THE CAPTURE
Constable Newcomb and his posse disposed themselves comfortably aboard
the _Bluebird_, and, at a nod from Mr. Howbridge, Neale rang the bell to
tell Hank to throw in the gear clutch and start the boat.
The girls, much to Agnes' dissatisfaction, had been left ashore, since
there was likely to be rough work arresting the "Klondikers," as the
constable called the tramps on Cedar Island. Mrs. MacCall stayed with
them.
They had disembarked at the point dock and when the boat pulled off went
to the hotel there to await the return of their friends.
"Now, Mr. Newcomb, perhaps you can explain what it's all about,"
suggested the lawyer to the constable, when they sat on deck together,
near Neale at the steering wheel. The lawyer made the boy a signal to
say nothing, but to listen.
"Well, this is what it's about," was the answer. "As I told you, a
parcel of tramps--Klondikers they call themselves because, I understand,
some of 'em have been in Alaska. Anyhow a parcel of tramps are living on
Cedar Island. They've been robbing right and left, and the folks around
here are tired of it. So a complaint was made and I've got a lot of
warrants to arrest the men."
"Do you know any of their names?" asked the lawyer.
"No, all the warrants are made out in the name of John Doe. That's
legal, you know."
"Yes, I know," assented Mr. Howbridge. "And how many do you expect to
arrest?"
"Oh, about half a dozen. Two of 'em have a motor boat, I understand, but
they had an accident in the storm last night and can't navigate. That's
the reason we're going over there now--they can't get away!"
"Good!" exclaimed Mr. Howbridge. "I fancy, Mr. Newcomb, I may be able to
add another complaint to the ones you already have, if two of the men
turn out to be the characters we suspect."
"Why, have they been robbing your hen roost, too?" asked the constable.
"No, but two of my wards, Ruth and Agnes Kenway, were robbed of a box of
jewelry just before we started on this trip," said the lawyer. "Two
rough men held them up in a hallway on a rainy morning and snatched a
jewel box. The men were tramps--and the day before that two men who
called themselves Klondikers had looked at vacant rooms in the house
where the robbery occurred. Since then the girls think they have seen
the same tramps several times. I hope you can round them up."
"We'll get 'em if they're on Cedar Island!" the constable declared. "Got
your guns, boys?" he asked the members of his posse.
Each one had, it seemed, and the nervous tension grew as the island was
neared. Hank drove the _Bluebird_ at her best speed, which, of course,
was not saying much, for she was not a fast craft. But gradually the
objective point came into view.
"It's just as well not to have too fast a boat," the constable said. "If
the Klondikers saw it coming they might jump in the lake and swim away.
They won't be so suspicious of this."
"Perhaps not," the lawyer assented. But he could not help thinking how
tragic it would be if it should happen that Neale's father was among
those captured. Neale himself guided the houseboat on her way.
"Put her around into that cove," Constable Newcomb directed the youth at
the wheel, when the island was reached.
Silently the _Bluebird_ floated into a little natural harbor and was
made fast to the bank.
"All ashore now, and don't make any noise," ordered the officer. "They
haven't spotted us yet, I guess. We may surround 'em and capture 'em
without any trouble."
"Let us hope so," said Mr. Howbridge. "Have they some sort of house or
headquarters?"
"They live in a shack or two," the constable replied. "It's in the
middle of the island. I'd better lead the way," he went on, and he
placed himself at the head of his men.
"Don't make any outcry or any explanation if your father is among these
men," said Mr. Howbridge to Neale, as the two walked on behind the
posse. This was the first direct reference to the matter the lawyer had
made.
"I'll do whatever you say," assented Neale listlessly.
"It may all be a mistake," went on the lawyer sympathetically. "We will
not jump at conclusions."
Hank had been sworn in as a special deputy, and was with the other men
who pressed on through the woods after Constable Newcomb.
Suddenly the leader halted, and his men did likewise.
"Something's up!" called Mr. Howbridge to Neale. They went on a little
farther and saw, in a clearing, a small cabin. There was no sign of life
about it.
"I guess they're in there," said the constable in a low tone to his men.
"The motor boat's at the dock, and so is the rowboat, so they're on the
island. Close in, men!" he suddenly cried.
There was a rush toward the cabin, and Mr. Howbridge and Neale followed.
The door was burst in and the constable and his posse entered.
Three men were asleep in rude bunks, and they sat up bleary-eyed and
bewildered at the unexpected rush.
"Wot's matter?" asked one, thickly.
"You're under arrest!" exclaimed the constable. "In the name of the law
I arrest you! I'm the law!" he went on, tapping his nickel shield.
One of the men made a dart for a window, as though to get out, but he
was knocked back by a deputy, and in a few seconds all three men were
secured.
Neale, who had pressed into the cabin as soon as possible, looked with
fast-beating heart into the faces of the three tramps. To his great
relief none was his father.
"Now, what's all this about?" growled one of the men. "What's the game?"
"You'll find out soon enough," declared the constable. "Are either of
these the men you spoke of?" he asked the lawyer.
"Yes, those two are the ones that several times went off in a hurry in
the motor boat," said Mr. Howbridge. "But I can not identify them as the
ones who took the jewelry. Ruth and Agnes Kenway will have to do that."
As he spoke the two men looked at him. One shook his head and the other
exclaimed:
"It's all up. They got us right!"
"Come on now lively, men!" cried Constable Newcomb. "Search this place,
gather up what evidence you can, and we'll take 'em to jail."
"Are there any others?" asked Neale, hoping against hope as the men were
taken outside the shack and the search was begun.
"I guess we have the main ones, anyhow," answered Mr. Newcomb. "Oh, look
at this bunch of stuff!" he cried, as he threw back the dirty blankets
of one of the bunks. "They've been robbing right and left."
It was a heterogeneous collection of articles, and at the sight of one
box Mr. Howbridge exclaimed:
"There it is! The jewelry case I gave Miss Ruth! These men were either
the thieves or they know something about the robbery. See if anything is
left in the box."
It was quickly opened, and seen to contain a number of rings, pins, and
trinkets.
"Well, there's a good part of it," the lawyer remarked. "It will need
Ruth and Agnes to tell just what is missing."
Mr. Howbridge and Neale were watching the constable and his men finish
the search of the cabin, while others of the posse had taken the
prisoners to the boat, when suddenly into the shack came another man,
whose well-worn clothing would seem to proclaim him as one of the
"Klondikers."
But at the sight of this man Neale sprang forward, and held out his
hands.
"Father!" cried the boy. "Don't you know me?"
"It's Neale--my son!" was the gasping exclamation. "How in the world did
you get here? I was just about to start for Milton to look you up."
"Well, I guess, before you do, we'll look you up a bit, and maybe lock
you up, also," said the constable dryly. "Do you belong to the Klondike
bunch?" he asked.
"Well, yes, I might say that I do; or rather that I did." said Neale's
father, and though the boy gasped in dismay, Mr. O'Neil smiled. "I
understand the crowd has been captured," he added.
"Yes. And you may consider yourself captured also!" snapped out the
officer. "Jim, a pair of handcuffs here!"
"One moment!" interposed Mr. Howbridge, with a glance at Neale. "I
represent this man, officer. I'll supply bail for him--"
Mr. O'Neil laughed.
"Thank you," he said. "Your offer is kind, and I appreciate it. But I
shan't need bail. I believe you received a letter telling you to make
this raid, did you not?" he asked the constable.
"I did," was the answer. "It was that letter which gave us the clue to
the robbers. I'd like to meet the man who wrote it. He said he would
give evidence against the rascals."
"Who signed that letter?" asked Neale's father.
"I have it here. I can show you," offered Mr. Newcomb. "It was signed by
a man named O'Neil," he added as he produced the document. "He said he'd
meet us here, but--"
"Well, he has met you. I'm O'Neil," broke in the other. "And it was I
who gave you the information."
"Oh, Father!" cried Neale, "then you're not one of the--"
"I'm not one of the thieves; though I admit my living here among them
made it look so," said Mr. O'Neil. "It is easily explained. One of the
men made a fraudulent claim to part of a mine I own in Alaska, and I had
to remain in his company until I could disprove his statements. This I
have done. The matter is all cleared up, and I concluded it was time to
hand the rascals over to the law. So I sent the letter to the
authorities, and I'm glad it is all ended."
"So am I!" cried Neale. "Then you did strike it rich after all?"
"No, not exactly rich, Son. I was pretty lucky, though, and I struck pay
dirt in the Klondike. I wrote your Uncle Bill about it, but probably the
letters miscarried. I never was much of a letter writer, anyhow. And I
never knew until the other day that you were so anxious to find me. I
couldn't have left here anyhow, though, for I had to straighten out my
affairs. Now everything is all right. Do you still want to arrest me?"
he asked the constable.
"No," replied Mr. Newcomb. "I reckon you're a friend of the law and, in
consequence, you're my friend. Now come on, boys, we'll lock up the
other birds."
Neale walked by the side of his father and it was difficult to say who
talked the most. Mr. Howbridge accompanied the constable and from him
learned how the raid had been planned through information sent by Mr.
O'Neil.
When the party reached the houseboat, whither some of the deputies had
preceded with the prisoners, the sight of a figure on the upper deck
attracted the attention of Neale and the lawyer.
"Agnes!" gasped her guardian. "How did you get here?"
"On the _Bluebird_. I just couldn't bear to be left behind, and so I
slipped on board again after you said good-by on the dock. There wasn't
any shooting after all," she added, as if disappointed.
"No, it was easier than I expected," admitted the lawyer. "And, while
you should not have come, this may interest you!"
"Our jewelry!" cried Agnes as she took the extended box. Quickly she
looked over the contents.
"Only two little pins are missing!" she reported. "We shan't mind the
loss of them. Oh, how glad I am to get my things! And mother's wedding
ring, too! How did it happen?"
"I think you have Neale's father to thank," answered Mr. Howbridge.
"Oh, I am so glad!" cried Agnes, and she was happy in more ways than
one. "What did I tell you, Neale O'Neil?"
The _Bluebird_ made a quick trip back to the point and the rascals were
locked up. Two of them proved to be the thieves who had robbed Ruth and
Agnes, though their ill-gotten gains did them little good, as they dared
not dispose of them. The third prisoner was not involved in that
robbery, though he was implicated in others around the lake. Eventually,
all three went to prison for long terms.
Neale's father, of course, was not involved. As he explained, he had
located a mine in Alaska and it made him moderately well off. But he had
a rascally partner, and it was necessary for Mr. O'Neil to stay with
this man until a settlement was made. It was this partner who had
dealings with the thieves; and that had made it look bad for Neale's
father. This man was arrested later.
As soon as he saw how matters were on Cedar Island Mr. O'Neil decided to
give the evil men over to the law, and he carried out his plan as
quickly as possible. The two "Klondikers" who had inquired about rooms
from the Stetson family were part of the thieving gang, and they were
also later arrested. They were planning a bank robbery in town, and the
two men who took the jewelry from Ruth and Agnes were part of the same
crowd. The robbery of the girls, of course, was done on the spur of the
moment. The two ragged men had merely taken shelter in the doorway,
after having called at the Stetson house to get the "lay of the land."
And as such characters are always on the watch to commit some crime they
hope may profit them, these two acted on the impulse.
For some reason the bank robbery plans miscarried, and the two jewelry
robbers started back for Lake Macopic, where they had left some
confederates, including Mr. O'Neil's partner. The rascals imagined the
Corner House girls were following them, hence the several quick
departures in the motor boat. Whether one of these men looked in the
window of Tess was never learned.
"I'm so glad our suspicions of Hank were unfounded," said Ruth, when
later the events of the day were being talked over in the _Bluebird_
cabin.
"Yes, that ring was his mother's," said Neale. "He told me about it
after I had hinted that we had been watching him. And, oh, Father, I'm
so glad I found you!" he added. "You're through with the Klondike;
aren't you?"
"Yes, I'm going to sell out my mine and go into some other business."
"Do you mean back to the circus?" asked Mr. Howbridge.
"No. Though I want to see Bill and the others."
"Why don't you stay with us and finish the trip on the houseboat, Mr.
O'Neil?" Ruth asked.
"Thank you, I will," he answered, after the others had added their
urgings to Ruth's invitation.
And so, after the somewhat exciting adventures the trip was resumed, and
eventually the craft was delivered to her owner.
Before this, however, happy days were spent cruising about Lake Macopic,
the children and Mrs. MacCall enjoying life to the utmost. There were
days of fishing and days of bathing and splashing in the limpid waters
near sandy beaches. Tess and Dot were taught to swim by Neale, and his
father made the children laugh by imitating seals he had seen in Alaska.
Hank, too, seemed to enjoy the vacation days, and he proved a valuable
helper, forming a great friendship with Mr. O'Neil. During those days
Ruth received two more letters from Luke and one from his sister. Luke
was still working hard at the summer hotel, and Cecile reported that the
sick aunt was now much better. Luke congratulated Neale on finding his
father. And then, as was usual, he added a page or two intended only for
Ruth's eyes,--words that made her eyes shine with rare happiness.
"Oh, we had a lovely time!" said Agnes when they disembarked for the
last time. "The nicest summer vacation we ever spent."
"Indeed it was," agreed Ruth.
"And when I get home I'm going to send Mr. Henry my doll and a kitten so
he won't be lonesome on that island in winter," observed Dot.
"And I'm going to send Mr. Tom something," declared Tess. "He likes me,
and maybe when I grow up I'll marry him!"
"Oh, what a child!" laughed Ruth.
"I'm glad you liked the trip," said the lawyer. "And I think we can
agree that it accomplished something," he added as he looked at Neale
and his father.
"It made my Alice-doll a lot better!" piped up Dot, and they all
laughed.
And so, in this jolly mood, we will take leave of the Corner House
Girls.
THE END
CHARMING STORIES FOR GIRLS
(From eight to twelve years old)
THE CORNER HOUSE GIRLS SERIES
BY GRACE BROOKS HILL
Four girls from eight to fourteen years of age receive word that a rich
bachelor uncle has died, leaving them the old Corner House he occupied.
They move into it and then the fun begins. What they find and do will
provoke many a hearty laugh. Later, they enter school and make many
friends. One of these invites the girls to spend a few weeks at a
bungalow owned by her parents; and the adventures they meet with make
very interesting reading. Clean, wholesome stories of humor and
adventure, sure to appeal to all young girls.
1 CORNER HOUSE GIRLS.
2 CORNER HOUSE GIRLS AT SCHOOL.
3 CORNER HOUSE GIRLS UNDER CANVAS.
4 CORNER HOUSE GIRLS IN A PLAY.
5 CORNER HOUSE GIRLS' ODD FIND.
6 CORNER HOUSE GIRLS ON A TOUR.
7 CORNER HOUSE GIRLS GROWING UP.
8 CORNER HOUSE GIRLS SNOWBOUND.
9 CORNER HOUSE GIRLS ON A HOUSEBOAT.
10 CORNER HOUSE GIRLS AMONG THE GYPSIES.
11 CORNER HOUSE GIRLS ON PALM ISLAND.
BARSE & HOPKINS, PUBLISHERS
Newark N.J.--New York, N.Y.
THE POLLY PENDLETON SERIES
BY DOROTHY WHITEHILL
Polly Pendleton is a resourceful, wide-awake American girl who goes to a
boarding school on the Hudson River some miles above New York. By her
pluck and resourcefulness, she soon makes a place for herself and this
she holds right through the course. The account of boarding school life
is faithful and pleasing and will attract every girl in her teens.
1 POLLY'S FIRST YEAR AT BOARDING SCHOOL
2 POLLY'S SUMMER VACATION
3 POLLY'S SENIOR YEAR AT BOARDING SCHOOL
4 POLLY SEES THE WORLD AT WAR
5 POLLY AND LOIS
6 POLLY AND BOB
Cloth, Large 12mo., Illustrated.
BARSE & HOPKINS, PUBLISHERS
Newark N.J.--New York, N.Y.
CHICKEN LITTLE JANE SERIES
By LILY MUNSELL RITCHIE
Chicken Little Jane is a Western prairie girl who lives a happy, outdoor
life in a country where there is plenty of room to turn around. She is a
wide-awake, resourceful girl who will instantly win her way into the
hearts of other girls. And what good times she has!--with her pets, her
friends, and her many interests. "Chicken Little" is the affectionate
nickname given to her when she is very, very good, but when she
misbehaves it is "Jane"--just Jane!
Adventures of Chicken Little Jane
Chicken Little Jane on the "Big John"
Chicken Little Jane Comes to Town
With numerous illustrations in pen and ink
By CHARLES D. HUBBARD
BARSE & HOPKINS, PUBLISHERS
NEWARK, N. J.--NEW YORK, N. Y.
Dorothy Whitehill Series For Girls
Here is a sparkling new series of stories for girls--just what they will
like, and ask for more of the same kind. It is all about twin sisters,
who for the first few years in their lives grow up in ignorance of each
other's existence. Then they are at last brought together and things
begin to happen. Janet is an independent go-ahead sort of girl; while
her sister Phyllis is--but meet the twins for yourself and be
entertained.
6 Titles, Cloth, large 12mo., Covers in color.
1. JANET, A TWIN
2. PHYLLIS, A TWIN
3. THE TWINS IN THE WEST
4. THE TWINS IN THE SOUTH
5. THE TWINS' SUMMER VACATION
6. THE TWINS AND TOMMY JR.
BARSE & HOPKINS, PUBLISHERS
NEWARK, N. J.--NEW YORK, N. Y.
THE MARY JANE SERIES
BY CLARA INGRAM JUDSON
Cloth, 12mo. Illustrated.
With picture inlay and wrapper.
Mary Jane is the typical American little girl who bubbles over with fun
and the good things in life. We meet her here on a visit to her
grandfather's farm where she becomes acquainted with farm life and farm
animals and thoroughly enjoys the experience. We next see her going to
kindergarten and then on a visit to Florida, and then--but read the
stories for yourselves.
Exquisitely and charmingly written are these books which every little
girl from five to nine years old will want from the first book to the
last.
1 MARY JANE--HER BOOK
2 MARY JANE--HER VISIT
3 MARY JANE'S KINDERGARTEN
4 MARY JANE DOWN SOUTH
5 MARY JANE'S CITY HOME
6 MARY JANE IN NEW ENGLAND
7 MARY JANE'S COUNTY HOME
BARSE & HOPKINS, PUBLISHERS
NEWARK, N. J.--NEW YORK, N. Y.