Appearing to ignore his friends John drove rapidly around the circle
which had been laid out between the station and the main street. Proudly
returning to the place on the platform where his friends were awaiting
his coming, he called out, "How's this car? How's the driver? Pretty
slick, eh?"
"What we don't know," said George quickly, "is where the driver came
from and how he got the car."
"You'll have to trust your Uncle John for some things," replied the
driver solemnly. "There are some things you can't explain and some
things it's hard for certain people to understand. You see that your
car's here, don't you?"
"Yes," replied George.
"It's all right, isn't it?"
"As far as I can see."
"Cylinders all sound? Tires all complete? Boiler intact? Carbureter
still working? Limousine all ready to be carved?"
"That's right," said George, laughing as he spoke. "As far as I can see
everything is all straight except the fact that you didn't tell us how
you got the car and beat us back here."
"Get in, fellows, and I'll tell you about it on the way back," said
John. "I'll resign my position as chauffeur too," he added, as he
quickly moved to another seat.
"I don't mind; stay where you are," said George cordially.
"No, I know you don't 'mind,' but this is a hot day. I would rather sit
behind and tell you how to do it."
"All right then, I'll go ahead," said George, as he started the car.
"Tell us how you did it."
"I have already explained to the best of my ability," said John soberly.
"Tell us again, then," broke in Fred.
"Why, all there is to it is that after you fellows left I looked around
for the car and found it."
"Did you find it alone?"
"What do you mean,--was I the only one that found it, or do you mean that
I found the car all by itself?"
"My, how correct some fellows are in their talk," murmured Fred. "Yes,
what I mean was were you all alone when you found the car?"
"No."
"Well, why don't you tell us who was with you?" demanded Grant
irritably.
"The tramp," said John abruptly.
"The tramp!" repeated the boys together.
"That's what I said."
"Tell us about it," said George.
"Why, after you fellows cleared out and left me behind, for you remember
that you took all the tickets there were and left me up there sans
money, sans ticket, sans everything, as Shakespeare says--"
"We don't remember anything of the kind," interrupted George. "We tried
to get you to come along."
"Yes, you did!" laughed John scornfully. "You tried hard. You had just
money enough to buy three tickets and I was generous enough to say that
I would let you three fellows use them--"
"Go on with your story about the tramp," interrupted Fred.
"Well, I'll tell you the truth," said John.
"Hope it won't make you too tired," murmured Fred.
"I'm telling you the truth," said John, glaring at his diminutive
companion as he spoke. "The train hadn't fairly gotten out of sight with
you fellows on board before up comes the tramp, driving this car. He
came right up to the platform of the station and invited me to get on
board. You may be sure I didn't stand on the form, or likewise on the
platform, very long."
"Where did he get it?" demanded George.
"He suspected what had happened," explained John, "and he said he went
to another garage, hoping that there had been some mistake. He said
there were two cars in trouble out there on the road, one besides ours.
The men that came out from the shop made a mistake and I guess each car
was taken to the wrong garage."
"That's a pretty good story," laughed George.
"Well, it's all right," declared John warmly. "Here's your car anyway.
The tramp brought it, just as I'm telling you, and you haven't anything
to say about it."
"Maybe the tramp took the car and got scared when he saw us start off.
Probably he thought we were going for help."
"Probably nothing!" exclaimed John disgustedly. "I tell you that tramp
is all right. He can speak the English language and he has got some
brains. I asked him to-day what he was tramping around the country for
and he said he didn't know."
"He must have a lot of brains," ejaculated Fred.
"He knows how to drive a car all right," said John. "He drove all the
way home."
"Where is he now?" demanded George.
"I don't know. He wouldn't stay. By the way, he did suggest before he
departed that if there was any reward connected with the finding of the
car he wouldn't mind taking it."
"Probably he wouldn't," laughed Fred.
"I think he is entitled to something," said George, "and I'll tell my
father about it the first time he comes out."
"Where did the tramp go?"
"He didn't tell me," explained John, "but I think he went over to the
old Meeker House. He said that if we wanted to see something worth while
and something that would beat anything we had ever experienced in the
old Meeker House we had better come over there after dinner."
"To-night?" inquired Fred.
"Yes, to-night."
"I say we go," said Grant quickly.
"So say we all," added George.
In a brief time the car was running swiftly up the driveway of the yard
and as soon as his companions alighted George took it to the garage.
The other missing car, however, had not been returned nor had any word
been received concerning it during the absence of the boys.
A call on the telephone speedily demanded George's attention and as soon
as he rejoined his friends he said, "I have been talking to my father."
"You mean your father has been talking to you," suggested Fred.
Ignoring the interruption, George continued, "My father says that he has
word of a car that is being held in Morristown. In some ways it answers
the description of ours. He thinks it will be a good thing for us to go
there to-morrow and find out more about it."
"Good plan. Good scheme," said Fred sympathetically. "Did your father
say anything about suitably rewarding the tramp for his return of the
car which he probably had all the while?"
"He did," said George simply. "He told me to give him a ten dollar
bill."
"That's all right," said Fred eagerly. "Now I think it will be a good
thing for each of us to take his turn, too," he added. "Every one of us
can take that car off and hide it over night and get ten dollars reward
when he brings it back in the morning. That's all your friend Mr. Tramp
did."
"That's no such thing!" spoke up John, quick to defend his recent
acquaintance.
"You may have it your own way," laughed Fred. "Then we're to go over and
call on him to-night at the old Meeker House, are we?"
"That's just what we are going to do," said John.
True to the suggestion, soon after sunset the Go Ahead boys rode to the
mysterious house. When they left their car by the roadside and started
across the intervening field it was plain that there was an air of
greater confidence now manifest by all four boys than in any previous
visit.
The moon already had risen and in its clear light the old apple trees
and the poplars that lined the driveway appeared like aged sentinels,
twisted and gnarled. Indeed, some of the objects assumed fantastic forms
and as the boys advanced, a silence not unlike that which had rested
upon them in their former visits now fell over the party.
"I'll tell you one thing," spoke up Fred in a loud whisper; "I'm going
with George around to the kitchen this trip."
"I haven't invited you," replied George promptly.
"It doesn't make any difference whether you have or not, I'm going just
the same," said Fred.
"Then I shall have to put up with it," responded George in mock
resignation. "All I can say to the rest of you is that whatever you do
don't run. Let's find out what this thing means this time. Do you
agree?"
"Yes, we agree," replied his friends.
"Good," responded George. "Now don't forget."
The boys at once separated, George and Fred moving around to the rear of
the house while John and Grant approached the front door, which already
was a familiar sight.
Without waiting for their companions to enter they at once pushed open
the door, which creaked on its rusty hinges, producing sounds not unlike
the cry of a child in distress.
Inside the room there again was the sound of many rushing wings. Indeed,
for a moment, to the boys, who were startled in spite of their
determination to be calm, the room seemed to be filled with flying
creatures. Weird sounds also were heard and low spoken cries that were
not unlike the creaking of the hinges of the old door.
In spite of their recently expressed courage both boys stopped as if by
common consent. As they did so the sound of voices, speaking in
whispers, was heard from other parts of the house. No person, however,
was visible and in the dim light that penetrated the room neither of the
boys was able to see any object distinctly.
Meanwhile the flapping of the unseen wings continued. Suddenly there was
a flash of light that was almost blinding. It was so unexpected that
both boys together and almost instantly turned toward the door. A cloud
of smoke swept through the room and both boys, coughing and choking,
instantly turned and fled from the house. Their speed increased as there
came sounds of loud laughter from within the ancient dwelling. Unmindful
of their promise not to run, both boys instantly turned and quickly were
making most excellent time across the field in the direction of the
automobile, which still could be seen in the open road.