FERNALD COMES.
"Tell us all about it," demanded Phil.
"All in good time," responded Garry. "First thing to do now is to put a
bit of distance between us and that house. Don't want any of that gang
to come and find us snooping around. Everything has gone as slick as a
whistle so far, and we don't want any foolish oversight to queer it. I
move we make a break for town and hive in somewhere and wait for
daylight. Of course we can go to Everett's house, but we shouldn't bust
in on him in the middle of the night. He's a sick man, you know."
"Wonder where we can go and talk things over," asked Dick. "I suppose we
could go and duck in the woods a ways and build a bit of a fire, for it
seems a bit chilly."
"There's one place we can go and never be bothered. That's down to the
station. It never opens till six o'clock. I inquired of the agent when
we arrived; didn't know but what the information might come in useful
some time. Besides, there's a bench in front where we can sit and gas
away without anyone hearing us. Then just before six we can hike to
Everett's house, so that he won't be raising a rescue party."
All this conversation took place as the boys were walking. In a short
time they had arrived at the station. The fitful gleam of an oil lamp on
a bracket over the bench was the only light, although in a short time,
now, the first light of early dawn would begin to break.
The weary boys threw themselves on the bench, while Garry proceeded to
give an account of his night's venture. The chums listened with
breathless interest as he told of the developments, and held their
breath as Garry told of the dangerous business of getting out of the
room with the man there on the bed.
"Gosh," said Dick, "I'd have given a good bit to be in on that. Strikes
me that you and Phil have had all the fun out of this proposition."
"Sure we've had some fun out of it, but it's only evening things up a
bit. Remember that it was you who had the honor of finding the hermit
that time we were in search of him, and Phil had to stay behind without
getting a chance, although he got into a pickle afterward," said Garry
consolingly.
"Guess we can't have everything in this world," answered Dick. "Next
thing to do now is to plan our new campaign. Of course we won't bother
with them tomorrow night, for that is small potatoes compared to the
jewel plot. Isn't that LeBlanc a cold blooded specimen of a human being?
He'd double cross his own father. I doubt if he would have the slightest
hesitation about putting the Russians out of the way if he couldn't
achieve his ends in any other way."
"Dare say you're right, Dick. At any rate, we must now put our heads
together and dope out just what to do in this smuggling case. What must
be done is to capture them just as they get over the border. Then the
gems will be found in their possession, and they will be caught dead to
rights. If they are allowed to reach Green's house, there are any number
of ways they can squirm out of the mess provided they have a clever
lawyer. I don't know but what the best plan is to tell this whole
business to Mr. Everett and see what he suggests. I imagine that his
advice will be to get help from the Customs house up the line, and then
lay in wait for them. There'll probably be a hot time taking them, so
you'll come in for a share of the excitement after all, Dick."
This having been settled, there was nothing more to do except to chat
away the time till morning. As they talked, the first faint flush of
dawn appeared in the east, giving promise of a fine day despite the
fact that the moonless night had hinted of rain.
Finally Garry looked at his watch.
"Just five o'clock," he announced. "In another few minutes we start for
the Everett home. By the way, that Miss Ruth is a brick."
He said it so enthusiastically that Dick and Phil looked at each other
and then burst into a shout of laughter. Both saw a chance to have a
little fun at the expense of their leader.
"What do you know about that, Phil," said Dick, giving Phil a nudge as
he spoke. "I believe upon my soul that Garry has been smitten with the
charms of the fair lady."
"Looks very much that way," responded Phil, falling into the spirit of
the joke.
Garry turned a dark red.
"Of all the confounded foolishness, that is the worst," he sputtered.
"Why, I've only seen the girl a couple of times."
"Methinks thou dost protest too much," quoted Dick.
"And as for me, I'll have something to tell a certain young lady back
home," announced Phil.
Garry again broke into indignant denials.
"By George, Phil, I only said that in joke, but now I think that I hit
the nail on the head," declared Dick. As a matter of fact, both he and
Phil were now sure that their joke was more flavored with truth than
jest.
Just as they were preparing to leave, they heard a distant rumble.
"There's a train headed this way. Wonder if it's a freight or a
passenger," remarked Phil.
"Must be a freight, there are no passengers scheduled to pass here at
this time of day," said Garry. "Shall we wait and watch it go by? That
seems to be the only thing in the way of excitement that is promised for
this morning."
The others being agreeable, they waited a moment. Soon the puffing
engine appeared at the curve, and the rumbling grinding cars passed
them. The boys amused themselves by checking off the various railroad
lines that were represented by the markings on the different freight
cars. They noted the Grand Trunk and Canadian Pacific predominated,
giving rise to the thought that this was bound for the far west via the
Canadian Rockies.
As the caboose appeared in sight, the train seemed to slacken speed for
a bit, and a man jumped off the back end, waving a goodbye to the train
crew as he did.
"Well, talk about luck," shouted Garry, as he saw the features of the
man. "There's Fernald, the Customs agent!"
He was right, and as soon as Fernald saw them, he hailed them, asking in
surprise how they knew he was going to arrive at that time, and on a
freight instead of a passenger train.
"To tell you the truth, Mr. Fernald," explained Garry, "you were the
last man on earth that we expected to see right this minute. The reason
for our being here involves the telling of a long story, and we must
keep a six o'clock engagement in order to prevent an armed posse from
going in search of us. Perhaps you'd better come along, and then we can
tell you the story at the same time we tell Mr. Everett."
"Who's Everett?" asked Fernald quickly.
"Oh, he's a fine old chap, used to be collector at the Customs House
when it was located here some years ago. We did him a slight favor a
little while ago, and he repaid us very handsomely by giving us
information that was the means of our getting a clue that means the
capture of the gang Sunday night," answered Garry, as they walked along.
They reached the Everett house just on the stroke of six, and were
admitted by Ruth even before they rang the bell. Evidently she had been
watching for them from the window.
"Oh, I'm glad you are back all safe and sound. I worried so that I
hardly slept, and Granddad woke me three or four times to know if you
had come back. His orders were to have you go right up the minute you
came. But who is this gentleman?"
"Pardon me, Miss Ruth, this is Mr. Fernald, one of the men of the
service, and he will take charge from now on. We're thankful he came,
for we were almost up a stump as to how to proceed now," said Garry.
Indeed all three were thankful that Fernald had arrived, for they felt
the need for the counsel of an older head than theirs, and one more
experienced in the work of capturing a smuggler outfit than were they.
They found Mr. Everett in the act of struggling to tie a tie with one
hand, and muttering fiery exclamations at his failure to accomplish the
feat speedily. Garry did the job for him, and after Fernald had been
introduced, they went over the story again.
Just before he started, old Mr. Everett, looking searchingly at Fernald,
said:
"I remember you now. You were connected with that Harworth smuggling
case nearly eighteen years ago. I was one of the witnesses then."
"Why, I remember you too, now," said Fernald, his face lighting up. At
first he had been a little dubious about the boys having confided so
much of their business to a stranger, but this new development cleared
away all doubt.
Garry told the whole story of the night's happenings, amazing his
hearers with the tale of his pluck and good fortune.
After the telling of the story, Ruth hastened away to prepare breakfast
for all, insisting that they stay, although they protested against
causing so much trouble.
"Oh, it won't be a bit of trouble. It will be fun, because it isn't
often that I cook for anyone but Granddad and myself. Besides, I'll
probably make Garry help me wipe the dishes." With that she darted from
the room.
Phil and Dick burst into a shout of laughter.
"Aha, it seems that the same arrow has hit two people," Dick whispered
to Phil, but loud enough so that Garry could hear. He blushed furiously,
but could be drawn to make no comment or denial.
"Now the next thing on the docket is to discover the exact trail taken
by these men on their smuggling trip. We know it will be the same on
both nights, but of course we won't molest them on the first trip. This
big gem plot overshadows all others. The question is, just how to find
that trail."
"If you will allow me to make a suggestion, I think I can solve that
problem after I ask a question or two of Mr. Everett," interposed Garry.
"Go to it, you boys have done the trick so far, now go on and finish
it," said Fernald heartily.
"First, then," said Garry, "how far is the boundary line at a point
just back of Green's farm, and how dense is the woodland there, Mr.
Everett?"
"Why, as the crow flies, it is about three miles, maybe a little less.
And as for the woodage, it is quite sparse. You see the logging
operations extended that way, and they very nearly clean cut that land.
There are, however, a few big trees scattered here and there. On the
other side of the border, the forest gets considerable thicker."
"Fine, I see a way very clearly now," said Garry. "Sometime today,
LeBlanc and Green, with the other two men, whose names I do not know,
will cross the border, for they are due to return tonight with furs.
Dick, Phil and I will estimate as near as we can the point on the line
at the back of Green's farm. Then we will take positions about a
sixteenth of a mile apart, perhaps a little more. We can mount one of
the taller trees, and with our glasses can keep a sharp lookout for the
point where they cross the line. It is likely that from force of habit
they will take the same route going as returning. That will allow us to
cover a quarter of a mile, counting in what we can see without glasses
on either side. Then on Saturday we can repeat the operation, if
necessary, thus getting a double check on the route. We know how to get
our bearings and mark the trail so that we can find it again, even in
the dark."
"That's the ticket. That will be your work for today then, while I go up
the line and arrange for a posse of Customs men and deputies to effect
the capture of Sunday night," said Fernald.
They could detect the welcome smell of boiling coffee and bacon and
eggs, and at that moment Ruth called them to breakfast.