TRESPASSERS
The two guardians of the camp at Cabin Point, being left to their own
devices, set about carrying out certain tasks they had in mind.
Frank always found plenty to occupy his attention. He could discover
numerous ways of bettering the conditions of affairs, and took keen
delight in making changes calculated to lessen the friction of camp
life.
On his part Will pottered with his camera for fully an hour. When in
the end he laid it aside in working order he was satisfied with what
he had done.
"I've got it in splendid condition now, Frank," he announced, "and
from this time on there'll be no danger of a slip when the trap is
sprung. That's been bothering me a whole lot for some time now, and
I'm tickled to know the ghost is laid."
Every little while he examined the negative he had drying, as though
anxious to get a proof from it when it was in proper condition.
About eleven o'clock he came to Frank holding a browned bit of paper
on which the sun had printed a very clear picture as taken when the
flashlight cartridge burned.
"The face shows fairly well," he announced. "I'd easily enough
recognize the man if ever I ran across him, and that's something."
Frank looked long and earnestly at the proof.
"So that's our hermit, is it?" he remarked; "the old man they say acts
so queerly, and has kept to himself up there on his estate for years,
living the life of a recluse among his books and papers. There must be
some good reason for his acting that way. He's met with some sort of
terrible disappointment in life it may be; but then that's no business
of ours."
"But Frank, I was meaning to suggest something to you to-day," began
Will, looking uncertain, as though he did not know just how the other
might take the proposition he had on the tip of his tongue.
"Oh! so that's the way the wind blows, does it?" remarked Frank,
raising his eyebrows as he looked at his chum. "Somehow when you
declined to let Bluff take the camera along with him I had an idea you
were figuring on some scheme. You look like a regular conspirator,
Will. Out with it before you choke."
"Listen then, Frank; I was hoping I might coax you to go up there
again to-day when I could be along."
Frank whistled upon hearing this suggestion.
"I reckon you mean go to the hermit's place, Will?" he remarked
inquiringly.
"Yes, that's just it, Frank, and please, now, don't shut down on me
too quickly. Say you'll think it over, and let me know at noon."
Frank scratched his head as though considering. The fact of the matter
was he himself had a peculiar yearning to make that trip again. There
is a sort of subtle fascination about prowling around forbidden
territory. Then the mystery connected with the hermit had aroused his
curiosity. That strange cry, too, lingered in his memory even more
than Frank cared to confess to Bluff.
"But what excuse can we give for trespassing if we run across old
Aaron, his housekeeper, or any man connected with the place?" he asked
Will.
At that the other smiled calmly.
"Well, you know an amateur photographer never wants for a reason when
he gets caught intruding on private grounds," he explained; "his
enthusiasm is supposed to tempt him to take any risks. And Frank, if
we run across any trouble don't hesitate to pile all the blame on me.
I'm willing to stand for it."
"Is it the house you're aiming to take a picture of, Will?"
"Partly that," the other confessed. "You and Bluff described it as a
strange looking building, and worth seeing, so I'm fairly wild to snap
it off. And then, if we just happened to come on Aaron himself, why I
might manage to get him in focus and click my camera without his
knowing it. I hope you'll go this time, Frank. Somehow I've got my
heart set on it."
"Well, perhaps I may, Will. Let the thing drop till we're eating our
lunch, and then I'll tell you what I'll do."
"Good for you, Frank!" exclaimed Will, beaming on his chum, for
somehow he must have guessed that the chances of their going were
pretty fair.
When noon arrived and they sat down to enjoy what had been prepared
Will's face looked so much like one big interrogation point that Frank
did not have the heart to keep him longer in suspense.
"I see no good reason why we shouldn't wander up that way if we feel
like it," he went on to say, at which the other looked greatly
pleased. "Of course," Frank continued, "it isn't exactly the right
thing for us to crawl through that opening in the fence again,
especially after we've been warned off by the housekeeper; but since
you say you _must_ get a snapshot of the house, why, we'll risk it."
"That's kind of you to agree, Frank."
"Oh! I rather guess it's six for you and half a dozen for myself,"
chuckled the other lad; "because I own up there's something about
Aaron's place up there that draws me more than I ought to allow. But
after all we mean no harm, and besides we may not meet any one on our
trip."
"Remember," added Will, with a grin, "it's only returning the old
gentleman's visit of last night, you know. We want to be neighborly,
of course."
There was no hurry, since they had the whole afternoon ahead of them.
Will, however, urged a start because he had hopes that they might
return by a long, roundabout course, and possibly pick up some
interesting views on the way.
"There are some clouds passing overhead," remarked Frank, "and we may
get a little thunder shower while away; so we'd better fix things here
shipshape."
This was easily done, though of course they did not think to fasten
the door in any way. The other two boys might get back before they
did, and it would be foolish to bar them out of the cabin. Besides,
what reason had they to fear any invasion from tramps up in this
lonely section of country?
Once started, Will seemed very happy. Frank on his part had no great
difficulty in following the dimly seen trail. From time to time he
would show his companion the marks of footprints both going and
coming, and which were other than those left by himself and Bluff on
the preceding day.
"That proves we guessed right when we said it was old Aaron who ran
against the string of your flashlight trap," Frank explained; "and I'd
give a cooky to know why he was making for the cabin at the time."
"You told the housekeeper, didn't you, Frank, that we had bunked in
the cabin on the point jutting out into the bay?"
"Yes, and she may have informed him," Frank mused. "Even if he's kept
himself up here away from everybody for so long, buried in his books,
old Aaron might have enough curiosity to walk down over this trail
that he knows so well, just to take a look at us."
"If he's half as gruff as they say," suggested Will, "he may have
meant to order us to vacate the ranch. Then that awful flash came and
frightened it all out of him."
Other things cropping up caused them to change the subject. And in due
course of time they sighted the high board fence with which the
strange hermit had surrounded his estate, thus warning strollers to
keep out.
Will was interested in everything connected with the isolated home of
the rich and mysterious recluse.
"Of course," he remarked, reflectively, "we could climb over that
fence if we went to a lot of trouble, even if it has got a barbed wire
strand along the top; but it would take more or less time. And you
said there was an opening we could use, didn't you, Frank?"
"It's just ahead a little way, if some one hasn't found the loose
board and fastened it up securely," replied the pilot of the
expedition.
They were pleased to discover that this had not happened. The loose
board still hung in position, and could be easily moved to one side,
allowing them a ready entry to the enclosed grounds.
Neither of them spoke above a whisper as they advanced. Frank followed
the tracks he and Bluff had made when leaving, since these marked the
shortest route to the building. And it was not long before they
caught their first glimpse of the house.
The sun happened to be just about right for a good picture of the
front; Will hoped those drifting clouds would not come along in an
exasperating way, as so often happens in the experience of every
amateur photographer, and obscure the light.
"It's going to make a cracker-jack of a picture, Frank!" said Will,
eagerly, and in the lowest of tones, as though he feared that
something might still happen to keep him from accomplishing his
cherished purpose.
"Just what I thought," replied the other, in an equally cautious
voice; "which was one reason I agreed to bring you up here. Get busy
now, Will."
The boy with the camera glanced about him, looking for the proper spot
from which to snap off his picture. Taking into consideration the
situation of the sun at that particular minute, together with the
direction the long, low building faced, Will saw that he could get in
the entire front and the western side.
He moved a little to the left and gauged matters with his practiced
eye. Being quite a skillful operator with the lens and the shutter,
Will could judge these things much better than any of his chums. In a
case of this kind at least he had no occasion to ask the advice of
Frank.
The latter in the meanwhile was looking from window to window of the
two-story building. It must have many rooms, he judged, from the
number of these openings. He was also wondering whether that old and
vigilant housekeeper would chance to discover the intruders in front
of the house, and hasten out to warn them away, lest they get in
trouble with her master.
Then, too, Frank was letting his curiosity have free rein again; he
remembered the weird cry that had come floating to the ears of himself
and Bluff, giving them such a queer feeling.
Nothing happened to spoil Will's chance of getting a good picture. The
clouds kept away from the sun in the most accommodating way, and no
gruff keeper of the grounds came along with an angry demand that he
desist in his undertaking, as the owner of the estate did not wish the
public to see what manner of home he had built for himself there
behind that towering fence.
When Frank heard a slight "click" he knew that Will had made at least
one exposure, though like a cautious photographer he might decide to
shift his location a trifle and try again, so as to make sure of his
work.
Their excursion, then, promised to meet with success. If only the
eccentric owner of the place himself should come along and give Will a
chance to snap his picture off it would be doubly satisfactory.
That was what Frank was saying to himself as he stood and waited for
Will to complete his work. Once he fancied he heard some slight sound,
like the rustling of bushes, and wondered whether, after all, there
could be a dog at large within the enclosed grounds.
Frank realized that they were intruders, and as such could not give
any good excuse for being there. He decided that they had better
linger no longer; and was really in the act of turning to wave his
hand to Will, some twenty feet or more away, when something happened
that stopped his plan.
A voice that was trembling with anger came to his ears, and gave him a
rude shock.
"How dare you trespass on this private property, and even have the
assurance to take a picture of my house, you young rascals?" was what
this furious voice said, and turning quickly Frank saw the speaker not
five feet away from him.