THE PLOT.
Ruth led the boys to her home, explaining that it would be better for
them to get out of sight as quickly as possible, lest they come upon one
of their enemies.
"There's no danger of that just now," interrupted Phil, "for I know
where most of them are at just this minute. However, it would be nice if
you would take us to your home for a minute, for I think I have the
keynote to the whole business right now, and I would like to tell my
discoveries to Garry and Dick, and also get some directions from you, if
you will sit in our council of war and act as chief advisor."
"Come right along. I must be getting back and let Mr. Allen go home.
Also Granddad might have waked up, and we can get his advice," said
Ruth.
Silently they followed her home. They heard no suspicious sounds, so
evidently were not being followed. The chances were that the assistants
of the restaurant keeper did not know what to do, and as Phil knew,
none of the principals were about, and all that could be done was to
await their return.
Garry hated to sacrifice his lariat, as it was an especially fine one,
but there was no help for it, since getting it down would have led them
all into certain capture again.
Arriving at the house, Ruth found that her grandfather was still asleep,
while Mr. Allen was reading a magazine. He told Ruth that he would
finish his story before going home, so that gave her an opportunity to
hear Phil's story.
Hastily Phil went over the details of what had happened to him since
leaving the boys the day before.
"Now the key to the entire matter seems to be the conference that is
going to be held tonight at the home of this Lafe Green. He seems to be
the leader of the entire business, but LeBlanc holds some sort of
position of authority and will probably take the lead tonight, as he has
some sort of a scheme to tell the others. They are planning a fur
smuggling trip in the very near future, because Anderson is now in
Canada buying skins for the trappers. Just what this new plan is I don't
know, for just as he was going to tell it, a man called Vareau came to
the room, and LeBlanc shut up like a clam, seeming not to like him."
"I wonder," said Garry reflectively, "if we couldn't get hold of this
Vareau of whom you speak, and tell him his partners are leaving him out
in the cold, and so get him to help us by leading us to the smuggling
lane?"
"Don't have a thing to do with him," warned Ruth. "I don't blame LeBlanc
for not wanting him to come in on any big plan, for he is like a snake
and cannot be trusted even by those he is working for. Very likely if
you tried to get his help, he would turn around and betray you to
LeBlanc, hoping thereby to be taken in on the new plot."
"That's sound advice," said Garry. "On the whole, it is better for us to
play a lone hand in this game, without taking anyone into our
confidence, except you, Miss Ruth, for without you we might have failed
tonight, and Phil lost forever."
"The first thing to do is to find Lafe Green's house and see if there is
not some way in which we can get in to hear what they are planning. I
know of no other way in which we can get the proper information, unless
we appeal for help to the Customs authorities up the line, and have the
entire outfit seized, but that would do us very little good, for we have
no evidence on which to have them convicted, and besides that, we would
lose all chance of stopping whatever big scheme is now in the wind. I
suppose you can tell us where to find Green's house, can't you," asked
Phil, turning to the girl.
"Yes, it is about a mile outside of the village in a lonely and secluded
place. It is ostensibly a farm that he lives on, but I guess farming
occupies but a small place in his mind. I only wish that I could go, and
I believe I will see if I can't get Mr. Allen to stay here so I can
guide you to the place," she answered, her eyes sparkling with the
thought of the possible adventure.
But Garry firmly put his foot down on her running any chance of danger.
"In the first place, it would be bad enough if we were strangers to this
crowd, for they would brook no interference with their plans, but there
is the added danger in the fact that LeBlanc already has it in store for
us, and anyone that takes side with us will meet with his vengeance and
that of his friends. Besides, it is almost midnight," he said.
Reluctantly the girl gave up the idea of being in on the adventure.
"But what are your plans now?" she asked. "It seems that you are going
on a wildgoose chase, just to go to Green's house, and besides, with all
his friends there, you would have no chance of escape if your presence
was discovered at the farm."
"Well, to tell the truth, all we can do is go there and be guided by
circumstances. We cannot afford to let the slightest chance slip by us,
and that seems just now to be the scene of plot, in fact it is the crux
of the entire affair," responded Garry.
At that minute, however, fortune favored them. Mr. Allen came down
stairs and told them that Mr. Everett was awake, and wanted the boys to
come upstairs a minute and say hello to him.
After giving this message, he went home, and led by Ruth, the boys went
upstairs to see Mr. Everett.
"Talk about luck!" whispered Garry to Dick. "Now we can get some real
dope on all this."
Arriving at Mr. Everett's bedroom, they found him sitting up in bed with
a heavy blanket thrown around his shoulders. He expressed his pleasure
at seeing the boys again, and then inquired how it was that they
happened to be around at such a late hour.
"Time is precious, so we'll have to give you an abbreviated account,
sir," said Garry. "Phil, here, was captured by LeBlanc, one of our most
vengeful enemies, and through the help of Miss Ruth here, we were able
to rescue him," and Garry briefly told how they had broken open the
window of the prison room, and released their chum.
"Now we have found out that something is going to take place at Lafe
Green's house sometime after midnight, and it is imperative to our
success that we go there immediately and see what can be done to find
out what is being plotted. I am sure that we can put every trust in you,
so I am going to confide in you. We are at present doing some work for
the Customs authorities of the State, and as you are a former Customs
agent, we are asking you for whatever aid you can give us," concluded
Garry.
"H'm," said Everett. "Seems to me you are pretty young to be engaged in
that kind of work. I suppose you have your credentials?"
"Indeed we have," and Garry drew from the cunningly made pocket in the
waistband of his trousers the little gold shield that stamped them as
members of the service.
"That is enough," said old Mr. Everett. "If it wasn't for my misfortune
in being laid up, I would be with you tonight and between us we would
have the goods on this outfit. As it is, you will have to take the
chance yourselves, for I believe I can tell you just what to do. Some
little time ago, I discovered a secret passage to Lafe Green's house. It
is unlikely that anyone else in the village outside of myself and Green
and his accomplices know about it. It wasn't built by Green, but by a
former owner of the farm, who was in the same nefarious business. It may
even be that Green does not know about it, although that is unlikely.
This passage leads from the barn to the house, and was used to store
contraband goods in. You see the stuff could be brought to the barn in a
load of hay, or wood, and no one be the wiser. Then it could be hidden
away in the secret passage, and a search party could look through the
house and barn till doomsday and never discover it. Then, too, if the
men were in danger of arrest, they could make their way to this passage,
and after nightfall escape by way of the barn, as the authorities would
of course have only the house under guard.
"This passage is entered by moving a feed box that stands at the end of
the barn. When the box is moved away, you will see what appears to be
nothing more nor less than ordinary flooring, but if you look carefully
you will see a knot in one of the boards near the wall. Pry this out
with your knife, and you will then be able to lift the cunningly
contrived trap door. This leads to the passage, which is more than forty
feet long. The passage leads to the cellar of the house, entrance to the
house being made by moving the trapdoor upwards. This requires a little
effort, as it is covered by the dirt floor for three or four inches. In
this trap is a ring to lift it when you want to get back to the passage.
Once you have gotten through the trap, smooth the dirt back over it,
leaving a chip or something directly over the spot where the ring is so
you will waste no time in finding it when you want to go back.
"I must tell you this, however; once you get in the house, you will be
in great peril, as these men are unscrupulous in the highest degree.
Green would be behind the bars long before this except for good luck and
the extreme precautions that he takes. Add to this the fact that many of
the people in this section see no harm in smuggling, and would never
give information even if they had it, and you can see how Green has so
long managed to escape paying the penalty for his misdeeds. Now that is
all I can tell you, and you had better be getting along on your work, as
it is now midnight, and it will take you at least fifteen minutes to get
to Green's barn."
Mr. Everett concluded by giving them minute instructions as to how to
reach the farm of the suspected smuggler leader.
"I know all this is dangerous," said Mr. Everett, "but you boys are now
working for your country, and as you have taken the responsibility you
must be prepared to carry it out to the end. For safety's sake, however,
I am going to propose the following measure. Come back to the house as
soon as you have either succeeded or failed in your mission. If you are
not here by six o'clock, I will take it on myself to summon help from
the Customs authorities up the line, or arm a posse here and search
Green's house. I hope that won't be necessary, for it would put an end
to discovering what is in the wind, but that is better than that you
boys should fall into trouble. Now God speed you on your way."
They said goodbye to Mr. Everett, after shaking hands with him, and once
again hearing his wishes for good luck.
Ruth led the way to the door, shyly adding her own wishes for their
success.
"Now you are sure you know the way?" she asked, as she opened the door.
"I know I won't sleep a wink till you come back in the morning. Just
ring the bell whenever you get back, and I will let you in. Good luck to
you."
Walking at a brisk pace, they started for Green's farm. There was no
moon, and it gave promise of rain, which suited the boys exactly, as
there was now little chance of a stray shaft of light disclosing their
presence when they arrived at their destination. At the end of fifteen
minutes they reached the farm, and carefully making their way across the
field, came to the barn, standing like a great black hulk. The boys
thrilled with excitement, for they felt they were on the last lap in the
search for the smuggler band, that it was their mission to put an end
to.