ON THE TRAIL
The boat glided swiftly through the dark water.
"Nick will get the silver cup for that stunt," said Norris.
"He'll get a punch in the eye if he doesn't have a car for us," said
Scoutmaster Ned.
"I wonder how he did."
"Town hall," said Scoutmaster Ned; "that kid thinks quick. If he'd only
learn to tie a knot he'd be a scout. Vernon's a pretty good kid, though;
he's better than Mount Vernon anyway. Pull on your left a little, Bill.
What's the matter; got the sleeping sickness? Pull straight for that
light."
"If that wasn't a stunt, what is?" said Norris.
"You are," said Scoutmaster Ned. "We're not handing out silver cups
to-night. Maybe I'll do a stunt to-night and win it."
"You?"
"Yes, me. Pull on your left some more. What do you think this is, Bill;
a merry-go-round? Now go straight."
"Maybe Fido Norton found their prints," said Norris. "He's a bear at
that."
"He's clumsier than a bear, like all Safety First's troop. How about
that, Safety? Come on--_quick!_ Row!"
"Coming?" called a voice from the shore.
"That's what," answered Scoutmaster Ned.
"Your car's gone."
"So I read in the sky. Somebody break in?"
"The small door's locked, the big one was open but nothing broken."
"Get out!"
"Wait till you see. Who's there?"
"Safety First and Norris and me? You didn't think to get a car, did you?
Do you know which way they went?"
"Jim Burton is here with his Packard."
"Hello, Jim."
"Hello, Ned."
"They followed the main road past the east road. We tracked the tires
past Oppie's mill. They're not likely to turn out anywhere else, till
they get past Piper's anyway."
"You'll be a scout yet, Fido," called Scoutmaster Ned.
"What did they do, wake you up?" said Safety First as they pulled the
boat up on shore.
"I should think they did," said Jim Burton; "they rang the bell a
hundred times and went out into the garage and tooted the horn. Why
don't you teach your scouts manners?"
"Can't be did, Jim. Let's take a pike at the place. Hello Fido, that
you? You sure about them going as far as the mill?"
"Yop."
"Yop, hey? Well, that's not so bad. You'll get a second helping of
dessert some day. Come on, who's going? Pile in. Mighty good of you,
Jim."
A brief moment's inspection of the shed and they were off. Jim Burton
drove the car and by him sat Scoutmaster Ned. The others, Safety First,
Nick Vernon, Fido Norton and Charlie Norris, sat in back.
"Too many?" asked Scoutmaster Ned.
"She rides better with a load," said Jim Burton.
"I don't suppose there's much chance," said Ned. "You notified the
cops, didn't you, Nick? Good. The battery is low and there isn't any
crank on my bus and my only hope is that she'll lay down on them. Soak
it to her, Jim."
"Do you want to stop and look at the tire marks yourself?" asked Norton.
"It was that new Goodyear that I was tracking, the one that's all
crisscross."
"You tracked it past the East road? So they didn't turn down there?
Sure?"
"Yop."
"That's enough. Let's see her step, Jim."
Jim "soaked it to her" and she stepped. Not a bit of fuss did she make
over it. Just stepped. A silent, fleet step, like the step of a deer.
And the spectral trees on either side seemed to glide the other way, and
east road seemed like a piece of string across their path, and Oppie's
mill was but a transient speck and Valesboro was brushed aside like a
particle of dust.
The car of a thousand delights could not do that....