THE DESERTED HOUSE
"Somebody stole Percy," said Bob when they had ridden a little way.
"The alligator?"
"Yes. Heinrich's pet, you know."
"Why should any one want to do that?"
"I can't imagine, and poor old Heinie is all broken up about it. I've
never seen any one who liked animals as much as he does."
"Who do you suppose did it?"
"I've no idea. Perhaps the man who returned the car stole him and is
planning to wait until he grows big and then train him to come and bite
us," laughed Bob.
"Let's hope not," smiled Hugh. "There are too many strange things going
on for me to understand just now. My brain is all mixed up."
"And so's mine. I should like to know who sent that postal card though."
"Perhaps we'll get on the trail of it when we get to the deserted house."
"Do you suppose we can break in?"
"Perhaps we can. I've brought an electric flashlight along that may come
in handy."
"A good idea," exclaimed Bob. "I have an idea myself."
"What's that?"
"We'd better not ride too far down the road. Let's leave our wheels this
side of the hill, and then go across the country and come in to the
house from the back. In that way I think we'll stand less chance of
being seen."
"Probably you're right. At any rate I hope no one steals our bicycles."
"I wonder if they'd be returned," said Bob. "Wasn't that a queer thing?"
"It certainly was."
They rode in silence for some time and presently came within sight of the
hill of which they had been speaking. They dismounted from their
bicycles, and wheeling them by their sides started across the fields. A
hundred yards from the main road they concealed them under a clump of
bushes and then continued on their way. They walked for about a half-mile
until they saw the fringe of the woods in the middle of which stood the
deserted house.
"Bob," said Hugh suddenly. "I know who took your automobile."
"What?" exclaimed Bob. "What are you talking about?"
"I know who took your automobile."
"Who!"
"Heinrich."
Bob burst out laughing. "What are you talking about?" he demanded. "How
could Heinrich take it? Hugh, you're going crazy."
"Isn't Heinrich a German?"
"He is."
"Weren't there a lot of Germans meeting out here in the old house
last night?"
"We think so. I still don't see what that has to do with Heinie."
"How do you know Heinrich wasn't here?" asked Hugh.
"You mean that Heinrich is a plotter?" exclaimed Bob, suddenly realizing
what his friend was driving at.
"He might bear watching," said Hugh. "He and that German cook of yours."
"They're both honest and reliable," exclaimed Bob warmly.
"Well," said Hugh, "I heard a story last night about two men coming to a
house where they had a nice 'honest and reliable' German girl and
demanding to see her. The owner of the house refused, and the men then
showed secret service badges. Of course when he saw the badges he had to
do as they said and he called in the girl. As soon as she came into the
room one of the men went up to her and grabbed hold of her hair. Well,
sir, it came right off her head and then they discovered that the maid
was nothing more nor less than a man, a German in disguise, trying to get
information for his government."
"Is that a true story?" exclaimed Bob in amazement.
"The man in whose house it happened told it to father," said Hugh. "It
only goes to show that you can't be too careful. I wouldn't be too sure
about Heinrich and Lena if I were you. The Germans are a bad lot and I
suspect them all."
"Perhaps," said Bob. "Still Heinie and Lena are different."
"They may be tools of Mr. Wernberg for all you know."
"You're foolish," exclaimed Bob. "Why even if they weren't loyal to the
United States they'd be loyal to father and mother. I know that."
Hugh shrugged his shoulders. "It sounds fishy to me, that's all," he
said. "Didn't Heinrich say he went to a party last night? How do you know
the party wasn't held out here, and that he just happened to run across
your car and decided to bring it home."
"If he had he would have washed the car last night, not this morning."
"Why so?"
"Because he's so methodical, like all the Germans. He never could have
slept if he had known the car was dirty."
"Why, Bob," Hugh protested, "Heinrich says he didn't come in until twelve
o'clock and he says the car was there then. Why didn't he notice that it
was dirty then? I'd like to know."
"He probably didn't light but one light in the garage and didn't
notice it."
"Sounds likely," snorted Hugh. "Take my advice and watch 'em both."
"They're just as faithful as you or I," exclaimed Bob. "You can't talk me
into getting suspicious of those two."
"The faithful ones are the ones to suspect," said Hugh grimly.
"Nonsense," said Bob, but his friend's words nevertheless set him to
thinking. What if Heinrich and Lena should turn out to be working in the
interests of Germany? He recalled the light in Lena's room the night
before, and then he thought of all the money Heinrich had had and how
embarrassed and uneasy he had been when Bob spoke of it. Ugly stories of
Germans crowded through his mind, but he refused to believe that their
two servants were of that sort.
Presently they reached the edge of the woods. The wagon road they had
followed the night before ran all the way through the stretch and a
break in the trees a short distance away showed where it came out on
that side.
"We must go carefully now," warned Hugh. "How far in is the old house?"
"Oh, about a quarter of a mile," said Bob. "I don't believe any one is
apt to be out here in the daytime." He felt for his back pocket, however,
and the knowledge that he had a revolver with him was most reassuring.
They stole along through the woods, stepping softly and keeping a sharp
lookout in all directions. All was silent, however, and seemingly they
were alone. Before long they were able to glimpse the old deserted house
through the trees. They stopped and gazed at it intently.
It was two stories high and of wood. Years had evidently passed since any
one had lived there and the house was in need of repairing. Some of the
shutters were missing, others sagged or were hanging limply from the
frames, the glass in most of the windows was broken, and the wind and
weather had stripped practically all the paint from the sides of the
abandoned dwelling. The cellar door was missing and all in all the place
presented a forlorn and desolate appearance. Hugh and Bob both recalled
tales of ghosts connected with the old house, and somehow now that they
were there they wished they had stayed at home.
"Perhaps we ought to report this business to the police after all,"
whispered Hugh.
"Yes," said Bob. "Still I'd hate to go home and tell father that we
didn't even go inside the place."
"That's true," Hugh agreed. "What shall we do?"
"Let's walk around it and see if we can see anything suspicious."
"All right. We'd better keep in the shelter of the woods though."
"Oh, yes, of course."
Remaining almost a hundred feet distant from the little clearing, in the
center of which stood the house, the boys began to walk. Save for an
occasional nervous glance about them they never took their eyes off the
deserted dwelling. When they came to the wagon-road they darted across
quickly, fearful lest they should be discovered. Their progress was slow
and an hour had elapsed when they returned to their starting point.
"I don't believe any one is there," whispered Bob.
"It doesn't look so. Shall we go in?"
"I suppose so," said Bob, though it was plain to be seen that neither boy
much relished the task. However they dared not go home and report failure
to Mr. Cook, so presently they ventured forth from the woods and started
across the clearing. The cellar door was open and toward this they made
their way.
A gentle breeze rattled one of the shutters, causing the boys to start
nervously. Bob kept his hand on his hip pocket and they walked closely
together. Presently they came to the cellar steps and peered in
cautiously. Their faces were pale, as gingerly they walked down the stone
steps and entered the gloomy cellar.
"Flash your light," whispered Bob.
Hugh did so, and a huge gray rat scuttled across the floor, startling the
boys so that they almost cried out. Little by little their courage
returned, however, and they advanced a few steps. They listened intently,
but no sound came to their ears. Hugh's flashlight revealed the stairs
leading to the first floor and stepping noiselessly the boys approached.
Slowly and very cautiously they ascended and presently came to the top
of the stairs. Bob was in the lead, his pistol gripped tightly in one
hand. With his free hand he pushed the door open gently and looked
within. The kitchen was deserted, a broken-down stove in one corner, a
water heater covered with dirt and rust, a sagging sink, and two
battered chairs and a table completing the furnishings. A soft breeze
entered through a broken window and gently stirred the strip of wall
paper hanging limply from the ceiling.
Bob beckoned to Hugh and they emerged into the room. They listened
intently. Not a sound was to be heard. Reassured they passed out of the
kitchen through a narrow back hall, and into the parlor. The same aspect
of neglect and decay was everywhere evident, but nothing suspicious was
to be seen.
"Shall we go upstairs?" whispered Bob.
"We might as well. I don't believe there's any one here anyway."
The stairs leading to the second floor creaked and groaned under the
weight of the boys, but as they were now convinced that the house was
uninhabited they were not worried. Coming to the second story they
proceeded to the room located in the front of the house.
"This must be the place," whispered Bob excitedly.
A table stood in the center of the room; around it were grouped five
seats, chairs and old boxes, as if five men had had a meeting or
conference there.
"This is where they had their meeting last night," said Hugh. "Here are
places for five men, and we saw that many come out."
"Yes, sir," echoed Bob. "This looks like headquarters."
"Suppose we could expose them," exclaimed Hugh. "Wouldn't it be great?"
"If we only could," said Bob eagerly. "Let's look around."
Pen and ink, together with a pad of writing paper were lying on the
table. Besides the table and seats, however, there was no furniture in
the room, and there seemed small promise of anything of interest to the
two searchers. They lifted every box and searched under it, but all in
vain. Finally Bob looked behind the door. With an exclamation of delight
he stooped and picked up a piece of paper lying upon the floor.
"What is it, Bob?" inquired Hugh eagerly.
"I don't know. I can't see very well."
"Bring it over here by the window. It's awfully dark and gloomy in
this room."
Bob followed this suggestion, and presently was reading what was written
on the paper. Hugh looked on over his shoulder.
"'List of places to be attacked.'" Bob read. "'Railroad bridge, Court
House, Armory, National Cartridge Company, High Ridge Steel Company. More
to be added later.'"
"This looks like the real thing," exclaimed Bob excitedly. "I wonder if
they plan to take these in order. At any rate we fooled them once on the
railroad bridge."
"Yes," said Hugh, "and we want to fool them on the others if we can."
"They've got father's factory listed," exclaimed Bob. "I was afraid they
would; the Germans don't like him. He's too good an American."
"Some one must have dropped that paper by mistake," said Hugh. "They
never would have left anything like that lying around."
"Suppose they discover they've left it and come back after it."
Both boys looked nervously out of the window, but all they saw was
the little clearing and the quiet trees, swaying gently under the
light breeze.
"Isn't it signed?" asked Hugh.
"No."
"Look on the back; there may be something there."
Bob turned over the sheet of paper. "No writing," he said. "There's a
picture here though."
"What is it?"
"I can't see very well. It looks like some sort of a bug."
"It looks like an alligator," said Hugh, taking the paper from Bob and
examining it closely.
"Let me see," exclaimed Bob. "That's what it is," he announced a moment
later. "What do you suppose is the idea of that?"
"I'm sure I don't know. Probably some man was just trying to amuse
himself by drawing pictures, and happened to draw an alligator."
"Maybe it's a picture of Percy," laughed Bob.
"Say," exclaimed Hugh suddenly, "it's strange, though. Heinie's
alligator was probably stolen by the man that returned the car, and
whoever returned the car was probably out here at this meeting. What's
the connection?"
"I don't believe there is any," said Bob. "You're too suspicious, Hugh."
"Won't you admit that it's queer?"
"Of course I will, but I think it also proves that Heinie couldn't have
been the one who returned our car last night. That is, if you think the
man who stole the alligator was the one who brought back the car.
Heinrich wouldn't cry about the loss of his pet if he was the one who
took it, would he?"
"It's too deep for one to understand," sighed Hugh with a shake of his
head. "At any rate one thing is sure and that is that some plots are
being hatched around here and--"
Before he could finish there was a loud crash behind them, the only door
leading out of the room was slammed shut, and a key turned in the lock.