“Gee! this is getting fierce,” spluttered Randy, and began to cough, while the tears started from his eyes.
“Don’t leave me! Please don’t leave me!” pleaded the passenger under the wreckage. “I don’t want to be burnt up!” and then he said something in a foreign tongue which the others did not understand.
The last bit of wreckage was the hardest of all to get away from where it rested across the man’s stomach. This was wedged in between the ceiling and the side of the car, and the boys had to use all their strength before they could dislodge it. But at last it came loose, and then the man was able to sit up.
“Here, we’ll help you,” cried Jack, as the passenger seemed to be too weak to regain his feet. He and Randy caught the fellow under his arms and, standing him upright, dragged him to the window upon which the end of the plank rested. They shoved him out, and he went rolling and sliding down the plank into the snow. Randy followed him quickly, and then came Jack.
The rescue had occurred none too soon, for the wind was now coming up, and soon the overturned car was a mass of smoke and flames from end to end. The boys left the plank where it was, and assisted the rescued passenger to the little railroad station, where all the others who had been injured had already been taken.
The short, stocky man was very much excited and he thanked the lads over and over again for what they had done.
“I wish I was a rich man,” he said sadly, and now they noticed that he spoke with a decided accent. “If I was rich I would pay all of you well for what you have done. It was very noble—very noble indeed! I shall never forget it.”
“We don’t want any reward,” answered Jack.
“You young gentlemen do not look as if you needed any reward,” said the man, with a little smile, as he noted how well dressed the youths were. “I am a poor man, so I can offer you nothing but my thanks, but those I give you with all my heart. And now may I ask your names?”
They told him, and all shook hands. He said his name was Herman Crouse, and that he was a farmer working a small place some miles away. He was plainly dressed and evidently far from wealthy.
While the boys were assisting Herman Crouse to the little railroad station, others had gone into the burning car and picked up such baggage and other things as could be gotten out. Then the car, which was nothing but an old rattletrap affair, was allowed to burn up.
Of course the accident had caused a great deal of excitement, and telegrams were at once dispatched to Leeways and Timminsport for assistance.
“I think I’ll send word home that we are all right,” said Jack. “The folks may hear about this accident and worry over it,” and as soon as he had an opportunity he sent a message, and Gif and Spouter did the same.
As the trains from the north ran no farther on that branch than Enwood, all of the passengers on board had been bound for either that place or Timminsport. Consequently many of those who were injured remained in the town, while the others were made as comfortable as possible on the other train and taken to Timminsport. Fortunately, no one had been killed or fatally hurt. Herman Crouse remained at Enwood. He thanked the boys again most heartily when they left him.
“Maybe some day I shall be able to pay you back for your goodness to me,” said he. “If it comes that way, I shall certainly do it,” and then he shook hands once more.
“I guess he’s a German all right enough,” remarked Jack, when the boys were once again in the train and it was moving forward, the track having been cleared. “He spoke with a very strong German accent.”
“Yes, and his name is undoubtedly German,” said Randy. “But he was a pretty decent sort, anyway.”
“Oh, a good many of the German-Americans, so-called, are all right,” said Gif. “Why, there are thousands of them in the army and in the navy, as well as in the air service. And they are fighting just as hard and loyally for Uncle Sam as anybody.”
“Sure!” declared Andy. “Look at Hans Mueller, who used to be a great chum of our dads at Putnam Hall. He’s as loyal as they make ‘em, and he’s in the army too, and will undoubtedly give a good account of himself.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt but what a lot of the Germans are loyal to this country,” came from Spouter. “Just the same, it’s a good thing to keep your eyes on them.”
“Right you are!” cried Andy. “Don’t forget those German spies we ran into at the offices in Wall Street—the same chaps who were in with Mr. Brown and Mr. Martell.”
“I tell you one thing,” remarked Gif, changing the subject. “This accident is going to get us into Timminsport very late, and I don’t know whether Jed Wallop will be there to meet us or not.” They had sent word ahead for the old fellow who lived near the Cedar Lodge property to come with his boxsled for them and their traps.
“Probably he was hanging around the railroad station waiting for the train to come in, and, if so, he must have heard about the accident, and he would be very anxious about you, Gif,” remarked Jack.
“Well, we’ll see when we get there. But if Jed isn’t there, I don’t know what we can do for the night. I don’t believe Timminsport has any hotel fit to stop at, and it wouldn’t be a very nice hike of five or six miles to Cedar Lodge in the dark and through the snow.”
With so many hurt passengers on board, the engineer was careful, and so did not run very fast, and as a consequence it was well after dark by the time they rolled into Timminsport. Quite a crowd was collected at the depot, anxious to get the particulars of the accident, and also to meet those who needed assistance. The two doctors living in that vicinity had been summoned and were on hand to give all the aid possible.
“There is Jed Wallop now!” cried Gif presently, and pointed to a tall, angular individual wrapped up in a shaggy overcoat and wearing an equally shaggy cap with the eartabs tied down under his chin.
“Hello, Jed!” he cried cheerfully, and shoved his way forward to greet the man.
Jed Wallop proved to be so excited that he hardly paid attention to Gif’s greetings nor to his introduction to the other youths from Colby Hall.
“I’m lookin’ fer a cousin o’ mine—Tim Doolittle,” he exclaimed. “I heard as how he was in the accident. Did you see him?”
“I don’t know the man, Jed,” answered Gif. “The hurt ones are all in the forward car.”
Jed Wallop pushed his way through the crowd and soon found the man he was seeking. The poor fellow had one arm in a sling and had several cuts on his face, and declared himself very much “shook up” and rather weak.
“Well, by gosh! I’m mighty glad you wasn’t killed, Tim,” declared Wallop. “Now, what you goin’ to do with yourself? You can’t go up to Burke’s Camp in that condition.”
“No, I can’t,” answered Tim Doolittle. “I’ve got to rest up fer a spell and git this sprained arm o’ mine fit fer work agin. I was thinkin’ I might ride over to Uncle Joe’s place if I could git anyone to take me.”
“I can take you there myself. I can git a sleigh from Hank Miller and do it—that is, if these young fellers would be willin’ to drive over to Cedar Lodge alone,” added Jed Wallop, looking anxiously at Gif and his companions.
“I suppose I could do that,” answered Gif slowly. “I don’t know the way very well, but I think I could make it.”
“Oh, it’s a putty straight road, Gif,” said Wallop. “You can’t miss your way if you keep your eyes open. Whenever you strike the crossroads keep to the right every time, and then you won’t git left,” and he chuckled a little over his joke.
“How are the team and the boxsled?”
“All right. You know them horses—Mary and John, a very reliable team. They won’t run away, and they’ll make good time.”
“All right then, Jed. Just show me where the sled is, and then you can go off and take care of your cousin,” said Gif. “We’ll have to stay in town for a while and see if we can’
t pick up some grub and at least enough supplies to last us for a few days.”
So the matter was arranged, and a few minutes later Jed Wallop went off to see what he could do about caring for his injured cousin.
“It’s all right for him to look after his cousin,” remarked Gif. “But that leaves us to go on alone. I hope we find everything at Cedar Lodge all right.”
“Oh, it will be a lark to go on all alone!” cried Fred. “We don’t want that fellow along. We can get along alone very well.”
“I know what I want to do first of all,” declared Andy. “I want to get a bite to eat. That sandwich I had didn’t satisfy me at all.”
“All right, we’ll go to that restaurant I spoke about,” said Gif. “Then we’ll get our provisions and be on the way to the Lodge.”
CHAPTER XI
ON THE WAY TO CEDAR LODGE
The restaurant Gif had in mind was a small affair located on a side street directly behind the railroad station. Leaving their handbaggage at the station in a pile with numerous other bags, and their guns with the station-master, they made their way to this resort. Ordinarily at this time of night the restaurant was doing very little business, but on account of the accident many people had dropped in, so the tables presented a lively appearance.
“We’ll have some difficulty in finding seats, I guess,” remarked Jack, looking around.
“There are a couple of small tables over in the alcove,” came from Spouter. “We might shove them together, and I guess they’ll hold us all.”
This was done, and after a wait of several minutes a girl came to take their orders.
“What have you got ready?” questioned Gif. “There is no use of our waiting to have anything cooked to order,” he continued to his chums.
The girl named over a variety of things, including hot pork and beans, roast beef with potatoes and turnips, and also several kinds of sandwiches and pies, and also tea and coffee.
“Those things will do first rate, I guess,” cried Fred. “Me for a dish of pork and beans and a good hot cup of coffee!”
It did not take the cadets long to give their orders, and the girl bustled off to serve them. While the lads were waiting for the things to be brought, Andy happened to glance across the restaurant at the other patrons and suddenly gave a low whistle of surprise.
“Look who’s here, will you!” he exclaimed.
All looked in the direction pointed out, and there, at a side table, saw Bill Glutts, Gabe Werner and Henry Stowell.
“My gracious! what do you know about that?” ejaculated Randy. “Glutts, Werner and Codfish!”
“What can those fellows be doing in Timminsport?” demanded Spouter.
“Say! I think I know the answer to that question,” returned Jack quickly. He looked at his cousin Fred. “Don’t you remember what Bill and Gabe said in the moving picture theater about going up to some camp to hunt? I wager that camp is located somewhere in this vicinity.”
“That must be it!” answered Fred.
“However did they get poor Codfish to come along with them?” queried Andy. “They’ll plague the life out of that little sneak.”
“They’ll make a regular servant of him, that’s what they’ll do!” answered his twin.
“If they came up here to hunt, I hope they are not going to settle down anywhere near Cedar Lodge,” remarked Gif. “I’d hate to have those fellows saddled on me while I was trying to have some fun.”
“I wonder if they saw us?” questioned Fred.
“Let’s not take any notice of them,” advised Jack. “I’d rather go my way and let them go theirs.”
To this the others readily agreed. They were soon served with the things they had ordered and lost no time in making away with the food. Then they hurried out of the resort, leaving Glutts, Werner and Codfish still at the table which they occupied. The two bullies had lighted cigarettes.
“Now let’s skip over to one of the general stores and see what we can get in the way of provisions,” said Gif. “We’ll have to hurry up, or the storekeeper may close up on us.”
“I’ve got the list here, Gif,” declared Jack. “Show us where the store is, and then you bring around the team with the boxsled. By that time maybe we’ll have most of our things bought.”
The store proved to be a low, rambling affair filled with a hundred and one varieties of goods, some looking quite fresh and others with the appearance of having been in stock for some years.
The storekeeper was pleased to serve them, especially when he realized that their purchases would be for cash. Jack and the others knew exactly what they wanted, and picked out everything with care.
“I guess you young fellows have been up in the woods before,” remarked the storekeeper, with a shrewd look.
“We have been, although not around here,” answered Jack.
“Thought you had by the way you’re ordering. Some of them fellows that come up here have no more idee about what is wanted in a camp than nothing at all. They take along the most ridiculous things, and sometimes leave out coffee and sugar and salt and bacon and things like that which a feller has jest got to have.”
Gif had brought around the boxsled, and into this the storekeeper’s assistant piled the various boxes and bags which contained the provisions they had purchased. The things made quite a load, so that the six cadets had about all they could do to get in themselves.
“We sure would have been crowded had Jed Wallop been along,” remarked Fred, who was squeezed in on top of some boxes with Randy on one side of him and Spouter on the other. Gif was up in front driving, with Jack and Andy beside him.
“Let her go!” cried Andy gayly. “Hurrah for Cedar Lodge!”
“Hold on!” exclaimed Jack suddenly. “Are you fellows going up there without your suitcases and guns?”
At this there came a groan from nearly all of the others.
“Gee! I forgot all about those suitcases and firearms.”
“Where in the world are we going to place them?”
“If we put the suitcases in, we’ll surely have to walk!”
“Oh, we’ll stow ‘em in somehow,” declared Gif. “You fellows don’t know how to load a boxsled.”
“I know what we can do!” cried Jack. “Let us get a few loose packing-case boards and stand them up around the back of the sled. We can place the boxes against them, and then pile the suitcases on top, and the tops of the boards will hold them in. The guns can go in anywhere.”
“That’s the stuff!” said Spouter and he and Gif and Andy hurried back to the store to get the boards and arrange them as suggested.
In the meantime, Jack, Fred and Randy hurried in the direction of the railroad station to get the six suitcases and the guns which had been left there. They found the crowd had thinned out somewhat, although quite a few people were still present.
It did not take the three lads long to find the six suitcases, and, armed with two each and with all the guns, they trudged back to where they had left the boxsled. Then the suitcases were piled up and tied fast to the upright boards and to the boxsled itself, so that they might not be jounced off. The guns were placed in the bottom alongside the boxes.
“Now then, pile in, and we’ll be getting to the Lodge,” cried Gif. “I can tell you fellows I am mighty anxious to see the old place, to see if it looks like it did when I was here last.”
The youths were just stowing themselves away on the sled when there came a cry from out of the darkness, and three fellows came hurrying through the snow from the direction of the railroad station.
“Hi, there! Stop!” called out the foremost of the trio. “Stop, I tell you!”
“Why, it’s Gabe Werner!” exclaimed Randy. “What can he want of us?”
In a moment more the big bully was beside the sled, and Glutts and Codfish followed him.
&
nbsp; “Thought you were mighty smart, eh?” cried Gabe Werner angrily. “Another minute, and I suppose you would have been gone!”
“What do you want, Werner?” demanded Jack.
“What are you fellows doing in this neighborhood?” questioned Fred.
“What we are doing here is our business,” answered Werner sourly. “What I want of you is my suitcase.”
“Your suitcase?” queried several of the others.
“Yes, my suitcase! Oh, you needn’t play the innocent! I know you’ve got my suitcase somewhere on this boxsled. But you’re not going to get away with it. Hand it over, or I’ll call a policeman.”
Gabe Werner was very much in earnest, and his face was red with anger and resentment. He reached up and caught hold of the lines which Gif held in his hands.
“Drop those lines, Werner!” cried Gif quickly. “Drop them, I say!”
“I want my suitcase! You had no business to touch it!”
“I don’t know anything about your suitcase,” declared Gif. He turned to the others. “We haven’t anything but our own bags, have we?”
“I don’t think we have,” declared Jack.
“I know better!” grumbled Werner.
“I’ll bet they’ve got it and are hiding it away,” declared Bill Glutts. “They took a whole lot of bags away just as we were coming up. The baggage master saw ‘em.”
“I’m glad they didn’t get my bag!” cried Codfish, who was lugging a good-sized Gladstone.
“If we took your bag it must have been by mistake,” said Randy. “I looked at the markings pretty carefully though.”
“So did I,” said Fred.
“Well, we’ll make sure,” remarked Jack, and brought out a flashlight which he had taken from his own suitcase for possible use on the road. He flashed the light in the direction of the six suitcases, and he and his chums looked over all of the markings with care.
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