by Morgan Scott
CHAPTER XXVII.
THE SECRET.
“I wish you’d tell me one or two things that I don’t quite understand,Mr. Granger,” said Sleuth, as they retraced their steps through thewoods. “For instance, there’s the mysterious ticking of the unseen clockin the hermit’s hut.”
Granger chuckled a bit. “I’ve got a clock hidden there,” he said. “Itook pains to hide it well, too.”
“Very clever,” said Sleuth. “But how about the mysterious rappings?”
“You observed that the old hut has fallen over until it touches one ofthose tall pines. When the wind blows, I fancy two of the limbs of thattree must knock together, and the sound, communicated along the trunk ofthe tree, is like that made by someone knocking.”
“Um,” said Piper; “simple. But when we were in the old ranch the day ofthe thunder-shower, we heard a low moaning following those knockingsounds.”
“I have heard that likewise when there was enough wind to move the doorof the hut on its rusty hinges. It’s really a shame that you shouldcatch me at this job, my boy, for it’s liable to deprive me of a steadyremuneration, and my story writing scarcely provides a satisfactoryincome.”
“The hotel people have been paying you,” declared Piper. “That’s it,eh?”
“Sure. As I told you boys when I visited your camp, this hotel, beinglocated some distance from a convenient railway station, didn’t succeedvery well at first. Its methods of advertising were strictlyconventional, and it was I who suggested something better in that line.Having heard the fable of Lovers’ Leap and the story of Old Lonely, Iplaced before the hotel proprietors a scheme through which I feltconfident their place could be made very popular and attractive. It wasI who advised them to place the white cross upon the cliff, and I wrotefor them the story of the Indian lovers, which they are now using intheir printed advertising. I urged them furthermore to make the most ofthe superstitious belief of some people that this island was haunted,and I agreed to do a few ghost stunts. You can see how easy it was forme, in collaboration with the hotel people, to carry this thing through.Two of the men from the hotel boathouse were rowing that boat, and, hadthe others insisted on landing upon the island, they would havepretended they were too frightened to do so. But it’s all over now. Mylucrative profession as a spook is busted.”
“Now, really, that’s too bad,” said Sleuth, feeling sorry for the man.“If I don’t tell——”
“But you will. You can’t keep it to yourself. I never saw a boy whocould keep such a secret.”
“Is that so?” exclaimed Sleuth resentfully. “Perhaps, Mr. Granger, youhaven’t got boys thoroughly sized up. There may be some who can’t keeptheir traps closed, but I want you to understand that I’m different.”
The man stopped and grasped Piper by the shoulder.
“Will you promise not to expose me—at least, not for a year?” he askedeagerly. “That would give me time enough. Another season at this ghostgame ought to pack that hotel full, and I can get a regular monthlysalary to do my part of the work.”
“I’ve always wanted to write stories,” said Sleuth shrewdly. “You seemto know something about that sort of business, and if you’ll put me wiseto the game I’ll remain as dumb as an oyster about this spook trick.”
“You won’t tell your friends even?”
“Not a living soul,” vowed Piper.
“Well, I’m not sure that I can instruct you in the art of writingstories; I’ve a lot to learn myself. Nevertheless, I’ll do my best. Ifyou have some natural ability in that line, it may be possible that youcan write, but I can’t promise you any degree of success without knowingmore of your talents.”
“It’s a bargain, Mr. Granger,” said Piper, putting out his hand in thedarkness. “If you’ll do that, I’ll keep mum for a year or more, in caseyou ask it.”
They shook hands, sealing the pledge.
They had reached the canoe and were about to launch it when distantvoices were heard calling:
“Sleuth—oh, Sleuth! Piper! Where are you?”
“Well, I’ll be hanged!” muttered the boy. “That’s some of my bunch.They’re over yonder somewhere. Confound their hides! Now I know who tookmy boat. Now I understand how I happened to be left here on this oldisland.”
The boys were still calling.
“You’d better answer them,” said Granger quickly. “Go to meet them. I’llkeep out of sight. Good by.”
“Good by, Mr. Granger. I’ll see you tomorrow about two o’clock at yourcabin, if that’s agreeable.”
“That’s agreeable to me. Hustle now. Answer them quick.”
Piper hurried away, shouting a response to his friends, and when hereached the place where he had left his boat he saw them a shortdistance away upon the water. There were three of them. Two were in thecanoe, while one occupied the boat Sleuth had hired.
“Well, it’s about time you fellows came back for me,” rasped Piper.“Thought you were playing a fine old game, didn’t you? You were having alot of fun with me, weren’t you? Rather clever to sneak up and take myboat away, wasn’t it?”
“Gee!” said Springer, who was sitting in the boat. “Old Sleuthy ismighty hot under the cuc-collar.”
“Yes,” sneered Crane from the canoe; “I’ll bate he’s pretty nigh scat todeath.”
“Oh, you will, will you?” scoffed Piper. “Well, don’t bet too much onit, for you’ll lose your money. You haven’t got nerve enough to comehere even with somebody, but I’ve been all over the island alone.”
“Go ashore and take him off in the boat, Springer,” directed Grant. “Hesure doesn’t seem very much frightened.”
Piper got into the boat as soon as Phil brought it to the shore.
“Just because you fellows are scarecrows yourselves,” he sneered, “youmustn’t get the idea that everyone else is a coward. Come on now,Springer, you can do the rowing as long as you have the oars. Let’s getto camp. I’m hungry for supper.”
“Sus-seen anything of the ghost?” asked Phil, with a laugh.
“Oh, piffle!” retorted Sleuth. “Ghosts don’t frighten me. Why, I’d bewilling to stay alone all night on this island.”
“Yes, you would!” scoffed Springer, although he wondered that Sleuthbetrayed no symptoms of perturbation other than those caused byresentment at the trick they had perpetrated upon him. “We’ve beenwaiting for you to holler. We took the boat and went round the littlepoint yonder, where we’d be out of sight, and waited there.”
“Say,” called Crane from the canoe, “we heard a dog howlin’, and itseemed to be on the island, too. Did yeou hear it, Sleuth?”
“Sure,” was the careless answer; “I heard it. It was on the island, allright.”
“Pipe,” said Grant, “you’re really a wonder. I confess that I’ve neverhad you sized up just right. For pure, unadulterated nerve, you seem tohave the rest of us roped and thrown.”
Sleuth’s chest expanded tremendously.
“You never can tell,” he retorted.
They were some distance from the island, making for the camp, in thevicinity of which the fire, tended by Stone, could be seen gleamingcheerfully, when suddenly, behind them, rose the long drawn howling of adog, hearing which, Springer jerked nervously at the oars and putgreater energy into his stroke.
“There it is!” he cried. “Great Scott! it mum-makes my blood runcuc-cold!”
“Your blood,” scoffed Sleuth—“your blood is about as thick as water.”
“Look!” said Phil.
They looked back. In the border of the pines a light like a gleaming eyewinked at them several times and vanished. Piper was the only one whoknew that it must be a strong electric torch with a reflector, operatedby Mr. Charles Granger.
* * * * *
Sleuth kept his word to Granger; not even a hint of the real solution ofthe mystery did he breathe to his campmates. They wondered at hissurp
rising courage, for, accepting their challenge to do so, hepermitted them to place him on the island and leave him there alone lateone afternoon, and there he remained until they came to take him off anhour before midnight.
“Spooks,” said Piper, “are really sociable and friendly when you come toknow them well. You never heard of one of them actually hurting a liveperson. As far as Old Lonely was concerned, I think he must have been apretty decent sort when he was alive, even though he was tempted to roba bank, and I haven’t the slightest notion that he’d harm anyone nowhe’s dead.”
Every afternoon during the remainder of the outing Piper visited Mr.Granger at the latter’s cabin. He explained to his friends that theyoung author was teaching him to write stories, and their newly acquiredrespect for Sleuth’s courage prevented them from joshing him much aboutthis. Indeed, he was permitted to do practically as he pleased aroundthe camp, taking advantage of which, he allowed his companions toperform all the labor, while he lounged around and dreamed of the daywhen he would write a detective yarn that should make the fascinatingtales of “Old Sleuth” seem tame and feeble by comparison.
Twice Granger came to the boys’ camp and spent a sociable hour withthem. He and Piper seemed to be on the most friendly terms, and oncethey were detected laughing slyly over a joke that was not explained atthat time to the rest of the boys.
Jim Simpson also came frequently with supplies from the farm, andsometimes he talked with Grant about cowboy life, for he still clung tothe hope that he would follow such a career when he became his ownmaster.
Peace was formally declared between Sile Crane and Carl Duckelstein, andmore than once the Dutch boy fished unmolested from the point.
At last the end of the outing came, as the end to all pleasant thingsmust come, and the boys pulled down their tent, packed up, and theiroutfit was transported to Pemstock by Carl. Ere leaving the campingground, they paused to give a rousing cheer. And as they marched awaySpringer cast a regretful look over his shoulder in the direction ofSpirit Island.
“Too bad,” he said. “You’ve got plenty of nerve, Sleuth, but it’s toobad you couldn’t solve the mystery of that old island.”
Piper simply smiled.
These experiences, of course, only increased Piper’s interest in solvingmysteries and his belief in his own genius in that line. During the fallimmediately following his adventures in the summer camp, the Sleuthscented a secret nearer home. With his usual caution he followed thescent and made deductions, and the results surprised even him. The storyis all told in “The Great Oakdale Mystery,” the fifth volume of theOakdale Academy Series.
THE END.
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Transcriber’s Notes:
Italicized phrases are presented by surrounding the text with _underscores_. Boldface phrases are presented by surrounding the text with equal signs. Small capitals have been rendered in full capitals.
Punctuation has been standardized. Minor spelling and typographic errors have been corrected silently, except as noted below. Hyphenated words have been retained as they appear in the original text, except as noted below.
On page 271, "at" (second one in sentence) was changed to "as". The original text was "having near at hand such attractions at Lovers’ Leap and the haunted island".
Two uses of "adverse" were left as is, although its usage implies it should be "averse".
Several pairs of words were used in both a hyphenated form and an unhyphenated form. In each case, the less frequently used form was changed to the more frequently used form. These pairs were:
"to-morrow" and "tomorrow" - unhyphenated form used "to-night" and "tonight" - unhyphenated form used "shot-gun" and "shotgun" - unhyphenated form used
