Auto Boys' Vacation
Page 15
CHAPTER XV
AT THE OLD TAVERN
Phil offered no objection, but took the walking stick and at onceentered the porch, making as little noise as possible. Billy came closebehind, feeling the rubber tube to make sure that it could stun, if notkill, when handled with due precision and force.
As has been stated before, portions of the porch floor had beenpreviously broken in, where the elements had too heavily tested thewood. Phil finally passed into the office without making any noise butBilly was not so lucky. Despite his care, he misjudged where he trodwhen he was near the doorway, when there was an ominous crackling soundunder his last footstep.
"Cr-r-r-r--a-c-c-k!" Down went his leg, clear above his knee. In theeffort to rise, down went the other leg with a similar crunchingcrumble, and there was Billy submerged, so to speak, to the waist. Nordid it stop there, for under the porch was a cellar that extended prettywell under the fore part of the ancient building.
For half a moment Billy's form remained waist deep under the porch, whenfrom below there came another crackling, crunching sound, and Billybegan to descend at first slowly, as the rafters over the cellar beganto collapse. Then down he went amid a cloud of dust from the rottingwoodwork, as with a feverish exclamation he vanished from sight. Just atthis instant Phil wheeled, startled by the noise Worth was making andstarted to whisper a cautionary "Silence!"
At this juncture Billy vanished from sight, though Phil heard him, as hestruck the earth of the partially filled cellar, give voice as follows:
"Hullo, Phil! I'm gone!" And that was all Phil then heard from Billy.
Just then there came a scuffling noise from the interior, where a door,partially open, led from the old office to the rear room. Knowing thatsomeone must be inside, for the noise was not from where Billy had gonedown, Phil grasped his cane harder and dashed through the open door intothe back room where he had before seen the forge and the tools, which hehad not been able to understand at the time.
Right in front of him was another open door, beyond the hastilyconstructed forge; and down what seemed to be a cellar stairway he couldsee the head and shoulders of a man. The stranger was struggling upward,impeded by some burden he was carrying with difficulty.
It was difficult in the half light that filtered through the overhangingshade trees without to distinguish anything distinctly. All Phil couldsee was that the man wore a slouch hat, combed with cobwebs from thecellar region below. All at once came the conviction to the lad:
"This must be Dippy, whom the other was calling for so often."
With this came Phil's resolve to boldly move up and prevent thismysterious fellow's escape. He dashed forward, calling out:
"Halt, you! Give an account of yourself! I--"
Here the stranger, dropping the bundle he was carrying, attempted tospring up the last two steps, at the same time reaching behind andpulling forth something small that glittered in the semi-twilight. Whatcould it be--a pistol? At the mere thought, Phil leaped nearer, struckat the glittering toy, while the descending blow knocked the fellow'shat off and, partially stunning him, sent him back down the gloomystairway. The lower end of this was shrouded in deeper gloom, thoughsome light from a cellar window shed a little pale glow from the outsidedaylight.
Following closely, Phil began to stumble down the stairway, when heheard another's unmistakable advance below. For Billy, still armed withthe rubber tube, had heard the mix-up going on above, together withPhil's loud tones and the succeeding fracas; and he saw dimly thetumbling of some bulky weight, followed by the heavier fall of a man'sbody.
"Great goodness!" thought Worth. "Can that be Phil?"
With the thought he scrambled forward over heaps of loose earth to thefirmer floor of the main part of the cellar, until he stood over afigure trying to rise. At the same time down stumbled his comrade,saying:
"I'll get you yet--mind that!"
Satisfied now that it was not Phil at his feet, Billy brought down hisheavy rubber tube over the man's head, who sank back uttering a groan ofpain. At the same time Phil, reaching the bottom of the stairway, sawsomething twinkle in the dirt at his feet. He picked it up.
"Here is the pistol he was trying to shoot me with, Billy. Don't let himup while I feel for some cord I brought along."
Billy, standing astride the prostrate man, took the pistol, a smallaffair. As the stranger groaned and moved Billy gave him another sharptap with the tubing that seemed to settle his hash, as the boys laterexpressed it.
Fingering the weapon, Billy found that it was loaded, all except onechamber. He looked up, saying:
"I bet a nickel against a cent that this is the same pistol thatshot--what's his name?--Horr."
Meantime Phil, having produced several cords that he had taken from thetool box of the Six, proceeded to bind the stranger's wrists togetherbehind his back as he lay half stunned by Billy's attack. While sodoing, he stumbled against a heavy object that proved to be a cheapsuitcase, filled by something that rattled metallically as it was moved.Having tied the man's wrists, they half carried him up the stairway,through the back room and into the old office. Here Billy stood guardarmed with the tube and the pistol. This last they discovered was enoughlike the one Billy had at home to be its mate. Also one chamber beingempty, Phil at once felt sure--with Worth--that they now held the veryweapon that had been fired at Horr, the supposed comrade of the man nowrecovering his senses at their feet.
"Watch him close, Billy," cautioned Phil, "while I go below and get thatsuitcase, and look around a little before we go back to Feeney's."
"Don't be uneasy, Phil. I'll watch him all right. Ain't I just gettingeven for the way those two did me when they ran away with our car?"
While Phil was gone below the stranger, recovering his senses, andseeing only a boy standing over him, looked up with cunning, yetimploring eyes.
"Say, kid," he weakly began, "that was a bad blow you hit me. My head'sabout to bust. You've tied my arms too tight. Please loose me. I won'tdo anything."
"No, you won't! Not while I'm in sight! Remember how you and your pal,who's been calling on you constantly, did for me when you caught me fastasleep? Not much will you get away! Just bank on that, will you?"
"I mean all right, boy. 'Deed I do! Just came back here for a few thingsthat belong to us. Be a good boy. Turn me loose. I'll go with you allright."
"No, you won't! We don't trust you. Besides that, your pal's begging ushard to fetch 'Dippy' back. Wants to see you and ask you why you shothim after stealing our car. Do you catch on?"
At this the man, whose head and shoulder was bruised and aching from theeffect of Billy's rubber tube, seemed to give up. But Worth had one morearrow. He produced the pistol, showed the man the one empty chamber, andsaid:
"Look here, Quinn. That's your name or the one you go by, for Horr saidit was. See that empty cartridge? I know these Smith & Wessontwenty-twos, for I've got one at home myself. We got the bullet, too. Itglanced off and came out. You might as well own up now and thank yourstars you didn't kill your pal, or you would be in for murder as well asthese other jobs."
But before the man could make any rejoinder back came Phil with thesuitcase which seemed quite heavy. In the other hand he carried thestranger's black felt hat, from which Phil had brushed most of the dustand cobwebs and placed it on the man's head as he now sat leaningagainst the edge of the tottering counter behind which the boys hadfound Billy after his capture by the two who attempted to escape withthe Six.
"Can you stand and walk?" queried Phil. "We've got to put you in ourcar; the one you and Horr tried to steal."
The man, now sullen enough, made no reply. Without more ado they helpedhim up and started with him towards the porch. Though his hands weretied, he went grudgingly until he saw the big, yawning open space madeby Worth when the boy fell through both porch floor and the cellarroofing below. The sight seemed to nerve the man to a final effort.
As they stood at the outer office entrance he suddenly pushed againstPhil o
n one side and at the same time butted his head into Worth asforcibly as possible. Worth fell down while Phil, overborne by theweight of the suitcase, seemed in danger of stepping into the hole infront. The man, seeing a wild chance, drew back his foot, and was aboutto kick at the suitcase as if to send it through the hole in front.
"You would, would you?" grunted Billy, recovering in time to put hisback against the door-facing and administer a push with his foot to theman, still standing on one leg in the act of kicking at the suitcase.
Down he went, the intended kick going wild. At the same moment Phil,having dropped the suitcase, sprang upon the man and with Billy's readyaid, managed to bind both legs fast together, so that he lay helpless.After that the boys dragged their prisoner across the porch, then theycarried him to where the car stood amid the shrubbery and placed him inthe tonneau.
"Now, Billy," said Phil, "you watch him close. I'll go back, get thatbag of his, shut the doors and come back. Don't take your eyes off him.He's tricky!"
And Phil again went back while Worth stood over the man watchful andwary.
He was a sullen looking chap, like and yet unlike the stranger whom,with his partner, Billy had briefly seen that day at Feeney's. His eyes,roving about, avoided Billy, while he apparently looked for some furtherloop-hole that might offer another chance to resist or afford a possibleescape.
"No good, old man," remarked Worth, standing over him with the tube inhand, ready for any move the bound man might make. "You've got to gowith us."
"Look here!" suddenly said the fellow. "We've got money--me and mypartner. Why not turn us loose on the quiet? We'll make it allright--sure."
"How do we know you'll make it all right? Didn't you shoot your ownpartner? He says you did. He calls you Dippy Quinn. That your name?"
"Oh, that's nothing! I was reloading the pistol. It went off 'fore Iknew a thing. That's the real goods, boy! As I said, he and me have thedough. Two hundred of it's yours, provided you'll turn us loose--on thequiet."
"You're talking to no good, Quinn. I wouldn't be party to turning eitheryou or Horr loose, not if you placed twice that amount in my hands rightnow."
About this time Phil was seen coming, lugging what appeared to be a veryheavy suitcase, evidently packed full of something that weighed about asmuch as Phil could carry. At sight of this the man seemed beside himselfwith anger. He almost spat in Billy's face as he declared:
"You're both a dirty set of rogues! Yes, both of you! That," pointing atthe packed bag, "is mine--mine and my partner's. We wasn't botheringyou--"
"Oh, no!" laughed Billy. "Come, that's good! All you did was to gag andtie me and try to steal our car. That's a mere nothing, of course."
Phil, by this time arriving, seated himself at the wheel, putting thebag beside him. Then he looked warningly at Worth, saying:
"Keep a sharp eye out, Billy. If he gets too obstreperous, just use thetube. If that don't quiet him, try his pistol."
Then he started the car, steering carefully until they had turned roundand were headed up the old road leading through the timber towardsFeeney's. As the car bumped along over the rough places, Quinn seemed tobe suffering greatly, his tightly bound ankles being the cause of hispresent misery.
"Honest, boy," he began, "at least loose my legs! I sprained my anklesomehow in our scrap back yonder. Besides, there's a boil on my leg.Just loosen it up a bit--that's a good kid!"
One would have supposed that with the previous experience they had hadwith this man, Billy would have given no heed. But Billy, naturallysoft-hearted, saw real tears in the man's eyes. His looks and manner nowwere in such sharp contrast to that exhibited when he felt himself onthe verge of an escape that even Worth felt a certain compunction. Couldthe man be shamming all the time, first in one way, then in another?
With a side look at Phil, who was watching the road as he steered, hebent forward as he said:
"Does the cord hurt you like that? Will you promise to be quiet if Iloosen up those leg cords a bit? But mind you, none of your shenanigan,if I do!"
"No--no--no--course not!" Thus the man mumbled, his breath coming andgoing tremulously, but his wet eyes, resting on Billy appealingly,suddenly changed their expression as Billy's head bent down over thecord, and a swift, crafty gleam shot from under his treacherous brows,while Worth was bending over the confined legs. Meantime Phil, trustingto Billy's watchfulness, was fully occupied with the wheel and thebrakes, for right here was a bad bit of going.
In manipulating the cord so as to loosen it a little--not too much--andwhile, in order to deceive Billy, the fellow kept up his groaning,Billy's fingers were all needed. He hastily tucked under his arm thetube for a moment, as he contended with a stubborn portion of the knot.
Watching both the condition of the loosening knot and noting that no oneelse seemed to be regarding them, the man shoved his legs apart. At thesame time he seized the tube with both hands, jerking it from the armsof Worth. Then, springing to his feet, he raised the tube upward--all inthe twinkling of an eye, so to speak.
With one shoulder he pushed Billy heavily, so that the boy dropped backinto his seat just as Quinn levelled a quick blow across the tonneau atPhil, still busy at the wheel. The blow came as a complete surprise tothe latter, still fully occupied with the wheel and the brakes.Fortunately Phil happened to bend forward in shifting gears, and theblow aimed for Phil's head fell glancingly along his shoulder. Even thenthe force was temporarily paralyzing.
The boy shrunk still further forward under the blow, the movementcausing him to press his foot on the brake. Hence they began to slowtowards a stop. With his faculties still shaken, he mechanically threwon the halting gear, thus bringing the car to a gradual stop.
Meanwhile Billy, seeing at once how he had been duped, raised up soforcibly that he bumped against the prisoner, who was trying to throwhimself from the tonneau to the ground, his legs now being practicallyloose.
"Ha, you will, eh?" gasped Worth. "I'll show you!"
Reaching forth he grabbed a leg of the leaping fugitive, holding on fordear life, so that instead of alighting on his feet, the fellow actuallyfell forward over the tonneau with his head and arms dragging along withthe car. Reaching the earth, the man managed to wrench free from Billy'sclutch and finally kick himself loose, though with his arms still bound.
Meantime Phil, having recovered, was already climbing from the car, andas the man scrambled to his feet he started in pursuit.
"After him, Phil!" shouted Worth, bursting through the tonneau door. "Hefooled me! Don't give up! I'm behind you!"
From then on it became a sharp though short race. First the fugitive,his hands tied behind, bareheaded, straining every nerve. Just in hisrear came Phil, with every muscle doing double duty, reaching forward tograb him who fled. A yard or two behind was Billy, doing a stunt inrapid running that might have surprised him a few minutes before.
The man was agile enough, though doubtless tired. Besides this his arms,inconveniently bound behind his back, doubtless interfered with hisrunning. One result was that after several futile grasps, Phil was atlast able to fasten his grip on the man's tied arms. From that topassing an arm round his neck and hanging grimly on was but momentary.
Then in came Billy, fairly frothing over the manner in which he had beentricked by the captive just when he was trying to make the stranger lessuncomfortable. Between them they soon had him down on the ground wherehe writhed, kicked and twisted about in a climax of sheer desperation.
Doubly exasperated, Billy managed to get hold of a stout, short bit of aclub from amid the fallen litter of the woods, and brought it downsmartly on the man's head. It raised a welt, but he continued tostruggle, though with decreasing force. Evidently he was becomingexhausted. Suddenly Worth jerked out his handkerchief, saying at thesame time:
"Gimme yours, Phil--quick!"
Phil not only complied, but resumed holding down the stranger soeffectively that in another minute Worth soon had his legs bound fastagain.
"No
w let's drag him back to the car and be off," remarked Phil. "Reallythe way that chap acts causes me to feel sure we've made a haul that thelaw will more than sanction. Yet I won't feel safe until we have himback at Feeney's."
The prisoner was lifted in the car where Billy stood over him, withpistol and the tube club ready for instant use if necessary. Withoutfurther trouble the Big Six sped along the rough roads until at lengthFeeney's house was reached. What was their surprise to see another cardrawn up before the yard gate, while two strange men were coming out ofthe house, evidently in a great hurry, preparatory to entering their ownmachine.
CHAPTER XVI
CONCLUSION
At sight of the Big Six they halted, while in their rear came MacLesterand Paul, with Mr. Feeney looking over their shoulders in sheeramazement at what his eyes beheld. Noting Worth's and Phil's disorderedattire and the bound, somewhat bruised captive inside the tonneau, theforemost man came forward, saying to the two lads:
"Well, well! I guess you have saved us some trouble, you boys!" He waveda hand at his partner. "Permit me to introduce self and partner. We'refrom Buffalo, plain clothes detectives, secret service. McPherson is myname; Westcott that of my partner. We already know yours through Mr.Rack, of Syracuse. Guess you know him. This man," pointing at Quinn,"and the other chap inside have been wanted some time for illegalcoinage. After putting them under guard we will visit that old Tavernfor further proofs. What's this?"
"It's what that man Quinn was trying to lug off when we took him. Beforethat they had stolen our car--" This from Billy.
"I know, I know! And you got this, did you? Pretty good!" McPherson hadopened the valise, disclosing tools, dies, bars of metal and numerouscoins. "We were at Midlandville. Heard of you there. Also got wind ofthese chaps and the old Tavern, and, prompted by Rack, we hurried along,fearing you lads might alarm them, inadvertently of course. But you havedone well, remarkably well! There's a thousand reward out for them andit looks as if you four boys will have decidedly the best claim."
Meantime Westcott, assisted by Feeney, who greeted the two ladseffusively, carried in Quinn to join his comrade under strict guard.
"Are you not entitled to that reward, Mr. McPherson?" asked Phil atlength.
"No, sir. Not if anyone else does more than we in apprehending them. Itlooks now as if you four and perhaps Feeney and his folks will beentitled to all there is in it."
It may be said here that after all was over, the boys insisted that theFeeneys should share proportionately in the reward. It did Phil good tosee the delight which these humble, hard working folks felt in what thethird of that reward might do for them. They needed it and were glad toget it besides being grateful to our boys for being so generous.
Three days later the Big Six rolled smoothly into Lannington once more.Glad indeed were the Auto Boys to see again the dear home faces andreceive the sweet home greetings. "And also, and likewise," said Mr.Paul Jones, "home cooking beats the world!"
A number of weeks later the boys read of Adam W. Kull being sentenced toserve seven years in prison, while Grant Coster received a sentence oftwo years. Thus vividly reminded of their adventures, the friendsrenewed a former effort to learn how Scottie had happened to appear inLannington, their own home city. They could not, though it was evidentthat the dog, always even humanly fond of automobiles, had followed somecar there.
Phil and Billy were now preparing to enter college. Dave was alreadyoccupying a steady position in his father's shop and Paul was about totake up engineering in a school near home. Slowly but surely the almostunbroken companionship of years' duration was encroached upon by thedemands the days were bringing. The boys were growing older. But I knowthere were still no pleasanter hours for any of them than when, onholidays and of an evening, they sometimes met again at the little greenand yellow garage under the whispering elms.
THE END
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