"WELL, OF ALL THINGS!"
"All right; I'll be only too glad to do the same," said Paul, as he
accepted what appeared to be a well thumbed letter from Jo.
One glance he gave at the same, and then a load seemed to have been
lifted somehow from his boyish heart; because, after he had seen how Jo
Davies loved that dear little white-haired mother, he would have felt it
keenly did the circumstances make it appear that the young farmhand were
guilty of robbing the man who trusted him so fully.
So Paul read out the letter. There is no need of giving it here, because
it was rather long, and written in a very legal-like way, each sentence
being enveloped in a ponderous atmosphere.
But it was upon the letter-head of a big law firm in Indianapolis, and
in so many words informed the said Jo Albion Davies that his respected
aunt, Selina Lee Davies, had passed out of this life, leaving him her
sole heir; and that if he were interested, it would be to his advantage
to come to the city as speedily as possible, to claim the little sum
that was waiting for him in bank; and to be sure and bring some one
along with him who would be able to vouch for his being the party in
question.
Luckily Jo had taken Squire McGregor along, who happened to know one of
the members of the big law firm; for otherwise the heir might have had
some trouble in proving his identity, since he had forgotten to carry
even the letter in his pocket, it seemed.
But of course after that Mr. Rollins could not say a word about claiming
the tempting display of greenbacks that lay exposed upon the table. Jo
was already engaged in tenderly gathering them up, as though meaning to
secrete his little fortune either on his person, or somewhere else.
"Looks like I'm clean busted, don't it?" the farmer said, with a sigh,
turning toward Paul, upon whom he had somehow come to rely in the
strangest way possible.
"It does seem as though your money has gone in a queer way, sir,"
replied the young scoutmaster, "but honestly now, I find it hard to
believe that a common hobo would be able to find it so quick, if you had
it hidden away up in a corner of the garret, and hadn't been there for
ten days."
Jo stopped gathering his fortune together; he had snapped several heavy
rubber bands around it, evidently supplied at the city bank when he drew
the money.
"I wonder, now, could that have anything to do with it," they heard him
mutter, as he looked curiously at the farmer.
The words were heard by Mr. Rollins, who, ready to grasp at a floating
straw, in his extremity, even as might a drowning man, quickly observed:
"What do you mean by saying that, Jo? I hope you can give me some sort
of hint that will help me find my money again; because I meant to pay
off my mortgage with it, and will be hard pushed to make good, if it
stays lost."
"I'll tell you, sir," said Jo, readily. "It was just about a week ago
that I'd been to town, you remember, and getting home along about
midnight I was worried about one of the hosses that had been actin' sick
like. So I walked over here, not wantin' to wait till mornin'. Just when
I was agoin' back I seen a light movin' around over at the house, and I
stopped a minute to watch the same."
"Yes, go on; a week ago, you say?" the farmer remarked, as Jo paused to
catch his breath again.
"On Thursday night it was, Mr. Rollins," the other went on. "Well, just
then I saw the back door open, and somebody stepped out. I seen it was
you, and about the queerest part of it all was that it looked to me as
if you might be walkin' around in your pajamas! Do you remember comin'
outdoors on that night for anything, sir?"
"I don't even remember walking around that way," replied Mr. Rollins,
hastily, and looking as though he did not know whether Jo were trying to
play some sort of joke on him, or not, "but go on and tell the rest.
What did I do? Did you stop long enough to see?"
"Well," continued the farm hand, "I saw you go over to the old Dutch
oven that hasn't been used this twenty years, and move around there a
bit; but it wasn't none of my business, Mr. Rollins, and so I went along
home. I guess any gentleman's got the right to go wanderin' around his
own premises in the middle of the night, if he wants to, and nobody
ain't got any right to complain because he don't make the trouble to put
on his day clothes."
The farmer looked helplessly at Paul. Plainly his wits were in a stupor,
and he could not make head or tail of what Jo was telling him.
"Can you get a pointer on to what it all means?" he asked, almost
piteously.
Paul had conceived a wonderful idea that seemed to give great promise of
solving the dark puzzle.
"You just as much as said that you could not remember having come out of
your house that night; and that you never knew yourself to walk around
out of doors in your pajamas; is that so, sir?" he asked.
"That's what I meant; and if I was put on the stand right now, I could
lift my right hand, and take my solemn affidavit that I didn't do any
such thing--unless by George! I was walking in my sleep!"
"That's just the point I'm trying to get at, Mr. Rollins," said Paul,
quietly. "Jo, here, says he _saw_ you as plain as anything, and yet you
don't recollect doing it. See here, sir, can you ever remember walking
in your sleep?"
"Why, not for a great many years," answered the farmer, somewhat
confused, and yet with a new gleam of hope appearing in his expectant
eyes.
"But you admit then that you _have_ done such a thing?" pursued the
scoutmaster.
"Yes, as a boy I did a heap of queer stunts when asleep. They had to
lock my door for a time, and fasten my windows. Why, one night they
found me sitting on top of the chimney, and had to wait till I took the
notion to come down; because, if they woke me, it might mean a nasty
tumble that would like as not break my neck. But I haven't done anything
in that line for thirty years."
"Until one night a week ago, Mr. Rollins," continued Paul, convincingly,
"when dreaming that your money was in danger, you got out of your bed,
went up and took it from the garret where you had it hidden, walked
downstairs, passed outside, and stowed it nicely away inside the big old
Dutch oven. And chances are you'll find it right there this minute."
"Oh! do you really think so, my boy?" exclaimed the delighted farmer,
"then I'm going off right away and find out. If you'll go with me I'll
promise to hitch up, and carry the lot of you back to your camp, no
matter where that may be."
"What say, shall we go, fellows?" asked the patrol leader, turning to
the others.
There was not one dissenting voice. Every boy was just wild to ascertain
how this strange mystery would turn out. And as it would be just about
as long a walk to Alabama Camp as going to the farmer's place, they
decided the matter without any argument.
"And you just bet I'm going along, after what I've heard about this
thing," declared Jo Davies, "maw, you ain't afraid to stay alone a
little while longer, be you? You c'n sit on this blessed windfall while
I'm gone, but don't go to fingerin' the same, because walls often have
eyes as well as ears, remember."
When the six scouts started off in company with Mr. Rollins, Jo Davies
tagged along with them. In his own good fortune the farm hand was only
hoping that the money which his employer had missed might be found in
the old Dutch oven, just like this smart Boy Scout had suggested.
They covered the distance in short order. You would never have believed
that those agile lads had been walking for nearly twelve hours that day,
if you could see how they got over the ground, even with two of them
limping.
It can be easily understood that there was more or less speculation
among the scouts as they hurried along. Would the farmer find his
missing wad snugly secreted in the old Dutch oven, as Paul so
confidently suggested? And if such turned out to be the case, wouldn't
it prove that the scoutmaster was a wonder at guessing things that were
a blank puzzle to everybody else?
So they presently came again to the farm. The ashes were still glowing
where the big barn had so recently stood. Here and there a cow or a
horse could be seen, nosing around in the half light, picking at the
grass in forbidden corners, and evidently about done with their recent
fright.
Straight toward the back of the house the farmer led the way, and up to
the old Dutch oven that had been built on to the foundation, for the
baking of bread, and all family purposes, many years back; but which had
fallen into disuse ever since the new coal range had been placed in the
kitchen.
Everybody fairly held their breath as Mr. Rollins dropped down on his
hands and knees, struck a match, and half disappeared within the huge
receptacle. He came backing out almost immediately; and before his head
and shoulders appeared in view Paul knew that he had made a glorious
find, because they could hear him laughing almost hysterically.
"Just like you said, my boy, it was there!" he cried, holding up what
proved to be the missing tin box that held his hoard. "And to think that
I stole my own cash while I was asleep! I guess my wife'll have to tie
my feet together every night after this, for a while; or perhaps I'll be
running away with everything we've got. Say, Jo, I hope you ain't going
to hold it against me that I suspected you'd been and had your morals
corrupted by some of them horse jockeys you met at the county fair this
summer? And about that Thatcher place, Jo, we'll easy make terms,
because nobody ain't going to have it but you and your maw, hear that?"
"Well, of all things," exclaimed the delighted Seth.
Jo evidently did not hold the slightest ill feeling against his old
friend and employer, for he only too gladly took the hand Mr. Rollins
held out.
"Turns out just like the fairy story, with everybody happy; only we
don't see the princess this time," said Seth, after the scouts had given
three cheers for Jo, and then three more for Mr. Rollins.
"Oh!" remarked Jo, with a huge grin, "she's comin' along purty soon now;
and my gettin' this windfall'll hurry up the weddin' a heap. Drop past
the Thatcher farm along about Thanksgivin' time, boys, and I'll be glad
to introduce you to her."
"Say, perhaps we will," Seth declared, with boyish enthusiasm, "because,
you see, we all live at Beverly, which ain't more'n twenty miles away as
the crow flies. How about it, fellows?"
"We'll come along with you, Seth, never fear. And now, the sooner we get
over to camp the better, because some of us are feeling pretty well used
up," Andy went on to admit with charming candor.
"All right, boys, just give me a minute to run indoors, and put this
package away, and I'll be with you. It won't take long to hitch up,
because we managed to save the harness and wagons, me and the missus."
True to his word Mr. Rollins was back in a very brief space of time, and
catching the two horses he wanted, he attached them to a big wagon.
"Tumble in, boys," he called out, as he swung himself up on the driver's
seat, after attaching the lighted lantern to the front, so that he could
see the road as they went along.
The scouts waited for no second invitation, but speedily secured places
in the body of the vehicle. As there was half a foot of straw in it,
they found things so much to their liking that on the way, at least
three of the boys went sound asleep, and had to be aroused when the camp
was finally reached.
Eben and Noodles were poor sentinels, it seemed, for both were lying on
the ground asleep, nor did they know when the other returned until told
about it in the morning. But fortune had been kind to the "babes in the
wood," as Seth called them in derision, for nothing had happened while
the main body of the patrol chanced to be away on duty.
And so it was another little adventure had come along, with wonderful
results, and the happiest of endings. Really, some of the boys were
beginning to believe that the strangest of happenings were always lying
in wait, as if desirous of ambushing the members of the Beaver Patrol.
Why, they could even not start off on a hike, it seemed, without being
drawn into a series of events, the like of which seldom if ever befell
ordinary lads.
During the hours of darkness that followed all of them slept soundly,
nor was there any alarm given to disturb them. And as nothing in the
wide world brings such satisfaction and contentment as good sleep, when
at dawn they awoke to find the last day of the great hike at hand, every
fellow declared that he was feeling especially fit to make that
concluding dash with a vim.
Breakfast was hastily eaten; indeed, their stock of provisions had by
this time gotten to a low ebb, and would not allow of much variety;
though they managed to scrape enough together to satisfy everybody but
Fritz, who growled a little, and wanted to know however a scout could do
his best when on short rations?
Then to the inspiring notes of Eben's silver-plated bugle the boys of
the Beaver Patrol left Alabama Camp, and started on the last lap for
their home goal.