The Ranger Boys Outwit the Timber Thieves

by Ralph Henry Barbour

  CHAPTER II

  TO THE RESCUE

  After the conclusion of their talk with Mr. Boone, the boys went out totake in a motion picture show, after finding there would be time to seethe last performance.

  On the way to the theatre, they stopped for a moment to watch a streetfakir selling knives under the flaring light of a gasoline torch.

  "Here you are, here's a fine knife with your name and address inlaid inthe handle!" he was shouting.

  "I think I'll get one of those for myself," said Dick to his chums.

  "What do you want of one, you have your good heavy scout knife, haven'tyou?" queried Garry.

  "Oh, I just want it as a curiosity for use when we come out of thewoods; we won't want to carry a great knife like that in civilianclothes," replied Dick.

  "We'll miss the first of the show if you wait," remarked Garry.

  "Let the youngster have his way, Garry," interrupted Phil with a laugh.

  The street salesman made the name plate and quickly screwed thetransparent handle back on the knife. Dick handed over the money andsoon they were on the way to the movies.

  They received a fine surprise when they reached there, for the picturebeing shown was one in which they had taken small parts when theyencountered a crew of motion picture actors while they were at theirfirst station in the woods, and when they had some stirring adventuresthe time Jean LeBlanc set fire to the woods, the motion picture peoplehad been rescued by the boys. The picture was a decidedly good one andthey enjoyed it.

  The chums chattered during the play in a subdued tone, especially whenthere flashed on the screen the parts where they were playing roles. Thewater scene where Dick did some fine swimming was particularly good.

  After the picture was over, they edged out through the crowd andreturned to the hotel and were about to go up to their rooms when Garryhad an idea.

  "Say, boys, we are not going on such a secret affair now that we cannothave Sandy with us, so I am going to telegraph Nate and ask if he willbring us the dog tomorrow, or let us know by wire if he cannot."

  Sandy was the big Airedale dog owned by Garry, a canine that possessedalmost as much sense as some humans. When they had gone on their missionto the border to capture the smugglers, they had left the dog in Nate'skeeping, as they were afraid that the sight of the dog would bring tomind who they were to any of their enemies, and they had made several inthe course of their sojourn in the Maine woods.

  To speak was to act with Garry, and he promptly made his way to the deskwhere the familiar blue lettered lamp was aglow.

  The work of writing the message was short and then they went to theirrooms, first stopping in to say good night to Mr. Boone, and advisinghim to see the motion picture the next day so that he could see them intheir small parts.

  This Mr. Boone promised to do, and soon all were sleeping the soundsleep of healthy boys with never a worry or care.

  Morning came, and with it the boys arose and hastened to the dining roomto make the most of the brief opportunity that they would have for theexcellent hotel fare. They spent a part of the forenoon in overhaulingand looking over their radio-phone equipment to see that it was all inperfect condition, for they had a hunch that it would come in veryuseful when they arrived at the cutting tract. This was to be proventrue at a later date.

  About ten o'clock they received a wire from Nate saying that he wouldarrive in Bangor about noon and would bring the Airedale with him. Trueto his promise in the telegram, the old guide appeared at the hotelshortly after the noon hour set in and with him was Sandy. The boys wereseated in some of the arm chairs that dotted the lobby, and in less thana moment the dog had found his friends, and nearly knocked over half adozen people in his haste and eagerness to reach the trio, for despitethe fact that an Airedale is called a one man dog, he distributed hisfriendship equally among the three chums.

  The boys were fully as glad to see their four-footed friend as he was towelcome them, and they cuffed and patted him strenuously.

  "Wall, boys, there's your pup, safe and sound as the day I took chargeof him. And let me tell you, he is some dog. Saved me a considerable sumof money tother day, too," announced Nate.

  "Tell us about it," asked Garry, as the three crowded around the old"State of Mainer" and shook hands with him heartily.

  "There ain't a whole lot to tell, 'cepting that a few days ago I sold asmall tract of land that I had to a queer old codger who doesn't believein banks, and who paid me in bills. I believe in banks myself, but itwas late when I made the deal so I had to stow the money away in thehouse. I locked it up as well as I could in a small desk in the sittingroom, and went on to bed. 'Bout twelve o'clock I heard a tearing arounddownstairs and Sandy barking fit to raise the dead. I hopped downstairsas soon as I could reach for a rifle that stood in the corner of mybedroom, just in time to see Sandy going through an open window. Ichased out after him, but someone was just driving away in an automobileas I got out of the window. Sandy ran the car down the road a piece, butcame back beaten and tuckered out. He was fast, but not quite fastenough to catch the car, going at the rate it was. Well, I got back inthrough the window and looked around. The window had been forced open,and the burglar was just evidently about to force open the desk, forthere were scratches about the lock and a heavy screwdriver was layingon the floor. I figure Sandy heard him from the kitchen, where hegenerally slept, and came in and drove him off just in time to save mymoney. So that's all there is to that, but he is a mighty fine dog, andI hate to let go of him, even to his owner."

  The boys patted Sandy again and again as they listened to Nate's story.

  "Did you find any trace of the robber?" asked Garry.

  "Nary a sign except the footprints on the lawn under the window. Ifigure it must have been someone that knew I got paid for the land thatevening, and that I kept a little valuable stuff in the desk, but thereis no proof or nothing to work on to determine who it might be. I don'tcare anyway, as long as the invader didn't get my money," replied Nate.

  The boys invited Nate to lunch with them, and this invitation heaccepted, and calling Mr. Boone they went into the dining room. In a fewmoments they were joined by "Moose" Boone and the greeting between thetwo old friends was pleasant to see.

  During the luncheon hour they told Nate of the new work the boys weregoing on, and while he expressed himself as sorry that they were notimmediately going back on the fire patrol, he agreed that they, ifanyone, could solve the mystery of the stolen timber and mishaps at thelogging camp.

  After luncheon the boys decided that since a day or two extra would notmake any great difference in their plans, they would walk to the campinstead of riding in the hot stuffy train. They decided to start thatafternoon, as soon as the sun began to lower, and make about ten milesof their fifty mile journey, sleeping out under the open as soon as itgot too dark to walk any farther.

  Garry's father agreed that they could take what little extra time wasneeded to walk, and so it was settled.

  The first business of the afternoon was to visit a large grocery storeand purchase enough provisions to last them on the trip, for they woulddo their cooking over an open fire along the way.

  "We'll just buy enough to carry us over for two days, for we ought toreach the logging camp by late afternoon of the day after tomorrow,"announced Garry, the chosen leader of the trio on all expeditions.

  "This suits me to a T," remarked Dick. "Then we won't have to carry somuch extra stuff in our packs, and in this hot weather a few poundssaved is a boon."

  "Trust Dick not to want to carry too heavy a pack," laughed Phil.

  "That's nothing to laugh about," protested Dick hotly, "that's just goodcommon sense. It's----"

  Then he perceived that his chums were ragging him a bit so he grinnedand turning on his heel started for the door, followed by the twolaughing boys.

  The buying of the groceries took but a short time, and soon the bagswere packed and they were ready for their trip.

  Goodbyes we
re said to Nate and Mr. Boone, and the trio set out on theirlong hike.

  "Good luck, boys, and I sincerely hope that you find what you arelooking for, because my affairs are in a ticklish position just atpresent and unless I find the cause of the disturbance and thefts at thecamp, I will be in a very serious way," said Mr. Boone as he shook handswith the three boys.

  "Guess they can settle the matter if anyone can," remarked Nate as hebade the boys goodbye. "They have done some pretty fine work for boyslately and I look to see them get to the nigger in the wood-pile androust him out pretty shortly. Then mebbe they can come back and takeover the patrol for the rest of the summer.

  "We're good for about eight miles tonight, fellows," said Garry as theystarted, "for it will be at least three hours before it gets too dark towalk any farther," said Garry.

  "Have you the route all set in your mind?" asked Phil.

  "Yes, I looked over a road map very carefully this morning, and themanager at the hotel garage gave me some other directions so that wecannot go very far wrong," answered Garry.

  They passed well out of Bangor and were going along a country road, justas the sun was setting, when a chugging automobile was heard back ofthem. Soon a ramshackle old flivver drew up near them, driven by a youngfarmer lad.

  He sized up the boys, then stopped his machine and asked:

  "Going far?"

  "On to Colter," answered Garry.

  "Gosh, that's a pretty good spell to walk," answered the farmer boy."I'm going on about four miles more; would you like a lift for thatdistance?"

  "You bet we would," broke in Dick.

  This brought a laugh from the others, and they accepted the lift, for itmeant saving almost an hour on their way.

  They piled into the old flivver, and soon were rolling speedily alongthe road. Despite its aged and decrepit appearance the car madeexcellent time, and the boys commented on this.

  "Yep, she's a pretty good old boat," answered the boy. "I don't havemuch time to tinker with the looks of the thing on the outside, but Imanage to keep the engine in pretty good condition. You can't keep afarm car looking up to time every minute. Well, I turn in here in aminute, so I guess this is as far as you can ride, unless another carcomes along. Will you come in and have a bite to eat?"

  The chums thanked him cordially but refused his invitation, saying thatthey would cook their own meal an hour or so later.

  Garry looked up at the sun and then remarked to his chums:

  "It will be dark in two hours, and we can make just about six miles inthat time without exerting ourselves too much. We haven't done much ofanything all day so if we want to let out a bit we can tack on an extramile in that time and so save ourselves a bit of extra walking tomorrow.Let's go."

  Hitching up their packs, the trio of chums set off at a brisk pace. Thesetting of the sun made it much cooler and the walking was pleasant.They passed through a small village and were well on the outskirts wherethe houses were beginning to get scattered, and they were deciding howfar to proceed before picking a spot to camp for the night when theyheard a call for help and the sounds of a scuffle. In the gatheringgloom they could not see where the trouble was, but hastening towardsthe spot from where the voices seemed to come, they approached a bend inthe road, and turning, saw two men attacking a third.

  The attackers seemed to be rough specimens of humanity, while the thirdwas a young man, fairly well dressed. This gave the affair the aspect ofa robbery instead of a quarrel among a lot of ruffians, so calling hischums to hurry, Garry threw his rifle to his shoulder and shouted to theattacking party to throw up their hands.

  The surprised thugs took one look at the business-like rifle in Garry'shands, and then deciding that they might perchance overpower him seemedto be on the verge of rushing toward him when Phil and Dick turned thebend in the road. Seeing that they were outnumbered, and with no thoughtof the fact that the boys might fire on them, they turned on their heelsand ran. Garry was about to send a shot flying after them when the youngman who had been the subject of the attack called to Garry to let themgo.

  Just then he toppled over and fell at full length at Garry's feet.