THE FIRE AT THE SAW MILL
It was indeed the Barnaby place that was going up in flames, and
already the fire had gained much headway. The place was composed
of the saw mill proper and half a dozen sheds used for the storage
of cut lumber. The plant was valued at thirty thousand dollars,
so if it was swept away the loss would be a heavy one.
The mill was a good half mile from the orchard, but the boys were
all good runners and covered the distance in a few minutes, Shep
and Snap arriving there first and little Giant bringing up the
rear, with a face as red as a beet.
A dozen men and boys were on hand, besides the mill workers, and
a bucket brigade had been formed to throw buckets of water taken
from the river on the flames. Some men were bringing out a line
of hose, which was presently attached to the engine of the mill
itself.
"I am going to help here!" cried Snap, throwing off his coat,
and he went to work with a will and the other lads did the same.
The buckets of water came along swiftly, but for a long time
it looked as if the whole plant was doomed to destruction. The
fire was in a shed next to the saw mill itself, a place one end
of which was used as an office by the mill company. The wind
was blowing the sparks directly to the mill proper.
"Phew! but this is hot work!" cried one of the men. "Can't stand
this much longer."
"Don't give up!" pleaded the master of the mill. "Perhaps the
wind will change."
It certainly was warm work, as all of the boys found out. The
sparks and brands were dropping over them, and once Snap's shirt
sleeve caught fire, while Shep had a spark blister his neck and
cause him to let out a yell like an Indian.
In the midst of the excitement, Mr. Dodge arrived, and a moment
later the local fire engine, an old-fashioned affair purchased
from a neighboring city. The stream of water, however, did good
service, and the fire was kept largely to the shed in which it
had started. The mill itself caught a dozen times, but the flames
were extinguished before they did material damage. Finally the
wind veered around, blowing the sparks toward a cleared spot in
the woods, and then all saw that the worst of the affair was over.
But men and boys kept at their labors, and did not stop until
every spark of the conflagration had been extinguished.
"Now it is over, I am going down to the river and wash up," said
Snap to Shep, and they walked to the edge of the stream, followed
by Whopper and Giant. "I feel dirty from head to foot."
"Your father can be thankful that the mill didn't go," said Whopper.
"Gosh, what a blaze! I thought the whole county was going to burn
up. I got burnt in about 'leventeen hundred spots."
"And I let a bucket of water drop on my foot," put in Giant.
"Say, but didn't the edge of the bucket feel nice on my little
toe!" and he limped along to the water's edge.
Having washed up, the boys returned to the scene of the fire.
They found the mill master, Tom Neefus, in earnest conversation
with Mr. Dodge.
"You saw the rascal do it?" asked Snap's father.
"I certainly did," replied Tom Neefus. "I started to catch him,
but then I came back to put out the blaze. I made up my mind
it would be better to stop the fire than catch the man, even though
he was such a villain."
"Who's a villain, father?" asked Shep.
"The man who started this fire."
"Did a man start it?" asked the boy, while several others drew
closer to listen.
"So Mr. Neefus says. He caught the fellow at the office desk.
In a corner the fellow had thrown a pile of shavings and saturated
it with oil. As he ran away he threw a handful of lighted matches
into the shavings and they caught instantly."
"I suppose he did that so that he could get away. He knew the
men around here would try to save the property instead of going
after him."
"Exactly, Charley. He must have been a cold-blooded villain to
do such a thing, for it might have been the means of burning down
everything," continued Mr. Dodge.
"What was he doing at the desk, Mr. Dodge?" asked Shep.
"He was evidently looking for money or something of value."
"Did he get anything?"
"Nothing, so far as Mr. Neefus knows. The safe was locked up,
I believe."
The strong-box mentioned stood in a corner of the office, and
the fire had swept all around it. It was quite hot, but after
some more water had been poured over it the master of the mill
threw it open.
"The books are all right---the fire wasn't hot enough to touch
them," said Tom Neefus. "I don't think---Ha!"
He stopped short, gazing into a small compartment of the safe.
Then his brow contracted.
"What have you discovered?" questioned Mr. Dodge, quickly.
"The money is gone---and also those papers to that tract of land
at Spur Road!"
"The money? How much money?"
"Three hundred and fifty dollars."
"But I thought you said you had the safe locked," went on Mr.
Dodge.
"I did have it locked. He must have opened it and then shut it
up again before he went at the desk."
The announcement by the master of the mill created something of
a sensation, and soon all the men and boys in the vicinity gathered
to learn the particulars of the robbery. It was learned that
the man who had perpetrated the deed was a tall, slim individual
who limped with his left foot when he ran. He had disappeared
into the forest bordering the river, and that was the last seen
of him. He had red hair and a stubby red moustache.
That very evening a reward of one hundred dollars was offered
by the mill company for the capture of the thief, and men and
boys for miles around went on the hunt, but without success.
Mr. Dodge and the other men of the concern were very much worried,
but could do nothing further. The county authorities appeared
to be helpless, although the sheriff and two deputies spent two
days in trying to get some trace of the criminal. It was as if
the earth had opened and swallowed him up.
The loss of the money was bad enough, but it was learned by Snap
that this was not the worst of the affair by any means. For a
long time the mill company had had a dispute with another lumber
concern over the right to cut timber in a locality known as the
Spur Road. The Barnaby Company had certain papers for this
right---getting them after much trouble. Now these papers were gone,
and the dispute about the Spur Road tract might be again opened.
"I wish I had those papers back," said Mr. Dodge. "If I had them
I shouldn't mind the loss of the money so much, although three
hundred and fifty dollars is not an amount to be sneezed at."
"Can the thief sell the papers to the Felps Lumber Company, father?"
asked Snap.
"He might do that---if they were mean enough to buy them. But
I rather think the Felps folks would be above that---although
they are very, very bitter against us. They can't get any more
timber to cut around here, and they don't want to move their plant.
The Spur Road tract will keep our mill busy for at least three
years."
The excitement of the mill fire and the search after the thief
kept the four boys from speaking of the proposed outing for several
days. But as soon as the school closed they met at Snap's house
to complete their arrangements.
It had been no easy matter for the four to obtain permission to
leave home on such an extended trip. Mr. Dodge and Dr. Reed were
willing enough, for they had gone out in a similar fashion when
boys, and thought it would do their sons good, but with Frank's
folks it was different, and Giant's mother shook her head decidedly,
and only gave in after a long consultation with the doctor, who
had become her physician.
"They will be safe enough, do not fear," said Dr. Reed. "Boys
have to become self-reliant, Mrs. Caslette, and the time to start
is when they are young." After that the widow said no more, and
so it was settled, so far as Giant was concerned. Then the three
boys talked the matter over with Whopper's folks, and at last
they gave in also, and then the boys danced a regular war-dance
in Whopper's back yard, which made even Mrs. Dawson laugh.
"Well, boys will be boys," she said. "But I do hope they don't
run into a bear or shoot themselves."
"They are all good shots and know how to handle their guns," answered
Mr. Dawson. "They ought to be able to get along. Mr. Dodge told
me privately he was going to have old Jed Sanborn keep an eye
on them, and Sanborn is one of the most reliable hunters and guides
in this district."
As soon as it was settled, the boys began to get their stores
ready. It was decided to go down the river as far as Lake Cameron
in a rowboat belonging to the Dodges, and from there "tote" their
outfit to wherever they decided to camp. If one spot did not
suit after stopping there they would move on to some other point.
The outfit was no light one, when it was all gotten together.
For clothing, each youth had an extra set of underwear and some
socks. Each carried a pair of shoes and wore boots, and also
had a coat that would do for both rain and warmth.
Their stores consisted principally of flour, beans, bacon, coffee,
sugar, salt, pepper, condensed milk, and a few vegetables, some
fresh and others canned. For cooking purposes they had a "nest"
of pots and pans, of the lightest ware obtainable, and for eating
carried tin plates and tin cups, and also knives, forks and spoons.
Each boy wanted to take along his shotgun, and in addition they
took a rifle belonging to Mr. Dodge and a pistol loaned to them
by Dr. Reed. Each youth also carried a serviceable pocket-knife
and a waterproof match-safe.
"I think we've got about all we need now," said Snap, after looking
at the collection. "Now all we want is those rubber blankets
and the flannel ones, and then we shall be about ready to start."
"Will the rowboat hold the load?" questioned Whopper. "It seems
to me there is about two thousand times too much stuff."
"The boat has got to hold it," came from Giant. "But what I am
thinking of is, what a job we'll have carrying the load after we
leave the boat."
"Well, if it's too heavy we can make two trips instead of one,"
said Shep, and so it was agreed.