CHAPTER 17 A WITNESS
The gaunt looking man in the belfry seemed unaware of the Cubs' presenceon the iron stairway.
Wrapped in heavy blankets, he sat with his back to the rim of the bigbell. His feet rested comfortably on a stone ledge of the tower. He gazedlazily into space, absorbed by his own reverie.
As Dan and Brad huddled together, watching, the man presently shifted hisposition. His shoulder brushed against the bell, causing the clapper toswing.
"Drat it!" the man exclaimed impatiently. He seized the striker toprevent it from sounding. Having steadied the bell, he again settled downinto his blankets.
The mystery surrounding the old church now had been partially solved. Danand Brad could not guess the stranger's identity, but they were fairlycertain he had been living in the belfry for days, perhaps weeks.
No imagination was required to explain the previous strange tapping ofthe bell and Pat's terror on Halloween night. The Bay Shore boys likelyhad seen this man in the belfry and had mistaken him for a ghost!
Dan's lips cracked into a grin at recollection of how Pat and his cronieshad fled from the building. It really had been funny!
A bat came whirring down the well of the stairway, swooping close to theboys. Dan nearly lost his grasp on the spiral railing.
Involuntarily, he uttered a choked cry as he cringed back. Slight as wasthe sound, it reached the ears of the man in the belfry above.
Throwing off his blankets, he leaped to his feet.
"Who's there?" he demanded, peering down.
The daylight above seemed to have blinded him, for he did not immediatelysee the two boys crouching in the semi-darkness. But they could notescape detection.
"Come up out of there!" he ordered, as he made out their shadowy forms."A couple of kids, eh?"
Brad and Dan were nervous as they faced the stranger. The wind had blownhis dark hair and he was unshaven. His eyes, however, had a friendlytwinkle which slightly reassured them. They were relieved too, to notethat he did not appear to be armed.
"Well, well! A couple of curious Cubs," the man said cheerfully. "Soyou've finally caught me?"
Already Dan and Brad had lost their fear of the stranger. He was a man ofearly middle age, well-built and deeply tanned from having lived anoutdoor life. Why, they wondered, had he chosen the church belfry for hishome?
"You've been living here a long while, haven't you?" Dan asked.
"I've been sleeping here off and on about three weeks," the strangershrugged. "This place, I'm telling you, isn't very cozy now that thenights are so cold."
"Couldn't you have slept in the church, instead of in this bird roost?"Brad asked.
"Oh, some nights I do." The stranger had gathered up his army blanketsand was folding them neatly. "I stay up here because I like the cool,clean air. I can sleep anywhere. Learned it in the army. Up here I don'thave to keep an eye out all the time for that pest, Terry the Terrible."
"The church caretaker?" Dan asked, smiling at the nickname.
"Sure, he's always checking up, but never did tumble to the fact that hehad a non-paying renter in his building."
"Who are you anyhow?" Dan asked bluntly. "Didn't we see you the othernight at the basketball game?"
"I was there, son."
"You didn't tell us your name," Dan reminded him.
"Didn't I?" The man smiled as he ran a hand over his stubbly two-day-oldbeard. "Would you take me for a tramp?"
"Not exactly." Dan scarcely knew how to classify the stranger. He spokeexcellent English and had certain refinements that one usually did notassociate with a tramp. Yet obviously, the fellow was without funds or hewouldn't be living in the belfry.
"You must excuse my appearance," the man said. "I haven't had a chance toget to my barber yet today."
Picking up a knapsack from the stone floor, he began to take out toiletarticles--a razor, a mirror and shaving cream.
"You know you have no right to be living here," Brad burst out. "How didyou get in, anyhow? Through the coal chute?"
"I did the first time. After that, I used the door."
"But this church was supposed to be locked. Terry checks on the place, orat least he's supposed to."
"The caretaker's a nice old codger, but not very alert. If he had been,he'd never have left a key lying around."
"You found it?" Brad questioned.
"It may not have been his," the stranger admitted. "I came upon it theday I holed in here. Found it lying on a window sill, and discovered itunlocked one of the doors. So I've used it ever since. Convenient."
"Terry probably was afraid to admit to the trustees that he had lost oneof his keys!" Dan exclaimed. "Say, he could have cleared up a lot ofthings for our Den, if he'd acted right!"
No longer uneasy in the stranger's presence, the two boys now plied himwith eager questions. Did he live in the belfry because he had no money?How long had he been in Webster City?
"Don't fire 'em at me so fast," the man chuckled. "I haven't been out ofthe army very long. I have a little money, but I'm trying to make it lastuntil I get a certain job I'm after. Besides, I have another littlematter here in Webster City--"
"Mr. Hatfield probably could help you find work," Brad offered. "He's ourCub leader."
"I'll find work all right, son. Fact is, I don't plan on staying in thistown very long. Not unless--"
"Unless what?" Brad caught him up.
"Well, it depends on a certain matter. My own private affairs."Deliberately, the man changed the subject. "Tell me about the Cubs," herequested. "Do you like the organization."
"It's the best in the world," Dan said proudly.
"Don't you have a boy in your den by the name of Chub?"
"Sure," Dan agreed. "He's new. You must know him. I saw you talking tohim the other night at the basketball game."
"He's a lot like my own son. I had a boy once."
"I see," Dan murmured. He remained silent, reflecting that in appearanceChub might have been related to this stranger. Although the color oftheir hair and eyes was different, the contour of their faces was muchthe same. A coincidence, of course. But why was this man so interested inChub?
"I don't mind telling you about myself," the man said after a longhesitation. "First of all, I have no criminal record. I've stolen nothingand broken no law, except that I've trespassed on this property."
"You could be arrested for that," Brad reminded him.
"I know," the man admitted. "I figured that sooner or later I'd be caughthere. I'll move out today. I'd hoped to stay a little longer--but nevermind."
"You should tell us your name."
"I should," the man agreed. "Just call me Mr. Smith. When the right timecomes, you'll learn my true name."
Brad and Dan were becoming more confused each moment. They liked thefriendly stranger, but could not understand why he acted so mysteriously.If he had no criminal record, why should he hesitate to reveal his name?
"What happened Halloween night?" Dan asked curiously. "You must haveplayed ghost."
Mr. Smith laughed aloud at the recollection. "I heard those boys speakingup the stairway," he revealed. "I waited until they were nearly in thebelfry. Then I popped out with a blanket over my face. I made moaningsounds and wild gestures. Those kids bolted out of here like a streak oflightning."
"From time to time, we've heard the bell tap," Dan went on. "Were youresponsible?"
"Afraid I'll have to plead guilty. Once when the kids were here, I hitthe bell by accident. The other times I tapped it on purpose. I didn'twant to scare the kids too much--only wanted to keep them from playingaround here."
Brad had been gazing thoughtfully at the stranger, thinking hard. If theman had lived in the belfry for three weeks, he must have observed agreat many persons come and go. No wonder he seemed personally acquaintedwith the members of Den 2!
"Dan and I came here for a purpose today," he suddenly disclosed. "Youmay have heard t
he talk in Webster City about the Cubs causing trouble."
"I did pick up a few rumors."
"We've been accused of doing a lot of damage here," Brad went on. "It'snot true."
"I know that to be a fact."
"You do?" Brad, in his eagerness, grasped the stranger's arm. "Could youhelp us? That is, what I'm trying to ask--did you see anything that wouldhelp us? Do you know who really did the damage?"
"I do," the man returned. "I saw the Cubs come here that first day withtheir basketball. You kids smashed a window."
"That was all the damage we did though," Dan declared. "We were accusedof doing a great deal more."
"The Cub honor is at stake," Brad added. "We'll do anything to prove ourinnocence! We think we know who did the damage, but we have no proof."
The stranger gazed down into the tense, worried faces of the Cubs. Hissmile was reassuring.
"I have a soft spot in my heart for the Cubs," he said. "I want to helpthe organization."
"Can you?" pleaded Dan. "Do you know the boys who damaged this place?"
"A gang showed up here about a half hour after the Cubs broke thatwindow. They went through the place and really wrecked it. I saw theirfaces quite clearly. The ring leader, in particular, I could identify."
"Pat Oswald?"
"I don't know his name. He's captain of the Purple Five basketball team."
"That's Pat!" Dan cried. He was so excited he no longer could control hisvoice. "Oh, Mr. Smith, you must come with us right away to see the churchtrustees! If only we can make them believe the truth, the Cubs' name willbe cleared!"
Dan Carter and the Cub Honor Page 17
