CHAPTER XVI
THROWING OFF THE MASK
"Do you think he saw us, Frank?" asked Andy, after they had found aplace where they could peep around a corner, without being discovered.
"Well, that's more than I can say," the other replied. "We took everyprecaution, and unless he has mighty sharp eyes he couldn't haveglimpsed us."
"And you think it's safe for us to stay here, eh, Frank?"
"Certainly," replied the other. "We're in a position to make a move anyold way from here. There isn't one chance in ten of his coming aroundthe corner; and if he does make a show of doing that, why we can besitting here, playing mumble-de-peg, or something like that, just as ifwe didn't care whether school kept or not."
"Bully for that; who cares for expenses? Look, Frank, I was right, yousee, for it was the little profess after all."
"Yes, sure enough. Careful now, Andy, and don't let him see youpeeping. That'd give the whole thing away quicker than anything else."
They had both selected positions where they could see without attractingattention. And it was with considerable eagerness that they fastenedtheir eyes on the figure of the small, wiry man who was sauntering alongtoward the farmhouse, carrying a butterfly-net across one shoulder,while with his other hand he held a queer-shaped black case, which, asSallie said, contained his more recent captures in the way of beautifuland rare moths and insects.
"That's his stiff arm, Frank; see how he moves it--the one hanging down,I mean, with black box--good gracious! now, I wonder--"
"H'sh!" whispered Frank, "not so loud; he might hear you."
"Not with the roosters crowing like they are," said Andy confidently."But just glimpse the black box would you, Frank?"
"I am looking," returned the other.
"He calls it the receiver for his new butterflies, but looks more like akodak to me," Andy went on. "But d'ye know what I thought, Frank?"
"Tell me," whispered the other, still watching the professor, who hadcome to a stop at some little distance away, and seemed to be busilyengaged looking back of him, as though laying out plans for an afternooncampaign among the bright winged butterflies.
"Why, how easy for him to tear out the inside works of a camera box likethat, and make use of it for a better purpose, see?" Andy went on tosay.
"Oh! now you've got a bright thought for a fact," Frank sent back,careful not to raise his voice above that cautious pitch.
"Well, it could be done; and I guess that little black box'd hold aboutall the money and securities that the bank lost. They say the thievesonly picked out the papers they could dispose of, and left all the rest,which would indicate that the second yegg must have been in the bankingline, some time or other, and knew what was what."
"H'sh! he's coming on again! Lie low, now; Andy!"
Accordingly both of them remained perfectly motionless as the professoradvanced toward the house. Had he shown any disposition to head towardthat particular corner Frank was ready to assume an attitude ofindifference and appear to be engaged in some boyish game with his jackknife, tossing it up in the air, and causing the point of the longblade to stick upright in the ground.
But the small man with the brown glasses and the butterfly net madestraight for the front porch of the house, and passed in at the door,just as though he felt perfectly at home there.
"Well, what next?" remarked Andy.
For reply the other beckoned, and started hurriedly to gain the shelterof the woodshed near by.
"What's this for?" questioned Andy, when they were once more croucheddown, in a position where they could not be easily seen.
"Stop and think," answered the other; "if he just happened to look outof a window on this side of the house he'd see us easily and oursuspicious actions would tell him we were on to his game. Now even if helooks he won't see anything."
"Huh! and do we stay here all afternoon just doing nothing; while p'rapshe's taking a nap indoors?" grumbled the other, who wanted to be moving,and was never satisfied when not in action.
"Wait!" was all Frank would say.
Perhaps he could see further ahead than his cousin, and guessedsomething of what was likely to occur. They had not taken pains to warnSallie or her mother to keep from mentioning the fact of their happeningaround; and chances were, that as soon as Casper Blue heard that theBird boys had dropped in, he would become immediately suspicious.
On questioning the girl he would be apt to learn how curious Frank andAndy had seemed about him; and Sallie might even admit that they hadasked to see his wonderful collection of rare and costly butterflies.
Well, if such a thing did occur, of course the keen-witted man wouldimmediately know that the cat was out of the bag. Realizing that theremust be a great hue and cry throughout the entire county just then, withreference to the yeggs who had looted the bank, he could easily imaginewhat had brought these boys here.
Through association with Todd Pemberton, Casper must have learned awhole lot with regard to Frank and his cousin. Being an aviator himselfhe would naturally take an immediate interest in boys who had given sucha good account of themselves in the field of aeronautics. The attempt tosteal the hydroplane in the first place before they turned to PercyCarberry's biplane proved that they knew all about the Bird boys. Andso, learning of their presence would immediately give Casper warningthat his hideout was no longer a secret, but that the net of the lawmust be closing around him.
What then?
Would he, like a desperate man, attempt to capture these venturesomelads, so as to keep them from informing the authorities at Bloomsbury?Either that, or else he would think that, since the game was up, andthey could no longer loiter in the neighborhood of the aroused districtin order to carry out the second part of the great scheme, they hadbetter take to the aeroplane and vanish from view, leaving no trailbehind by means of which they could be followed.
Frank had said all this in his mind when he lay there and waited to seewhat would turn up. He felt that they could surely afford to linger forsome time, if there was any chance of learning whether the yeggmen meantto change their plans, or proceed to carry out their original scheme.
All seemed quiet at the farmhouse.
Sallie had come out on the porch, and looked rather disappointed to findthat the two boys had strangely vanished. She stood there glancingaround in a puzzled manner for several minutes, and then with a prettyshrug of her shoulders, and a pout of her lips whirled about and wentback into the house again.
"Wow!" said Andy in a low tone, "she's got it in for you, Frank, becauseyou dropped out of sight without even so much as saying goodbye."
But the other was thinking of weightier matters than the humor of alittle coquette. He wondered whether Sallie would run across theprofessor and ask him if he had met two boys down the lane; which remarkwould excite his suspicions, and lead to other questions, now on hispart.
If nothing happened inside of half an hour. Frank was of a mind to trythe plan that had come to him--sending Andy off to try and reach someother farm where they would have a telephone; while he himself remainedto keep watch.
That might necessitate taking Sallie into their confidence, for theywould need to ask questions, and perhaps borrow a horse. On secondthought Frank was now a little sorry he had not seen fit to tell thegirl all. She seemed to be fairly clever, and could possibly keep asecret. At any rate, the chances of discovery would not be nearly soserious as now, when in her ignorance she was likely to blurt out allabout the boys having been there, without knowing that in so doing shemight be assisting clever yeggmen to avoid arrest.
The seconds moved along and changed into minutes.
If the professor had come to a window on that side of the house to lookanxiously around, he must have been careful not to expose himself, forthough Frank had kept a keen lookout he had failed to see anything ofhim.
It was getting very much of a bore to Andy. He changed his positionrestlessly several times, as though he wished Frank would make some sortof a mov
e, he hardly cared what its nature so long as it meant action.
But although Andy could not see it at that moment, there were livelyenough times ahead of them to please even his impetuous nature. And thepassage of every minute brought the crisis closer and closer.
Once Frank believed he heard loud voices inside the farmhouse; and atthe same time some one was certainly hurrying back and forth. But thenpossibly that might be only Sallie, obeying another call from thekitchen, where the good woman was so busily engaged with her canningoperations.
Something like twenty minutes must have passed since the boys madetheir change of base. To Andy it was much longer, for he felt the timepass as though it had leaden wings.
Then Frank, watching, saw some one come hastily out of the front door,pass quickly down to the path, and move away in the direction of thelane.
"He's going off, Frank!" exclaimed Andy, all excitement, just as thoughhe half expected that his companion would give the word that meant animmediate pursuit.
"Yes; keep quiet, Andy!"
"But he'll give us the slip, don't you see?" persisted the other.
"Let him, then; we can't help it. You can see that he's made quite achange in his looks, as though he's thrown the mask off, and doesn'texpect to play the part of a collegeman and a bug collector any more,"Frank whispered.
"That's so, he hasn't got the brown glasses on, and that old butterflynet is missing; but Frank, just notice, won't you, how he hangs to thatlittle camera-like black box. Say, perhaps I was right after all;perhaps Casper Blue is carrying all that stuff cribbed from theBloomsbury bank, inside the same."
The two boys crouched there behind the woodshed and by cautiouslypeeping around the corner could watch the late boarder of the Hoskinshurrying down the lane, as though he had received a hasty summons fromthe president of his college demanding an immediate return.
He seemed uneasy and suspicious, for several times he turned his headand looked this way and that, as though half expecting to discover someperson ready to dispute his departure. And Frank also noted the way oneof his hands had of keeping in the pocket of his short coat; just forall the world as though he might be grasping some sort of pistol thatwas concealed there.
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