The Auto Boys' Quest

by Herbert Strang

  CHAPTER III

  A PLAN THAT DID NOT FAIL

  A number of plans for eluding Soapy Gaines and the watchful eyes of histwo bosom friends did the Auto Boys formulate. None of them seemed quitesatisfactory. A scheme to slip away at night was discarded as being toomuch like simply running away. Another, which involved the shipping ofall supplies to a nearby town and really making the start from there,was considered to necessitate too great a loss of time if the goods weresent by freight and to cost more than the lads felt justified in payingif forwarded by express.

  Thus, as for varying reasons every suggestion offered was at last votedundesirable, there appeared no other course than to disregard the Trioentirely. It was in the midst of this extremity that on the Saturdayfollowing the wild-goose chase on which the Roadster had been led,Pickton again asked Dave MacLester point blank when "Sinbad's nextvoyage" was to begin.

  "Since you are so good as to inquire, and as it must make a whole lot ofdifference to you," answered Davy, firing up under Pick's banteringtone, "we're going to start Monday afternoon. If there's anything elseyou'd like to know, just mention it."

  "Say! _Are_ you going to leave Monday?" asked Pickton, doubtingly.

  "If it's perfectly convenient to you, we really would like to get awayat that time," MacLester answered witheringly. Then fearing he had saidtoo much, he added: "Of course we might come back the same day. Suchthings have happened."

  Pick received this reference to the fruitless chase of a few daysprevious with a contemptuous "A-h-w!" Yet he went away pretty wellsatisfied that Monday was the chosen day.

  A half hour later, Dave related at the green and yellow shed under theelms all that had been said.

  "Don't see what you meant by speaking out that way!" growled BillyWorth. "They'll just be watching all the closer!"

  "Yes, sir! They'll be watching all the more," cried Phil Way, withsudden enthusiasm, "and I have a scheme that I think will work." Then inthe lowest undertones he told his plan.

  In undertones filled with joyous anticipation, also, the suggestionadvanced was elaborated upon. And when the four chums separated, eachknew just what he must do, and there is no doubt whatever that at thisjuncture they would not have had Gaines, Pickton and Freddy Perthabandon their plan of pursuit if but a word would have persuaded them todo so. No! The prospect of vanquishing them and of leaving themchagrined and humiliated was quite too delightful to think of thecircumstances being other than just as they were.

  Monday came. Phil Way and Paul Jones were out in the car when the workof the morning had been finished. Billy Worth was occupied with the lawnmower at his own home and Dave was somewhat similarly engaged in theMacLester family garden. All of these facts the Chosen Trio had gatheredin good season. Quite satisfied with the situation, they took theRoadster out for a spin, intent upon the whereabouts of Phil and Paul inthe Thirty.

  Keeping a sharp eye on all the automobiles in view, the three youthspresently turned toward the Ravine road, for it was one the Auto Boysused a great deal. They often went to Tyler Gleason's farm, a shortdrive beyond the city. Phil and Paul had gone there this very morning,in fact.

  And what was this? Soapy Gaines burst suddenly into a laugh not unlike aconqueror's war-whoop and Pickton and Perth joined in his mirth inscarcely less demonstrative fashion.

  The Thirty of the Auto Boys was being "towed in."

  Yes, it was true. As the Roadster came close, the Chosen Ones foundtheir first glimpse of the predicament of the enemy fully verified.There was George Knight in his big six-cylinder, with Phil Way, glum andsilent, in the seat beside him, while tied by ropes behind they hauledthe four-cylinder car of the Auto Boys. Paul Jones, steering the car intow, seemed to be trying to look indifferent--as if he didn't care.

  "Give ye a lift?" cried Tom Pickton, slowing up. He was not alone in hisanxiety to know how seriously the Thirty was out of commission.

  "No, thank you!" Phil Way answered distantly, as Mr. Knight drove aheadwithout pause or comment.

  It is interesting to note how quickly the Gaines party discovered thatthey were themselves ready to turn toward the city.

  This they did, and until town was reached they loafed along aconsiderable distance in the rear of the towed machine, yet keeping thatcar plainly in view. In the light of subsequent developments, too, it isinteresting to record the zealous watchfulness of the three exultantyoung gentlemen as they saw the crippled car hauled into Knight &Wilder's garage.

  Lacking nothing in brazen audacity, Pickton alighted from the Roadsterand, standing in the doorway of the automobile establishment, noted withevident relish that Mr. Wilder, the mechanical genius of the concern,looked very sober and puckered his lips up quite despairingly as helifted the Thirty's bonnet and seemed carefully to inspect the motor. Hespoke a few words to Phil and Paul, then some men came and pushed theAuto Boys' machine through the storage rooms into the repair shop.

  An expressive and by no means unhappy smile shone on Pick'scountenance--a really disagreeable smile, it was, in those hawk-likeeyes of his,--as he climbed into Gaines' machine. Perth wasdriving,--Soapy rarely ever held the wheel himself--and as the car movedoff, all three noticed the evidently disconsolate feelings of Phil andPaul as the latter two emerged from the garage and started homeward onfoot.

  "Guess maybe that don't simplify matters some!" chuckled Freddy Perth."Instead of having to watch the whole bunch of 'em, all we need do nowis keep our eyes on their shed at Way's to see when they get the machinehome again."

  "Watch the garage, too!" Gaines put in. "They'll run around to try outsome as soon as they get fixed up. Hang it! Why didn't you push right upand see what the matter was, Pick?"

  Young Mr. Pickton, although considerably irritated by this question,merely said: "Sure! We've got to watch the garage! Wilder wouldn't tellus anything, though, if we asked him! Knight, either. Remember when Iinquired what was wrong with Crossley's limousine, the day it was runin there? 'Who wants to know?' Wilder says. 'Well, I do,' I told him.'Guess it's the referendum,' he said with never even a grin. Humph!Knight's just about as accommodating as that, too. There's nothing to itbut watch for the old boat when they get it to running again. Perth, yougo down through the alley and peek into Way's shed about supper time."

  Freddy said he would and added the suggestion that the Trio could spendthe afternoon at the ball game; that, particularly since their machinewas laid up, Way and his crowd would most likely be there. The proposalmet with general approval.

  A great deal relieved to feel that their vigilance might safely berelaxed for the present were the Chosen Ones as they journeyed to theball grounds in good season. Sure enough, there were the AutoBoys,--Paul and Phil, at least, standing in line for tickets.

  "MacLester and Worth are working some place. You can pretty near counton that. It's their steady system," whispered Pickton, as with Gainesand Perth he fell into line before the ticket window, then a minutelater joined the rush through the gate.

  And "There they go in!" whispered Paul Jones to Phil, his smile, alwaysexpansive, becoming almost alarmingly broad. "They saw us in line andnever noticed us sidestep to the window," he added in triumphant manner.

  "They think we went inside all right," Phil answered. "Trouble is wedon't know whether they'll find out we didn't. It's the only drawback tothis scheme. They'll be suspicious if they discover we aren't there.Only thing for it is quick action."

  Already the two boys were walking rapidly down a side street. Turningthe corner they reached the car line a few blocks from the ball park.From a neighborhood grocer's establishment Phil telephoned instructionsto Billy Worth in waiting at Knight & Wilder's. Then, while Paul boardedthe first city-bound car, he returned to the ball game.

  Very careful was Mr. Philip Way to take note before going inside thatGaines' Roadster was still alongside the curb. Also careful was he tostation himself where he could see all who came and went. In short, hewas so occupied in these and similar matters concerning the whereaboutsof that eminently
select party of three, self styled as Chosen, that histhoughts were a long way from the baseball game now in progress. Butthen the game was one-sided and slow; maybe that was the reason Philevinced so little interest.

  With others of the great throng Way left the grounds when the very lameexhibition was over. A good many were growling about "a mighty poorarticle of ball," and "village hay tossers;" but Phil made no complaint.The game had served one purpose almost as well as the decisive battle ofa pennant series could have done. He even laughed, though inwardly, ashe overheard Fred Perth say, "Why, there's Way, now!"

  As if quite by chance Phil was walking past the Roadster as its ownerand his friends prepared to turn that lumbering vehicle homeward. Evenwhen Gaines sang out, "Oh, I say! The walking's pretty good!" whichcomment was plainly meant for his ears, he made no answer beyond adeprecating wave of his hand. Not even did he look around--at that time,but he did assure himself of the direction the Trio took and that theirmanner was that of unsuspecting confidence.

  Or perhaps Paul Jones' expression, as Phil told all about it afterward,fits the situation better. "There never was a better case of asleep atthe switch," said Paul. And maybe he was right.

  Was it merely a coincidence that the Trio in the Roadster twice passedWay's home before supper and again just afterward? Once Phil was on theporch. Once he was loitering near the low, green and yellow garage, nowso empty and bare but for the workbench and tools of many kinds, and thedesk in one corner.

  Later, when the long June day was over, when the sun had set and thegood-night twittering of the birds sounded unusually loud and clear asdarkness gathered, Way busied himself inside the shed. The big frontdoors were wide open, to admit the air, no doubt. All three electriclamps in the small building were burning bright.

  If Freddy Perth had only known it, in fact, he could have seen from thestreet that the automobile was not in the home garage at all and thatPhil was. He might have saved himself the walk through the dusty alley,and still have made the same report to Gaines and Pickton, the substanceof which was that the Thirty was still at Knight & Wilder's and that itsowners were at their respective homes. At least Way was for he had seenhim.

  But if Perth or Pickton or Soapy Gaines, himself, or all three, for thatmatter, had chanced to board a certain limited suburban trolley car anhour later, the same evening, they might have been surprised to discoverthat although Phil _had_ been at home he was not at home now. And,also, if appearances were not altogether deceptive, that he had nointention of being again at home in the immediate future. For an extralarge suitcase was on the floor before him and a motor coat draped theback of his seat.

  "Round trip?" said the conductor when Phil asked the fare to Littleton.

  "No, one way," he answered.

  "Forty cents," the conductor said. "Ain't bad for twenty-five miles.Cheaper'n automobile travel, at that."

  "Oh, cheaper, possibly," said Phil Way, "but--"