CONCLUSION
It was an exciting time when Gilbert and the four chums stood there as
silent as ghosts, and waited for the arrival of the sleep-walker.
Perhaps a dozen seconds had passed when there was a rustle and a sigh
at the open door. Then a figure stalked in.
They could see that it was Aaron Dennison.
Mr. Dennison walked straight over to where that loose plank lay. He
did not show the slightest sign of hesitancy, but stooping down placed
some object on the floor, after which he began to raise the plank as
though familiar with its working.
No wonder the boys stared, and Bluff chuckled softly, when they saw
the object so carefully deposited on the floor by the man who walked
in his sleep.
It was the golden cup, won in the amateur golf tournament by Gilbert
Dennison!
They watched him lift the plank, and then quickly place the cup in
the hole underneath; after this he gently lowered the board, patted it
affectionately, and arose to his feet as if to go.
Frank was more than satisfied. The mystery had been explained in a
fashion that left not a shred of doubt behind.
At the same time Frank found himself wondering what Gilbert would do
next. To convince Mr. Dennison that he himself was wholly to blame, it
would seem to be the proper thing to awaken him before he quitted the
cabin, and show him the cup nestling under the plank.
Frank dimly remembered reading that it was not a wise thing to arouse
a sleep-walker suddenly; he understood that the sudden shock had a
tendency to affect the brain. Apparently Gilbert did not know this,
for he stepped forward and reaching out caught hold of the old man's
arm, shaking it as he called:
"Wake up, Uncle Aaron, wake up!"
They saw the sleeper give a tremendous start. Then he stared first at
Gilbert, and then around him as though dazed.
"It's I, Uncle, and you've been up to your old tricks again, walking
in your sleep," the young fellow told him. "Yes, no wonder you look as
if you could hardly believe your eyes; for you've wandered down to the
old cabin on the Point And, Uncle, what do you think we saw you
doing?"
As he said this Gilbert in turn suddenly stooped, and managing to get
the loose plank up he pushed it aside. When he picked up the golden
cup and held it before the eyes of the old gentleman, Bluff could
hardly keep from bursting into laughter, the look of astonishment on
Mr. Dennison's face was so ludicrous.
"Did I bring that cup here, and stow it away again in that hole,
Gilbert?" he demanded.
"You certainly did, Uncle," he was told.
"Then it stands to reason that I must have been guilty on that other
occasion, too, Nephew?" faltered the old hermit.
"Of course you were, Uncle. Don't you see, you worried over having the
cup there on your hands; and in your sleep you must have dreamed about
the old place here under the floor where you once used to hide things.
And down you came all the way. It happened that the boys were all away
on that night after the storm; isn't it so, fellows?"
"Yes," replied Frank, "Will here and I were caught up in the woods,
and slept under a shelf of rock, while Bluff and Jerry stayed at the
village, where they met the constable, Mr. Jeems. So the cabin was not
occupied at all that night."
"And we knew somebody must have been in here," spoke up Will, "because
the door wasn't closed as we left it, a chair had been pushed over,
and some other things were disturbed. It was a great mystery to all of
us, sir."
Mr. Dennison proved himself equal to the occasion. The look of
consternation on his face had now given way to one of friendliness.
"Then I can plainly see how I have wronged these boys by accusing them
of this mysterious taking of the golden cup," he said, frankly. "I
trust all of you will forgive me, and that Gilbert will some time or
other fetch you up to see me. I want particularly to become better
acquainted with the one who is interested in wild animal photography."
Mr. Dennison whispered a few sentences to his nephew. Evidently he
must have been telling Gilbert that he was at liberty to explain
certain sad things connected with his past life, when the occasion
arose, so that the boys would understand just why, for all his money,
he lived in such a lonely place.
Then he said he must go, and asked Gilbert to accompany him.
"Be sure and bring that precious golden cup of yours," he told the
other. "We'll have to find a safe place to keep it, if I'm going to
have any sound sleep after this. At my age I cannot afford to take
chances of meeting with some accident when wandering around the woods
at night-time. Good-bye, lads, and remember I shall hope to have you
take supper with me some evening soon, when we can get better
acquainted."
After Mr. Dennison and Gilbert had departed Frank thought again of the
injured woodcutter, and, hastening out, they soon had him under the
roof of the cabin.
In the morning it was decided that, as the weather seemed promising,
two of them had better start for the village with the wounded man and
Sandy. The boat was now in extra-good shape, and seemed hardly to leak
a drop. Besides, the sooner Moogs was placed under the care of an
experienced surgeon the better. Frank did not want to be responsible
for the consequences any more than seemed absolutely necessary.
In time the injured woodcutter recovered from his severe wound; and
the boys afterwards received a letter from Sandy, in which the boy
tried hard to express the heavy obligations under which he and his
"dad" felt themselves bound to the Outdoor Chums.
In the afternoon Gilbert came down to see them, and stayed over night.
As they sat around after supper and exchanged confidences the boys
learned of the tragedy that had taken place in the life of Aaron
Dennison. It fully explained the mystery hovering over his enclosed
estate.
He had had a single child, as the poor fragment of a baby shoe had
informed Frank; but the little fellow had been taken away from them.
The wife and mother had never been the same after that, though for
years she continued to be the faithful partner of the man, as he
fought his way up in the world.
In the end she entirely lost her reason, and Mr. Dennison, unwilling
that the one he loved so fondly should be placed in even the best
asylum, had conceived the idea of building this home far removed from
civilization.
Here the poor lady lived attended by a trusty nurse day and night.
There were bars across the windows of her sleeping chamber, because of
late she had developed a mania for wanting to leap from a height and
hence they had to take all precautions.
No doubt she imagined herself a prisoner, and seeing the boys below,
she had waved her handkerchief to them, and also had made gestures
with her hands as though invoking their aid.
Of course Frank assured Gilbert that when they came up to take supper
with his uncle not a word would be said on that painful subject. Even
if they heard that pitiful wailing cry they would pretend that it was
the screech of a strutting peacock, as once they had really believed.
After that the Outdoor Chums found each day bringing new pleasures.
They went up to see Mr. Dennison, not only once but many times, for
the old hermit soon found himself deeply interested in the boys. He
asked a thousand questions concerning the things connected with their
past, and seemed never to tire of listening while these little
adventurous happenings were being narrated.
The glorious days slipped away and finally the day arrived when they
must say good-bye to Cabin Point and all its happy associations.
Will had a large number of splendid pictures to carry back; and all
the boys would often think of the happy times spent at the big lake.
Other events would undoubtedly cross their path, but in reviewing the
strenuous past Frank and his Outdoor Chums would always remember with
deepest interest the mystery of the golden cup, and how strangely it
was solved while they were in camp at Cabin Point.
THE END
* * * * *
Darewell Chums
SERIES
_By_ ALLEN CHAPMAN
* * * * *
The Heroes of the School
Ned Wilding's Disappearance
Frank Roscoe's Secret
Fenn Masterson's Discovery
Bart Keene's Hunting Days
* * * * *
Up and doing from the word go are these "Darewell Chums," a
group of boys who stick together thru thick and thin; thru
high adventure and scrapes. On the field of sport and in the
broader field of life, their comradeship persists. There are
several mysteries interwoven thru these tales that baffle the
most astute. To follow the fortunes of "The Darewell Chums,"
prepare for an exciting journey in Bookland.
* * * * *
The Goldsmith Publishing Co.
CLEVELAND, O.
* * * * *
End of Project Gutenberg's The Outdoor Chums at Cabin Point, by Quincy Allen