, he threw open the door. - -There he saw a sight that made his heart leap. - -In one corner of the shack was Ruth, tied hand and foot, and a dirty -rag stuffed in her mouth for a gag. In addition to the bonds on her -wrists and ankles, she was tied to a projecting log. - -He ran over to the girl, whipping his knife from his pocket as he -did so. - -It was the work of a moment only to cut the bonds that tied her and -release the gag from her mouth. Ruth let him free her, and then -stood erect for a moment, and being only a girl, dropped over in a -dead faint. - -The inside of the cabin was nearly dark, and he was searching about -wildly to see if there was any water within, when he heard a muffled -groan from another corner. - -Garry ran to the corner and was astonished to see that a man, tied -and gagged in the same manner that Ruth had been, was lying there. - -The boy hesitated for a moment before releasing him, and then -reflected that he could not be inimical since such drastic measures -had been taken to render him helpless. - -His indecision was only momentary, and then with a few swift strokes -of his knife, he freed the man. - -The stranger rose weakly to his feet, and for a moment could not be -understood. Garry thought that he must have been gagged for some -little time, as his thick speech indicated that his tongue was -probably swollen. - -“Guess you came just about in time,” he finally managed to utter. - -“From the looks of things here you’re right,” answered Garry. “But -who are you?” - -Then came the astonishing answer: - -“Name’s Simmons. I’m a United States postal inspector!” - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -GARRY FINDS RUTH - - -“You’re who?” asked Garry, so astonished that he almost stuttered. - -“Simmons, I told you; but first, have you any water?” - -Garry had been so flustered by Ruth’s fainting that he had forgotten -his canteen, which lay outside with his knapsack. He dashed out of -the shack and in a moment returned with it. - -He gave the man a little, cautioning him to be careful and not drink -too much. The man realized the sense of this, and drank sparingly. - -The boy then turned his attention to Ruth, and after spattering some -of the water on her face, forced a small quantity of it between her -lips, and then fell to chafing her and hands and wrists. In a few -moments the color returned to her face and she opened her eyes. - -She cast a frightened glance around, and then seeing that Garry was -standing over her, laughed weakly. - -“Guess that’s the first time I ever fainted in my life. Oh, I’m so -glad to see you, but I kept up hope all the time that you and the -boys would come. Are they with you?” - -“No, I’m here alone; but that doesn’t matter as long as you’re safe -and sound. Just tell me one thing. Who brought you here?” - -“It was Jean LeBlanc,” answered Ruth. - -“I was pretty sure it was,” said Garry, “I just wanted -corroboration.” - -The man who called himself Simmons was stirring around, easing his -cramped muscles and restoring the circulation to his arms and legs. - -Now he approached Garry and said: - -“Look, young chap, have you anything to eat with you? I haven’t had -a bite since yesterday noon, and neither has this girl here.” - -“Yes, I’ve plenty. Just wait until I get my knapsack outside.” And -Garry was about to get it, when he was interrupted by Ruth. - -“I’m hungry, too; but you aren’t going to stay in this dreadful -place another minute, are you? Can’t we get away from her right -now?” - -“Guess that would be the wisest course, Miss,” said the man. “But -I’m pretty weak, and you must be also. We couldn’t do much unless we -had something to fortify ourselves with. We must be a good many -miles away from civilization.” - -“Yes, we’re about eight or nine miles all told from the river, and -it’s getting too dark to go wandering back through the woods,” -answered Garry. Then as an afterthought he asked: - -“Can you handle a gun, Mr. Simmons? I’m calling you Simmons because -you say that’s your name; but later on I’m going to ask a lot of -questions.” - -“You bet I can,” was the quick response, “and the first time I see -that snaky Frenchman I’m going to handle one if it’s handy.” - -“Well, there’s seemingly only one plausible entrance to this place, -and that’s by the mouth of this ravine. You take the rifle and stand -guard there, and I’ll get some supper. After that we can decide on -the next move. From the mouth of this ravine here you could pick off -a half a dozen men should they approach, and so we’ll be safe -enough.” - -This being settled, Garry went out, to return a few moments later -with his knapsack. - -“Do you know if there’s any water anywhere around here?” - -“Why, the old Indian woman used to be gone only a few moments and -she’d come back with some in that old tin pail there,” answered -Simmons. - -“The old who? But never mind; questions can wait for a while,” and -Garry took the pail and went out. He found that there was a spring -outside the entrance. He filled his pail and hastened back to the -shack. - -In a little while he had coffee, bacon and spider bread cooking in -the crude fireplace. A great log had been thrown on that morning, he -found, and it was this that burned and smouldered through the day, -making the smoke that guided him to his destination. - -Simmons kept watch while Garry prepared the supper, and then Garry -took his turn at watching while the others ate. In turn he was -relieved by Simmons and made his own supper. - -The meal over, they gathered at the mouth of the ravine, and -discussed the situation. First Garry asked for an account of what -had happened. - -Simmons told his story. - -“As I told you, my name is Simmons, and I’m a postal inspector. I -was detailed from Washington several days ago to go to Hobart to -investigate alleged irregularities in the mail there, and reached -the town by nightfall. I got my supper at a restaurant there, kept -by a French chap, and was taking a walk around just to get the lay -of the land. - -“I walked out of the town just a ways, and next thing I knew, I was -set on by three men, and though I fought as best I could, I was -overpowered. They hustled me to a farm not very far from the town, -and kept me there for a couple of days. Then one night I was bundled -into an automobile and carried some miles. - -“When the auto left me, my captor made me march at the point of a -gun to the bank of a river. My hands were tied behind me, and I -could make no break for liberty. It was night, and there was never a -person to be seen. The chap who was leading me, a big, burly, -black-haired Frenchman, tripped me up when I got to the river bank -and proceeded to tie my feet and gag me. Then he disappeared and -came back after a while, and picked me up as though I were a -child—I’m not a very hefty person anyway—and carried me to a canoe -on the water’s edge. - -“He paddled over the river. I’m going to call this chap LeBlanc. -Isn’t that what you said his name was, Miss? The same one that -brought you was the one that guided me here.” - -“Yes, that was LeBlanc,” said Ruth. - -“Well, to make a long story short, I was brought here and kept tied -hand and foot. There was an old Indian man and woman here, and they -guarded me. When they fed me, one hand would be untied, and the old -man kept me covered with a rifle. I’ve worn my wrists raw trying to -work out of my bonds, but never with any success. - -“Then yesterday afternoon the Indian went away, and about two hours -later this LeBlanc arrived here with the girl. She was tied up, and -the old woman was given some instructions in French. I don’t speak -the language, so I don’t know what it was all about.” - -“He told her to wait until morning and then go back home,” put in -Ruth. “I can understand French enough to know what he was talking -about.” - -“Well, the woman went this morning after cooking her breakfast and -eating it in front of us without even giving us a bite, and that’s -all there is. Nothing happened until you came here and saved us from -what was probably certain death, for I believe it was meant that we -should be left here to starve to death.” - -Simmons concluded his story, and then Garry asked Ruth to add hers. - -“I don’t want to tell you, because I know now what a silly, foolish -girl I was to do what I did; but I suppose you will find out -eventually, so I might as well own up. I wanted to do something to -help you boys find what you were after, and when I heard Lafe Green -had come back to town, I felt sure he was mixed up in this. I -remembered how you boys had gotten your information the time you got -the smugglers. So I went over to the Crombie’s to see my girl -friend, and made up my mind that when I left there I would go out to -Green’s and go through the secret passage and discover what I could. -I wanted to find some clue to show you boys that a girl could do -things too, and everything would have been all right but for a -sneeze. I got into the kitchen all right, and was going to go -upstairs, as I remembered your telling about doing, and just as I -got to the middle of the floor I sneezed. - -“I knew that everything was all off then, and started to run for the -back door, for I didn’t want them to know I had come through the -passage, when Green and LeBlanc rushed out into the kitchen and -caught me.” - -Ruth stopped and shuddered. - -“Then they tried to make me tell them why I came and how I got in, -and LeBlanc twisted my arm till I thought he would break it, but I -shut my teeth and wouldn’t say anything. - -“Finally they locked me in a closet, and a little while later put a -nasty old cloth in my mouth and brought me by automobile the same -way they did Mr. Simmons. It was LeBlanc’s brother who came with -him, and they hid in the woods with the machine while Jean went -away. He came back with his arms full of bundles, and they put a -pistol so it stuck in my ribs and warned me to make no sound and -marched me to the canoe. When they got me in, I was tied up and then -Baptiste went away and Jean brought me across the river and here.” - -“How about the buttons and the locket that I found?” asked Garry. - -“Why, I didn’t know about the locket for quite a few minutes after I -lost it. It must have been while we were eating. We stopped and -LeBlanc built a fire and cooked some food. Just as soon as I missed -the locket I thought that someone might find it, and so I thought -then about leaving other things behind. The only thing I could get -at were those buttons, and there were only four of those on the side -of my dress. I put them there for a little ornament, and when I did -it I never thought that they would lead you to me. There, don’t you -think I was very foolish?” - -“Yes, I think you were,” said Garry with a laugh. - -“That isn’t the right answer at all,” she pouted. “You should have -said I wasn’t.” - -“You should be mighty thankful that this young man had brains enough -to find us, young lady,” said Simmons sternly. “By the way, there -are two questions I should like to ask you, young man. First, how -did you find us?” - -Garry explained about the visit they had made to Lafe Green’s and -the confession they had obtained from the tramp. - -“The rest was just a hunch, and it turned out to be a lucky one,” -concluded Garry. - -“That’s all right, then. Now what made you look so funny when I told -you my name, and what made you appear to doubt me?” - -“Nothing very much, unless you can call it funny when I tell you -that we have seen and talked with a man who says he is a United -States postal inspector whose name is Simmons, and who is now at -Hobart investigating the robberies.” - -“What?” exploded the man. “Some one parading under my name?” - -“Exactly,” answered Garry dryly. “One of the pair of you must be -wrong.” Just then a thought struck Garry. “I guess you’re the right -one, and something that puzzled me for a while has been explained.” - -Garry had remembered the puzzling sentence that was broken off when -the radio failed to work. What was it his chum had said? Yes, -something about Simmons being arrested. Evidently the boys had -detected the fraud—for fraud the man posing as Simmons must have -been—and had him seized before he could do any more damage. - -“Guess we’ll find the impostor safe in jail when we get back to -Hobart,” he told the real Simmons. Then he related all that he knew -of the supposed inspector, and concluded by giving him a description -of the man. - -“Why, I think I know who that is,” said Simmons excitedly. “That -description fits perfectly a man named Sullivan, who was discharged -from the service about a year ago. There was never anything proven -on him, but circumstances surrounding certain actions of his were -suspicious, and he was let go for the good of the service. In the -post-office department, a man must be above even the breath of -suspicion.” - -“Well, we can’t tell what the outcome has been until we get back to -Hobart,” said Garry. “Which reminds me, when are we going to start? -I am afraid that we will have to stay here until morning. It would -be a treacheorus job finding our way back through the woods, and -besides I need some rest, and it is likely that you people do. You -must be all cramped up from being tied the way you were. Now I -suggest this: I have a blanket with me, and Ruth can have that and -sleep in the cabin. And you can use our coats and sleep out here on -some boughs that I will cut. If you go to sleep now, I will keep -watch at the mouth of the ravine till about one o’clock. Then I will -wake you and you do sentry till morning. When dawn comes, we will -hike back to the river and get across. There we’ll telephone to -Ruth’s grandfather and then get an auto to take us around the out of -the way road that takes us to Hobart.” - -This was accordingly agreed on, and soon Garry was alone with his -thoughts. The minutes dragged into hours, and each snapping of the -twigs or the fall of an occasional dry branch quickened Garry to the -alert and prevented him from nodding, as he was fairly tired after -his hike to the cabin in the ravine. It was about midnight, he -thought, when he heard a crashing through the undergrowth, and he -jumped to his feet. There was silence for a moment and then more -noise. - -Garry wondered whether it was one of the Indians or Le Blanc that -was coming, and he gripped his rifle tensely, awaiting the approach -of the intruder. For a time all was still, and he decided that it -was some woods animal. - -Some instinct must have warned him to look up to the edge of the -ravine, and he saw a pair of eyes gleaming in the darkness. Just -then a form launched itself from the overhanging rocks, straight -toward him! - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -NATE WEBSTER CALLS ON THE BOYS - - -Garry waited not to discover what the flying shape might be. Raising -his rifle to his shoulder he fired straight at the black mass, -pumping the shots from his magazine as fast as he could work the -mechanism. - -He retreated hastily as he fired, and at the second shot heard a -scream of pain, then there was a thud as some body struck the ground -and writhed and clawed. - -Garry fired two more shots at the screeching mass and then all was -quiet and the struggling ceased. The sound of the shots had, of -course, wakened Simmons, and he rushed forward to where Garry was -standing. - -“What is it? Are we attacked? Did you kill him?” The questions were -shot out rapidly. - -“Don’t know yet what it is, but if you wait a moment I’ll have a -look,” said Garry. - -Just then Ruth came hurrying out. She had snatched a burning stick -from the fireplace and held this as a torch. It must be remembered -that this entire occurrence took far less time than it takes to tell -it. - -Taking the flickering torch from the girl, Garry advanced to where -the dark mass lay, and looked it over. The others crowded around -him. It was a dark animal built something like a lioness, and as it -lay stretched out looked to be almost seven feet long, measuring -from tip of the nose to the tip of the tail. - -“What is that, a lion?” asked Simmons. - -“Why, yes, it is a specie of lion; I suppose you could call it -that,” answered Garry. “It’s generally called a mountain lion; -sometimes a panther, and by the natives a ‘painter.’ Its correct -name is Puma. Say, he is sure a beauty, isn’t he? Good thing he gave -warning of his approach and put me on guard, for if he had dropped -on me from the edge of the cliff, he would have made mincemeat of me -with those terrible fangs and sharp claws.” - -“Are they generally to be feared?” asked Simmons. - -“Of course they’re nothing you would want to take into your cabin -and lay down beside,” answered Garry, “but as a rule they are not -very courageous. This one must have been ravenously hungry to have -even thought of attacking a human being. Generally they prey on deer -in the forest, and if they summon up enough courage, will go on farm -land and raise havoc among sheep and young cattle. This is such wild -land here, that it had probably had nothing to eat for some time, -hence its attempt to light on me. I wish there were more time and no -element of danger around here, for I would like to skin it and take -the pelt back with me as a souvenir of the night. Perhaps we can -come here after we have taken Ruth home and get it.” - -Garry had still an hour to stand on guard, and so Simmons went back -to sleep. The boy was tired himself, and welcomed the coming of the -hour when he was to be relieved. - -At the appointed time, he roused Simmons and handed over the rifle. - -“Don’t hesitate to shoot if there is anything suspicious, and that -will wake me to come to your aid. However, I don’t think there is -much chance of anyone coming at this time of the night.” - -Garry was asleep almost as soon as he had touched the boughs, and -knew nothing until he felt a hand shaking him. He looked up and saw -that it was just getting light. - -“Now for a quick breakfast,” he cried, leaping to his feet, “and -then back to civilization and safety.” - -The breakfast over, they hurriedly left the place. - -“We won’t have to bid any tearful farewell to this place, will we -Garry?” said Ruth. - -All felt fresh and they made fine time in returning over the course -they had come. Since there was no need for stopping and searching -for trail, they covered the distance in much less time than it had -taken Garry the previous day. - -The worst of the going was the track from the cabin in the ravine to -the brook, but from there the walking was comparatively easy. They -had started about six o’clock and by half-past nine reached the -point where Garry had discovered the campfire the day before. - -“That reminds me,” said Garry to Ruth, “I haven’t given you back -your locket yet. You should keep that as a prize, for it was the -first clue that eventually led me to where you were imprisoned.” - -“I shall keep it all my life,” declared the girl. - -Simmons kept urging the others to hurry, for he wanted to get on the -ground and see what had been done by the impostor who had paraded -under his name. He did not seem to take much comfort in the -statement of Garry that the false Simmons had been arrested, so -Garry kept silence. - -At the river bank, Garry bade the party wait while he looked at the -place where the birch-bark canoe had been secreted. - -The canoe was gone. - -He hastened to the place where he had concealed his own craft, and -was relieved to find that it was still there, safe and sound, just -as he had left it. - -He drew it from its hiding place and let it down into the water and -paddled swiftly to where Simmons and Ruth were waiting. They -embarked and then Garry pushed out into the river, plying his paddle -with long, swift strokes, that fairly set the canoe dancing on the -water. - -“There,” murmured Ruth, as she sank back against one of the thwarts. -“Now I feel really safe. I was afraid any minute that I would see -the horrible face of LeBlanc and have him pounce on us out of the -woods.” - -“Twenty minutes more now and we’ll be in an auto, provided we can -hire one, and speeding toward Hobart,” said Garry. - -He was as good as his word, and soon the little party were at the -hotel, where he arranged for the hiring of a flivver to carry them -home. The hotel keeper evinced some surprise at the sight of the -others, but Garry did not take the trouble to enlighten him. - -“By the way,” said Garry, “do you happen to know of any boys around -here that own a birch-bark canoe? I happened to damage one that I -found on the other shore, and would like to leave my name in case -you should hear about it.” - -“Nobody in these parts owns a bark canoe,” declared the hotel man -positively, “but I’ll take your name if you want me to.” - -“It will take us almost as long to go by auto as it would to walk -across through the woods,” said Garry, “for this is a mighty -roundabout way; but it will be easier than walking, and I think we -all have earned a little rest.” - -“If you don’t mind a little bumping occasionally,” said the -chauffeur, “I can get you to Hobart in about two hours; but it’s -over a long stretch of road that is hardly more than a lane.” - -The party was unanimously agreed on preferring the bumps to the -extra time, and accordingly the driver changed his direction and -took a course that led him to what seemed to be nothing more than an -abandoned tote road. - -The driver spoke the truth when he said it might be a little bumpy. - -“Whew!” said Garry, as he was lifted almost a foot out of his seat -and came back with a thud that jarred nearly every bone in his body. -“I’m beginning to think that we are getting more than we bargained -for.” - -“I told you there were a few bumps,” said the driver, grinning. - -“You’re right,” declared Simmons, “only it seems that we are missing -the road altogether and just jumping from bump to bump.” - -“Never mind,” consoled Ruth, as she hung on to the side of the tin -chariot. “We are getting to Hobart all the quicker.” - -Finally they struck decent road again, and the driver stepped on the -gas and fairly made the car fly over the road. - -When they reached the outskirts of the little village, Ruth directed -them to Aunt Abbie’s house, and in a few moments she and her -grandfather were clasped in each other’s arms. Good old Aunt Abbie -was fluttering around, alternately patting Ruth on the shoulder and -then Garry. - -“Now we’ll have dinner right away,” she declared. “You people must -be starved.” - -Aunt Abbie’s idea of a panacea for all the human ills of the body -was a “good meal.” - -“Where are Dick and Phil?” asked Garry. - -“Oh, they went traipsing off to the postoffice a few minutes ago,” -said Aunt Abbie. “If you just ring up there on the ’phone you may -find them there. They flustered all around the house this morning -worrying about you, and then went out.” - -Garry manipulated the telephone, for as in most small villages, the -telephones are old style and one has to turn a crank or generator to -call central. - -Denton himself answered the ’phone. He was mighty pleased to hear -Garry’s voice and expressed himself as “being plumb tickled to death -to talk with him.” - -“Yes, your friends are here, and some time they’ve been having while -you were gone. Want to talk to one of them, or shall I tell ’em to -hike over to Aunt Abbie’s right away?” - -Garry told the postmaster to do the latter thing, and then went back -to where the others were assembled. - -“Now let’s hear all that’s happened,” he said to Mr. Everett. - -“I guess perhaps we’d better wait till the boys get back, and let -them have the fun of telling you themselves. It’s been pretty -exciting, though, what with bank burglars and masqueraders of the -law.” - -Just as Aunt Abbie called that dinner was ready, Phil and Dick came -tearing in. They leaped on Garry, shaking hands with him and -pounding him exuberantly on the back. - -“I told grandfather here,—yes, we call him that now,”—said Dick as -he saw the look of wonder on Garry’s face. “I told him you would -bring home the bacon.” - -“Well, I like that,” put in Ruth indignantly. “Are you insinuating -that I’m fat, Mr. Dick? Bacon yourself!” - -Everyone laughed at Dick’s stuttering apologies, and then Garry -demanded that they tell the story of their adventures since he left -them. - -Phil and Dick in turn recited what they had done, their stories -being constantly interrupted by exclamations from Aunt Abbie, who -became more and more excited as the stories were told, even though -she knew what had transpired during the preceding hours. - -“And, so we decided not to wait for you to come back,” said Phil, as -he took up the concluding events. “We went and got the sheriff and -brought him to the postoffice, where we laid the whole matter before -him. He didn’t want to take any steps at first, because he could not -conceive of a U. S. officer not being straight. Then Mr. Arthur, the -bank president, came in, and Denton called him in and asked his -advice. He took our side immediately, and told the sheriff to go -ahead and get Simmons. I wouldn’t say for sure, but I guess that -Arthur has a lot of political influence in the county. At any rate, -the sheriff went ahead on his say so, and came back with Simmons. -There the whole thing was put up to him, and say, you should have -heard him explode. He threatened everyone with all kinds of -things,—said he’d have the whole postoffice department here, and -hollered about country sheriffs interfering with Federal officers -and all that sort of stuff. And the more he hollered, the madder the -sheriff got at being called a ‘hick,’ until if Simmons, calling him -that for want of a better name, had proven his innocence then and -there, I don’t believe the sheriff would have let him go without an -order from the President. - -“Finally Dick came to bat with an idea that was seized by all hands -as the only sensible thing to do. He suggested that Denton send a -telegram to the postal authorities at Washington with a description -of the man and asking if it checked up. The masquerader shut up like -a clam then. The sheriff wrote out his description and Denton sent -the wire. About two hours later he got an answer saying that no man -in the postal service with the name of Simmons answered that -description, and ordered him held pending an investigation. My guess -now is that there’s another inspector hot footing it here from -Washington about this time.” - -“Good land of liberty. Will you people come in and eat? That dinner -must be stone cold by now,” said anxious Aunt Abbie. - -“I’d rather get a look at this chap before I eat,” said Simmons. “I -want to know who’s been using my name and papers that were taken -away from me when I was captured.” - -“Well, if that’s all you want, go in and eat till I run upstairs. I -have his picture up there,” said Dick. - -The party marched into the dining room, and in a moment or two Dick -was back with the group picture he had taken the first day they -arrived. - -“There’s your man there,” said Dick, pointing out the impostor. - -“Yes, I’m right,” said the inspector, after a hasty scrutiny. “His -name is Sullivan and he’s been discharged from the service for some -little time now. I’ll go down and rescue my badge and papers after -awhile.” - -Dinner was a merry affair, since it was in the nature of a re-union. - -“Now,” said Aunt Abbie, when all had finished, “I’ll get that big -dog of yours something to eat. I’ve had to keep him down in the -cellar while you boys were out, else he’d have chased himself to -death all over town looking for you.” - -“I’ll take it to him,” volunteered Garry. He had no sooner opened -the cellar door than Sandy leaped on him with a bark of delight, and -the two friends, boy and dog, had almost a rough and tumble. - -There was little to do for the real Simmons. He held a conference -with Denton, and then proceeded to the lock-up, where Sullivan was -waiting before being taken to the county jail. - -Here he succeeded in getting a full confession from the impostor, -who saw that since he had been caught, there was nothing to be -gained by concealing anything. Knowing what he did of the service, -he knew that the authorities would work relentlessly until they had -searched out every fact and pinned it on him. - -Simmons then wired an account of the affair briefly to his superior, -stating also that complete report would be mailed. He prepared this -report and then allowed the boys to read it. - -They protested when they finished it, for it was largely a glowing -account of their ability and bravery in doing the work they had -done. Simmons, however, silenced their protests by stating that -whatever they thought, that was his idea, and that was the way that -the report was going. - -But one thing did Sullivan refuse to tell, and that was the writer -of the threatening letters. Simmons caused fingerprints to be taken -of all the captives, and though not pretending to be an expert, knew -enough of the science to be able to declare that none of them -compared with the print on the letter. - -It happened that Dick’s photography stood in good stead at this -time, for Sullivan had destroyed the originals, and but for the -photographs, there would have been no evidence. - -“I take that to mean only one thing,” declared Garry. “There is no -one left on whom suspicion could rest except Jean LeBlanc, and when -LeBlanc is caught, I am sure you’ll find that is his fingerprint. It -is probable that Sullivan knows that LeBlanc is still free, and -thinks that by keeping silent he may aid his confederate in crime to -some degree. Now we seem to have this gang pretty well rounded up. -Only Jean and Baptiste are at large, and I’m hoping that they will -soon be under lock and key. That pair are not fit to be free and are -a menace to any community where they may be located.” - -Later on in the afternoon, as they sat about relaxing after their -strenuous adventures, the ’phone rang and Aunt Abbie said that Dick -was wanted. He came back a few moments later and remarked: - -“Cut down that list of our enemies to one. The sheriff says he sent -out word to all the authorities in the county last night, and one -caught Baptiste this morning at the railroad station. Wonder if -there isn’t some way we can get Jean? That would sure be a complete -round-up then.” - -“I don’t know what we can do,” said Garry. “Only thing to do is to -be vigilant every moment and wait for him to try some trick, as he -undoubtedly will. Then we can muster a posse if necessary and run -him down. He’s such a slippery customer, though, and seems to find -out what’s going on so quickly, that now his whole gang is arrested, -he’ll probably seek safety for a time in hiding.” - -“I’m not so sure about that,” said Phil. “I’ve got a strong hunch -that he’ll be coming after our scalps pretty soon. We’ve been lucky -enough so far to thwart him in every nefarious move that he has -made.” - -“Well, time alone will tell that,” said Garry. As he spoke, there -came a knock at the door, and the boys nearly fell off their chairs -when they heard Aunt Abbie say in the high-pitched voice that she -used when excited: - -“Well, great land o’ Goshen. Nate Webster! I haven’t seen you for -years!” - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -DICK’S FOREST STUNT - - -“Do you suppose that’s our Nate Webster?” inquired Garry. - -“Quickest way to find out is to go and see,” answered Dick, and -suiting the word to the action started for the front hall. - -It was the Nate Webster they knew, and he greeted the boys heartily. - -“How do you happen to be in this part of the state, Nate?” asked -Garry. - -“Why, I thought I’d like to see some of my old friends up this way, -and I found out from your father where you were, so I just put a man -in charge of my place for a while and came up. We’re going to get a -couple of good rainy days and that will stop any chance of fire for -a time. In fact it was lowering this morning when I started. You -know I used to be around here a spell of years ago, and this is a -bit of a vacation for me.” - -The story of their adventures and those in particular that related -to the doings of LeBlanc were retailed for Nate, and at the -conclusion he asked what they were going to do. - -“I thought perhaps we’d wait for orders from the Chief Ranger, and -in the meantime just take it easy for a day or two,” answered Garry. - -“Might just as well, at least till the rainy days are over,” agreed -Nate. - -They took a walk during the afternoon and met some of Nate’s old -friends, enjoying the reminiscences that were started when old -cronies of the guide got to talking old times with him. They brought -Nate back to supper with them, and Garry found a letter waiting for -him. - -He read the letter over, and then called his chums together. - -“This letter is going to cause rather a change in our plans. From -what I gather, my mother and yours, Phil, are rather worried; and, -furthermore, Mother wants us to have a short vacation at the beach -with her before we go to school. Dad suggests that we stay here a -week or two, if we want, and have a little fishing and swimming and -so on, without feeling that there is any work to do and halt us from -just enjoying ourselves.” - -“Say, why wouldn’t this be a good time to go and visit the mine, and -see if after all it is really a good one, or was just a vain hope,” -said Phil. - -“You know, I hope that there are some real tourmalines there, for -they are valuable things. You know the last time that we were in -Bangor, when I slid out for awhile and you wondered where I was. I -was at the library, reading up on the stones. I find that they are -valuable for more than gems; something I didn’t know before. They -are used a great deal in delicate electrical instruments, as they -are responsive to electricity and are used to measure the intensity -of radium emanations. Then they are used by oculists to test lenses -with. The finest specimens are the ones that are used for gems, -after being cut, and the others are used in the electrical -apparatus. You know, I’d give most anything if we could make some -money out of the mine,” he concluded wistfully. - -Garry was about to answer, when he caught a significant expression -on Dick’s face. He did not know what it was all about, but took it -as an indication that he should keep silent. - -Soon after that Nate engaged Phil in conversation, and perceiving -this, Dick left the room, motioning Garry to follow. They left the -house and walked down the street, and as soon as they were out of -hearing, Garry asked: - -“What kind of a high sign were you trying to give me, Dick?” - -“Garry, if it’s the last thing we ever do, we’re going to start for -that mine right away. I see the whole idea in the back of Phil’s -head.” - -“I don’t get your meaning yet,” responded Garry in a puzzled tone. - -“Dunderhead! It’s as simple as the nose on your face. First thing -that started him off was your reference to our going away to school. -You know Phil hasn’t said a word about it to either of us since the -day we first mentioned it, except to refuse Dad Boone’s offer to -stake him through and let him pay it up later on. But you can bet -you that he’s thought about it a lot. Now he has built up a lot of -hope on making money out of this mine. If it is anywhere near -successful, he could easily afford then to go to school with us. Now -does the idea percolate through that thick skull of yours?” - -“Thick is right, Dick,” admitted Garry, as he rapped the offending -skull with his knuckles. “We’ll outfit up and start tomorrow. In the -meantime I’ll write Dad and explain matters to him, and get him to -secure our release from the State Forest Ranger at Augusta. I think -perhaps we’ve been of enough service so that we can be let off. -Anyway, we would have to be released to carry out Dad’s wishes about -our vacation with Mother.” - -They returned to the house and there broke the news to Phil. - -The boy said nothing, but the chums could tell from the look on his -face that the news was the most welcome he had heard that summer. -Both Garry and Dick tactfully forebore to intimate that they had -discovered Phil’s secret, and stated that they were off to the mine -solely because it was a lark, and would be an interesting conclusion -to their summer. - -“There’s one thing, however. Once we start operations at the mine, -it will mean that the news will spread about and as soon as we leave -we will have to hire a guard to take care of it for us, or perhaps -someone to work it until we have exhausted the mine.” - -“I have a bright idea,” exclaimed Phil. - -“All right, little brightness, shoot it,” said Garry laughing. - -“We’ll just hire Nate Webster here; or better than that, I propose -that we give him a share in the mine, and let him get a couple of -trustworthy friends of his to help him, and he can operate it after -we leave.” - -“That’s a first class suggestion, Phil. What do you say to it, -Nate?” asked Garry, turning to the old timer. - -The question struck Nate rather by surprise, and he made them tell -him some more details of the mine. When these had been furnished -him, he answered: - -“Well, I’d be willing to take a chance at it. I’ve done a little of -everything but mining, and so I can try that once. But I won’t take -any share in the mine. If you boys want to hire me at day wages, all -right; but the mine’s yours, and I don’t feel that I should take a -share when I’ve done nothin’ towards findin’ it.” - -“That suits us all right, Nate, if it does you; for we are not sure -that it will pan out. If we were sure it was O. K. I’d insist on -giving you a share, for you’ve helped us wonderfully mainy times -this summer.” - -Some discussion ensued after this, and it was finally terminated by -Nate’s reluctantly agreeing to take a share in the mine. He -insisted, however, that if they went on this basis, he must be -permitted to share and share alike in all expenses and take his -chance of luck along with the boys. After some talk this was agreed -to, and the boys wrote out a business-like memorandum, making Nate a -partner in the venture. - -Plans were then made for the outfitting. It was decided that since -all were anxious to get at the business of mining, it would be a -waste of time to build a shack, and the weather might not continue -fine enough to use only a brush house. So a tent was to be -purchased. They found that Denton had a large wall tent among his -numerous articles in the general store. - -There was little to be bought except necessary provisions, and these -could be secured at Chester. The essential thing to be purchased was -dynamite, and this too they found at Denton’s. It was something that -he had occasion to sell often to the farmers, who used it to blow up -stumps on the land that was gradually being cleared and used for -farming. - -Bright and early next morning they started for their mine. An auto -was hired to carry them, and on account of the dynamite the long way -around was taken. - -“If we ever hit one of those bumps the way we did coming from -Chester with Ruth and Simmons, we’d wake up in another world,” -declared Garry. Goodbyes were said, and arrangements made for Ruth -and her grandfather, together with Aunt Abbie to visit them and see -the mine in operation. - -They reached the mine about noon, and a camp site was selected about -a hundred yards from the stony face where the tourmalines, if there -were any really there, lay hidden. This spot was chosen because of -the proximity of a forest stream; that would at once provide them -with clear cold water, and a chance for a bit of trout fishing now -and then. - -Camping meant outdoor cooking again, and so Dick’s first thought was -for the building of a proper stone camp fireplace. - -Also he dug a hole, for they had brought shovels with them to use in -the mining, and prepared a “beanhole” to use the next day. -Practically all the afternoon was taken in making camp, and a visit -was paid to the ledge and tomorrow’s operations were planned. - -Phil was made “engineer in charge,” for his hours at the library had -told him nearly all there was to know about the mining of -tourmalines. As they sat around the campfire after supper, Phil -explained the process. - -“It shouldn’t really be called mining; it’s almost too simple an -operation for that. Tourmalines are generally found in pockets in -crumbling places in a ledge of rock, or are often found in the sandy -subsoil. No instance in this country has been known where they were -found at a greater depth than eight feet. Also there is little or no -way of determining where there is a geological likelihood of their -being located, as in the case of oil, when a geologist can tell -whether the formation is that which denotes the presence of oil. -Lepidolite, followed by smoky quartz and feldspar is a pretty good -indication, however, of their presence.” - -“I suggest that we take and dig a bit along the front of that ledge -and perhaps find some pockets. Then after we have tried that for -awhile, we can pick out likely spots in the face of the ledge which -indicate that it is crumbling there, and by using very small charges -of dynamite break it away and screen or wash the contents of the -pockets until we find our tourmalines.” - -Phil never gave thought to a chance of failure. They had found one -tourmaline there, and the old map that had guided them to the spot -had hinted at riches. Also the faith of the first owner of the map -had transferred itself to Phil. - -Work started in earnest the next morning, and the four of them, the -three chums and Nate, shoveled away until their hands were -blistered. It was not until the fourth day that they were rewarded. - -Nate was the one to whom the honor of finding the first pocket was -given. He gave a shout and the chums ran to his side. - -“I swan, but thar she is,” and he pointed with his shovel to a half -a dozen glinting objects that sparkled in the sunlight. - -All four dropped on their knees and investigated. They gathered up -handfuls of the earth and sifted it through their fingers. Nearly -twenty specimens were obtained, while their excitement was -unbounded. Pale pink and green were the different stones. Four in -particular were beauties, being a pale green, translucent and -sparkling. These were the ones that could be laid aside to be -disposed of as gems for rings or pins. - -The next step was to start a more scientific way of getting at the -gems. To this end, Dick and Phil were set to bring pails of water, -while Garry and Nate procured flat tin pans that had been provided -for the purpose. The method used was that which is used in placer -gold mining. A quantity of the dirt was scooped up, and water poured -in. Then the pan was gently tilted back and forth; “rocking” it is -called by the miners, and the dirt gradually was washed away, -leaving the pebbles and gems in the bottom of the pan. Then it was -an easy matter to pick from the pebbles the real gems. Sometimes -they would pan a dozen times before they would pan a gem, and then -they would be lucky and pick a half dozen, sometimes half a score of -the glinting mineral. - -The kind that could be sold for gems were a rarity, but the -specimens were all good and could be used for commercial purposes. - -After two days of panning they apparently exhausted this particular -pocket, and considered moving a few feet and trying again. - -Phil suggested that since they had found gems in this particular -spot, they blast away a small section from the ledge. He pointed out -the fact that there was a fissure at one spot, and this might be the -place where a pocket was concealed in the stone. - -As it was nearly nightfall, they decided to postpone the blasting -until the morning. - -Around the campfire, after supper, they chatted and listened while -Nate told stories of the forest. One of Nate’s stories was about the -search that he had once led for a camper that had gotten lost in the -forest, and how he had been found just in time to prevent death from -starvation and exposure. This led to a discussion on the part of the -boys as to the foolishness of campers in straying so far away from -their party as to become lost. - -“It’s a crazy thing for one unused to the woods to do,” declared -Dick. “And yet it seems such a simple thing to do to keep from -starving in the woods. I know I wouldn’t suffer.” - -“That’s a pretty broad statement to make, young fellow,” warned -Nate. - -“I know I could do it,” persisted Dick. “First place I’ve learned a -lot of things from practical experience since I’ve been in the -woods, and second place, ever since I was a kid and in the Boy -Scouts, I’ve studied about it.” - -“You might make it for a couple of days, but that’s a long time -unless you’re used to the woods and know them end for end and -backwards and forwards,” said Nate. - -“Could live a week easy, and if I could live that long, will you -concede that I’d spend a summer safely and without starving?” asked -Dick. - -“Don’t believe you could,” said Nate. - -“Say, listen, I’ll wager anything I’ve got that I can do it, and by -gosh, I’m going to do it anyway, whether you fellows take me up or -not,” he announced stubbornly. - -They ragged him for awhile and then saw that he was in dead earnest -about the matter. From that point the talk developed into whether or -not the trick could be turned, and finally they agreed to let Dick -try if he wanted to. To make it a fair test, however, they made him -agree that if twenty-four hours passed without his being able to get -a meal in the woods, that he would come out and admit it was a -failure. - -“All right, that’s a go. Now what will you allow me to have?” -inquired Dick. - -“Nothing at all; you’ve got to use Nature’s weapons all the time,” -promptly answered Phil. - -“No, that’s hardly fair,” protested Nate. “The average camper that -got lost would have his knife, and he’d likely have a hatchet stuck -in his belt. ’Tain’t likely, though, that he’d have any food with -him; and if he were only out for a short stroll, and got twisted in -direction, and then lost, he wouldn’t have his gun with him. Suppose -we put it this way: You’re in the woods lost, and through an -accident you lost your pack and rifle. That leaves you just as I’ve -seen you three or four times. You’d have your hatchet and your -lariat and that’s all. We’ll even make it easier than that. You can -go in as you are now. I don’t know what you have in your pockets, so -we’ll let you have that much. You can’t have your matches, though. -Say you fell out of a canoe when you lost your pack and rifle, and -wet your matches so they are useless. That makes it harder.” - -All agreed that this was a fair proposal, and Dick planned to start -the next morning. He determined to take to the Forest Reserve, first -because he wanted to see it, and second because that seemed to offer -the best place to try the experiment. Dick agreed to blaze a trail -from where he started so that in case of accident he could be -followed. - -Next morning all went with him to the river to see him off, and -Garry paddled him across the river, using a canoe that he hired from -a youngster who was passing that way. They agreed that one of the -boys should come to the river at noon and at six o’clock every day -to see if he would be back, having concluded the experiment was a -failure. - -Dick fell into the spirit of his own adventure, and walked half a -day into the forest, blazing a trail as he went, and occasionally -leaving some of the usual trail signs and messages such as all -scouts and woodmen know. Then he pretended that he was lost and -started in to make plans for his living. He cast about until he -found a brook and set at his first plan. - -The first thing was a fire, and he had no matches. That meant using -the Indian method of firemaking. The plan that he was to have -anything that was in his pockets the night before stood him in good -stead, for along with a few minor articles was a stout piece of -cord. - -He procured some dry moss and tindery substance and made a little -heap of it. Then he found a piece of dry bark, and inserted this in -the tinder after having made a small hole with the point of his -knife. Next he procured a dry stick and sharpened this at both ends. -Now all he would have to do was insert the point into the hole in -the bark, and twist it briskly between his palms until it started -the blaze. This process, however, takes quite a bit of time, owing -to the fact that a great speed cannot be attained, hence there is -less friction, and so the tinder will not ignite quickly. - -There was a way that this could be done quicker and easier. He found -a flat piece of wood and bored a small hole in that. Then he -searched until he found a crooked stick, and tied his cord loosely -at each end. Making a loop in the cord, he slipped it over the stick -with the pointed ends. Now all that needed to be done was to put one -end in the tinder, and cap the other end with the piece of wood. -Holding this bit of wood in one hand, and the “bow” in the other, he -sawed back and forth, the string causing the stick to revolve back -and forth with great rapidity. - -In a very few minutes he had his fire going briskly. Now the next -question was something to eat. He heard a slight splash in the -stream near him, and thought at once of trout. - -How to catch them was the next question. That was soon solved. - -What boy does not have a pin or two sticking somewhere in his -clothes—generally in his coat lapel. Dick found one, and after some -trouble, succeeded in turning the point back about a sixteenth of an -inch. This corresponded to the barb of a fish hook. Bending the rest -of the pin into a hook was simple. - -Now for a line. His cord that he used in the fire making was too -heavy, and not long enough. However, Dick soon remedied the lack. He -fished out the tail of his cotton khaki shirt, and after a few -minutes’ work with the point of his knife, succeeded in drawing out -a few of the strong threads. Knotting these together, he had a line. - -Bait was now the only thing needed, and a few seconds’ search under -the rocks along the shore of the brook uncovered several slugs such -as cling to the wet bottom of rocks. Baiting his hook, he threw it -in, and in a few minutes had a fine trout. Of course this kind of -fishing was crude. Instead of delicately playing the trout, he -simply snapped the line back, and landed the fish on the shore in -back of him. He cleaned the fish with his knife, stuck it on the end -of a stick and roasted it. There was one dinner, he thought. - -A drink from the stream completed the meal. Not a heavy one, but -still it would have kept starvation away had he been really lost. He -spent the afternoon in exploring, and in the course of his -wandering, always taking care to notice his trail so that he could -get back to the stream and his campfire, he came upon a moist bit of -ground. - -Dick spied something that meant an addition to his supper. - -He bent closer to examine the find. It consisted of mushrooms. He -was familiar with the various kinds of poisonous and edible fungi, -and an examination of the pink gills and shape of the mushroom -convinced him these were all right to eat. Beyond the swampy place -was a clump of birches, and here he supplied himself with a quantity -of bark. - -This would come in handy at a later time to make receptacles of. -Dick gathered a quantity of the mushrooms, and returned to his -campfire. Now he determined to try an experiment of which he was -somewhat skeptical. He had read of the Indians doing it, and so set -to work to try it. - -He piled on wood until he had a good heap of coals, then made a cone -of birch bark, fastening it by sticking a twig through at intervals. -Filling this with water, he imbedded the cone in the coals, and -threw in some of his mushrooms. - -The theory of the bark kettle is that the water will keep the bark -wet enough at all times so that the coals will not quite burn -through. It cannot be lifted from the coals; the water or stuff that -is cooking must be dipped out. Eventually the bark will be consumed, -but not before the water or food has been heated sufficiently to -use. - -Dick had to admit that he was surprised when he found that the -contrivance worked, for he had doubted whether or not it would be a -success. Having cooked his mushrooms, he sought the rocks again for -bait for a fish, and made another discovery. Under some of the -biggest rocks were crawfish. He knew that these could be roasted and -eaten. - -These, however, would do for another day. Then there were roots and -berries of various kinds that could be used as sustenance. -Altogether there was a quantity of foodstuff that he could use. - -He rolled in that night close to the fire, satisfied that he would -live the week out in comfort and have the laugh on his friends. - -Next morning, after another breakfast of fish and mushrooms, he -determined to push up the stream and seek out a new camp place. -After a walk that took him nearly half the morning, he branched away -from the stream and lay down for a rest. Here he made a discovery -that set him thinking. The find was nothing more nor less than a few -feathers. He knew after a brief examination that these were from -wild turkeys who probably roosted in the trees during the night. The -finding of the feathers convinced him that this was perhaps a -natural roost for the birds. - -After an afternoon of exploration, during which he found some wild -raspberries, he came back to the turkey roost spot as he called it. -He found he was right in his first conjecture. There were several -turkeys roosting on some of the lower branches. Dick procured -several good-sized rocks and hurled them at the birds. Two good -shots each brought down a turkey, partially stunned. It was the work -of a minute to wring their necks. - -He cleaned them and roasted them in the coals, and after eating what -he wanted, wrapped the cooked flesh in bark and put it by for the -next day. - -The third morning found him exuberant and cheerful, and he decided -to take a long trek in the woods. Twice during the morning he found -signs that the mounted Rangers had passed that way, and figured that -he was in the line of patrol. He did not want to meet the Rangers so -early, as he wanted to subsist entirely on his own discoveries. The -afternoon brought him to the foot of a good-sized hill, almost a -young mountain. - -He noted the location of a spring for use that night, and decided to -utilize the remaining hours of light in climbing up the big hill to -get a look at the surrounding country. - -The climb consumed a good hour of hard work, and he had almost -reached the top when he found that he was looking at a cabin. It was -perched near the edge of a cliff, and looking out, he figured that -there must be a sheer drop of perhaps a hundred feet or more. - -At first Dick thought this was the lookout of a Ranger, and entered. -There were no maps, however, nor anything else to indicate that the -cabin was a lookout. Someone had built a fire recently there, -though, and he looked about the cabin. There was a crude cupboard at -one end, and in this he found several packages of food. - -Dick had some loose change in his pocket, and he was debating on -whether a lost man would have the right to take some and leave the -money in return. - -As he pondered over the ethics of this, he heard something that -caused a flutter of excitement. - -Someone was nearing the cabin. This in itself would have caused him -no great concern, except that whoever was coming was singing softly -to himself an old French chanson. - -Dick darted to the cabin door, and there, facing him, stood the last -person in the world that he wanted to see—Jean LeBlanc. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE GREAT SECRET - - -Left to pursue their mining, Nate and the two Ranger boys worked the -remainder of the morning, and mined several handsome specimens. -These Garry had been carrying loose in his pocket, but now they had -become too bulky, and so they were transferred to a canvas bag. - -Phil suggested that they be secreted in the tent, and so a hole was -dug and the bag inserted. Then the dirt was replaced, and the boughs -that made one of the bunks thrown back there. - -About midafternoon, another rich pocket was unearthed by Garry, and -when this was panned, revealed a score of fine commercial gems. - -Phil was detailed to take them to the tent and add them to the -others. This he did, and had barely uncovered the gems and was -putting the latest find with their companions, when he was struck -over the head with a heavy club. His last remembrance, as he floated -away into unconsciousness, was the sound of a mocking laugh that -belonged to none other than their deadly enemy, the halfbreed. - -Garry waited several minutes for Phil to return, and when his chum -failed to come back, walked to the tent to see what was delaying -him. - -He opened the tent flap and was shocked to see Phil lying -unconscious on the ground. He raised his voice and called to Nate, -who came rushing from the ledge. - -“Someone’s knocked Phil out,” he told Nate. “Run and get a pail of -water.” - -Nate didn’t stop to ask questions, but hastened to do Garry’s -bidding. - -He had hardly gotten outside the tent, however, when Garry called -him back. - -“I was so startled I forgot what I was doing for a minute. We don’t -need water. Grab a blanket, Nate, and we’ll roll him up in that. A -person knocked unconscious suffers a bit of a shock. What he needs -now is warmth. There, now he’s covered up. Chafe one of his hands -and arms, Nate, and I’ll take the other. We want to start the -circulation flowing rapidly.” - -They worked swiftly for several minutes, and finally Phil’s eyelids -fluttered weakly. Then, as returning consciousness dawned, he -struggled to sit up. - -“Lie back there quietly and keep still,” ordered Garry. - -“No, I’m all right,” protested Phil weakly. Then he thought of -something. - -“The tourmalines,” he gasped. “Look for them.” - -Garry ran to the hole made for the canvas bag. - -The bag was gone! - -But in searching about the tent to see if perchance they had been -misplaced, Nate came upon a piece of paper, weighted down by a -pebble. - -“There’s your thief and the man who knocked out Phil,” he said. - -There was nothing on the paper but the crude representation of a -bear. - -“The Bear,” said Garry disgustedly. “Jean LeBlanc’s nickname. Oh, -Nate, what a lot of fools we’ve been. We should have kept a watch -for him every minute. Now here’s all our time gone, and our valuable -gems. Of course we may get others, but suppose the pockets give out. -All gone.” - -Phil said nothing, but Garry knew that he saw his visions of going -to school with his chums in the fall going a-glimmering. - -He strove to console Phil, who remained silent. - -Finally Phil began to recover fully from the effects of the blow, -and with the recovery his spirits rallied. - -“Well, that’s just our hard luck for the present,” he said -philosophically. “It means that we’ll have to get out and hustle a -bit harder to make up. I know that there are more tourmalines there. -I believe we have only just begun on the mine.” - -Both Nate and Garry insisted, however, that Phil stay quiet for the -rest of the afternoon, despite his protestations that he was all -right. - -“I wouldn’t have gone out that time, if it wasn’t that the club -LeBlanc used hit me on the tender spot that was left from the bump I -got when I fell off the train. That and my game ankle have almost -made a blooming invalid out of me.” - -He was insistent about getting up, and it is probable that his -friends would have yielded to his demands, except that at that -moment a shadow darkened the doorway of the tent, and they looked up -to see the figure of their friend, the Hermit. - -They would hardly have recognized him except for his clothing, for -he had had his hair cut and his beard shaved off. - -They bade him a hearty welcome, and asked how he had found them. He -explained that he had found that they had come to Hobart and had -walked there, taking almost a week to make the trip, and arriving at -Hobart had been directed to Denton, who told where the boys and Nate -might be found. - -Garry caught himself gazing at the Hermit all the rest of the -afternoon. There was something puzzling, something that lurked in -his mind that he could not quite uncover. Then a wild thought came. -He went outside the tent, and called Nate out. - -“Listen carefully now, please, Nate. I may be crazy, and then again -if I’m right, it may be the biggest thing in life for two people. I -haven’t time to explain now. But on no condition let the Hermit out -of your sight until I can get my father here. Keep him if you have -to tie him to do it.” - -Garry dashed away toward the town, which lay some four miles -distant. He arrived at the station and found that it was closed. The -next objective was the hotel, and here he inquired for the residence -of the station agent. To his dismay he was told that the station -agent lived some twenty miles down the road, and had gone there for -a short time. He had taken the last down train, and a relief -operator would come in the morning to take his shift during his time -off. - -“You see, there are no trains here after nightfall, and so there’s -no need for a telegrapher or station agent,” explained the hotel -owner. - -“But this may be a matter of life and death,” cried Garry. “Look -here, I can send a message myself. Can you suggest any way of -getting into the station?” - -“Well, young man, I’ll tell you what I’ll do. There isn’t any chief -of police or the like of that here, but I’m a Justice of the Peace, -and maybe that will give me authority to bust a window in the -station and let you in.” - -“That will be the ticket,” said Garry. - -The hotel man got his hat and a screwdriver, and they repaired to -the station. Here the hotel man stuck the screwdriver under the -window latch, and with a quick snap forced it open. - -“Guess I could qualify for a good burglar after this, and I’ll -probably catch merry blazes in the morning, but I’ll take a chance,” -he said. - -He boosted Garry in through the window and followed himself. Once at -the instrument, Garry opened the key and began calling for any -station. Stations have each a particular letter combination, and -there is, in addition, a code combination that calls the nearest man -on the line to answer. In a few seconds he got a reply and ticked an -explanation that he was at Chester and desired to send an urgent -message. - -“Who are you, you’re not Campbell,” ticked the man at the other -station. - -Telegraph operators who are acquainted with each other, can tell the -“send” of a telegrapher as easily as a person can recognize the -handwriting of a close friend. - -Garry explained that he was only an amateur and that he had to get -off this emergency message. The explanation evidently satisfied the -man, who told him to “shoot” his message, promising to relay it -promptly to Colfax. - -Here is what Garry sent to his father: - -“Come to Chester at once. Most urgent. Please let nothing delay you. -Matter of grave importance. Answer immediately.” - -He signed his name to it, and then inquired how long the other -operator would be on duty. He learned to his gratification that the -man would be there until midnight, and promised to relay immediately -any answer that would come. - -The hotel proprietor, Graves by name, when he saw Garry’s -familiarity with the telegraph, was convinced that everything was -all right, and agreed to let him remain and see if a message would -come in answer. - -Garry fretted and fumed with impatience for nearly two hours, and -then the ticker started, and he got the following message: - -“Am in Bangor. Mother ’phoned me about message. Don’t understand -your wire, but will start in morning and arrive Chester tomorrow -evening. Meet me.” - -With a sigh of relief Garry ticked his thanks to the other operator -and prepared to go. He insisted on paying Graves something for his -trouble, and after consulting a rate book that hung on a nail over -the telegraph instrument, left the costs of the telegram on the -table. - -It was almost eleven o’clock when he came back to the tent. The -hermit was asleep on a bough bed that he had fixed, and did not wake -when Garry entered, as did Phil and Nate. He whispered to them to -come outside, and they did. - -“Now,” said Nate, “what’s all the shooin’ for?” - -“Not so loud,” cautioned Garry. “Here’s the answer.” - -Then he bent closer and whispered something. It made them utter -surprised exclamations which they immediately muffled after a -warning nudge from Garry. - -“So, now,” concluded the Ranger leader, “all we can do is wait until -Dad gets here tomorrow night.” - -For Nate and the two boys the next day passed on leaden feet. They -went about their mining, as usual, and were aided by the hermit, who -displayed a remarkable knowledge of geology, and when told that they -were mining for tourmalines, told them something of the early -history of the stones,—astrekkers or “ashdrawers” as the Dutch -called them, because of their magnetic property in picking up bits -of straw or ashes. The boys learned for the first time how they had -been discovered on Mount Apatite in Paris, Maine, by two boys who -were out hunting. - -About half-past three Garry departed for Chester to meet his father -on the five o’clock train. He arrived several minutes before train -time, and chatted with the agent and explained what he had done the -night before. - -When the train arrived, Mr. Boone was the first to alight, and Garry -rushed forward to meet him. After they had shaken hands, Mr. Boone -demanded to know if anyone had been hurt. - -“No, everyone’s all right. Dick is away in the woods doing a Joe -Knowles, but what we wanted is to find that I’m right on the biggest -hunch I ever had, or else crazy as a loon. Now I’m not going to say -anything more till we get to camp, for I want to see your reaction -to what I’m going to show you without having influenced you.” - -They reached the tent, and Garry called out: - -“Oh, Hermit, come out just a minute.” - -The hermit parted the flap and stepped outside. He looked blankly at -Mr. Boone and bowed. - -Mr. Boone stared at the hermit, however, as though he were looking -at a spirit from the world beyond. Then he cried: - -“Great Heavens! It’s Dick’s father!” - -“Hurrah,” shouted Garry, and he was joined in his jubilation by -Phil. Even Nate shared in the exuberance. - -All this time the hermit looked puzzled at the uproar. Finally Mr. -Boone turned to him, and stretching out his hand, advanced and said: - -“Don’t you know me, Richard?” - -“No, sir; I don’t think I ever saw you before.” - -Garry looked significantly at his father and, unobserved by the -hermit, slightly tapped his forehead. - -“You know young Dick, don’t you?” pursued Mr. Boone. - -“Of course I know Dick; he’s a fine young man, too,” answered the -hermit, who we will now call Prof. Wallace. - -“Well, you are Professor Richard Wallace and Dick is your son.” - -A look of wonder spread over the professor’s face. - -“Perhaps you are right. I don’t know who I am or where I came from -years ago. All I know is that I have lived in the forest for many -years.” - -Very slowly and gently Mr. Boone explained about the previous -accident and the escape from the hospital before the operation. When -he had concluded, the professor asked: - -“You say there was to have been an operation? Is there anything to -prevent that being done now?” - -“No, we will take you back in the morning to Boston and have the -best surgeons there do it.” - -So the matter was arranged. However, knowing the peculiarity of the -Hermit, as they still thought of him, Garry and Phil alternated in -keeping watch that night. They figured that his talk with Mr. Boone -might have been during a particularly lucid moment, and that the old -trouble would come back on him, and he would disappear as he had -done on so many other occasions. - -However, nothing happened, and the next morning Mr. Boone took him -to Chester to board the train that would eventually take them to -Boston. It was agreed that Dick should not be told of the visit of -the hermit, and that the matter should be kept a secret to be sprung -on him after the operation. - -“And believe me, Nate and Phil,” declared Garry, “Dick will be the -happiest boy in the world, when he learns he has found his father.” - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -CONCLUSION - - -LeBlanc stood there facing the astonished Dick, and a cruel leer -spread over his face. He reached for a knife that stuck in his belt, -and said softly in a whisper, as sibilant and venomous as the -hissing of a snake: - -“Ah, mon ami, we meet again. The last time.” - -Long after that, Dick used to ask himself how it was that he managed -to capture the halfbreed. The only solution that he could find was -that he had acted solely on pure instinct. - -As we know, Dick had been rummaging through the cupboard when he -heard the singer approach. In his hand he still held a large can of -tomatoes which he had contemplated opening. - -He saw LeBlanc’s leering grin, then quick as a flash and straight as -a die, he cast the heavy can straight at the halfbreed’s face. - -The can struck LeBlanc on the forehead, just above the eyes. With a -groan he slipped to the ground, the knife falling from his hand and -clattering on the pebbles on the ground. - -Never waiting to look to see whether the blow had killed or merely -stunned “The Bear,” Dick whipped his lasso from his belt where it -hung, and flopping the limp body of the halfbreed over, slipped the -noose over his wrists and drew it tight. He took several turns, and -then bound the tied wrists to the body. Just for safety’s sake he -threw a turn of the rope over the unconscious Frenchman’s feet and -then waited to see if he would come to. - -In a few minutes the man groaned and then stirred, trying to get up. -He found that he was solidly bound, and when he recovered his voice, -hurled imprecations at his captor. - -Dick then searched the man and found a revolver, and then noticing a -lump in his shirt, ripped it open and drew forth a canvas bag. - -He opened it and looked in, and found to his great surprise that it -was filled with rough tourmalines, among which he recognized some -that they had mined, and noted particularly for some distinguishable -mark. - -He began to worry about the safety of his chums, wondering whether -LeBlanc had stolen the gems by stealth, or whether there had been a -battle and some one at the mine had been hurt. - -He questioned the halfbreed but received only threats and curses for -answers. - -“All right; if you won’t talk, best thing to do is to get there -without delay and see for ourselves. Now, LeBlanc, we’re going home -on the double trot. Anytime you make a false step, or attempt to -escape, or lessen your speed, I’ll not have the slightest hesitation -in putting a bullet in you. Now, en avant, understand that? It’s -good French for get a wiggle on you.” - -Dick and his captive set off down the mountain. Dick knew that there -would be no sleep that night, but he intended to rest, and figured -on binding LeBlanc tightly to a tree during the dark hours. If he -had known the country, he would have marched through the night, but -it would be fatal to get lost at this point in the game. - -Just after dusk he prepared to tie LeBlanc up, when he heard the -thud of horses’ hoofs in the distance, and set up a whoop. In a -moment or two a mounted Ranger appeared. - -He looked in surprise at the pair before him, and then in a brisk -tone demanded to know the meaning of the sight. - -Dick drew from his pocket the Ranger badge and explained who he was. -He told the Ranger that he was taking LeBlanc, who was wanted for -half a dozen or more serious crimes, back to Chester and thence to -Hobart to turn him over to the sheriff. - -When Dick told of his plan for the night, the Ranger told him that -would be unnecessary, for he had a cabin about two miles and a half -away. - -“You hop up here behind me, and we’ll make the critter with you use -Shank’s Mare.” - -Dick had now given up all idea of his week in the woods. All he -wanted to do was to get LeBlanc in the hands of the law and see how -his chums were faring. - -At the Ranger’s cabin he found a second waiting, for occasionally -the men on the patrol in the Forest Reserve travelled in pairs. - -A good hot meal was waiting, and he enjoyed it to the limit. -LeBlanc’s hands were loosened sufficiently for him to eat, but with -two sizable men and a boy to watch him, he knew it would be futile -to attempt to escape. - -Dick entertained the Rangers vastly during the meal with his account -of how he had subsisted during his stay in the forest. - -“I don’t know that I would have gotten along so well,” said one of -them, “and I’ve been in this Reserve here for four seasons now.” - -The next morning was gloomy and drizzly, and so it was arranged for -Dick to make time by riding double with the Ranger, while LeBlanc -was tied on a led horse. - -They reached the river bank an hour before noon, and here Dick had -figured he would have to wait until his chums kept the agreed upon -noon-time rendezvous. - -This was rendered unnecessary, however, when they saw a boy rowing a -flatboat down the river. They hailed him and arranged to have him -stay and watch the horses for a couple of hours, while the Ranger -and Dick rowed LeBlanc across the river and lodged him in the -lock-up. - -Dick then got into communication with the sheriff, who charged the -constable to guard the prisoner with every precaution, and under no -circumstances was he to be allowed bail by the Justice of the Peace, -should any be offered. - -The Ranger left after receiving the hearty thanks of Dick, and he -set out in a hurry for the mine. He found his chums just on the -point of heading for the river, and then ensued many explanations. - -Great was the delight of the chums when Dick produced the bag of -tourmalines, which he kept until the end of his story, and then -displayed with a dramatic gesture. - -Not a word was said to Dick about his father’s having been found, -but the fat boy could not help but notice the tension that prevailed -about the camp. Twice Garry left the mine to go to the telegraph -office, but with no result. The next day at noon, however, he -received a brief wire from his father. It said: - -“Operation a success. Bring Dick and hurry to Boston. Come to -Massachusetts Homeopathic Hospital.” - -Arrangements were hastily made to close up their summer’s stay. Dick -was still in the dark, but his chums would not yet enlighten him. -Nate Webster was to remain in charge of the mining, and when Garry -proposed that he hire George Washington Dudley, the gum-hunter, and -any other help that he needed, Nate agreed enthusiastically, for he -and Dud were old friends of years ago. - -The long trip to Boston was finally ended, and guiding the perplexed -Dick, they got a taxi at the North Station and rushed to the -hospital. Here they were met by Mr. Boone. He took Dick to one side -and quietly told him that the Hermit was his father and that he had -recovered his mind and memory after the operation. Dick was led to -the private room, and there Mr. Boone left father and son together -for a few moments. When the doctor finally shooed Dick out of the -room, he silently grasped the hands of Mr. Boone and his chums, but -his voice was too choked for utterance. - -And so we leave the Ranger Boys, who had displayed real nerve and -bravery throughout their summer. Dick received his reward, in the -finding of his father. Phil’s share of the mine would permit him to -attend Farnham Hall with his chums that year. - -“But what good thing has come to Garry?” demanded Dick. - -“Why, I’ve got what I wanted most,—the thing that I wondered all -summer how we could bring about. That is the knowledge that the -Three Ranger Boys will be together for some time to come, and the -knowledge that I have two of the finest friends that could ever be -given a fellow; and last but not least, I have a share in the Ruth -mine, one of the richest things in the state. What more could I -have?” - -“Well,” whispered Dick to Phil, “If I’m any good at reading ‘sign,’ -when he’s a little older he’ll have something else besides the mine -that’s named Ruth.” - -And here we leave the Extraordinary Unit of the Maine State Ranger -Service. - -THE END - - -Transcriber’s Notes: - - 1. Silently corrected obvious typographical errors and variations in - spelling. - 2. “...how he had subsided during his stay” changed to use "subsisted". - 3. Retained other archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as printed. - 4. 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