by Ross Kay
CHAPTER XIX--AN INVITATION
Appearing to ignore his friends John drove rapidly around the circlewhich had been laid out between the station and the main street. Proudlyreturning to the place on the platform where his friends were awaitinghis coming, he called out, "How's this car? How's the driver? Prettyslick, eh?"
"What we don't know," said George quickly, "is where the driver camefrom and how he got the car."
"You'll have to trust your Uncle John for some things," replied thedriver solemnly. "There are some things you can't explain and somethings it's hard for certain people to understand. You see that yourcar's here, don't you?"
"Yes," replied George.
"It's all right, isn't it?"
"As far as I can see."
"Cylinders all sound? Tires all complete? Boiler intact? Carbureterstill working? Limousine all ready to be carved?"
"That's right," said George, laughing as he spoke. "As far as I can seeeverything is all straight except the fact that you didn't tell us howyou got the car and beat us back here."
"Get in, fellows, and I'll tell you about it on the way back," saidJohn. "I'll resign my position as chauffeur too," he added, as hequickly moved to another seat.
"I don't mind; stay where you are," said George cordially.
"No, I know you don't 'mind,' but this is a hot day. I would rather sitbehind and tell you how to do it."
"All right then, I'll go ahead," said George, as he started the car."Tell us how you did it."
"I have already explained to the best of my ability," said John soberly.
"Tell us again, then," broke in Fred.
"Why, all there is to it is that after you fellows left I looked aroundfor the car and found it."
"Did you find it alone?"
"What do you mean,--was I the only one that found it, or do you mean thatI found the car all by itself?"
"My, how correct some fellows are in their talk," murmured Fred. "Yes,what I mean was were you all alone when you found the car?"
"No."
"Well, why don't you tell us who was with you?" demanded Grantirritably.
"The tramp," said John abruptly.
"The tramp!" repeated the boys together.
"That's what I said."
"Tell us about it," said George.
"Why, after you fellows cleared out and left me behind, for you rememberthat you took all the tickets there were and left me up there sansmoney, sans ticket, sans everything, as Shakespeare says--"
"We don't remember anything of the kind," interrupted George. "We triedto get you to come along."
"Yes, you did!" laughed John scornfully. "You tried hard. You had justmoney enough to buy three tickets and I was generous enough to say thatI would let you three fellows use them--"
"Go on with your story about the tramp," interrupted Fred.
"Well, I'll tell you the truth," said John.
"Hope it won't make you too tired," murmured Fred.
"I'm telling you the truth," said John, glaring at his diminutivecompanion as he spoke. "The train hadn't fairly gotten out of sight withyou fellows on board before up comes the tramp, driving this car. Hecame right up to the platform of the station and invited me to get onboard. You may be sure I didn't stand on the form, or likewise on theplatform, very long."
"Where did he get it?" demanded George.
"He suspected what had happened," explained John, "and he said he wentto another garage, hoping that there had been some mistake. He saidthere were two cars in trouble out there on the road, one besides ours.The men that came out from the shop made a mistake and I guess each carwas taken to the wrong garage."
"That's a pretty good story," laughed George.
"Well, it's all right," declared John warmly. "Here's your car anyway.The tramp brought it, just as I'm telling you, and you haven't anythingto say about it."
"Maybe the tramp took the car and got scared when he saw us start off.Probably he thought we were going for help."
"Probably nothing!" exclaimed John disgustedly. "I tell you that trampis all right. He can speak the English language and he has got somebrains. I asked him to-day what he was tramping around the country forand he said he didn't know."
"He must have a lot of brains," ejaculated Fred.
"He knows how to drive a car all right," said John. "He drove all theway home."
"Where is he now?" demanded George.
"I don't know. He wouldn't stay. By the way, he did suggest before hedeparted that if there was any reward connected with the finding of thecar he wouldn't mind taking it."
"Probably he wouldn't," laughed Fred.
"I think he is entitled to something," said George, "and I'll tell myfather about it the first time he comes out."
"Where did the tramp go?"
"He didn't tell me," explained John, "but I think he went over to theold Meeker House. He said that if we wanted to see something worth whileand something that would beat anything we had ever experienced in theold Meeker House we had better come over there after dinner."
"To-night?" inquired Fred.
"Yes, to-night."
"I say we go," said Grant quickly.
"So say we all," added George.
In a brief time the car was running swiftly up the driveway of the yardand as soon as his companions alighted George took it to the garage.
The other missing car, however, had not been returned nor had any wordbeen received concerning it during the absence of the boys.
A call on the telephone speedily demanded George's attention and as soonas he rejoined his friends he said, "I have been talking to my father."
"You mean your father has been talking to you," suggested Fred.
Ignoring the interruption, George continued, "My father says that he hasword of a car that is being held in Morristown. In some ways it answersthe description of ours. He thinks it will be a good thing for us to gothere to-morrow and find out more about it."
"Good plan. Good scheme," said Fred sympathetically. "Did your fathersay anything about suitably rewarding the tramp for his return of thecar which he probably had all the while?"
"He did," said George simply. "He told me to give him a ten dollarbill."
"That's all right," said Fred eagerly. "Now I think it will be a goodthing for each of us to take his turn, too," he added. "Every one of uscan take that car off and hide it over night and get ten dollars rewardwhen he brings it back in the morning. That's all your friend Mr. Trampdid."
"That's no such thing!" spoke up John, quick to defend his recentacquaintance.
"You may have it your own way," laughed Fred. "Then we're to go over andcall on him to-night at the old Meeker House, are we?"
"That's just what we are going to do," said John.
True to the suggestion, soon after sunset the Go Ahead boys rode to themysterious house. When they left their car by the roadside and startedacross the intervening field it was plain that there was an air ofgreater confidence now manifest by all four boys than in any previousvisit.
The moon already had risen and in its clear light the old apple treesand the poplars that lined the driveway appeared like aged sentinels,twisted and gnarled. Indeed, some of the objects assumed fantastic formsand as the boys advanced, a silence not unlike that which had restedupon them in their former visits now fell over the party.
"I'll tell you one thing," spoke up Fred in a loud whisper; "I'm goingwith George around to the kitchen this trip."
"I haven't invited you," replied George promptly.
"It doesn't make any difference whether you have or not, I'm going justthe same," said Fred.
"Then I shall have to put up with it," responded George in mockresignation. "All I can say to the rest of you is that whatever you dodon't run. Let's find out what this thing means this time. Do youagree?"
"Yes, we agree," replied his friends.
"Good," responded George. "Now don't forget."
The boys at once separated, George and Fred moving a
round to the rear ofthe house while John and Grant approached the front door, which alreadywas a familiar sight.
Without waiting for their companions to enter they at once pushed openthe door, which creaked on its rusty hinges, producing sounds not unlikethe cry of a child in distress.
Inside the room there again was the sound of many rushing wings. Indeed,for a moment, to the boys, who were startled in spite of theirdetermination to be calm, the room seemed to be filled with flyingcreatures. Weird sounds also were heard and low spoken cries that werenot unlike the creaking of the hinges of the old door.
In spite of their recently expressed courage both boys stopped as if bycommon consent. As they did so the sound of voices, speaking inwhispers, was heard from other parts of the house. No person, however,was visible and in the dim light that penetrated the room neither of theboys was able to see any object distinctly.
Meanwhile the flapping of the unseen wings continued. Suddenly there wasa flash of light that was almost blinding. It was so unexpected thatboth boys together and almost instantly turned toward the door. A cloudof smoke swept through the room and both boys, coughing and choking,instantly turned and fled from the house. Their speed increased as therecame sounds of loud laughter from within the ancient dwelling. Unmindfulof their promise not to run, both boys instantly turned and quickly weremaking most excellent time across the field in the direction of theautomobile, which still could be seen in the open road.
