by Ross Kay
CHAPTER XVI--ANOTHER LOSS
The angry stranger, who by this time had recovered from his surprise,speedily departed. Indeed, the fact that the boys had had only a slightconversation with him perhaps increased his anger and as soon as his carhad been pulled from the ditch, a task in which all joined to help, hesoon afterward disappeared from sight.
The intense heat soon caused the faces of the boys to be shining withperspiration. The dust from the road also did its part until in thestreaked countenances of the Go Ahead boys even their own mothers wouldhave had difficulty in recognizing members of their families.
The difficult task and the heat of the day also united in increasing theirritation of the boys. There were several remarks made which happilywere soon forgotten or ignored.
In the midst of the task the jack broke and the wheel dropped upon theground.
"There you have it!" exclaimed George irritably. "A broken jack! Notube! Seventeen miles from nowhere and not a crumb to eat!"
"Never mind, George," said John good-naturedly. "Somebody will be comingalong pretty soon and will lend us a hand."
"He will have to lend us a jack, I guess if we ever get anywhere. Idon't know what is the matter with this thing," he added as again heexamined the broken implement.
"There's nothing for us to do except wait," suggested Grant. "Come uphere in the shade, fellows. We'll have to join that man who is sittingthere."
As Grant spoke he pointed toward a bank or knoll near the roadside wherea man was seen reclining on the ground beneath the shade of some hugemaple trees.
"That's a good suggestion," declared Fred, and in a brief time the boyswere seated on the ground, enjoying the relief from the heat of theburning sun.
Their only hope now rested upon some friendly driver stopping to aidthem.
To the amazement of Fred, as well as of his companions, the man whomthey discovered enjoying the shade was none other than the tramp who hadfirst been seen in the old Meeker House.
He stared a moment at the unexpected sight and then as a grin spreadover the countenance of the man he was convinced that his firstimpression had been correct. The tramp of the Meeker House was therebefore him. How he had come there, so far from the place where he hadbeen first seen, was a mystery.
"You seem to have had bad luck, my friends," laughed the tramp, as hesat erect when the boys approached.
"Yes, the day is so hot," growled George, "that the tube burst. We had ablowout. We had it blown up too much anyway when we left Newburgh."
"Have you been to Newburgh!" inquired the tramp.
"Yes," replied George shortly.
"Did you find your car?"
"No."
"That's too bad." If the tramp, however, had any real sympathy for theboys in their loss his countenance failed to reflect the feeling, for hewas still grinning at his young companions. "Not much use," hecontinued. "There must be seventy-five or a hundred thousand autos inJersey alone, and when you stop to think of all that are in New York andPennsylvania you will see you stand mighty little chance of ever findingyour own car."
"Thank you," said George. "You needn't be worried though, for we aregoing to get it."
"What are you doing up here?" demanded Fred.
"Why I got to thinking of it last night," explained the tramp, "afteryou boys left home and the more I thought about it the more I thought Iwould like to come up into this part of the world too. You haven't anyobjection to my coming?" he added quizzically.
"Oh, no, not the slightest," said Fred glibly. "I was just wondering howa man as weary as you are could have made such good time. You must havecome forty miles or more. How did you do it?"
"Part of the way," replied the tramp, "I came in an empty box-car. I gota lift with an old man who was taking a load of produce to market andanother man gave me a ride in his automobile. I don't think I havewalked all together more than half a mile. There's always somebody thatis good to the halt, the blind, the lame,--"
"And the lazy," joined in Fred.
"I guess that's right," said the tramp. "But I'm not to blame for it. Idon't like to work. It's the way I was born, and if I don't like it Idon't see why I should do it, do you?"
"Not as long as some one else is willing to work and get you somethingto eat and wear," suggested George tartly.
"I guess you're right again," drawled the tramp. "If the time ever comeswhen there isn't anybody to do that for me, then I guess I'll have to goto work. But I'm putting it off as long as possible. Hello," he addedquickly, "there comes a car," pointing as he spoke toward an automobilewhich was swiftly approaching.
George ran speedily down to the road and hailed the approaching car.
The automobile was stopped as the signal was discovered, and for thefirst time George was conscious of his dust-discolored face, for seatedin the back seat was a young girl with her mother. She laughed as shesaw George's countenance and even her mother's face could not concealthe quizzical expression that appeared when George spoke.
"We had a blowout here," explained George, "and when we tried to put ona new tube our jack broke. Can you help us out?"
"Certainly," said the woman. "James, you help these young gentlemen,"she added as she turned to her chauffeur.
The other boys now turned and offered their assistance to George,although Grant and John plainly were more interested in the occupants ofthe friendly car than they were in the task immediately confrontingthem.
"There's no use, boys," said the chauffeur at last. "That blowout musthave been a big one."
"It was," spoke up Fred quickly.
"It has bent your rim. Yon never can get a new tire on that until it hasbeen fixed."
"What shall we do?" inquired George blankly.
"The best thing I can suggest is for you to get in our car and we willtake you to a good garage about four miles up the road. They will haveto come back here in another car so you won't have to walk."
"That's a good suggestion," said George quickly as he prepared to acceptthe invitation.
His zeal, however was quickly shared by two of his friends, who insistedthat their presence also was required. "You see," Fred explained, "ifthey cannot help us at that garage, why some of us will have to go on toanother. We cannot leave our car here all day in the sun."
John was the only one of the party left behind and as it was deemednecessary for some one to remain with the car he volunteered for thatservice.
The task confronting him was not difficult, however, and John soon wasreclining once more in a shaded spot near the tramp who was still seatedin the same place he had first been seen.
In spite of John's efforts to draw the man into conversation the trampwas strangely silent most of the time. At last, however, his moodchanged and turning to John he said, "Your friends ought to be back hereby this time."
"They may have had trouble in getting a car right away to bring themback."
"Well, they will be here pretty soon," said the tramp. "I think I'll goup to that orchard up yonder," he added as he pointed to a hillsidecovered with apple trees about one hundred yards distant.
"Are there any apples there ripe?" inquired John quickly.
"Plenty of them. Plenty of them. The owner doesn't seem to care anythingabout them. He hasn't sprayed his trees or pruned them for years, butthere are some juicy red apples in the corner of the orchard and theyare mighty good. I know for I have tried them already."
"Wait a minute and I'll go up with you," said John.
Together they made their way up the side of the hill and John speedilydiscovered that the statement of his companion was correct. The groundbeneath the trees was carpeted with a layer of red apples tempting intheir size and appearance.
"I think I'll take back a few for the other fellows," said John, as hefilled his cap. "I would like to pay for them, but I don't see anybodyaround here."
"Nobody pays for these apples," explained the tramp. "The owner of thefarm spent a lot of money on his place and then got tired of it
and wentback to the city. He left everything here to go to pieces."
"That's a pity," said John as he climbed over the fence and started backtoward the place where they had left the automobile.
"Where is our car?" demanded John in consternation as he drew near theplace from which they had started.
In amazement he looked up and down the road, but not a trace of theautomobile was to be seen.
"What do you suppose has happened to that car?" he demanded, againturning to his companion.
"I don't know unless it has evaporated," said the tramp. "It's a prettyhot day."
"Evaporated nothing!" explained John angrily. "The car is gone. I don'tknow what George and the fellows will say. We have lost two cars nowinstead of one. I don't understand how it could have been taken awaywithout our knowing it."
"That isn't nearly so important," suggested the tramp, "as the fact thatit is gone. There isn't any car here."