SOMETHING OF A CONFESSION
“I want to get hold of that fellow with the flat nose!” cried Andy to
his chums. “I don’t care so much about the others.”
“We are with you, Andy,” answered the young major.
“We are bound to catch him sooner or later,” added Pepper.
The tramps had a start of at least a hundred yards and lost no time in
trying to escape. The fellow called Flatnose made for a dense patch of
woods behind the spring and was soon lost to sight. But the cadets heard
him as he crashed and plunged through brushwood and over rocks, and
slowly but steadily they drew nearer to the rascal.
“You might as well stop!” cried Andy. “We are bound to catch you.”
“If you come any closer somebody will git hurt,” called back the tramp
roughly. “You ain’t goin’ to catch me, not much you ain’t!”
“Do you think he’ll dare to shoot at us?” asked one of the cadets.
“No,” answered Jack. “I believe they are all cowards.”
On and on plunged the tramp, with the boys after him. He was now
ascending a small hill. Beyond, the cadets knew, was a cliff, fringed
with brushwood.
“Wonder if he knows about the cliff?” said Pepper.
“He must—since he has been in this neighborhood so long,” answered Jack.
“But if he doesn’t he may take a nasty tumble.”
“Maybe he is hoping to make us take the tumble,” came from Andy.
This was a trick the tramp had in mind, and reaching the edge of the
cliff, he darted to the right and crouched down under some thick bushes.
The cadets ran on at full speed until they neared the cliff and then
slowed up. They peered over the edge of the height into the little
valley below but could see no one.
“He’s around here somewhere,” declared Jack, and just then saw a bush
that had been caught back switch itself into place. He leaped into the
direction.
“Here he is, fellows!”
“Where?” asked Andy and Pepper in a breath.
“Under a bush. Come out of that!” Jack added to the fugitive.
“I ain’t comin’ out,” whined the tramp. He was out of wind and
crestfallen.
“If you don’t come out, we’ll kick you out,” answered Andy, and then he
shook his stick at the fellow. “Come out of that, and be quick about
it.”
The tramp looked at the acrobatic youth and he gave a little gasp.
Evidently he recognized Andy.
“I ain’t done nuthin,” he grumbled. “I’m an honest fellow, I am.”
“You certainly look it,” answered Jack. “Come, get up.” And he, too,
raised his stick as if to hit the rascal over the head.
“Don’t—don’t strike me!” was the cry. “I’ll come out! But I ain’t done
nuthin’.”
Very reluctantly the tramp crawled out from under the bushes and faced
the boys. When Andy looked at him his eyes fell.
“I guess you know me,” said Andy, sternly.
“You? I ain’t never seen you before.”
“Oh, yes, you have. We met in the jewelry store in Cedarville one
evening.”
“Not me. You’ve got the wrong man.”
“No, you are the fellow. And after we met at the jewelry store you
attacked me on the road, threw me off my bicycle, and robbed me.”
“No, I didn’t!” cried the tramp, but his manner showed that he was much
dismayed by the accusation.
“What I want to know is, What did you do with the things you took from
me?” continued Andy.
“Didn’t I say you had the wrong man?”
“Will you give up the stuff or not?”
“Say, I ain’t——”
“Answer my question.” And Andy raised his stick as if to hit the fellow
on the head.
“I—I ain’t got the stuff,” cried the tramp in alarm. “Don’t hit me. I—I
turned the stuff over to Levi, the fence.”
“Levi, the fence?” queried Andy.
“A fence, in criminals’ language, is a receiver of stolen goods,”
explained Jack. “Where is this Levi?” he asked.
“Over in Albany. He was in Cedarville when I give him the goods. He
promised me twenty dollars, but I only got five. He ought to be
pinched,” went on the tramp, meaning by “pinched” he should be arrested.
“You come with us,” said Andy, and between them the cadets marched the
tramp back to the camp in the hollow.
At the hangout they found that four of the tramps had been caught and
made prisoners. The others had escaped, and what became of them nobody
found out.
“I have heard of that fellow Levi,” said the deputy sheriff. “He has
been wanted for some time. I think the Albany police are now after him.”
Seeing it would be useless to conceal matters longer, the tramp called
Flatnose made a full confession, in which he told of attacking Andy just
as had been supposed. He had found the tree limb in the woods near the
road, and had thrust it out from the bushes just when the bicyclist was
passing.
“I got scared when you didn’t come to your senses,” he said. “I didn’t
mean to do nuthin’ but knock you into the road an’ take the things.”
“Well, that was enough,” said Andy, grimly. “But I must say I am
thankful I wasn’t killed.”
“These men are all rascals,” said Rossmore Ford. “They are petty
thieves, and they have terrorized the women and children for several
miles around. We’ll see to it that they all get what they deserve.” And
it may be added here that every one of the tramps was sent, later on, to
jail. At the camp were found ample proofs of how they had been robbing
not only henroosts and sheepfolds, but also houses and barns. The
butcher and the farmers were glad to see the rascals rounded up, and the
deputy sheriff was proud of the part he had played in the affair.
“We’ll look out for your things,” said the deputy to Andy. “And as soon
as we get them we’ll let you know.”
It was not deemed necessary for the cadets to help get the tramps to the
Cedarville lock-up and so, after bidding the men good-bye, the boys
started off in the direction where the new camp of the school runaways
was to be located.
“I’ll wager Reff Ritter was mad when he found the horse and wagon and
all those things gone,” said Pepper.
“He’ll do his best to find our new camp,” answered Jack. “Perhaps he’ll
want to fight next.”
“If he does, I reckon we can give him all he wants,” said Andy.
The sky was much overcast and it looked as if it might rain at any
moment. This caused the cadets to increase their speed, and soon they
were past the spot where the first camp had been located.
“Hello, look there!” cried Pepper, presently, and pointed among the
trees.
“It’s Gus Coulter!” answered another cadet “What is he doing here?”
“They must be looking for us already,” exclaimed Jack.
All ran up to Coulter, to learn that he was alone—some others who had
been with him having scattered to look for the new camp of the crowd
under the young major.
“See here, Coulter, I want to talk to you!” cried Jack, grabbing the
cadet by the arm. “Come here, boys!” he added, to his friends.
Thus caught alone, Coulter was much frightened and when the young major
began to talk to him he trembled in every limb.
“What do you want?” he faltered.
“I want to talk to you, Coulter.”
“What about?”
“About a certain talk you had with Reff Ritter.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Well, you will know before I am done with you.”
“You let me go,” said Coulter, uneasily. “You haven’t got any right to
detain me in this fashion.”
“Well, I am taking the right,” answered the young major sturdily. “I
want you to understand——”
Jack got no further, for with a sudden twist and a push Gus Coulter
freed himself, leaped through the crowd, and dashed away.
“After him!” yelled Pepper. “He mustn’t get away like this!”
“I reckon we can catch him,” put in Andy, and then all of the cadets
started in pursuit of the fleeing one.
Coulter was badly scared—why he could not exactly tell—and he ran like a
deer. But the others kept on his track.
“There he goes!” cried Jack, as the running lad darted behind a heavy
clump of bushes.
The next instant there arose on the air a wild cry of dismay and alarm.
“Oh, dear! Help me, somebody!”
“He’s in trouble!” said Andy.
“Go slow—or somebody else may get into trouble, too,” cautioned the
young major.
Slackening their pace, the crowd approached the clump of bushes and
passed around to one side. They then saw what had caused Coulter to cry
for assistance.
On the other side of the bushes was a big swamp hole, filled with muck,
dead leaves and water. In his anxiety to escape Gus Coulter had plunged
into the swamp hole and was now up to his waist and rapidly sinking.
“Ge—get m—me out, somebody!” he gasped. “Quick, or I’ll—I’ll go down
an—and be smothered!”
The others saw that Coulter’s plight was serious and something must be
done to save him.
“I’ve got it!” cried Andy, as he looked around. “I reckon I can get him
out.”
“How?” questioned Pepper.
“Wait—I’ll show you.”
The acrobatic youth ran to a big tree growing close to the edge of the
swamp. He climbed up with marvellous rapidity, and then worked his way
out on a branch that grew over Coulter’s head.
“Good for Andy!” cried Jack.
“If only the limb will bend down far enough,” added Pepper.
Soon the acrobatic youth was close to the outer end of the limb. He bent
down, but his hand did not come within a foot of Gus Coulter’s reach.
“I—I can’t ma—make it!” gasped the boy below. His face was full of
abject fear.
“Wait a minute,” answered Andy.
He turned over, and the next moment was hanging from the limb by his
feet, which he had crossed one over the other. Thus he was able to reach
Coulter with ease.
“Look out, Andy, that you don’t go down, too,” cautioned Jack.
“And take care that the limb doesn’t break,” added Pepper.
Slowly but surely Andy began to draw poor Gus Coulter from the muck. It
was a severe strain on the acrobatic youth, and his muscles stood out
like whipcords, while his face, from hanging down, became purple. The
tree limb bent low, until the outer leaves swept the swamp hole.
“I don’t think he’ll make it,” was the comment of one of the cadets, but
even as he spoke there was a sucking sound and up came Coulter, and the
tree limb bounded several feet higher.
“Hurrah! He’s got him!” yelled Pepper, and his cheer was echoed by the
others.
Both boys in the tree were somewhat out of breath and they did not
descend at once. Finally Andy slid down and Coulter followed.
The lad who had the accident presented a most woebegone appearance. He
was covered with black muck up to his armpits, and some of the muck was
on his hands and face. Now that the danger was over the others had all
they could do to keep from laughing at the unfortunate one.
“Coulter, you can thank Andy for saving your life,” remarked Pepper.
“I—er—I wouldn’t have tumbled into the hole if you hadn’t chased me,”
grumbled Coulter.
“And we wouldn’t have chased you if you hadn’t tried to run away,” came
from the young major.
“You had no right to stop me.”
“As I said before, I am taking the right, Coulter. I want you to confess
something.”
“Me? I haven’t done anything.”
“You know what Reff Ritter did. I heard you talk it over.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean just this,” answered Jack, and then spoke about the talk he had
heard between Reff Ritter and Coulter concerning the use of the French
headache powders.
“Now I want you to tell the truth, Coulter,” said the young major,
finally. “Who put those powders into my drinking water? Answer, or I’ll
give you the biggest thrashing you ever had in your life!”
“Don’t—don’t hit me!” cried the cadet.
“Then answer—and tell the strict truth.”
“Reff Ritter. But if he learns I told on him he’ll hammer me to death,”
added Coulter, with a very white face.
And then he told the particulars, just as Ritter had given them. All of
the cadets present listened with interest. When Coulter had finished
Jack caught him by the shoulder.
“Now get out!” he cried. “Go back to Ritter, and don’t you show your
face near our camp!” And Coulter lost no time in disappearing.
Five minutes later the cadets came in sight of the new camp. As they
entered the clearing Pepper gave a gasp.
“Look! There is Captain Putnam!”
“You are right,” answered Jack. “Now we’ve got to face the music!”