Four Afoot: Being the Adventures of the Big Four on the Highway

  CHAPTER V

  DESCRIBES A SECOND ENCOUNTER WITH MR. WADE

  At a little after eight the next morning they were on their wayagain. Nine hours of sound, refreshing slumber had worked a change.Dan no longer held any grudge against the doctor, while Tom, cheeredand comforted by the biggest kind of a breakfast, was once more hisoptimistic self. They had overwhelmed Mrs. Hooper with their gratitude,had made friends with Brutus, a benevolent and toothless setter, andhad left the farmhouse with sentiments of regret. For, as Tom said,who could tell when they would again find such coffee and such cornmuffins! Brutus had insisted upon accompanying them as far as the farmlimits, and had parted from them with tears in his eyes; at least, wehave Dan’s word for it. Nelson became philosophic.

  “It just shows,” he said vaguely, “that you can’t always tell at firstwhat you’re up against. Some persons are like some dogs, their bark isworse than their bite.”

  “Sure,” agreed Dan. “Some persons haven’t any teeth.”

  It was the jolliest sort of a September morning. Once or twicethey imagined they could catch glimpses of the ocean, sparkling andsun-flecked in the distance. Whether they actually saw it or not, theywere constantly reminded of it by the fresh, salty breeze that caressedtheir faces.

  “Why can’t we go along the shore instead of here where we are?” askedNelson.

  “That’s so,” cried Dan.

  Bob produced his map, and they sat on the top rail of a fence andstudied it.

  “After we leave Samoset,” said Bob, “we can turn down here and goto Sisset. There must be a hotel there, and we can spend the night.Then----”

  “Maybe we can find a barn,” suggested Tom.

  “Then in the morning we’ll go on to Seaville or some place along there.”

  “But, look here,” objected Dan; “we’re a heap nearer the north shorethan we are the south.”

  “Yes, but what we want is the real ocean,” said Bob. “We can come homeby the Sound shore.”

  “Just as you say,” answered Dan. “Meanwhile, let’s get to Samosetbefore dinner time.”

  They reached that town at a little after ten o’clock, and found itquite a lively place. There were two hotels, and although Tom heldout awhile for a comfortable barn, they finally decided to go to theFairview House and have dinner. After registering, they left theirpacks in the office, washed and spruced up, and went out to see thecity. The main street was well lined with stores and well filled withvehicles.

  “This is the first thing we’ve struck,” declared Dan, “that looks likea town. Let’s buy something.”

  So they roamed from store to store, looking into every window, andspeculating on the desirability of the articles shown. Tom bought apound of peanut brittle which, on close examination, proved to be mucholder than supposed. Tom declared disgustedly that it wasn’t whatit was cracked up to be, a pun that elicited only groans from hiscompanions. Bob purchased six souvenir post cards, and insisted onreturning to the hotel to address them. So the others accompanied him,and, while he retired to the writing room, sat themselves down on thetop step in the sunlight and attacked Tom’s candy.

  “Nothing like candy,” Dan declared, “to give a fellow an appetite fordinner.”

  “That may be true of some candy,” answered Nelson, “but----”

  “Hello!” cried Dan excitedly. “Look there!”

  The others followed the direction of his gaze, and saw a tired-lookingsorrel horse coming up the street, drawing a battered buggy, in whichsat a single occupant. The occupant was Mr. Abner Wade. The boyswatched eagerly. Opposite the hotel Mr. Wade drew up to the sidewalk,jumped out, and tied the horse to a post. While doing so, he glancedacross and saw them. A smile spread itself over his features, and hewaved his hand.

  “Howdy do?” he called.

  “How are you, sir?” responded Dan cordially. Nelson and Tom glancedabout at him in surprise. “A nice morning, Mr. Wade.”

  “Fine, fine!” agreed the farmer. “Well, you’re getting along, I see.”

  “Yes, sir, thank you. And, by the way, we’re much obliged for that tipyou gave us. We called on Mr. Hooper, and spent the night there. Wewere certainly treated well, and we’re very much obliged to you, sir,for sending us there.”

  Mr. Wade looked surprised.

  “That so? Er--did you tell William I sent you?”

  “Yes, indeed, and he couldn’t do too much to us--I mean for us,”answered Dan gravely.

  “Humph!” muttered Mr. Wade doubtfully. “Speak of me, did he?”

  “Oh, yes, sir! Quite enthusiastically. And we fully agreed witheverything he said,” replied Dan genially.

  Mr. Wade stared hard for a moment. Then:

  “Well, I must be getting on,” he said. “Good luck to you.”

  “Thank you, sir; the same to you. Hope you’ll have a pleasant triphome.”

  It is doubtful if Mr. Wade heard the latter part of the remark, for hewas entering the grocery store in front of which he had hitched. Dansprang up.

  “You fellows stay here,” he said softly, “and watch for him. Don’t lethim out of your sight. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  He hurried down the street and around a corner on which hung alivery-stable sign. He was soon back.

  “Still there?” he asked.

  “Yes,” answered Nelson eagerly. “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to get even with the old codger,” answered Dan grimly, as hesat down again on the step.

  “Where’d you go?” asked Tom.

  “Livery stable. Borrowed a carriage wrench. There he comes!”

  Mr. Wade issued from the grocery, cast a glance toward his horse, andthen turned up the street. They watched him until he had disappearedinto the bank, half a block away. Then Dan arose and, followed byhis companions, sauntered across the street. For a moment he glancedcarelessly in the grocery-store window. Then, quite as carelessly, hesauntered over to the buggy. There, with Tom and Nelson in front ofhim and apparently in earnest conversation, he drew the wrench fromhis pocket and, unobserved, applied it to the nut of the front wheel.Presently the trio sauntered along a few steps until Dan was beside theback wheel. A moment later they walked slowly away down the street,crossed and returned to the hotel. As he walked, from Dan’s jacketpocket came a clanking sound as the steel wrench jostled a couple ofiron nuts. When they had regained the porch Dan’s look of innocencegave place to a grin of delight and satisfaction.

  “You watch for him. If he comes call me. I’m going to get Bob and ourknapsacks.”

  “What do you want the knapsacks for?” asked Tom suspiciously.

  “Because it’s more than likely that we’ll want to leave here in ahurry, my son,” answered Dan gravely.

  “Without our dinner?” cried Tom.

  “What is dinner to revenge?” asked Dan sweetly.

  “But--but--” stammered Tom.

  “S-sh!” cautioned Dan. “Not a word above a whisker!”

  “But look here, Dan,” said Nelson a bit anxiously, “aren’t you afraidthe old duffer’ll get hurt? Maybe the horse will run away!”

  “Have you seen the horse?” asked Dan. “Now keep a watch up the streetand don’t forget to call me if he comes. I wouldn’t miss it for athousand dollars!”

  “Just the same, I don’t quite like it,” said Nelson when Dan haddisappeared.

  “And no dinner!” moaned Tom. “Why couldn’t we let the old idiot aloneuntil we’d had something to eat?”

  Dan returned with the knapsacks and they awaited developments.Presently Bob joined them, his hands bearing eloquent proof of hisrecent occupation. They didn’t tell Bob what was up for fear he mightforbid them to go on with it. Ten minutes passed. The dinner gong rangand Tom looked restlessly and mutinous.

  “I’m going to have my dinner,” he muttered.

  “All right,” answered Bob; “let’s go in.”

  “Oh, just wait a minute,” begged Dan. “We’ll have more appetite if wesit here aw
hile longer. By the way, we saw our old friend, Mr. AbnerWade, awhile ago, Bob.”

  “Yes, you did,” said Bob incredulously.

  “Honest! That’s his horse and buggy over there now.”

  Bob had to hear about it and ten minutes more passed. Then Tom mutiniedopenly.

  “I’m going to have my dinner,” he said doggedly. “I’m starved. Youfellows can sit here if you want to, but----”

  “Here he comes!” cried Nelson softly.

  Tom forgot his hunger, and the expression of rebellious dissatisfactionon his countenance gave way to a look of pleasurable anticipation. Danand Nelson watched silently the approach of Mr. Abner Wade.

  “Look here,” demanded Bob suspiciously, “what’s up, you chaps?”

  There was no answer, for Mr. Wade was untying his sorrel steed. Tomgiggled hysterically. In climbed the farmer.

  “Get ap,” he commanded, and the sorrel horse moved off leisurely. Theboys held their breath. Farther and farther away went Mr. Wade--andnothing happened! Dan began to look uneasy. Tom’s pale gray eyes openedwider and wider. And then, just when it seemed that the conspiratorswere doomed to disappointment, Nemesis overtook Mr. Abner Wade.

  Suddenly, without warning, the front wheel on the far side of the buggystarted off on its own hook and went rolling toward the sidewalk.Reaching the curb, it toppled over and fell on to the foot of apasser-by. The passer-by set up a cry of alarm--possibly of anguish. Atthe next moment the rear wheel, indignant, perhaps, at the desertionof its mate, lay down flat in the street. And simultaneously over wentthe buggy and out slid Mr. Abner Wade. The sorrel horse, evincing noalarm, stopped short in his tracks. And the crowd gathered, hiding theastonished and wrathful face of Mr. Wade and stilling the cries of thegentleman who had come in contact with the front wheel.

  Over on the hotel porch four boys, doubled up with laughter, staggeredinto the office, and, led by Dan, passed hurriedly out of a rear door.And as they went, from the dining room came an appealing odor ofcooked viands. Out on the side street Dan dodged into a livery stableand rejoined them quickly.

  “Let’s go this way,” he gurgled. “I don’t know where it takes us to,but----”

  “Did you do that?” demanded Bob.

  “Yes; wasn’t it rich? We didn’t tell you for fear you wouldn’t let usdo it.”

  “You chump!” answered Bob. “Why, I’d have helped if you’d told me!”

  “It was simply gu-gu-great!” stammered Tom. “Only--say, did you fellowssmell that dinner?”

  “Yes, my son,” answered Dan, “but there’s no dinner for us just now. Usfor the broad highway!”

  A few minutes later they had left the village behind and were passingbetween rolling meadows. Dan took two small articles from his pocketand shied them, one after another, into a cornfield.

  “What were those?” asked Bob.

  “Nuts,” answered Dan. “Nuts from the hubs of Abe’s chariot.”

  “I suppose he can get more,” said Nelson regretfully.

  “Yes, but it’ll take him some time, and they’ll charge him for them.And I’ll bet that’ll nearly break his heart. Oh, he’s a great joker, isAbe, but there are others!”

  “Where’s this road taking us to?” asked Tom.

  “I don’t know, but not toward Sisset, I’ll bet,” said Dan. “Pull outthat lying map of yours, Bob.”

  But the map didn’t help much, since they didn’t know which of thenumerous roads they were traveling.

  “Let’s see that old compass of yours, Tommy,” demanded Dan. “What’s thematter with it? Say, it’s gone crazy!”

  “Get out! You don’t know how to use it,” said Tom. “Give it here.” Hetapped it smartly on his knee, observed it gravely a moment, studiedthe position of the sun, and then announced, “There! That’s north!”

  “Then we’re going back home,” said Nelson discouragedly, “straight backtoward New York!”

  “Pshaw! We can’t be,” said Bob. “Here, let’s see. Get out, you idiots,you’re looking at the wrong end of the needle. There’s north and we’regoing northeast by east.”

  “Ship ahoy!” murmured Dan. “Sail off the weather bow, sir.”

  “Then if we keep on we’ll strike Barrington?” asked Tom.

  “Yes, and that means a good hotel, Tommy, and a good dinner. It’srather a joke on us, though,” continued Bob. “We had decided to go tothe south shore, and here we are only three or four miles from theSound!”

  “We’re not that far from water,” said Nelson, pointing to the map.“Here’s Old Spring Harbor right forninst us here.”

  “That’s right. Well, say, then we must be on this road here,” said Bob,pointing. “If we are, we ought to strike a bridge pretty soon where wecross this creek, or whatever it is.”

  But their doubt was set at rest a moment later when a man in a dogcartslowed down at their hail and gave them all the information theydesired.

  “This is the Barrington road,” he said, “and Barrington station isabout two miles. The town is three miles from here, straight ahead.There are several hotels there and lots of boarding houses.”

  “That man’s a regular cyclopedia,” said Dan when the dogcart was out ofsight.

  “He’s a bearer of good tidings,” said Tom thoughtfully.

  A mile farther on hunger overcame Tom’s discretion and he partook ofsome half-ripe apples, against the advice of the others. But althoughthe others viewed him apprehensively all the rest of the way, Tomshowed no ill effects, although he had to own up to an uneasiness. Thelast two miles of the distance was in sight of the water, and once theycrossed a broad creek which farther inland widened into a small lake.They rested there awhile and it was close on to four o’clock when,tired and hungry and warm, they tramped into the town of Barrington andsought the nearest hotel. Ten minutes later, after they had washedup, Dan proposed going for a swim. Nelson and Bob consented, but Tomwas not to be persuaded. He sank into an armchair in the lobby in fullsight of a pair of folding doors which opened into the dining room.

  “You fellows go ahead,” he said grimly. “I’m going to stay right here.”