TIRE TRACKS
Next day was Saturday, and immediately after breakfast the Hardy boys
asked their mother to make up a lunch for them, as they intended to
spend the day in the woods with a number of their school chums.
Mrs. Hardy quickly made up a generous package of sandwiches, not
forgetting to slip in several big slices of the boys' favorite cake,
and the lads started out in the bright morning sunshine, with the whole
holiday before them.
They met the other boys, half a dozen in all, on the road at the
outskirts of the town and so, whistling and chattering and telling
jokes, the group trudged along the dusty highway. Once in a while they
would explore along the fences for berry bushes, and occasionally a
friendly scuffle would start, to end with both laughing contestants
covered with dust.
When they reached the crossroads Chet had not yet appeared, so they
rested in the shade of the trees until at length the chubby youth came
panting along the road, his lunch under his arm.
"If I only had my roadster I wouldn't be late," he said, as he came up
to them. "I've been so used to it that I've forgotten how long it takes
to walk this far."
"Well, are we all set?" asked Frank.
"Everybody's here. Where are we going?"
"What do you say to Willow Grove?"
"All those in favor say 'Aye'," demanded Chet, and there was a chorus
of "Aye" from the crowd.
"It's unanimous," Chet decided. "Willow Grove it shall be. Let's go."
Willow Grove was about a mile farther on. It was some distance in from
the road, and was on the banks of Willow River, from which it got its
name. It was an ideal place for a picnic, and as it was somewhat early
in the season it was hardly likely that other parties from the city
would be in the grove that day.
Frank told the other boys about Chet's adventure with the auto horn and
the story was greeted with shouts of laughter, which were redoubled
when Chet told how he had later jumped down from the wagon and run
along behind, shouting to Lem Billers to give him a ride.
"It was a shame!" he confessed. "The poor old chap reined in his horses
and made me come up and sit on the seat beside him. He asked me if I
had walked very far and then he told me all about his argument with the
policeman and the chauffeur. I could hardly keep my face straight."
When the boys reached the lane that led in toward Willow Grove from the
main road they broke into a run and raced into the woods, shouting and
yelling like wild Indians. Once in the friendly shade of the trees they
capered about in the joy of their Saturday freedom. Chet took charge of
the lunches and stored them in a convenient clearing, and then began
the rush for the river.
The day passed in the usual fashion of such days. They swam, they
ate, they loafed about under the trees, they played games at imminent
risk of life and limb, they explored the woods, and otherwise enjoyed
themselves with all the happy energy of healthy lads. Joe Hardy, who
was an amateur naturalist in his way, went roaming off by himself
during the afternoon while the other boys were enjoying their third
swim of the day, and penetrated deeper into the woods.
He poked about in the undergrowth, examining various flowers and plants
that came to his attention, but discovered no specimens that he had not
seen before. He was just on the point of going back to the other lads
when he saw before him a small clearing. It was a part of the grove in
which he had never been, so he ploughed on through the bushes until he
found himself in a clearing that appeared to be part of an abandoned
roadway.
It was in a low-lying part of the grove and the ground was wet. At one
point it was muddy, and in this mud Joe saw something that aroused his
curiosity.
"Tire tracks, eh! There's been an automobile in here," he muttered
to himself. "I wonder how on earth a car could get this far into the
woods!"
Then he remembered his father's remarks on the value of developing his
powers of observation, so he went over closer and examined the marks in
the mud.
"That's a strange tread," he thought. "I've never seen a tire mark
quite like that before."
He gazed at it until he was sure that if he ever saw a similar auto
tread again he would recognize it.
"That just goes to prove that dad was right," said Joe. "Probably I've
seen auto tires like that often, but I've never noticed the markings,
and now that I do notice one in particular it seems strange to me. But
I wonder what an automobile was doing in here and how it came to get
here in the first place!"
However, he gave the matter little further thought and retraced his
steps through the woods until he returned to the other boys, who were
getting dressed after their swim.
"I thought automobiles weren't allowed in Willow Grove," he said
casually to Chet Morton.
"Neither they are. You have to park just inside the fence."
"Well, somebody brought a car right down into the grove."
"They couldn't. There's no road."
"Well, there's a sort of clearing over there," said Joe, motioning in
the direction from which he had just returned. "It looks as if it had
been a road at one time."
"That's probably the old creek road. It hasn't been used for years."
"Well, it was used just this week. I saw the marks of an automobile
tire over there not ten minutes ago. And it was a mighty peculiar
tread, too. Like this--," and Joe commenced to draw a replica of the
design in the sand, using a thin stick of wood as a pencil.
Chet Morton stared.
"Why," he exclaimed, "there's only one car in the city has tires like
that!"
"Whose car?"
"Mine!" exclaimed Chet, springing to his feet. "Where _is_ this
road you found?"
Joe Hardy quickly led the way and all the other boys came trooping
along behind, the whole band thrown into a state of great excitement
by this unexpected discovery. They all knew that Chet's car was of an
unusual make and that the tires were distinctive. When they reached the
clearing and Chet had examined the imprint in the mud he exclaimed:
"There's no mistake about it! My car has been here! No other car in the
city has a tread like that!"
"Perhaps the car is still around here," suggested Frank quickly. "For
all we can tell, the thief may have abandoned it and picked this road
as a good place to hide it."
"It would be an ideal place," agreed Chet. "This road leads off the
main highway, and it isn't often used. Let's take a look around,
anyway."
The boys quickly scattered, some taking one side of the road, the rest
taking the other.
For a while the search continued without success, but at last Frank
and Chet, who were following the abandoned road farther down, gave a
simultaneous cry.
"Here's a bypath!"
Before them was a narrow roadway, over-grown with weeds and low bushes
that almost hid it from view. It led from the abandoned road into the
very depths of the wood. Without hesitation the two boys plunged into
it.
The narrow roadway widened out farther on, then wound about a heavy
clump of trees, until it came to an end in a wide clearing.
And in the clearing stood Chet Morton's lost roadster!
"My car!" yelled Chet, in delight.
His shout was heard by all the other boys, and the sound of snapping
twigs and crackling branches soon told Frank and Chet that the others
were losing no time in reaching the scene.
Chet's delight was boundless. He examined the car with minute care,
in every particular, while the other boys crowded about. At last he
straightened up with a smile of satisfaction.
"She hasn't been damaged a bit. All ready to run. The thief just hid
the old bus in here and made a getaway. Come on, fellows, we don't walk
back home to-day. We ride."
He clamored into the car and in a few seconds the engine roared. There
was sufficient room in the clearing to permit him to turn the roadster
about, and when he swung the car around and headed up the bypath the
boys gave a cheer and hastened to clamber on board.
Lurching and swaying, the roadster reached the abandoned road and from
there it was an easy run to the main highway. In spite of the fact that
it had been left in the bush for probably a week, the roadster was in
perfect condition and the engine ran smoothly. Joe was given the seat
of honor beside the driver, because he had discovered the tire marks
that had led to the recovery of the car, and the other boys distributed
themselves as best they could. They clung to the running boards, hung
precariously to the back, and one lad even straddled the hood. In this
manner the triumphal procession returned to Bayport.
But as the cheering lads came down the main street they noticed that
there was an unwonted air of excitement in the town. People were
standing on the street corners in little groups, talking earnestly,
and when the boys spied Detective Smuff, of the police force, striding
along with a portentous frown, they called out to him.
"What's on your mind to-day, detective? Chet got his car back!"
"I've got something more important than stolen cars to worry about,"
declared Detective Smuff. "The Tower Mansion has been robbed."