Chapter XV. Strange News - The Rover Boys down East by Edward Stratemeyer
Several, days passed and during that time the lads amused themselves hugely, hunting, fishing, swimming and knocking around generally. Once they had a snake scare. The reptile got in the tent and held possession for nearly an hour, when Dick dislodged it with a stick and Sam ended its life with a stone.
"Say, I ton't like dot!" cried Hans, when the excitement was at an end.
"I don't believe any of us do," answered Dick, dryly.
"I'll be almost afraid to sleep in the tent to night," added Fred, with a shiver.
"Oh, I guess there was only one snake," said Sam. "But we can look around for more." Which they did, in as thorough a manner as possible. But no more reptiles were brought to light.
On Saturday it rained and the rain kept up all day Sunday. This was not so nice, and the boys remained under shelter most of the time.
"I guess I am a fair-weather camper," observed Fred. "I don't like this a bit."
"Oh, let's have a song!" cried Tom. "And then each fellow can tell a story."
"And then we can play a little music," added Sam. He had brought along a mouth harmonica, and Hans had a jews-harp.
Sunday evening it began to clear, and by midnight the stars were shining brightly.
"The weather will be all right by tomorrow," said Dick, who had been out to look around.
"But the woods will be wet," grumbled Fred.
"Never mind, let us go out in the boat. I'd like to explore the creek running in from the other shore."
"That will suit me, Dick. Maybe we can get an extra lot of nice fish over there."
All of the boys slept soundly and it was nearly eight o'clock when they commenced to get breakfast, and it was almost ten before they were ready to start in the sailboat for the other shore of the lake.
"Hello, here comes a boat!" exclaimed Dick, as he looked down Lake Nasco.
"Two men in it," added Tom. "They seem to be in a hurry, too, by the way the fellow at the oars is rowing."
"Why, it's Jack Ness in the back of the boat!" exclaimed Sam, as the craft drew closer. "That is Pete Hawley rowing."
"Jack must have a message," came from Dick. "Wonder what it can be?"
"Hello, boys!" yelled the Rovers' hired man, as soon as he was within failing distance. "Got a very particular letter fer you!" And he waved the communication in the air.
"What is it, Jack?" demanded Dick, quickly.
"You jess read the letter, and you'll find out as quick as I kin tell you," answered the man.
"Anybody sick or hurt?" asked Sam.
"Nobuddy hurt—leas'wise not in body, an' nobuddy sick nuther, in the ordinary way. But I reckon your friends from Cedarville is putty sick all the way through, when they think of their loss."
Dick snatched the letter and glanced at it It was in his father's handwriting and bore only a few lines, as follows:
"Just received a telegram from Mrs. Stanhope, wanting to know if I had received her money, as asked for? Telegraphed back that I had not asked for money and had received none. Then she telegraphed that she had sent money to a certain place at my request. I don't understand this at all. I fear something is wrong, and I am going to Cedarville without delay. Better come home and wait to hear from me."
"Mrs. Stanhope's money?" mused Dick, as he handed the letter to his brothers. "Can she mean the fortune from Treasure Isle?"
"More than likely," answered Tom. "Before we came away father told me she has said something about investing it through him. He was to let her know when he wanted the money."
"But he says in this letter that he didn't send for the money," put in Sam.
"If the money had been obtained under false pretenses I guess it is Sobber's work," murmured Dick.
"More than likely," returned Tom. "Oh, this is the worst yet—and just when we were getting ready to enjoy ourselves, too!"
"Well, we'll have to go back, Tom. Father may need us."
"Sure we'll go back. I couldn't stay here and enjoy myself while I knew that fortune was gone."
"It's too bad on you fellows," said Dick, turning to Fred and Hans. "But you can see how it is."
"Oh, that's all right," answered Fred quickly.
"I dink I got enough of camping owid annaway," came from the German youth. "Maype of we stay here much longer von of dem snakes comes and eats us up alretty, ain't it!"
"The telegrams came yesterday, but I waited until this morning to come here," said Jack Ness. "Your father left for Cedarville on the first train today."
"We'll pack right up and get back," answered Dick.
Although he tried not to show it, he was greatly excited. He was sure that the Stanhope fortune had in some manner fallen into the hands of Tad Sobber, and he wondered if that rascal would be able to get away with it.
"If he does it will be a sad blow to both the Stanhopes and the Lanings," he said to his brothers. "They were planning to get much good out of that money."
"It will be especially hard on the Lanings," said Tom, soberly. "For they are not as wealthy as the Stanhopes."
All of the boys worked with a will, and Jack Ness and the man who had rowed him to camp aided as much as they could. As a consequence in less than an hour the tent was down and packed, and the rest of the camping outfit placed aboard the sailboat. Then the journey for home was begun.
The wind was in their favor, so those in the little sailboat had to do little rowing, and they helped the other boat along. Arriving at the landing on Swift River, they found the farm wagon awaiting them and also a carriage with the best team of horses the Rover farm afforded.
"Thought you young gentlemen would like to go back that way," explained Jack Ness. "I can drive slower with the wagon. I would have brought the auto, only I can't manage that yet."
"I'm glad you thought of the carriage," an swered Dick. "Now we can go home in jig time."
The boys entered the carriage, and Dick took the reins and touched up the horses. Away went the spirited team on a gallop, the turnout bounc ing from side to side over the rocky road.
"Mine cracious!" gasped Hans, as he tried to hold himself down. "Look owid, Tick, oder we go overpoard alretty yet!"
"Maybe you'd rather ride home with Jack," suggested Tom.
"No, of you can stand him, so can I," answered the German youth, firmly.
Away they went for the Rover farm, up hill and down. Soon they left the river road and then struck a highway where going was much better. Here Dick made the team do their best, and poor Hans was badly scared, thinking the horses were running away.
"Of you can't sthop 'em, ve vos all busted up, so quick like neffer vos!" he bawled.
"They are all right, Hans," answered Sam. 'Let Dick alone, he knows how to handle 'em."
"Ain't da running avay?"
"No."
"All right, of you say so," returned Hans, but his face indicated that he thought otherwise.
At last they came in sight of the farm, and drove up to the house by the back way. Their Aunt Martha saw them coming, and ran out to meet them.
"Any more news from the Stanhopes?" asked Dick, quickly.
"Not that I know of," was Mrs. Rover's answer. "Your uncle has gone off to the telegraph office to wait for word from your father."
"I don't think father has reached Cedarville yet," said Sam.
The team was turned over to Aleck Pop and the boys went into the house. There the Rovers read the telegrams which had been received from Mrs. Stanhope. There was also a telegram from John Laning, in which he said he would look into the matter if he could get around, but that he had fallen from the hayloft of his barn and sprained his ankle.
"That will keep him home," said Sam. "Too bad—just when the Stanhopes may need his aid."
"I wish I knew the particulars of the affair—then a fellow would know how to act," said Dick, impatiently.
"Father may send word before night," answered Tom.
"I was sorry to see your father go away," said Mrs. Rover. "He was not very well."
"Not well?" cried Sam. "What was the matter with him?"
"Oh, it wasn't much, but it was enough. You'll remember how he struck his knee on a rock or something, while you were on that treasure hunt."
"Oh, yes, he fell down in the hole," said Tom. "He was so excited at the time he didn't notice the hurt."
"Exactly, Tom, Well, lately that has bothered him quite some, and he had to go to a doctor about it. The doctor told him to be careful of the knee, or it might give him lots of trouble and maybe get stiff."
"Then he shouldn't have gone to Cedarville," said Dick. "We don't want dad to get a stiff leg."
"Say, do you know what?" cried Tom. "I think we ought to go. to Cedarville ourselves."
"That's the talk!" cried Sam. "We can't do anything here but suck our thumbs."
"We'll wait until morning and see if any word comes," answered Dick, who did not want to do anything hastily. "Perhaps father may want us to work on the case from this end."
"What about Fred and Hans?" asked Tom.
"They'll go along—part of the way," answered Sam. "They said they would."
"It's too bad to break up their vacation."
"Oh, they understand matters. And, besides, they are both going elsewhere next week," answered Tom.
Impatiently the three Rovers waited for news from their father or from the Stanhopes. At supper time Mr. Randolph Rover returned from Oak Run.
"Here is a telegram from your father, stating he arrived safely at Cedarville," said the boys' uncle. "We ought to get some word late tonight about this mysterious affair.
A little later Tom was outside, walking around the piazza. He was looking on the ground, and presently saw something bright lying at the foot of a bush, and stooped to pick it up. It was a queer-shaped stone, of blue and white.
"I've seen that stone before," he murmured, as he turned it over in his hand. "It doesn't belong to any of our folks. Maybe it is Fred's, or Hans'."
With his find in his hand he entered the house, where the others were just sitting down to the table to eat. He held the stone up to view.
"Any of you lose this?" he asked, and looked at Fred and Hans.
"Dot ain't vos mine," declared Hans, readily, "Vot vos it, a stone from a preastbin?"
"I guess it is from a watch locket," said Tom.
Fred looked at the stone and started.
"Let me see it!" he cried, and held it close to the light. "Well, I declare!" he gasped.
"What about it, Fred?" asked Dick and Sam, in a breath.
"I don't know who this stone belongs to, but I do know that Tad Sobber used to wear one just like it, when he went to Putnam Hall!"