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[Illustration: "Great heavens! It's Lew Grandall!" cried the stranger on
the raft. (_Page 399_)]
THE AUTO BOYS' MYSTERY
By JAMES A. BRADEN
AUTHOR OF
"THE AUTO BOYS," "THE AUTO BOYS' ADVENTURE,"
"THE AUTO BOYS' CAMP," "THE AUTO BOYS' BIG SIX,"
"FAR PAST THE FRONTIER," ETC.
FRONTISPIECE BY ALFRED RUSSELL
THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY
CHICAGO--AKRON, OHIO--NEW YORK
THE AUTO BOYS' MYSTERY
CHAPTER I
PROLOGUE
The Auto Boys had been camped on the unfrequented shore of Opal Lake
for several days. At first hunting and fishing were the only enlivening
features of this, their unusual summer outing.
Opal Lake, far up in the big northern woods, had at this time no other
campers. True, there was an abandoned clubhouse on a nearby point not far
from where Phil Way, Billy Worth, Dave MacLester and Paul Jones selected
the spot for their Outing Camp. But, until within a day or two, even the
clubhouse had seemed to be as it looked, deserted.
But a smoke being seen one day, the boys had become curious. Without
actually entering the house itself, they had made individual or collective
trips that way. Also strange sounds had been heard, and even human
presence had been detected. Finally Paul, the youngest of the boys, made
a cautious trip thither and even entered the house where he had heard
voices, and otherwise had detected that real folks were undoubtedly
there; though why they were there Paul could only guess. Perhaps they
were in search of a bag of money, said to be twenty thousand dollars,
stolen three years before and supposed still to be hidden somewhere
in that region.
Strange men had been seen near the end of a gravel road which the
Longknives Club (owners of the now abandoned clubhouse) were then
constructing for their own use and convenience. The unexpected loss of
this money caused the work to stop, while the workmen, including a
Swedish foreman, Nels Anderson by name, remained unpaid to this day.
Aside from the clubhouse, the nearest inhabitants to the boys' camp were
this same Anderson and his family, who lived in a small clearing five or
six miles away on the trail leading to Staretta, a small town perhaps
a dozen miles further on. This was the nearest town to Opal Lake which
was, indeed, a veritable "Lake of the Woods."
When Paul Jones, finally escaping through the cellar window, left the
clubhouse without being discovered, he ran across in the dark another
somebody who vanished, uttering strange and savage oaths. Paul also made
himself scarce in another direction and happened upon Chip Slider, whose
merry response to Paul's greeting caused both soon to become so friendly
that Paul took Chip to their camp, where a warm meal soon loosened the
boys' tongues and there was a general interchange of opinions about
game, fish, the big woods, and at last the abandoned house on the point.
Here the boys learned from Chip that a man named Murky was also in the
woods and supposedly after that lost or stolen satchel, thought by many to
be hidden somewhere near. They learned from Chip more of the robbery
of Grandall, the treasurer of the Longknives, by this same Murky; also
that Murky himself, through the connivance of Grandall, was held up by
Chip's father by the order of Grandall. The scheme seemed to have been
for Grandall to get the money thus entrusted to his care in a way that
would divert suspicion against himself and direct it elsewhere. After
sufficient time had elapsed, then Grandall would manage to use that money,
meanwhile placating Chip's father, supposedly by bribes.
So open, frank and friendless was young Chip that he won the Auto Boys'
confidence, and stayed on at the camp, proving himself a valuable aid and
an added link in their narrow social life.
Shortly before this Chip, encountering Murky in the woods, had been
badly beaten by the other, and had been seen with a bandaged head by
some of the boys. This induced much pity for the homeless lad, while
Chip's knowledge of Murky and matters connected with the robbery just
alluded to, made him serviceable in the matter of knowing more about
what was going on in and about the house on the point. It appeared, too,
that others of the boys during previous scoutings about the point had
seen Murky, though they did not know who or what he was until Slider
enlightened them.
The general conclusion was that the voices heard inside the house were
more than apt to have indicated the presence of Murky and Grandall,
still on trail of stolen money that must have, in some way, slipped into
unknown hands. Still nothing was sure or settled in their minds except
that Chip was a good fellow and Murky a bad one from almost any point of
view one might take.
Another point occurred to Phil Way, the oldest and the leader of the Auto
Boys; not one of suspicion against Chip, but for general enlightenment.
A recent visit to their camp when all the boys were away had occurred.
Things had been taken, including provisions, bedding and dishes. Perhaps
young Slider, more familiar with the woods life nearby, might have some
knowledge that would lead to the perpetrator.
Taken all round, the camp thought itself rather in luck that Paul had met
this strange homeless lad in the way and under the circumstances he did.
Nels Anderson, the giant Swede, had also been seen under suspicious
circumstances by some of the boys. Taken altogether, the whole matter
was attractive enough to foster certain ambitions inside the lads, who
were too apt to fancy themselves amateur detectives, a vocation they
knew little or nothing about, rather than young woodsmen, hunters, or
anglers, pursuits they really did have some knowledge of and also some
skill.