A STRAIGHT DRIVE FOR THE TRUTH
"So, you stole Owen's spoon, did you?" Hugh said, reprovingly.
Thad made a gesture as though he thought his chum was putting it hard.
"I simply borrowed it, that's all, Hugh," he hastened to explain. "Of
course I haven't any use for souvenir spoons, or any other kind of
spoons, either, for that matter. I was tired of all this beating
around the bush, and made a straight drive to find out the truth.
Either that boy is innocent, or else he's guilty, and now we can learn
which it is."
"What do you plan to do, now you have the spoon?" demanded Hugh.
"Why," explained Thad, "I thought perhaps you'd agree to take me over
to call on Madame Pangborn, even if it is Sunday. The better the day
the better the deed; and our main object would be to solve the horrible
mystery that's been hanging over poor Owen's head all this while, even
if he doesn't know about it. What do you say to that, Hugh?"
The other boy seemed to consider, while Thad watched his face eagerly.
It was just like Thad to go directly at the heart of the matter, for
his was rather an impetuous nature. After all, perhaps it might be the
easiest way in which to settle the question. Hugh at least would be
glad to lay his burden down, for it had been an uphill fight all the
way. Besides, there was so much need of his being able to pay full
attention to baseball matters, with the first game only six days off,
that he would welcome any means for winding up his self-appointed task.
"Well, it might be best to drop in on the old lady and have her
identify that spoon as one of her set," he finally observed. "Once
that fact was established, we would have some solid foundation to build
on. As it is now, we're just groping in the dark."
"Then you agree, do you, Hugh?"
"Call it a bargain, Thad. I'll take you around to call on the old
lady. She's a nice soul, and will be glad to see us. In fact, when we
were talking about a number of things the last time I was in her house,
and I chanced to mention your name, she asked me to fetch you around
sometime. Of course she knows who you are, but I guess you've never
really met her. She's a wonderful old woman, and heart and soul bent
on getting all sorts of comforts for the wounded soldiers of her
beloved la belle France."
Thad looked greatly pleased.
"Then let's be starting out right away," he suggested. "It might be,
Owen would get home before he expected to, and I'd a heap sooner he
wasn't around when we were on our way to the Pangborn house. Somehow,
I'd hate to look the boy in the face after doing what I did; though you
understand it was done in the hope of clearing up this awful puzzle."
"No need of saying that, Thad, because I know what your feelings are.
My plan would have been to pick up the spoon incidentally, and admire
it. Then it would be easy to tell from the manner of Mr. Dugdale
whether he knew where it came from. I don't suppose you thought to do
anything like that, now?"
"Why, no," came the reply; "for you see, I'd laid out my plan of
campaign, and wanted to hew close to the line. The quickest way to
settle the whole matter, according to my calculations, was to just show
the old lady the spoon, and ask her if it was one of the missing ones.
But please get a move on you, Hugh. I'm fairly quivering with
suspense, because I somehow feel that we're on the verge of making a
big discovery."
"Perhaps we are," his chum told him, without any show of elation, "but
if it convicts Owen Dugdale of this thing, I'll be mighty sorry."
He led the way downstairs, and secured his cap from the rack. Then the
two lads hurried out of the front door, heading in the direction of the
big house where the old French lady lived, and which had lately been
turned into a sort of general headquarters for the Red Cross workers.
There some of the ladies of Scranton could be found day after day,
sewing and packing such garments as had been brought in, so that they
might be sent across the sea to the country where the brave poilus were
in the trenches defending their native land against the aggressor, and
slowly but surely pressing the Teutonic hosts back toward the border.
"I'm going to ask you a favor, Hugh," remarked Thad, presently, as they
drew near their intended destination.
"Go ahead and ask it, then," he was told.
"Let me run this little game, won't you, please--that is, I mean, allow
me to introduce the subject of souvenir spoons, and then show the old
lady the one I've got in my pocket right now?"
"That seems only fair," Hugh assured him. "Since you've taken it on
yourself to crib that spoon from Owen's den, it's up to you to do the
honors. I'll only be too glad to have you do most of the talking.
Yes, and about the time you flash that thing in front of her eyes I'll
be shivering for fear we learn the worst."
"Nothing like heroic treatment when you've got a cancer gnawing at your
vitals, as surgeons all say," remarked Thad, rather pompously. "I'm
aiming at the bull's-eye now, you understand. It's going to win or
lose, and no more tom-foolery about it."
When Hugh rang the door-bell, it was Sarah who answered, showing that
she had not lingered very long at home after the boys left, but had
returned to her duties with the madame, who doubtless paid extravagant
wages for her services.
She smiled broadly at sight of them.
"I sure is glad to see yuh agin, bofe ob yous," she said. "I done
tells de missus all 'bout hit, and she says as how it was on'y what
she'd spect of dat young Mistah Morgan."
"Thank you for telling me that, Sarah," Hugh went on to say; "it's
pleasant to know some one thinks well of you. Is Mrs. Pangborn at
leisure? I hope she isn't taking a nap just now?"
"Deedy she ain't dat, suh; she's on'y readin' in de library. An' she
be mighty glad tuh see yous bofe."
So she led the way along the wide hall, to usher the boys into the
commodious library. Bookcases lined the walls, and it seemed to be an
ideal place, where a student might enjoy himself very much indeed.
Just then, however, there were several sewing machines shoved aside,
and much evidence to the effect that on weekdays this same library
might be a beehive of industry, with women chattering as they sewed.
The old lady looked surprised at seeing them, but the welcoming smile
and the extended hand were evidence that she was not displeased.
"I've taken the liberty of fetching my chum, Thad Stevens, around to
see you, Mrs. Pangborn," Hugh was saying as he sat down. "You've heard
me talk of him more than a few times; and even expressed the wish that
I might introduce him to you. He's interested in nearly everything
that concerns me, and we seem to work together like a well-ordered
team, even if we do have an occasional little spat, which is to be
expected."
Madame Pangborn loved boys, as has been said before. She understood
them wonderfully well, too, considering that she had never had one of
her own. So she laughed at what Hugh said.
"I'm doubly glad you have dropped in to see me today, Hugh," she told
him, "for more reasons than one. In the first place, I want to hear at
first hand just what did happen out there at that terrible mill-pond;
and how you managed to save that little boy of my Sarah from drowning.
He sometimes comes here with her to spend a part of a day, and I like
to talk with him, he seems so original, so bright, and so curious about
everything I possess, too."
"Oh! it didn't amount to very much, so far as we were concerned, I
mean," Hugh expostulated; "but since Sarah has told you about it, I
suppose I might as well spin the whole story. We consider that we were
lucky to be around, that's all, for I guess little Brutus would have
been with the angels before now if we hadn't happened along, and heard
all that shrieking from the colored children."
Then he went on to tell about it, even to what had happened after
Brutus arrived home in the big car, the object of attention in
Darktown, with Sarah running like mad to find out what the garbled
account brought by Adolphus Smith might really mean.
The old lady was highly interested in the story, which really Hugh
managed to tell quite cleverly, even injecting some humor in his
narrative.
"So that is how Sarah comes to be calling her Brutus a hero, is it?"
Mrs. Pangborn went on to say, with a smile. "I had never heard her say
such a word before, and considered it rather queer in a mother whose
child had been close to drowning. According to my mind, you and your
chum are really the ones most deserving of that title; but I'll spare
your blushes, young men. Now tell me what you are doing in the line of
outdoor sports; because I hear there are great goings on around this
section of country; and I suppose I must give up next Saturday
afternoon to journeying over to Belleville, in order to encourage our
valiant Scranton High boys."
Both of them started telling of the things that were being done in a
baseball way; and as they were enthusiasts, they found it easy to
enlarge upon such a favorite theme. Thad, however, had begun to show
signs of nervousness, and Hugh suddenly remembering that they had come
there with a particular motive in view, drew out of the conversation,
leaving it to his chum to carry it on with the old lady.
Thad only waited for a favorable opening, when he was ready to "sail
in." This came when the Madame chanced to mention her travels in many
lands, and the fond memories she had of all her visits.
"But when I shall eventually return to my beloved France," she remarked
sadly, "I anticipate many a heartache to see the terrible condition of
the fair country that has been turned into a howling wilderness by the
vandal German armies. Ah! I almost dread the day, much as I yearn to
tread my native soil again."
"My chum was telling me that you had quite a collection of queer
souvenir spoons," Thad remarked just then, thinking he had found just
such an opening as he wished.
Madame Pangborn shot Hugh a suggestive look, as if wondering how far he
had confided in his chum.
"Yes, it is true, I have taken considerable pleasure collecting spoons
in some of the many cities I visited, all of them wonderfully unique,"
she went on to say, with a sigh; "but perhaps, after all, it is a
useless and pernicious habit, since it may tempt some weak one, and
cause trouble."
Then Thad brought out what he had in his pocket. Hugh held his breath.
"Please take a look at this spoon, will you, Mrs. Pangborn," said Thad,
"and tell me if you have ever seen one like it before!"
She gave the speaker a quick, suspicious look, and eagerly took the
little object. For a minute or so she turned it over and over, while
the two boys were quivering with suspense. Then she spoke.
"Ah! quite a charming specimen of Old English silver workmanship, and I
must say it is exceedingly handsome; but it represents a city in which
I never happened to set foot," with which she handed the spoon back to
Thad, who almost dropped it to the floor, such was his sudden sensation
of intense relief.