"Welcome to the island!" cried a cheerful voice, as the boys approached
the lodge, and, looking up they saw that the stranger had removed a
cigar from his mouth and was smiling genially.
He was an attractive-looking man of perhaps thirty-five, slightly bald,
his temples tinged with gray. He was fully six feet tall and of a
magnificent physique.
"Thank you, sir," Chot responded. "We have no wish to intrude, but we
are searching for a camping place."
"And the island looked good to you, eh?"
"Oh, we did not intend camping here."
"Well, there, what if you did. It's a pleasure I assure you to have you
visit me. I so seldom see anyone who is sociable."
He came down to the foot of the steps, hand out-stretched to greet them.
"I am Jared Lawrence of Boston," he told them. "This is my summer
cottage. I call it Winnsocket Lodge."
"And it's a beauty all right," said Fleet, after Chot had introduced
each in turn--"just the sort of a place to have in the Thousand
Islands."
The other boys echoed Fleet's sentiments.
"I suppose you wouldn't think of accepting a proposition from us for a
month or so, Mr. Lawrence?" queried Chot.
"You mean that you want to rent the lodge?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well, now, that might be arranged easier than you imagine. But come in,
all of you, and make yourselves comfortable."
He led the way on to the spacious verandah which looked out over a
portion of the river and afforded an excellent view of many of the other
islands.
"You see," continued Mr. Lawrence, "I am in a secluded spot, yet when I
feel lonesome, I can watch the boats over yonder plying up and down the
stream."
"Do you live alone, then?" asked Tom.
"Well, yes, except for my Japanese cook and valet. I suppose I may as
well admit boys, that I am a bachelor," and he smiled rather
indulgently. "I am fortunately able to come here with Hoki and spend the
summers, going back to Boston in September or October to again take up
my business duties."
He did not state what these duties were, but the boys felt that he must
be either a banker or a broker, to be able to leave his work for an
entire summer on a stretch, and they secretly envied him his ease.
Soon they were seated on the verandah, their coats having been taken by
Hoki, an intelligent looking little Jap, dressed in a white suit. The
Jap then brought two tables which he placed in front of the boys. Then
they could hear him cracking ice somewhere in the rear of the building,
and presently he emerged with a mammoth pitcher of lemonade.
"I knew you boys must be thirsty," said Mr Lawrence, "hence told Hoki to
find the largest pitcher in the house. You see, I was a boy once
myself."
The boys began to like Mr. Lawrence from the start, and as for the
cooling beverage brought by Hoki, nothing would have been more welcome.
Soon they found themselves feeling comfortable not only from a physical
standpoint, but thoroughly at ease at Winnsocket Lodge, and wishing that
some trick of fate would cause Mr. Lawrence to rent them the premises
for the time of their stay.
As if divining what was passing in their minds, after a moment's
silence, in which he appeared to be debating something to himself, Mr.
Lawrence said:
"I find it imperative that I take a short journey, probably leaving
to-morrow. I had intended leaving Hoki in charge of Winnsocket Lodge,
but I am inclined to believe that I could not do better than leave it in
the hands of you boys."
The Comrades and their chums exchanged glances of mingled joy and
amazement, and Mr. Lawrence, stopping only to take a couple of draws
from his cigar, continued:
"I may be gone two or three days; the time may stretch into two or three
weeks. I am going on special business, and it is impossible to say just
when I can accomplish what I desire. The lodge is well stocked with
provisions, and Hoki is a fine servant. He will obey you as implicitly
as he does me if I say the word."
"But, Mr. Lawrence," said Chot, "I feel that we should protest against
your kind offer. We don't want to take advantage of your hospitality. We
would rather rent--"
"That's just it; you boys want to rent the lodge, but the lodge is not
for rent. You are simply a fine lot of young fellows, athletes everyone,
I imagine, and I am very fond of young men. I trust you thoroughly, and
I ask you to stay at Winnsocket Lodge until my return--to stay as my
guests, taking care of my property, at the same time going where you
please, when you please, in search of such amusement as you may desire.
The rent you boys could afford would be nothing to me. I say to you,
frankly, that the money would not be of the slightest use, as I now have
all I can care for with any peace of mind."
"Since you put it in that light, and speaking for us all, sir," said
Chot, "I will say that we accept your kind offer, and will show you that
we can take the very best care of your property while you are away."
"I have no doubt of that. You will find plenty of sleeping
accommodations both downstairs and up. I frequently have house parties
here, and I provided sufficient room for everyone when I built the
lodge."
And it was to these rooms that the boys were shown that night, after
they had been taken through the lodge by their host. The lodge was
constructed after expensive plans, mostly of rough wood, but solid and
substantial, and with interior fittings that might have gone well in a
Boston brownstone front. There were six rooms below--a living room, a
dining room, a kitchen and three bedrooms, with a bath in a convenient
spot to each of the latter. Upstairs there were a large bedroom, a
smaller bedroom and a large compartment used as a plunder-room, in which
fishing nets, tackle, hunting apparatus and many other things were
stored. The house was fitted with electric lights, generated, Mr.
Lawrence told them, by a small dynamo in the cellar, or basement.
Expressing a curiosity to see this, the boys were taken below by their
host. The basement, built entirely of stone, was damp and cool. In one
end a small dynamo-room had been partitioned off, and in this was the
dynamo and batteries that served to light the lodge in such a brilliant
fashion.
The cellar contained several barrels of wine--or, so the boys judged
from their appearance--countless jars of fine fruit, packed away on
shelves, as well as many other things that demanded a cool place for
safe keeping. Mr. Lawrence was, indeed, well supplied for a summer's
outing.
The boys were curious to know more about him, but he did not volunteer
any further information, and they were too well bred to appear at all
inquisitive.
Tom and Chot were given the bedroom just to the rear of the one occupied
by Mr. Lawrence, with Bert occupying a bedroom still farther back. Fleet
and Pod were taken to the large chamber upstairs, and Hoki occupied the
little one next to it.
With this arrangement, the boys retired, ignorant of the deep mysteries
connected with Winnsocket Lodge, as well as of the many thrilling
adventures which were to befall them before they took their departure.
The first inkling that there were mysterious doings in the lodge came to
Chot and Tom when, upon awaking almost simultaneously in the middle of
the night, they heard a low, scraping sound from the direction of Mr.
Lawrence's chamber. It ceased after a moment, was again renewed, then
ceased again.
"That was a strange noise," said Tom, in a whisper. "I wonder what it
can be?"
"You can search me," was Chot's reply, also in a whisper. "It might be
taken for a dozen different things."
"What, for instance?"
"Well, I don't believe I'd know just how to guess. It may be in Mr.
Lawrence's room, and again it may have come from the basement."
"You're right," said Tom. "I hadn't thought of the basement."
"Well, it's stopped, anyway. I don't suppose anyone is going to carry us
off."
"No; but let me be sure the door leading into the hall is locked. It's
best to take no chances."
Tom tip-toed softly to the door and tried the lock. The boys had
fastened the door before going to bed, and Tom found that, apparently,
it had not been disturbed. Then going to the windows which looked out
over the island to the east, Tom peered into the night. The windows were
up, as both boys were great believers in fresh air.
The lodge stood on stilts, as it were, and Tom knew that it was at least
seven feet from the ground to the window sill. No chance for anyone to
enter the house that way, unless aided by another, or by means of a
ladder.
As Tom listened there was not a sound save for the faint stirring of the
trees. The breeze had about died out. Off to the left Tom could see
several lights glistening across the river, and far in the distance a
bright, white glare in the sky marked the location of Rockport.
After a moment he came to bed again. For some time the boys lay awake
discussing the strange noises in low tones, but finally fell asleep
again.
Sometime later they were again wakened, this time by the same scraping
sound as before. It continued for an even longer period, but finally
ceased altogether.
A feeling of vague uneasiness began to steal over the boys. Try as they
might, they could think of no solution of the sound. There were no
animals of any sort on the island, they knew, so the noise must come
from some human agency. But just what they were unable to determine to
their satisfaction.
After discussing the matter in low tones for a time, they were ready to
have another try at sleeping, when a noise from without caused them to
tip-toe to the windows with suppressed excitement.
Here they listened intently. A conglomeration of small sounds came to
them, but they were unable to distinguish any certain ones, until,
finally, they heard the chug-chug of a motor-boat. The sounds grew more
frequent but of less volume, and they decided that the little craft must
be moving away from the island.
The sound died away entirely as the motor-boat apparently lost herself
among the little islands surrounding the one on which stood Winnsocket
Lodge.
Chot and Tom grew wide awake speculating over the matter, with the
result that there was little sleep for them during the remainder of the
night. They decided that it must have been in the neighborhood of three
o'clock when they heard the motor-boat leave the island, for some two
hours later it began to grow light, and soon the sun peeped over the
islands to the east.
When they arose they found Hoki in the kitchen preparing breakfast. He
grinned and nodded a Cheerful, "Good morning to you, sirs," in his
quaint, broken English.
"Good morning, Hoki," said Chot. "That coffee smells mighty fine."
"Glad you like," was the Jap's response. "I take pleasure in making the
service for you, sirs."
"He means it's a pleasure to serve us," said Chot, as a look of
perplexity stole over Tom's face.
Hoki grinned and nodded at this.
As they were talking to Hoki, Bert came out of a nearby room, rubbing
his eyes, and a moment later Fleet and Pod came downstairs, feeling fine
after a morning plunge in the tub.
Hoki bustled back and forth between the kitchen and the diningroom, and
soon announced breakfast.
"But we're to wait for Mr. Lawrence, of course," said Chot.
"No wait," said Hoki, gravely. "It gives me greatest pleasure to accept
you as masters of lodge. My master, he not here--he go away in the
night!"