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BART KEENE'S
HUNTING DAYS
Or
The Darewell Chums
in a Winter Camp
BY
ALLEN CHAPMAN
AUTHOR OF "BART STIRLING'S ROAD TO SUCCESS," "WORKING
HARD TO WIN," "BOUND TO SUCCEED," "THE YOUNG
STOREKEEPER," "NAT BORDEN'S FIND," ETC.
[Illustration:
_The_
GOLDSMITH
_Publishing Co._
CLEVELAND OHIO
MADE IN U.S.A.]
COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. A MIDNIGHT EXPEDITION 1
II. THE MISSING DIAMOND BRACELET 8
III. A FRUITLESS SEARCH 24
IV. IN THE SHOOTING GALLERY 35
V. AN INITIATION 49
VI. AN UNEXPECTED MEETING 57
VII. GETTING READY FOR CAMP 67
VIII. AN ODD LETTER 77
IX. OFF TO CAMP 84
X. A RAILROAD ACCIDENT 91
XI. PUTTING UP THE TENTS 97
XII. THE PLACE OF THE TURTLES 106
XIII. THE MUD VOLCANO 111
XIV. BART'S FIRST SHOT 119
XV. FENN FALLS IN 125
XVI. FRANK MAKES PANCAKES 132
XVII. TREED BY A WILDCAT 141
XVIII. THE MYSTERIOUS MAN AGAIN 153
XIX. LOST IN THE WOODS 160
XX. A NIGHT OF MISERY 167
XXI. UNEXPECTED HELP 173
XXII. CHRISTMAS IN CAMP 179
XXIII. FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW 187
XXIV. A SHOT IN TIME 193
XXV. NED'S RABBIT TRAP 200
XXVI. A VISIT TO TOWN 206
XXVII. THE MAN WITH THE TURTLE 212
XXVIII. THE PURSUIT 217
XXIX. BART'S BEST SHOT 227
XXX. THE DIAMOND BRACELET--CONCLUSION 232
BART KEENE'S HUNTING DAYS
CHAPTER I
A MIDNIGHT EXPEDITION
"Hold on there! Go easy, now, fellows," cautioned Bart Keene to his two
chums, as they stole softly along in the darkness. "What are you making
all that racket for, Ned?"
"It wasn't me; it was Frank."
"I couldn't help it," came from Frank Roscoe in a whisper. "I stumbled
on a stone."
"Well, don't do it again," retorted Bart. "First thing you know some one
will hear us, and the jig will be up."
"And then we can't play the joke on Stumpy," added Ned Wilding.
"Of course not," went on Bart. "Easy now. Come on. Keep behind me in a
line, and walk in the shadows as much as possible. We're almost there."
The three lads bent upon playing a peculiar trick on their chum, Fenn,
or "Stumpy" Masterson, kept on toward the Darewell High School, at which
they were students. The building set well back from the street, and the
campus in front was now flooded with brilliant moonlight. It was close
to midnight, and to approach the institution unobserved, to take from it
certain objects, and to steal away without having been noticed, was the
object of the three conspirators.
"Are you coming?" asked Bart, as he turned around to observe what
progress his companions were making. He saw Ned and Frank standing
still, crouched in the shadow of a leafless tree. "What's the matter?"
he continued, somewhat anxiously.
"Thought I heard a noise in the building," whispered Frank, hoarsely.
"You're dreaming," retorted Bart. "Come on. It's getting late, and we
want to finish."
"Yes, and it's as cold as Greenland," added Ned. The boys had on light
overcoats, for winter was near at hand.
Once more the two advanced, and joined Bart. The three were now in the
shadow of one of the wings of the school, and, as far as they knew, had
not been seen.
"Which way are you going in?" asked Ned, of Bart, who was leading this
midnight expedition.
"Through the side court, and in at the girls' door. That's most always
open, as Riggs, the janitor, lives on that side of the school, and he
doesn't take the trouble to lock the door, as his house is so near."
"Good idea," commented Frank. "Lead on, Falstaff, an' may he who----"
"Cut it out," advised Bart sharply. "This is no time to spout Shakespeare
stuff."
Once more the three advanced. Suddenly Bart stopped, and Ned, who was
close behind, collided with him.
"What's wrong now?" whispered Ned, as soon as he caught his breath.
"Hush!" cautioned Bart. "I saw a man just then! He was right by the
front door of the school." Bart had come to a halt in the shadow of a
buttress, just before stepping across an open space that led to the
court.
"A man," murmured Ned. "Probably it was Riggs, the janitor."
"No, he was too tall for Riggs," answered Bart. "Besides, he didn't
limp, as Riggs does, from a leg that was once broken. No, this man
wasn't Riggs."
"What was he doing?" asked Frank.
"Standing near the front door, as if he was going in. Then he seemed to
change his mind. I think--There he is again!" exclaimed Bart, suddenly,
and he shrank farther back into the dense shadows, his chums following
his example.
At the same instant Ned and Frank caught sight of the man. The stranger
approached the front door as if afraid of being seen, and, every now and
then, he turned about, as the boys could notice to take an observation.
As they looked on they saw him suddenly open the front door, after
fumbling about the lock, and enter the school, closing the portal behind
him.
"Well, what do you think of that?" gasped Bart, after a moment's pause.
"He's a burglar!" declared Frank.
"Let's go tell the police," suggested Ned.
"No, wait a minute," advised Bart, putting restraining hands on his two
chums. "Don't tell the police."
"Why not?" Ned wanted to know.
"Because they might ask what we were doing around the school at night,
and we don't want to tell--do we?"
"That's so," agreed Frank. "Maybe that chap isn't a burglar, after all."
"You're right," came from Ned. "What could a burglar steal in the
school?"
"Books, and instruments from the laboratory," was Bart's contribution
to the opinions. "But I, myself, don't believe he is a burglar. Possibly
he is some one whom Riggs hired to help out with the sweeping and
dusting."
"Let's wait and see," suggested Frank, and this was agreed to. Silently
the chums, from their place of hiding, kept their eyes on the school.
Presently there was a flicker of light in the windows of one of the
upper rooms.
"There!" exclaimed Ned, "what did I tell you! He's a new janitor,
sweeping out," for the light moved to and fro.
"What room is that?" asked Bart.
"Professor Long's--the place where we're bound for," answered Frank.
"Hush! Not so loud," pleaded Bart. "Some one may hear you, and get on to
our trick. I guess you're right. We'll wait until he gets out of the
way."
"It may be a long time, and Fenn may come looking for us," ventured Ned.
"Can't help it," decided Bart. "We can't go in while the man is there."
There seemed no way out of it, and the three chums crouched in the
shadows, waiting. It was cold, and more than once they wished they had
not started to play the joke on Fenn, but they were not going to give
up now. They saw the light, moving to and fro, but it did not leave the
room where they had first observed it--the classroom of Professor Long,
the science teacher.
"He must be giving that a good cleaning," remarked Bart. Hardly had he
spoken than the light disappeared. A few minutes later it was visible on
the floor below, and then it could be traced, as the person carrying it,
descended.
"He's coming out," declared Ned.
"So much the better," commented Frank.
An instant later the front door opened and the man who had gone in,
hurried out. He seemed in great haste for, giving a quick look around,
he darted away from the school, down the front walk, and up the street.
"Fellows, that was no janitor!" declared Bart. "I believe he was a
burglar!"
"But he didn't have any bundles," declared Frank. "If he had stolen
anything, he'd have to pack it up, as anything of value in the school
is quite bulky. I don't believe he took anything."
"Then why did he run?" demanded Bart.
This was a poser for his chums, until Frank said:
"It may have been one of the teachers who went back after some papers he
forgot."
"Didn't look like any of the teachers," said Bart. "Besides the
teachers wouldn't run, as if the police were after them, and they
wouldn't act as frightened as that man did."
"Well, what are we going to do about it?" asked Ned. "If we're going to
play that joke, let's get busy. We won't say anything about seeing the
man unless something developes, and I don't believe it will. Come on in.
The front door seems to be open. We can go in that way, instead of
around through the court; less chance of Riggs seeing us."
"All right," agreed Bart, "only I wish I knew who that man was." The
time was to come when the boys would have given a great deal to have
been able to penetrate the identity of the mysterious stranger. But the
three chums gave little heed to that now, for they were intent on
playing a joke that Bart had evolved. A little later, finding the front
door unlocked, they were inside the school, just as the distant town
clock boomed out the hour of midnight.