CHAPTER XVII
CLEARING SKIES
Paul made no reply to this remark of his chum.
Having studied the charms of outdoor life always, he knew that he wouldbe placing his friends under a heavy handicap if he ever attempted tocompete with them in woodlore.
True, just as he said, Wallace was somewhat of an unknown quantity; forhe, too, seemed to have a deep love for everything connected with life inthe forest, and never tired of reading books that told of pioneers andtheir ways.
The scout leader immediately started some of the boys along another tack.They were given a chance to find a lost trail, to detect all manner ofsigns such as would be apt to tell how long previously some one hadpassed that way; and to discover where the tracks came out of the creek,upon the bed of which the unknown had walked quite some distance.
Of course, Paul had made the trail himself in the morning, running outhere on his wheel so as to prepare the ground. And when they all failedto find out just how the party had left the creek, since the markedtracks did not seem to appear anywhere along the banks, he pointed towhere the limb of a tree hung down over the water.
"That's the ticket!" cried Bobolink, excitedly. "See, fellows, how it'sskinned where his shoes scraped along it."
"As sure as shooting he climbed up into that tree!" declared one,excitedly.
"Then scatter, and examine the ground around the trunk!" said Paul.
A minute or so later a happy whoop announced that one of the searchershad discovered the wished-for signs; and away the whole troop went ona trot, following the leader.
Meanwhile the photographers managed to get in some of their efforts,possibly unbeknown to the rest. Exposures where the subjects areunconscious of their posing always turn out best; since they avoidstiffness, such as ruins so many otherwise interesting pictures.
Here, with the woods for a background, Paul, acting by agreement astemporary scout master, drilled his followers in scout law, sign, salute,and the significance of the badges which they wore, all of them, ofcourse, of the tenderfoot type, since few had as yet started to qualifyfor any higher plane.
Signal flags had been brought along; and a class in semaphore work provedthat some of the members of the troop were making rapid progress alongthat line. They had mastered the Morse code, too; and had the occasionarisen might have sent messages over the wire, although probably nonesave Paul could have received the same, unless the words came painfullyslow.
The afternoon passed almost before they realized it; and more than a fewdeclared that the sun must have dropped like a plummet, when they foundtwilight creeping upon the forest.
Both Ted and Ward had long since gone away, as though disgusted. They hadtried to sneer at the work of Stanhope Troop No. 1; but every one knewthis humor was assumed; and that secretly they were eating their veryhearts out for envy.
No doubt there would be a hot time among their followers, when theleaders endeavored to drive them to beat the record Wallace Carberryhad set in his fire starting, and water-boiling test.
"Suppose you come to supper with me, Paul," suggested Jack, when theywere more than half way back to town, with the double column moving alonglike clockwork, every right leg thrust out in unison, as though forming apart of a well-regulated machine.
Paul looked quickly at him when Jack said this.
"Oh! I can see through a millstone, when it has a hole in it," heremarked.
"Which is one way of saying that you can guess I have a motive in askingyou?" returned the other, smiling queerly; "well, I have, in fact,several. In the first place my mother told me to ask you. I rather thinkshe wants to pump you about that affair last night. Father wouldn't tellher all she wished to know. Then again I'm still all broken up aboutthose lost coins; and I thought perhaps you might have guessed the answerto the riddle."
"What's that? More of them gone, Jack?" asked Paul, lowering his voice,so that the two scouts at the tail end of the line might not hear.
"Don't know yet. Didn't have the nerve to go up into my den since thismorning. To tell the truth that place has lost all charm for me. WheneverI find myself there I get to shivering, and looking around, just like Ihalf expected to see a ghost step out, and pick up one of those miserablecoins right before my very eyes--ugh! it's horrible to feel that way, andI used to be so fond of my den, too."
"Oh! I hope and expect you will be again, Jack, when we've settled thislittle thing. You say none of them were ever taken in the night?" saidPaul, earnestly; while his knitted brows told how much he felt concernedover the mystery.
"Certainly not. Always in broad daylight. That's the queer part of it,"returned the other, promptly.
"Sure, seeing that they always go in the daytime, and when you're awayfrom home, too. Anybody else going to be there to-night?"
"To supper--oh! no. Karl went off after breakfast, to visit our uncle fora few days before school commences. I took him to the train myself, andthen mustered up enough courage to climb up there, and once more countthe coins," went on Jack.
"Six there then, eh?" asked Paul.
"Just as last night. And I purposely left the door unlocked."
"Both door and window open in the bargain?" asked the other; at whichJack looked puzzled.
"Of course; though that wouldn't matter at all; for any fellow could turnthe knob, and walk in," he replied.
"But the door was open, just like a plain invitation to enter, shouldanybody think of going up to see--say that again, please," continuedPaul.
"Well, I do say it again, though I can't understand why you should makethat a point worth mentioning. Still, I have confidence in you, Paul. Ifanybody can get at the root of my trouble it's going to be you, oldfellow."
"I hope you prove a true prophet. As for myself I'm not saying anythingjust yet, one way or another," smiled Paul.
"Yes, but I really believe that you've found out something that gives youa pointer, Paul. Your face tells me that. You're a wonder about followinga trail in the woods. And I believe you see light in this darkness aroundme!" and Jack looked eagerly into the face of his chum as he said this.
"All I'm going to confess is that I believe I'm on the trail, and thatit seems to be getting warmer the further I go. Just hold your horsesa little while longer, Jack, and perhaps I may be able to tell yousomething."
"The way you smile gives me new courage, old fellow. Oh! I will be soglad if only it turns out all right. But here we are at the smithy. Shallyou dismiss the troop here, Paul?"
"Yes. The boys must be pretty tired after last night's work, and thishike; as well as the many stunts they went through with," and thetemporary master scout presently gave the order to break ranks, and headfor home.
"Drop in at my house so I can tell my folks not to expect me to dinner,"said Paul, as they approached his home.
There was not the slightest objection to the programme as arranged. Hisparents trusted Paul fully, knowing that, while as fond of fun as thenext lad, he never did things likely to get him into trouble.
"Now, first of all," remarked Paul, after they were indoors again; "let'sgo up, and make sure that anything has happened."
The door to Jack's den stood wide open, inviting any one to enter.
Jack had a match lighted in his hand, and with this he quickly touchedthe wick of a lamp. Paul heard him draw a long breath as he approachedthe spot where the little box lay upon the table desk at which stood thechair used by the owner of the den when taking his leisure here.
He bent over, and seemed to be counting the coins. They dropped back intothe receptacle one by one, and with such a ringing sound that even Paulwas able to keep tally. Then Jack turned an anxious and white facearound.
"Paul, there are only four here. Two more have gone!" he said.
"Yet you came up here and counted them; you are positive of that?"demanded Paul.
"I counted them, and there were six. Five times I did it, to be sure; yetyou saw that there were only four just now?"
"You came
up here after you saw Karl off on the train?" persisted hischum.
"Yes, after I returned from the station. But what makes you ask that?Tell me why you are grinning so, Paul? I know I'm awfully dull just now,but who could blame me under the circumstances? Please speak up!" Jackinsisted.
"Why, don't you see, this clears Karl completely. Six here while he wasriding away on the train this morning; and two taken when he is fiftymiles away! Don't that satisfy you it wasn't your brother, after all,Jack?"
And Jack dropped down in that chair, letting his head fall in his hands,while a great joy overspread his face.
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