THE ESCAPE OF ARNOLD BAXTER.
"Arnold Baxter, where is my brother Dick?" demanded Tom, as he reached
the carriage and caught the evildoer by the arm.
To say that Arnold Baxter was astonished would be to put it altogether
too mildly. He was completely dumfounded.
"You!" he said slowly, hardly knowing how to speak after he had caught
his breath.
"Yes, you rascal. Where is Dick."
"Dick?"
"Yes, Dick."
"I know nothing of your brother. This is a--a complete surprise. I
didn't know you were in Cleveland."
"Perhaps not. But let me tell you that we know your game, and we are
going to hand you over to the law."
"Never!" Arnold Baxter fairly hissed out the words. "Let go of that
horse"--the latter words to Sam.
"Don't you do it!" cried Tom, and then he caught Arnold Baxter by the
leg. "Come out of the carriage."
A fierce struggle ensued, and, afraid that Tom would get the worst of
it, Sam set up a loud shout for help.
"You whelp! I'll fix you!" ejaculated Arnold Baxter, and catching up
the whip, he struck at Tom with the butt end. He caught the youth
directly over the head, and Tom went down as if shot.
"Let Tom alone," screamed Sam. "Help! help!"
"Who is it?" came from a distance, and Luke Peterson hove into sight.
"Hullo! the man we are after."
He made a dive for Arnold Baxter, but the latter was too quick for him,
and leaped from the opposite side of the carriage to the ground. The
horse now became frightened and set off on a run, directly for a lane
behind Dr. Karley's institution.
"Tom, are you badly hurt?" questioned Sam, but, even as he spoke, Tom
tried to stagger to his feet. Seeing this, Sam began a chase after
Baxter, with the lumberman beside him.
Arnold Baxter was fleet of foot, and realizing what capture meant--a
return to prison with his sentence to be served once more from the
beginning--he ran as never before, straight for the dock where the
_Peacock_ lay.
[Illustration: THE HORSE NOW BECAME FRIGHTENED AND SET OFF ON A RUN.]
His first thought was to board the schooner and set sail out into the
lake, but a second thought convinced him that this would be unwise.
"They will follow me on a tug or steamer, and the jig will be up in no
time," he said to himself "I must find some hiding place."
Many of the docks were inclosed by high board fences, and coming to one
of these, he leaped over and made his way to a huge pile of
merchandise. Here he crouched down and kept as quiet as a mouse.
Sam and Peterson, followed by Tom, traced him to the fence, but once on
the opposite side, lost all track of the rascal.
"He's gone," said Tom, after running hither and thither on the dock.
"He has given us the slip nicely."
"He can't be far off," returned Sam. "I believe he was bound for that
doctor's sanitarium when we spotted him."
"So do I, and I wouldn't wonder if poor Dick is at the place, a
prisoner."
The matter was talked over for several minutes, and the two brothers
decided to return to Dr. Karley's sanitarium. The lumberman said he
would remain around the docks on the lookout for Arnold Baxter.
"If you catch him I'll give you fifty dollars," said Tom. "My father, I
know, will pay the amount willingly."
"I'll do my best," answered Peterson. He was by no means rich and glad
enough of a chance to make such a sum. Besides this, the ways of the
Rover boys appeared to please him.
When Sam and Tom returned to the doctor's place they found the coach
driver still at hand, he having caught Arnold Baxter's horse at the
entrance to the lane.
"Take him to the stable and ask the doctor if the rig is his," said
Tom, and the coach driver agreed. He was gone the best part of quarter
of an hour.
"The doctor says it is his horse and carriage, but he also says he
didn't know the turnout was out," he announced, with a grin. "He's an
oily one, he is!"
"Right you are, but he can't stuff us with his fairy tales," replied
Tom. "Do you suppose there is a policeman handy?"
"There is probably one somewhere around."
"I wish you would hunt him up and bring him here."
"What are you going to do?"
"Dare the lion in his den; eh, Sam?"
"Right, Tom! That doctor must know a good deal more than he is wiling
to tell."
The coach driver went off, and walking around to the front of the
sanitarium the boys rang the bell sharply.
There was no answer to the summons, and then Tom gave the bell knob a
jerk which nearly broke it off. A second-story window was thrown open
with a bang.
"I want you boys to go away!" came in angry tones.
"And I want you to come down and let us in," retorted Tom.
"I won't let you in. I've told you all I know, and that is the end of
it."
"It's not the end of it, Dr. Karley. We want to know how you came to
let Arnold Baxter have your horse and carriage."
"I didn't know the horse and carriage were out of the stable. The man
must have taken them on the sly."
"It's not likely. Open the door and let us in--it will be best for
you."
"Ha, you threaten me!"
"I've done more than that-I've sent for a policeman."
At this announcement the old doctor grated his teeth savagely. He was
much disturbed and knew not how to proceed.
"I was a fool to go into this thing," he muttered. "It may lead to all
sorts of trouble. I must get myself clear somehow."
"Are you going to let us in?" went on Tom.
"Yes, I will let you in. But allow me to state that you are acting very
foolishly," answered the doctor, and dropped the window. A few minutes
later he appeared at the door, which he opened very gingerly.
"You can come into the parlor," he said stiffly.
"We'll remain right here," answered Tom, afraid of some sort of a trap.
"Well, what do you want?"
"I want to know where that young man, my brother, is."
"The man who was with him said he was his nephew."
"It was a falsehood. Now where is my brother?"
"Honestly, I have not the slightest idea."
"What was that man doing with your carriage?"
"I repeat, young man, I did not know he had the carriage." The old
doctor drew a long breath, wondering how soon an officer of the law
would appear. "Of course if anything is wrong I am perfectly willing to
do all I can to set it right. My institution is above reproach, and I
wish to keep it so."
"Are you willing to let me look through your place?"
"So you think your brother is here?"
"I do."
"You are very forward. Still, to convince you that you are mistaken,
you are at liberty to go through my place from top to bottom. But you
must not disturb any of the patients."
"All right; let us go through. Sam, you remain here, on the watch for
that policeman."
With bad grace Dr. Karley led the way and took Tom through the
sanitarium from top to bottom, even allowing him to peep into the rooms
occupied by the "boarders," as the medical man called them. Of course
there was no trace of Dick.
"Now I trust you are satisfied," said the doctor, when they were again
at the front door.
"I am not satisfied about that carriage affair," returned Tom, as
bluntly as ever.
"Well, I have told you the truth."
At this moment the coach driver came in sight, accompanied by a
policeman.
"What's the trouble?" demanded the officer of the law.
Tom and Sam told their tale, and then the doctor had his say, and the
driver related what he knew.
"Certainly a queer mix-up," remarked the policeman. He turned to the
Rovers. "What do you want to do?"
"I want to find my brother, who has disappeared," said Tom.
"You say you have searched through here?"
"I have--after a fashion."
"You can go through, if you wish," said the doctor to the officer.
"I reckon my brother is gone," went on Tom. "But this doctor helped the
rascals who spirited him away."
"I did absolutely nothing," cried Dr. Karley. "I am willing to aid you
all I can. But I am innocent. I received no pay for giving the
unfortunate young man some medicine to strengthen him, and my horse and
carriage were taken without my knowledge."
A long and bitter war of words followed, but in the end the doctor was
left to himself.
"We'll make no charge against him yet," said Tom to the policeman. "But
I wish you would keep an eye on the institution--in case that rascal
puts in an appearance again."
"I will," returned the officer.
A little while later Sam and Tom set out to rejoin Luke Peterson. When
they gained the dock they saw nobody.
"He ought to be somewhere about," said the younger Rover.
They tramped about from place to place for fully an hour.
Presently they came close to where the _Swallow_ lay. Had they but
known it, the _Peacock_, with poor Dick on board, lay but three
blocks further away.
"My gracious!" cried Sam suddenly.
He had seen a form stretched motionless across some lumber lying near.
The form was that of Luke Peterson, and his cheek and temple were
covered with blood.