Mr. Sanders and the tramp remained in the car a long time. Indeed, as
the minutes passed the boys became somewhat impatient. Frequently they
glanced toward the scene in the road in which Mr. Sanders and his
strange companion were evidently holding a very interesting
conversation.
When an hour had elapsed the desire of the boys to depart became more
pronounced. A few of the country people meanwhile had come to view the
ruins of the famous old house, but they had little to say to the boys
and after they had inspected the ruins the most of them slowly departed.
At last Fred said impatiently, "Look yonder! Mr. Sanders is taking that
man away in the car."
"I wonder where he is going?" said George, as he glanced at the
departing automobile.
"Probably taking him to the lock-up," suggested Fred.
"If he's taking the man to the lock-up I know some more that he ought
not to forget," said George soberly.
"So do I," spoke up Fred, "and some of them aren't more than a thousand
miles from here either."
However, after the departure of Mr. Sanders in the car, the boys became
more thoughtful. They had not received any word to remain where they
were, but George decided that it would not be wise for them to depart
until they had received some further instructions. Doubtless, he
explained, his father would return for them in a little while.
Another hour had elapsed before Mr. Sanders came back. As soon as he was
discovered approaching, all the Go Ahead boys ran quickly across the
field and when they were informed, in response to their inquiries, that
Mr. Sanders was ready to take them home they all quickly climbed into
the automobile.
"What did you do with the tramp?" inquired George as soon as the car
started.
"I took him to the railroad station."
"Is he going to leave?"
"He says he is."
"You seemed to have had a mighty interesting conversation. Did he tell
you all the sad, sweet story of his life?"
"I knew much of it."
"You did?" demanded George in astonishment. "You did! Who is he? What is
he? How did you know him? Where did he come from? What is his name?"
"Hold on," interrupted Mr. Sanders with a laugh. "I can answer your
questions one at a time, but I cannot find any answer that might fit
them all alike. Let me tell you first of all that he didn't explain
everything as fully as I wish he had, but he did tell me a few things."
"What were they?" demanded George impatiently.
"Let me tell you first a little about himself," said Mr. Sanders,
smiling at the interest of his young companions. "That tramp is the
younger brother of a great friend of mine. Indeed, his brother and I
were together almost all the time when we were boys. If I was not in his
house then he was in mine, or we were fishing in these brooks or nutting
in the woods or coasting on the hills. We very seldom were separated.
This younger brother--"
"What is his name?" interrupted George.
"I shan't tell you his name now. Perhaps I will some other time, but he
was one of the most attractive boys I ever knew. He was very quiet in
his manner, and had the greatest faculty of making friends I ever knew
any one to have. His mother almost idolized him and she never held him
up to any task. If he got into mischief it was always the fault of the
other boys, she said. If he was kept after school or had any trouble
with the teachers she always told him that it was the teacher's fault.
Whatever he did, to her was right. You boys want to be thankful that you
have mothers that hold you up to some things instead of upholding you in
everything you do.
"Well, this man when he was a boy was too lazy to have any share in the
family life. Pleasant, good-natured, popular with the boys and girls, he
never did anything for any one else. If his mother wanted a pail of
water drawn from the old well behind the farmhouse--and they lived right
straight across the field in that house over yonder," explained Mr.
Sanders, pointing as he spoke to a house that could be seen in the
distance, "he always had some excuse. If his mother had simply told him
to bring in a pail of water instead of trying to smooth the way for him
and said that he was too tired or not strong enough, if she had done
that and some other things like it I don't believe this man to-day would
be tramping around the country. He has been a complete failure. He has
never learned to do anything well. He used to be the best baseball
player we had in all this part of the country. There wasn't a fellow
that could catch him when we were in swimming in the old pond. He could
make a boat and sail a boat, but he just simply drifted on. By the way,
boys, did any of you ever stop to think of the fact that a boat never
drifts but in one direction?"
"What's that?" inquired John.
"Why, down the stream," replied Mr. Sanders quietly. "This boy grew up
to be a man and drifted into all kinds of bad ways. You see he had never
learned to work and besides there are two words in the English language
that he never could pronounce. One word has three letters in it and the
other has two, but little words though they are, he never seemed to be
able to pronounce them."
"I can't think what the words are," said George.
"I know what they are," broke in John. "They are 'yes' and 'no.'"
"That's right," replied Mr. Sanders with a smile. "They are the hardest
words in the language for a good many people to use. When they say 'yes'
they don't say it in a way that means much, and when they say 'no' it
doesn't mean much more.
"His mother died years ago and I have always thought that this son was
the cause of her death. At one time, as I told you, he was just as
straight and attractive a boy as any of you."
"I guess the trouble with him was that he wasn't a Go Ahead boy,"
suggested Fred.
"That was one trouble," replied Mr. Sanders with a smile, "and another
was that after he began to drift he couldn't stop. You see if he hadn't
begun he never could have come to the end to which he has. That's a
strange thing to me that more people do not realize that if they don't
begin, they never will come to the end."
"Did he explain to you," inquired Fred, "why he shut me in the cellar of
the old Meeker House?"
"No," replied Mr. Sanders, "I didn't know that you were shut in there."
"Well, I was. He caught me in the cellar and bolted the door on me. I
must have been in there an hour and a half."
"How did you get out? Did he let you out?"
"No, sir, I went and pushed up the outside door."
"Well, why did you wait an hour and a half before you did that?"
responded Mr. Sanders with a laugh.
"I'm sure I don't know," said Fred blankly. "I guess it was because I
didn't think of it or try it."
"Very likely he meant it for a joke. Now, when I had my talk with him he
recognized me, although at first I didn't recognize him. He did say some
things about scaring you boys away from the old place."
"Did he say anything about the way we left last night?" inquired George
mischievously.
"Why, how did you leave last night?" inquired Mr. Sanders.
"We left in a big hurry," declared George.
"What made you in such a hurry?"
"We were trying to keep up with the man who was with us and was leading
the way," said George demurely.
Mr. Sanders joined in the laugh that followed and then said quickly,
"Our lost car will be brought back to-day."
"How do you know?" demanded George quickly.
"I don't think I shall explain all of that to you, my boy," said Mr.
Sanders quietly. "It ought to be enough to know that it will be there."
"But suppose the tramp doesn't bring it back?" suggested Grant.
"I am not supposing anything about the tramp, or about any failure,"
replied Mr. Sanders, again smiling quietly. "All I say to you is that I
am confident that the car will be brought back."
"Did you find out who stole the car?" inquired John.
"I don't think it was 'stolen.' You might call it 'borrowed.'"
"Well, did you find out who 'borrowed' it then?" demanded John.
"Yes."
"Who did?" said George eagerly.
"There are several reasons why I shall not go farther into details,"
said Mr. Sanders. "You may draw such conclusions as you please. Very
likely they will not be incorrect. You have followed the events of the
summer more closely than I and I have no doubt can connect one with
another."
"Well, I think," said George positively, "that the tramp took our car.
He's a mighty good driver and knows all about a car. He didn't intend to
sell it perhaps, but he wanted to use it for a few days."
"Are you sure he used it in the daytime?" inquired Mr. Sanders quietly.
"Why, yes. When would he use it?" demanded George.
"Let me suppose a case," explained his father. "Just suppose a man and
his friends made it a practice to come to your garage nights and take
out your car after you had gone to bed. Suppose on one of these long
rides the car met with a bad accident. It was impossible to bring the
car back that night, so it was taken to a garage where it was said that
at least a week would be required to repair it. At the end of the week
the car is not repaired. Naturally the people whose automobile is
missing are sure the car has been stolen and they are sending word all
over the country for the police to be on the lookout for it. Meanwhile
the car is safe in a little town not more than ten miles distant from
the place where it belonged. Finally there comes a day when the car is
ready, but the man who took it and who had the accident has not money
enough to pay for the repairs. He doesn't intend to steal the car, but
he is not able to bring it back to its owner. If the owner telephones to
the garage for a man to bring it to his home it is quite likely he may
see it soon."
"And did you let the tramp get away?"
"I not only let him get away, but I gave him money to leave. I don't
suppose he will use the money as I told him, but I am going to give him
a chance. I would rather help two men who do not deserve it than to let
one go who does. Besides," Mr. Sanders added thoughtfully, "I thought of
his father and mother and how good they had been to me when I was a boy.
There," he added, "I have told you more than I expected."
"Will the tramp come back?" inquired Grant.
"I hope not. I doubt if he does, because the old Meeker House has now
gone and he has no place hereabout in which he can stay."
"Well, we found out what the spooks in the old house were," said Fred.
"I guess that's the way with most of such things."
"We certainly had a good time finding out," said John laughingly. "I'm
glad we didn't give up."
"So am I," said Fred. "But then," he added, "we are the Go Ahead boys
and have not learned how to do anything else."