Bart Keene's Hunting Days; or, The Darewell Chums in a Winter Camp

by Burt L. Standish

  CHAPTER III

  A FRUITLESS SEARCH

  There was much buzzing and whispering among the pupils as they marchedto their classrooms--whispering which the teachers and principal thoughtbest to ignore under the circumstances, for the morning announcement hadbeen an unusual one.

  Bart, Fenn, Ned and Frank were in the same grade, and their firstmorning period was taken up with a Latin recitation. All four were doingsome hard thinking as they got out their books in Mr. Kenton's room.Bart Keene was the first of the four chums to make up his mind. He felta certain responsibility, since he had proposed the joke.

  "Mr. Kenton," he asked, "may I be excused for a moment?"

  "What for, Keene?" inquired the Latin instructor.

  "I wish to--to speak to Professor Long."

  There was an audible gasp of astonishment from Bart's classmates atthis. Ned and Frank started to their feet, to utter a protest. They sawBart's motive, but they were not going to let him bear the brunt of thepunishment alone. There was a curious look on the face of Fenn.

  "You may go, Keene," went on the instructor.

  "May I also?" exclaimed Frank, and again there was a buzz of excitedwhispers. The other lads knew what Bart's request meant.

  "Silence!" called Mr. Kenton, sharply. "One at a time is enough," headded grimly. "We will proceed with the lesson. Ned Wilding, you maybegin to translate."

  Discipline held sway once more, and the boys settled back into theirseats. Bart, conscious that the eyes of every lad in the room were onhim, walked out. He found Professor Long in the chemical laboratory,preparing for some class work.

  "Ah, Keene," remarked the science instructor, as he mixed someunpleasant-smelling liquids in a test tube. "Did you wish to see me?"

  "Yes--yes, sir," stammered Bart. "You said--that is--I--er--I was theone who took the collection of reptiles," blurted out the uneasy lad."But I didn't take the diamond bracelet! We didn't see anything of it! Ihope you'll believe me! You don't know how unpleasant it is to beaccused. At one time I--that is my chums and I--were accused of blowingup the school tower with dynamite, and----"

  "Yes, I remember that happening," went on Mr. Long, gravely. "You wereinnocent on that occasion."

  "And we are innocent now!" burst out Bart. "We--that is I--took theturtles and the alligators, but we--that is I--never saw the bracelet.Are you sure it was in the cabinet, Mr. Long?"

  "Very sure, Bart. But you might save yourself some embarrassment bytelling me all the details. I'm glad to see you willing to bear all theblame, but, if you were alone in the escapade, how is it that I foundNed Wilding's knife, and this handkerchief with Frank Roscoe's name onit," and the instructor, with a smile, held up the articles hementioned.

  "I--I dropped Ned's knife," replied Bart. "I had borrowed it."

  "And Frank's handkerchief?"

  "I--I didn't have that," and Bart looked confused.

  "I think I can guess how it was," said Mr. Long at length. "You were allfour after my collection, and----"

  "Not all four!" interrupted Bart. "Fenn wasn't there. You see we wereplaying a joke on him," the lad went on, in a burst of confidence,realizing that it was useless to try to shoulder all the blame. "Ned,Frank and I came in here Friday night and got the things. I knew I hadlost Ned's knife, but I didn't think I'd dropped it here. But Fennwasn't along. We took the things to his house, and put them in the penwith his reptiles. He is making a collection."

  "So I understand," remarked Mr. Long. "Therefor I have a proposal tomake. It is barely possible that in gathering up the toads, alligatorsand turtles from my cabinet that you boys picked up the bracelet withthem. You may have dropped it in the place where Fenn keeps hiscollection. Perhaps if you go there and look you will find it, and alsothe missing turtle, which I value highly. But, of course, the braceletis more valuable, and as it was a birthday present to Mrs. Long she willfeel the loss very much. Will you kindly go and look? I am sure Mr.McCloud will excuse you."

  "I'll be glad to make a search!" exclaimed Bart, eagerly. "Perhaps ifNed and Frank----"

  "Just what I was about to propose," interrupted the instructor. "I'llrequest the principal to let you four boys leave your classes thismorning, to make a hunt for the missing bracelet--and the turtle. Don'tforget that."

  "I'm--I'm very sorry--sorry we disturbed your collection, ProfessorLong," stammered Bart, "but I know we never touched, or saw, thediamond bracelet."

  "I know you didn't mean to take the bracelet," went on Mr. Long, a bitstiffly. "Of course it was a foolish, and, at the same time, a riskytrick to play, and, while I believe you had no intention of keeping thebracelet, I cannot but believe that in some way you removed it from thecabinet, either in catching up one of the reptiles hurriedly, orotherwise. I shall be glad to talk with Ned and Frank. But now I suggestthat you go to Fenn's house and make a search."

  "We never took or saw the bracelet, Professor!" declared Bart, withgreat earnestness. He felt, somehow, just as he did the time the unjustaccusation of blowing up the school tower was made against him and hischums, as related in a former volume of this series.

  "Well," remarked the teacher, "I can only say that you boys were the onlyones in the school after the closing hours Friday. Some time between thenand this morning, the reptiles were taken and returned--that is all butone large turtle--and the diamond bracelet belonging to my wife. Therecan be but one conclusion, and I----"

  "We were not the only ones in the school between Friday night and thismorning!" exclaimed Bart, and instantly his thoughts reverted to thestranger who had acted so mysteriously.

  "What do you mean?" asked the instructor, quickly.

  "I mean--the janitor," replied Bart, with a sudden change in his tone.He had started to mention the man, but concluded not to. He had severalreasons for this, as will develop presently.

  "There is where you are mistaken," declared Professor Long. "The janitor,and two assistants whom he hired, cleaned out the school late Fridayafternoon. I know, for I remained here to go over some of my classrecords. It was late when I left, and the janitor had finished before Iwas ready to go. I know this because Riggs asked me to be sure and closethe front door and put the spring lock on when I came out. I was the lastperson to leave the school Friday night, and I locked the door. Riggs hadgone. The reason why he did his cleaning work Friday night, and notSaturday, as is usual, was because he wanted to go away over Sunday. Hedid go, I understand, so you see you boys were the only ones in theschool."

  "And did you lock the front door after you?" asked Bart with a suddensuspicion in his mind, as he thought of the mysterious man.

  "I did, certainly. Why do you ask?"

  "Oh--nothing--only I thought--I--" Again Bart was about to speak of themidnight visitor to the school, and again he refrained.

  "By the way, how did you boys get in the school?" asked Professor Long,suddenly.

  "I--er--we--that is----"

  "Never mind," hastily interrupted the instructor, "I should not haveasked that. I have no wish to pry further into this matter than isnecessary. Believe me, I appreciate your motive in making a clean breastof it. I do not care to know all the details. Boys will be boys, Isuppose. Only get me back the diamond bracelet and the turtle. I willsee Mr. McCloud at once, and I'm sure he will let you make a search atFenn's house."

  Bart's opportunity had passed. If he only had mentioned the fact that heand his chums found the front door open, and had seen a mysterious manenter the school, things might have turned out differently, and muchtrouble have been averted. But now it was too late. Mr. Long hurried tothe office of the principal, and returned shortly with permission forthe four chums to go and make a search.

  "But why didn't you tell him about the man we saw?" asked Ned, as theywere on their way to Fenn's house.

  "Because," answered Bart.

  "That's a regular girl's reason," objected Frank.

  "Well," answered Bart desperately, somewhat weary and nervous over theordeal through which he had gone, "the chief
reason was that if I toldthat, I'd have to tell why we didn't notify the police. That's where wemade a mistake. If that fellow was a thief, and took the bracelet, weshould have called the police."

  "We didn't know he was a thief--we don't know it yet," declared Frank.

  "No, but when we saw a stranger sneaking into the school, we should havehad gumption enough to notify the authorities," insisted Bart. "That'swhere we were slow. I didn't want to make it any worse. If we find thebracelet, all right; we won't have to tell how silly we were."

  "And if we don't find it--which is very likely to be the case--whatthen?" asked Fenn.

  "Well, we didn't take it, that's certain," decided Frank. "Neither byaccident nor intentionally--did we take that bracelet."

  "Then the man we saw, did," said Ned.

  "Yes, and he's far enough off by now," observed Frank. "Fellows, I'llbet he was the thief!"

  "How could he be?" asked Bart. "He didn't know the bracelet was in thecabinet. Besides, no ordinary person would think of looking among a lotof reptiles for anything valuable."

  "Well, if we don't find it I think we'd better tell about the man," wasFenn's opinion.

  "It will be too late then," insisted Bart.

  "Too late? Why?" Frank wanted to know.

  "Because if we come back without the missing turtle and bracelet, andtell about having seen a mysterious man enter the school just before wedid, on Friday night, every one will say we made up the story to shieldourselves. No, the best way, if we can't find that diamond ornament, isto keep mum about the man."

  "And let them accuse us?" cried Frank, indignantly.

  "For a while--yes," replied Bart. "It won't be the first time, andprobably not the last. But I don't mean by that for us to sit stillunder the accusation."

  "What _do_ you mean?" asked Fenn.

  "I mean to find the missing bracelet, Stumpy!" was the emphatic answer."That's what we've got to do! It's up to us! We didn't take it, butperhaps that man did. If so we've got to find him as well as thebracelet. Come on, now, not so much talking. Let's get busy, but,remember, if we don't find the bracelet now, we must keep mum about theman, if we don't want to be laughed at, as well as accused."

  There was a momentary discussion, but Bart's chums agreed with him, asthey usually did. They hastened on to Fenn's house, and at once began afrantic search about the yard and in the shack where the lad kept hisreptiles.

  But there was no sign of the bracelet. Fenn lifted out every one of histurtles, toads and kindred specimens, and the place was gone overcarefully. So was the route the boys had taken to and from the school.But it was a fruitless search.

  "Fellows, let's look for the mud turtle, anyhow," suggested Ned. "Maybewe can find that for Professor Long, if we can't get the bracelet."

  They looked in every likely and unlikely place for the missing turtle,but it had vanished as completely as had the bracelet. They were loathto give up the hunt, but concluded that there was nothing else to do. Asthey were about to return to the school much cast down and dispirited,to report no progress, Fenn exclaimed:

  "Fellows, I have just thought of something."

  "Out with it," ordered Bart.

  "I believe the mud turtle has the bracelet!" exclaimed the stout youth.

  "The mud turtle? Are you crazy?" demanded Ned.

  "No, I'm not," answered Fenn, with a show of indignation. "Listen! Themissing mud turtle was a large one, and a species that has a very longneck. Now it would be the easiest thing in the world for the turtle toget the diamond bracelet over his neck, and walk off with it. One ofmine once got his neck in an iron ring, and I didn't know it for quite awhile, as the folds of skin on the reptile's neck hid the iron. I'llwager that's what's happened in this case. We'll find that the turtle iswearing Mrs. Long's diamond bracelet on its neck!"

  "Nonsense!" exclaimed Bart.

  "Well, there might be something in it," admitted Ned. "Let's haveanother look for that turtle, fellows."

  "We'll look for the turtle all right," agreed Bart, "but as for expectingto find Mrs. Long's diamond bracelet on its neck--why you fellows arecrazy to think of such a thing. You might as well expect to find hickorynuts growing on a peach tree. You're loony! Off your trolley! You've gotbats in your belfry, as the poet says," and, when Frank and Ned thoughtit over, they were inclined to agree with their chum.