AN ODD DISAPPEARANCE
“We had better develop those pictures as soon as possible,” said Jack
after he had been told that the others had agreed to reserve a decision
on the race until the various photographs taken had been examined.
“I’m afraid I didn’t get a very good picture,” declared Martha. “Just
as I got ready to snap it some man jumped up in front of me, waving his
hat.”
“I was almost in line with the tape, so my picture ought to be a good
one,” declared Ruth. “I had the diaphragm wide open and the shutter set
for the fastest time possible.”
“We’ll have to be very careful in developing those pictures――we don’t
want to spoil them,” put in Randy.
Joe Sedley was plainly annoyed over the fact that most of the
spectators considered the race a tie.
“I think I was a full head to the good,” he declared emphatically.
“Black Diamond was going as never before and in another fifty yards
he’d have been a length ahead.”
“Well, we’ll have to see what the pictures have to say,” answered Jack.
“Then, if it really was a tie, we’ll have to run it over again.”
“What do you think it was, Ruth?” questioned Sedley.
“I can’t say exactly, Joe,” the girl answered. “You both went past so
very fast. But I snapped a picture, and so did the others, and perhaps
they’ll tell the real story.”
“Well, I think it was up to the judges to render a decision and not
wait for those photos,” answered the rich young man. “But of course I’m
willing to do what Rover does,” and then Sedley rode away to join some
of his friends.
The crowd, and especially those who had placed bets on the race, was
keenly disappointed and a number of arguments started, some ending
in wordy quarrels. The judges of the race asked that all photographs
snapped at the finish be submitted to them if possible by the following
morning.
So far the day had been ideal, but now a sudden summer shower was
coming up and this caused the crowd to scatter rapidly, and the Rovers
and Ruth lost no time in getting back to Valley Brook Farm.
Some years before the Rover boys had fitted up a developing and
printing room in the old farmhouse, using for that purpose a side
pantry which had running water. Randy and Fred were the two who had
most interested themselves in the photographic art, and they took the
exposed films to learn as quickly as possible what they might show.
“You’ve got to be careful,” cautioned Jack. “If you spoil them Sedley
may say you did it on purpose, just to hide the fact that he won.”
“Oh, Jack what a mean thing to say of Joe!” cried Ruth.
“Well, I wouldn’t put it past him to say it,” declared Jack. “He thinks
he’s the king-pin of everything when he’s on Black Diamond,” he added
somewhat bitterly.
“You wouldn’t want Joe to talk that way about you, would you?” went on
the girl earnestly.
“Oh, I wouldn’t quarrel about it, Ruth,” put in Mary before she had
given a thought to what her words might lead.
“I’m not quarreling,” and then, after a somewhat awkward pause, Ruth
turned, picked up a magazine from the center table, and sat down on the
piazza to read.
“Mary! How could you?” whispered Martha.
“Why, I――I――didn’t mean anything,” faltered Fred’s sister.
“Yes, but don’t you see what Jack――” began Martha, and then suddenly
stopped. Then, as Jack and the others moved toward the pantry where the
pictures were to be developed, Martha went upstairs and Mary slowly
followed.
The day had begun brightly enough, but now it seemed about as dismal in
the house as the shower was making it outside. Twice Jack thought of
joining Ruth on the piazza, to smooth out the difficulty between them,
but for some reason could not bring himself to do it.
“She’s got Sedley in her mind,” he told himself bitterly. “For all I
know, she may hope he won.” Yet even as he thought this another thought
came that perhaps he was doing Ruth an injustice.
When developed, it was found that Martha’s film had been completely
ruined by the man who had jumped up in front of her when she snapped
it. But those taken by Ruth and Mary, as well as by Fred and Randy,
were fairly clear. But all of the pictures were rather small and none
of them could be judged clearly in the dim red light of the developing
pantry.
“We’ll have to dry them and get prints from them before we can be
sure of what they show,” declared Fred; and then this rather tedious
process was begun.
After the race Jack Ness had ridden over to Dexter’s Corners to get the
mail. Now he came back with a handful of letters which were distributed
to the young people.
“Here is something that you fellows will be interested in,” declared
Fred, as he read a letter from his father. “Dad says old Josiah
Crabtree is out of jail again.”
“Out of jail again?” cried Jack. “I thought he was let out of jail some
years ago!”
“So he was,” answered Randy. “But I guess you’ve forgotten that he
was put in again on account of some irregularities in connection with
selling some stock in a fake university out in St. Louis.”
“Do you suppose old Crabtree will try to make trouble for our folks?”
went on Fred.
“It’s more than likely,” answered Jack. He and his cousins had learned
a great deal concerning this ex-teacher who had done so much harm to
the older Rovers in the past.
“Why can’t he turn over a new leaf like Dan Baxter and his father did?”
was Randy’s comment.
“The answer to that is that some people would rather be bad than be
good,” returned Fred, and then he added quickly: “Do you suppose
Crabtree would come after us, the same as Davenport did?”
“There is no telling what a man of that calibre will do,” said Jack.
“The only thing for us to do is to be on our guard against him.”
Then the boys turned again to their letters.
“Here is news!” cried Andy. “Dad tells me that before long he’s going
to take another trip out to the Rolling Thunder gold mine.”
“And my dad says he’s going to take another trip down to the oil fields
in Oklahoma,” came from Jack. “Gee, I’d like to go with him! We’d have
a chance to visit Phil Franklin and a lot of other people we know.”
“And I’d like to go out to Sunset Trail again!” cried Randy. “We
certainly did have good times out there.”
“Not while we were kept prisoners in that cave by Davenport and his
gang,” broke in his brother.
“You fellows hold your horses about going down to Oklahoma or out to
Sunset Trail!” cried Fred. “Perhaps there will be something better
coming. Who knows?” And then he began to hum softly to himself. “Down
on the ocean bottom, boys! Down on the ocean bottom!”
“Say, Fred, for cats’ sake, stop that singing and let us know what
you’ve got in your mind!” cried Andy. “You keep on that way, and
you’ll have us all bughousey.”
“Let’s pound it out of him, boys!” exclaimed his twin, and caught Fred
by the arm.
“No, you don’t!” shouted Fred. “I’ll tell you about my secret when I’m
ready, and not before.” And then, as the others tried to catch hold
of him, he squirmed away and ran through the dining room and then the
sitting room of the old farmhouse.
“My land sakes, boys! what are you up to now?” shrilled old Aunt
Martha, who sat by a window shelling peas.
“Fred’s got a secret and won’t let us in on it!” exclaimed Randy.
“I think he’s got a barrel of prunes hid away somewhere and is eating
’em all by himself on the sly,” added Andy.
“A barrel of prunes?” exclaimed Aunt Martha, in consternation. Then her
eyes began to twinkle. “Andy Rover, quit your foolishness and behave
yourself. If you continue to make such a noise, Grandfather Rover will
think another war has started.”
“Well, we’ve got to make Fred talk up,” said Randy, and then he and
his twin, followed by Jack, raced after the youngest Rover boy, who
had disappeared through a doorway leading to a side piazza. The next
instant Fred had leaped out into the dooryard and, despite the rain
that was falling, was streaking it in the direction of the big barn.
“Hi! You’ll get soaked!” yelled Jack. “Come back here!”
“Not on your necktie! I’d rather be soaked than be pommeled.”
“I’m going after him!” exclaimed Andy.
“So am I!” added his twin, and away they dashed, and then there seemed
nothing for Jack to do but to follow.
The sudden shower had caused the water to flow down the lane. Fred and
Randy crossed this in safety, but as Andy approached, his foot slipped
and down he went headlong, splashing mud in all directions.
“For the love of Pete!” gasped Jack, as several drops of muddy water
hit him in the face, one landing in his eye. “What’s the idea? If you
want to swim why don’t you go down to the brook?”
“Wow!” spluttered Andy, scrambling to his feet. His hands and his knees
were covered with mud, which was also sprinkled liberally over the
front of the suit he wore. “Now I’m going to catch him if I die for
it!” he went on, dashing forward.
By this time Fred had reached one of the big sliding doors of the barn
and had passed inside, sliding the door shut after him. When the others
came up they found the door bolted on the inside.
“Hi! Open that door――and be quick about it!” shouted Randy. “Do you
want us to get drowned?” for the rain was now coming down harder than
ever.
“I’m not going to open the door!” shouted back Fred. “Go on back to the
house!”
“Come on around to the other door,” said Jack.
The three Rovers ran around a corner of the barn, but Fred was ahead of
them and just before they arrived he shot another bolt into position,
so they found this barrier also closed against them.
“Hi, Fred! Have a heart and open up!” demanded Andy. “I need washing,
but I don’t want to take it out here in the open.”
“Come on with me,” whispered Randy. “We’ll surprise him,” and then he
hurried the others around another corner of the barn where an opening
led to a small pit. From this pit a flight of steps ran up to the
main floor of the building. There was a trapdoor here, but this was
unfastened and thus the three boys gained entrance to the barn without
further trouble.
“Now you’d better surrender!” cried Jack, rushing forward, followed by
the twins.
Then, as Fred was nowhere in sight, the three began a search for their
cousin. Much to their surprise, he was not to be found. They went
through the building from top to bottom half a dozen times, looking
into the box stalls and also the harness closet, and peering around the
old carriages still stored in the place.
But it was all to no purpose! Fred had totally disappeared!