SEARCHING FOR CLUES
The next morning, though it was still cloudy and rain was falling, Link
was prevailed to return with his team to the place where he had seen the
man with the scowling visage. Meantime Nels Anderson and family had been
made comfortable in a disused cabin in the edge of the village.
Nels, being comparatively useless, also remained. To him later in the day
came Chip Slider, saying:
"I went with them folks and they didn't do nothin' much, except that Paul
picked up a gold piece right near where they found that old suit-case.
All at once it come to me that something's got to be did."
"Vell, vot you bane goin' to do?" Nels spoke indifferently, for he had his
own troubles heavily on his mind.
"I don't want you to say much to the others. But if you find they ain't
goin' to foller up that trail we lost in them burnt woods, 'count of the
rain, I'm goin' to foller it myself. Say, Nels, I want to get your wife to
cook me up some grub--on the quiet, see?"
"On de qviet--heh? V'ot for you bane goin' to do?" Nels was vaguely
suspicious but kindly.
"They've gone for the sheriff and the dawgs. But they won't get back afore
ter-morrer. I want that grub right away--see?"
Nels grunted a surly assent, adding: "Don' you forget to bring dat grub."
This Chip proceeded to do, managing to secure through Billy Worth and Phil
Way a limited amount of flour, bacon and one or more minor ingredients.
But both were curious, naturally.
"Look here, Chip," remarked Phil casually. "You ain't going to leave us,
are you? We--we rather like you, boy."
Chip took them both aside as he explained his purpose to some extent.
"You know Paul found a gold piece where that suit-case was picked up. That
shows as how Murky, or whoever it was, must 'a' been puttin' the money in
something else. It's rained on that trail, and even if the sheriff comes
with his dawgs, they can't foller it to do any good."
"Well then, how the mischief can you follow it?" demanded Worth. "You just
can't! Believe me, Chip, you're going up against a hard thing."
But Chip persisted. The sooner he got off, the better. After all, seeing
he was bound to go, they wished him luck. But meanwhile Paul had come up
and was listening eagerly. When Phil and Billy turned away, he clapped
Chip on the back, saying:
"Chip, you're the goods--sure! I'm going with you, see?"
Chip looked so astonished that Paul hastened to add: "Don't you worry!
I'll have some grub of my own, too. More'n that, I'll get a couple of our
camp blankets. Now that our Thirty is gone, we won't be using much of our
camp supplies. Say, it's up to us to help get back that twenty thousand
dollars or what's left of it--hey?"
So it was arranged. During the afternoon Mr. Beckley and a constable came
back but without either the sheriff or the dogs. To the anxious queries
put to them Beckley shook his head discouragingly.
"We talked to the sheriff. He seemed anxious to do all he could; but he
was positive that the rains and the strong scent of burnt ashes over soil
would baffle the hounds. Said he: 'I'm used to bloodhounds. I know what I
am talking about. My dogs are useless here.' But he was insistent on our
notifying the police of the nearer towns by wire. He also 'phoned to the
nearest big cities, in case Murky turned up at any of them. We gave a
description of the fellow as best we could, and also charged him with
murder."
"I suppose you mean Grandall," remarked MacLester.
"Certainly! I think, considering what we saw on the balcony especially
when Murky was dragging Grandall back into the burning building, there
can be little doubt but that Murky made an end of him. It was undoubtedly
to his interest to get Grandall out of the way; especially if Murky had a
notion of making off with the plunder himself."
No one disputed this. And so the matter rested. During the day men were
sent off to notify the nearest settlers. In case Murky appeared, they were
to arrest the man or, if unable to do that, to let folks in Staretta know
at once.
Meanwhile Link Fraley, having turned the store over temporarily to his
father, who was the real proprietor after all, and an assistant, spent
most of his time going round with the Auto Boys and Mr. Beckley.
"It's this way," he remarked. "I've been so much with you lads in this
business that I feel somehow as if we were all interested. By the way,
kids, where is that chap Slider? And I don't see your chum Paul round
here."
These remarks were made along in the afternoon, after a busy morning of
investigation involving a good deal of running round generally. For the
first time it suddenly occurred to three of the Auto Boys that one of
their number had not showed up, even at the dinner taken at noon at the
one tavern of the place. Also, where was Chip Slider?
"Gee whiz-z!" Phil wondered that he had not noticed their absence before.
"I remember him and Chip whispering together after we got back. Don't you,
Link?"
Link did and said so emphatically, adding:
"Now come to think, I seen them two moseyin' off down where the Andersons
be."
"By ginger!" This from MacLester. "I bet they're off to help Nels fix up
that old cabin a bit. It sure needs fixing if I'm any judge."
"Tell you what, boys," put in Worth, "suppose we all go down there and
give poor Nels a lift. He's half helpless himself. These Staretta folks
sent them in some things. We'll do our bit while we're waitin' for Mr.
Beckley to get that automobile he thinks he needs."
Now that the Thirty belonging to the boys had been destroyed Beckley, on
reaching Staretta, had sent a man to the nearest town to bring some kind
of motor car, for it was plain to him that if he was to get anywhere with
his faithful assistant Daddy O'Lear, some kind of assistance more to be
depended on than Link's scraggy horse team should be secured.
So while Beckley waited the boys set out for Anderson's cabin. But upon
reaching there no sign of either Paul or Chip was to be seen. Instead
Nels himself sat despondent in the doorway, while inside Mrs. Anderson
and the child were striving in a desultory, hopeless way to arrange the
inside of the unkempt cabin.
"We came down to see if we could help about anything to make you all more
comfortable," said Phil, still looking for Jones and Chip. "We kind a
thought Paul and that Slider boy was down here."
"So they was," remarked Mrs. Anderson, apathetically wiping out a frying
pan, "but they went off soon as they had their grub cooked. And a job it
was, too."
"Just what do you mean, Mrs. Anderson?" put in Billy uneasily.
"They was goin' somewhere, I think. Then--"
"Yah--yah!" This from Nels in the doorway. "They bane had der dinners."
Meanwhile Phil was thinking what Chip had told them that morning. Paul's
absence was now explained. Worth also felt that an astonishing light had
dawned on him somehow. He turned to Way, saying:
"What doughheads we were when Chip was talking so glibly about what he was
going to do! Why, the thing is sheer nonsense!"
"More than that, it is dangerous!" exclaimed Phil. "Suppose them two boys
meet up with Murky way off in the burnt over woods. What'll Murky do to
'em?"
"Don't talk punk, Phil!" Billy was in cold earnest now. "You know what
he'd do or try to do, if he thought they had come after that money.
There's nothing he _wouldn't_ do if he could, that would put them off his
trail and land them--oh, goodness! It makes me cold when I think of Paul."
Here the Anderson girl timidly approached, holding out a scrap of paper.
"He give it me," said the child. "Pap was away and ma was busy."
"Who gave it you?" demanded Phil as Worth took the soiled, folded paper.
"One of you boys. They was leavin'. Ma didn't know," seeing Mrs. Anderson
looking on with astonishment written all over her. "I fergot it 'til now."
"Boys," the pencilled scrawl began. "I'm off with Chip. We got some grub
along, and a pair of blankets. Chip thinks we can follow Murky. I just
got to go along, too. Paul. P.S. Don't worry."
Nels' wife was fishing out a blanket from a scant pile of bedding in one
corner, and held it out, saying:
"He says wrong, sir. They ain't got but one blanket; for Mr. Paul
he--offered us one of the two he had. I wouldn't take it but he piled
it with the things folks brought in. Then they both hurried off."
"Ve nefer see dat blanket," began Nels. "No. He done left it. Mein frau,
she find it v'en day bane gone."
The situation now looked more grave to the boys than ever. Little was
said, however. Even Dave would only commit himself so far as to ejaculate:
"Paul always was a fool!"
But this was said in no animadversive sense. It was wholly sympathetic,
even while Dave might have disapproved. Finding there was nothing more
to be done for Nels they were about to leave when Anderson, who had been
whispering with his wife, suddenly announced:
"I bane go mit you. I know de woods. I lif in de woods. I go mit you!"
"It won't do, Nels," remonstrated Worth. "You ain't fit. You're needed
more here."
"How did you know we were going after Paul and Chip?" asked Phil.
Nels smiled for the first time that day. His wife explained.
"He knew you boys were good and that you loved your chum. Perhaps he felt
that you were sorry for Chip, too. He wants to do his part. But I think
you are right. In his fix he'd better stay with us."
All three boys insisted that Nels' place was with his family. It looked
that way, anyhow. But Nels shook his head rather grimly. Finally he
retired to the doorsteps, neither taking part in further discussion nor
saying much of anything more at all.
After the boys left, however, he bestirred himself. His wife,
understanding him better than others, mutely began preparing more
food. Meanwhile Nels, from some recess in his rough clothing,
resurrected two one-dollar bills. These he forced upon his wife, who
meantime had wrapped up certain provisions and made him take the blanket
left by Paul.
On the way back to town the boys encountered Link Fraley; and he, being
in their confidence, was briefly told all that had occurred. As they
explained the grin on Link's face grew broader, his eyes twinkled and
he seemed vastly tickled at something.
"Well, what you goin' to do?" He asked it as if he already knew.
They told him, and he slapped the boys on the shoulders congratulatingly
as he rejoined:
"Bully for you, boys! Stick to your friends! That's the way to git along
in this world. That little hungry looking cuss Chip--why, somehow I kinder
liked him. Lemme tell you something. I'm goin' 'long, too."
Here Link's smile grew so broad that it nearly met his ears. "I been doin'
some thinkin' of my own. I ain't after money in this. Yet, if we should
happen to git that money back, or he'p 'em git it, I rather guess Mr.
Beckley would do the right thing."
"He would; I feel sure of that." Phil was speaking. "But that isn't
worrying us so much as that Chip and Paul should start out that way
without even letting out a cheep what they was up to."
"We-ell!" Link looked uncommonly wise. "You see, they two had seen that
ugly cuss first. Then ag'in, I think Chip felt sore 'cause Murky beat him
up so. He'd sorter like to git even, I reckon."
"Another thing," put in Phil. "Chip knows that his dead father didn't act
up square 'bout that money either. Grandall put him up to it. But Chip,
I'm thinkin', wants to do the fair thing."
"You say you are going along, too?" asked MacLester. "That is good of you,
Mr. Fraley. We've lost our car and the Longknives have lost their money. I
guess it's right that we should all help to try to get the money back.
As for the car--our bully old Thirty--well, we'll have to get home without
it. But what made Paul and Chip in such a hurry?"
"Chip's knocked about a good deal. He knew that if Murky got out of the
big woods our chance to get him would be small." This from Worth. "By the
time it all got into the hands of the police there'd be more or less costs
and--and expenses. As for Paul Jones, he just couldn't help it, I guess."
"When will you be ready, Link?" queried Phil. "That is, if you are really
going along."
"Ready right now, boys. When will you start?"
"It's now mid-afternoon," remarked Phil. "I propose we get ready and start
at daylight tomorrow. It has rained off and on all day--hullo! Here comes
Mr. Beckley."
Beckley, still followed by his henchman Daddy O'Lear, came hurriedly out
of the only telephone office in Staretta. When he learned what the boys
together with Fraley were up to, he looked dubious. Finally he said:
"Perhaps it is the best way after all. Nothing more can be done here.
Whether we recover the money or not, it is right that you should look
after your chum and--and that Slider boy." Mr. Beckley spoke this last as
if he rather had doubts if Chip were worth looking after. But, with the
Auto Boys on the trail he felt safe as far as the money went, provided
they found Murky, and the spoil Murky would be apt to have with him.