WHAT THE SMOKE MEANT
"Lanky!"
"Ahoy! there, you sprinters, I began to think you were headed for
the Arctic regions. Let me get my breath, will you?" and the almost
exhausted skater sank on the bent tree trunk, panting heavily.
"This is sure an unexpected treat, old top," said Frank, mimicking
Lanky in his method of speech; "and to what do we owe the pleasure of
your company?"
"Found that my people had changed their plans at the last minute, and
meant to stay home and have Christmas dinner at night. Thought of you
two ducks immediately, and what a bully good time I was missing. So I
grabbed up my skates, and put for the drink at full speed. Found you
were half an hour and more on the way; so I started in pursuit. I've
been keeping it up all this time."
"Why, we haven't raced at all, have we, Ralph? Did you stop to talk
with Friend Bill on the way, Lanky?" asked Frank.
"Who, me? Not so you could notice it. I told you I was going to dig
out that hard nut all by myself. If Bill started to tell me his whole
family history now, I'd shut up my ears and run off," declared the
other.
"Honest, now, I believe he would," laughed Frank; "he's got the most
stubborn nature ever. How'd you know but what we had quit the ice long
ago, and gone ashore some distance down."
"By the marks of your skates," grinned Lanky.
"But then there are other fellows who might take a notion to skate up
here and explore the headwaters of the noble Harrapin?" remarked Frank.
"They don't happen to strike out just as you do. Guess I've seen your
private mark often enough to know it among ten thousand."
"I reckon you are not to be caught to-day, Lanky. See anything of the
other Bill? Shall we call him a counterfeit because he's a bad Bill?"
asked Ralph.
"No; I forgot all about him. Say, he might be somewhere around this
country. It looks tough enough to give shelter to a fellow who wanted
to hide. But I guess he wouldn't trouble us. We'd be poor picking for
a thief; and it would give him away. What made you ask that, Ralph?"
demanded the newcomer, looking curious.
"Nothing much. You see Frank was pointing out that big smoke-stack two
miles or so off there, and saying that it belonged to the penitentiary
over at Lauderville."
"Is that a fact? Phew! I didn't dream we had come that far. Perhaps
that runaway scamp did come this way when he broke out. Looks like it
would be good country for him to hide in, all right."
Lanky glanced around rather timidly as he spoke, as though he half
expected to see some ferocious figure crouching in the nearby bushes,
and fastening a burning gaze upon them as they lingered.
"This is as far as we ought to go," remarked Frank.
"Thanks for that thought, old fellow. I'm nearly all in, what with that
long pull, and uphill all the way. Glad to rest up a bit before turning
back. Wonder if we could find a farmhouse around here. I'm nearly
starved after such unusual exercise, and I happen to have some money in
my jeans, it being Christmas you know, when the coin circulates in most
homes."
"I have a lunch in my pocket if we fail to locate any house. True, if
Lanky here is real hungry, he could take it in three bites; but we'll
make him put a curb on that ferocious appetite of his, for once," Frank
remarked, with humor in his eye.
"But I saw a farmhouse a mile or two back. Let's head that way and
implore them to have pity on three poor young fellows lost in the
wilds," suggested Ralph.
"Well, a cold bite doesn't appeal to me any more than it seems to in
your case," observed Frank; "and if you're rested, Lanky, we'll pull up
stakes and return over our course until we sight the friendly harbor.
But make up your mind that it is the cash that will influence a farmer
up here far more quickly than any hard-luck story."
"Yes, they get those every day from the army of tramps. Off we go,
then, boys," cried Lanky, jumping to his feet. "Did you stop to talk
with him on the way up?" he presently threw over his shoulder as he
sped along down the winding stream.
"Why, yes, we stopped about ten minutes at the island. He pulled out
three fine slinkers while we stood there. And he said, Lanky----"
"Here, never mind what he said. I don't want to hear it, I tell you,"
interrupted the other, putting his hands to his ears.
"Oh! splash! don't jump at conclusions so fast. He invited us to stop
and have Christmas dinner with him at the Hotel de Hobo. Bill gave us
to understand that his cut glass had not arrived, and the _chef_ had
struck, so that a course dinner was out of the question, but we would
find heaps of fish ready."
"Huh! I told you Bill was all right, didn't I?" came over the shoulder
of the one ahead.
"And he's promised to keep an eye out for that counterfeit Bill, what's
his name--Brockholt. There's a cool three hundred up for his arrest and
return to Lauderville. Bill, of Rattail Island, is out for the stuff,"
went on Frank.
"I'm right glad it's so. That proves he couldn't be mixed up with the
fellow they say escaped from the pen. But there's the farmhouse through
that bunch of water maples, boys. Are we going to make a try for grub?"
demanded Lanky.
"Watch us, that's all. And here's as good a place to take our skates
off as any. Look out for dogs, fellows. They all keep 'em up here, it's
so lonely for the women folks; and I imagine that every now and then
some prisoner escapes in this direction."
"My feet feel like clubs. I can hardly stand," declared Ralph.
"Jump up and down some. That'll bring about circulation of blood, and
take away the numbness. Now, come along, all who want to join the grub
skirmishers," with which Frank led the way up the bank.
"Just our luck to strike a house where there isn't any smoke, and the
good people have gone ten miles away to eat Christmas dinner with
another part of the family," grumbled Lanky, from the rear, as he
stumbled along.
"Whatever got that notion into your head?" asked Frank, turning around.
"Oh! I had it happen one time I was away. I think that was on
Thanksgiving. We floundered three miles across a marsh, in mud up to
our knees, and got to the house on the hill only to find it shut up and
cold, with a paper on the back door telling John, whoever he might be,
that they would be back to-morrow. You ought to have seen us if you
ever wanted to look on a disgusted bunch."
"Go on," said Frank.
"How do you know there is anything else?" asked Lanky, grinning
whimsically.
"Because I know you too well to believe it would end there. Confess
now that you got something to eat after all--that you broke into that
peaceful farmhouse and cooked a full dinner for the crowd."
"Oh! I see that you've heard. Well, we did that same thing, for we were
nearly famished. But we cleaned everything up, washed the dishes, and
when we went away left two dollars on the kitchen table with a note of
apology," confessed Lanky.
"Well, that was decent of you anyhow. Catch Lef Seller and his cronies
doing anything like that. They'd have smashed things generally like
a lot of Apaches on the war-path. But you seem to be afraid that we
wouldn't find any smoke rising from this farmhouse over yonder. Take a
peep, and tell me what you think."
Something in the voice of Frank caused the others to hurry up beside
him. Here they could easily see the house, now not more than a quarter
of a mile distant.
"Say," observed Lanky immediately, as a smile of appreciation covered
his face, "they're busy cooking for all that's out. Must be getting up
a regular old-time Christmas dinner such as you read about. Yum! yum!
wasn't it an inspiration that made me suggest coming over here? A cold
lunch, hey? Not any in mine, thank you, Frank."
"Hold on," returned the other, quickly; "Ralph, are your eyes any
better than Lanky's? When he's real hungry everything looks like grub
to him. What do you say, partner?"
"Frank, there's a fire there," cried Ralph, quickly.
"Course there is. How under the sun could they get dinner without?
Think every farmhouse here is up to date with the latest fireless
cooker? Come off, now!" but neither of the others saw fit to argue the
question.
"The house is afire!" exclaimed Frank, decisively.
"What?" roared Lanky, suddenly waking up.
"Come along, boys! Perhaps after all our being on the spot is going to
be worth more than a mere dinner. We may be of use to save the house!"
cried Frank as he darted off, with the others dangling at his heels.
"There goes our fine dinner, hang the luck!" grunted Lanky; but all the
same he kept along at a rattling pace, and was just as eager to be of
assistance as either of his companions; Lanky often did considerable
talking, but his heart beat just as warmly as that of the next one.
"Whew! look at that, will you?" called Frank who was a few paces in
advance of his companions.
The smoke was now pouring out from one end of the farmhouse in a dense
cloud. Mixed with it they could catch glimpses of flames, showing that
it was really a dangerous conflagration, and not merely a big smudge.
People could be seen running about, and loud cries attested to the fact
that the situation was beginning to be very exciting.
"Looks like she was a goner!" gasped Lanky.
"Perhaps not. Wait till we get there, and see what's what. If there's
only some water handy we may be able to do something," declared Frank.
"I see a pond close by, but of course it's frozen over. My! look at
that flame licking up the woodwork!" exclaimed Ralph.
"Faster, fellows, faster! We've just got to do something for these poor
people. If you're going to get any dinner here to-day, Lanky, you've
sure got to pitch in and work for it. Here we are, now; get to work!"
shouted Frank.