The Mystery at Putnam Hall: The School Chums' Strange Discovery

  CHAPTER XIII

  THE WORK OF THE ENEMY

  It was not until a few minutes after five o'clock that Jack, Andy andPepper hurried down to the gymnasium, to get their wheels. At the lastmoment Andy discovered that one of his buttons was loose and had to besewed on, and Jack had trouble with the new cap he was going to wear. Itwas a trifle too large and he had to place a strip of paper under theband to make it stay on his head properly.

  "It certainly feels like snow," said Pepper, as the three got out theirbicycles. "I am sure we'll get a snowstorm before long."

  "I don't care, if only it holds off till we get back," returned Andy.

  They lit the acetylene gas lamps, with which their wheels were provided,and then ran the bicycles down to the roadway.

  "Have a good time," cried Stuffer, who had come out to see them off.

  "Don't worry about that," replied Pepper, gaily.

  "I'll wager you'll have a dandy spread," went on the lad who loved toeat.

  "Wish you were along, Stuffer?" asked Jack.

  "Do I? Well, now, don't mention it!" and Stuffer's eyes fairly wateredin anticipation.

  "I'll bring you something if I get the chance," sang out Pepper, as hegave his bicycle a shove and leaped into the saddle. "So-long!"

  Jack and Andy followed their chum, and with a parting cry to Stuffer,all three pedaled along the highway leading to Point View Lodge. It wasnow night, but the three gas-lamps lit up the road so well that they hadlittle difficulty in finding their way.

  "We are not due until six o'clock," said Jack. "So we can take it easy.No use of getting into a perspiration over it."

  "We'll not sweat much to-night," answered Pepper. "Too cold. I move wekeep at it until we reach that old barn near the Lodge. Then we can resta bit, so that we won't appear at the place all out of breath."

  Two miles were covered, and then they came to a place where the highwaywas unusually rough.

  "Let me go ahead and pick the way," sang out Andy, and forged to thefront.

  "Better slack up a little!" returned the young major. "No use of takingchances when we have plenty of time."

  Scarcely had he uttered the words when there came a cry from theacrobatic youth. His wheel commenced to wobble and twist. Over into somebushes he shot, to fall with a crash in their midst.

  "Hello, what's the matter with you?" sang out Pepper, and leaped quicklyto the road, an example followed by Jack.

  "Bicycle has gone to pieces, I guess," spluttered Andy, as he essayed toscramble out of the bushes.

  "Are you hurt?" demanded Jack, anxiously.

  "Only a few scratches, Jack. Say, that was a narrow escape, wasn't it?"

  "Thought you said your wheel was in good condition," came from Pepper.

  "So it was when I looked at it this morning."

  "What's wrong now?"

  "The handle-bars are loose for one thing. I don't know what else iswrong until I look it over."

  The machine was brought forth from the bushes. The lamp-glass had beensmashed and the light had gone out. Andy stopped the flow of acetylenegas, and then his chums turned the rays of the other lamps on thedisabled bicycle.

  "Handle-bars loose and also nuts on the front wheel!" cried Andy, afteran examination. "Say, I believe some enemy did this!"

  "Who?" questioned the young major.

  "I don't know. Maybe Ritter, or Coulter."

  "Hurry up and tighten things," cried Pepper. "We don't want to be late."

  "Better be late than have a nasty tumble," returned Jack. "While you areat it, Andy, better look the whole machine over carefully."

  "I will, Jack. And maybe you had better look your machines over, too."

  "Good advice."

  While Andy was fixing his bicycle Pepper and the young major inspectedtheir own bicycles.

  "Well, I never!" gasped The Imp, as the light fell on his rear wheel."Another quarter of a mile and I would have had a spill and no mistake!"

  "Same here!" came from Jack. "Oh, isn't this the worst yet!"

  "What's wrong?" queried the acrobatic youth.

  "The back wheel is loose, and two of the sprockets of the sprocket-wheelhave been filed down, to let the chain slip," answered Pepper.

  "And my handle-bars are loose and the chain all but filed in two," criedJack. "Boys, this was done on purpose!"

  "Of course!" came from both of the others.

  "Done by our enemies!"

  "Sure."

  "Ritter and his cronies."

  "Well, we'd have to prove that," answered Andy, slowly.

  "Don't you believe it, Andy?"

  "I do; but that isn't proof."

  "And that isn't getting us to Point View Lodge," came from Pepper. "Iguess we'll have to walk!" he added, with something like a groan.

  "Walk! We can't walk that distance," replied the young major.

  "Well, we can't trust ourselves on these machines. We might if we hadlots of time, but that we haven't got."

  The three cadets stared blankly at each other. Here they were on alonely road, and what to do none of them knew.

  "Oh, if I only had Ritter here wouldn't I punch his head good!" mutteredPepper.

  "Ritter will keep. Let us look over the machines and make up our mindswhat is to be done," said Jack.

  The more they inspected the wheels the more hopeless appeared the taskof fixing them up so they could be used.

  "We simply haven't got time to bother with them," announced Jack. "We'vegot to get to the Lodge some other way."

  "Well, what way?" asked Andy.

  "I wonder if we could hire a rig at the next farmhouse."

  "Well, we can try that," answered Pepper.

  Trundling their bicycles, they hurried along the country road until theyreached a farmhouse.

  "Looks as if they were all out or gone to bed," was Jack's comment, fornot a light showed about the place.

  "We'll soon know," returned Pepper, and he pounded lustily on the frontdoor.

  There was no answer to this summons, and he pounded again. But nobodyappeared.

  "Gone away for the day, I guess," he said. "Now what?"

  "Let us leave our wheels in the barn," said Jack. "We can come back forthem any time."

  This they did, and after a look around the place, to make certain nobodywas there, they passed out on the road once more. Pepper looked at hiswatch.

  "Fifteen minutes to six," he announced.

  "Oh, we'll never get there on time," groaned Andy.

  "We'll be lucky if we get there at all to-night," answered the youngmajor.

  "They are looking for us by now," came from Pepper. "Wonder what theywill think when we don't show up?"

  "They'll think we are pretty mean, I guess," answered the acrobaticyouth.

  "Here comes some kind of a turnout now!" cried Pepper.

  He pointed down the highway. They could see a lantern swinging idly toand fro. It was hung under a farm-wagon, and presently they saw theturnout, drawn by a pair of good-looking horses. The wagon was filledwith barrels of potatoes, and on the seat sat a raw-boned old farmer,half asleep.

  "Hello, there!" challenged Jack out of the darkness. "Hold up a minute,please!"

  "Hi, what's this, a hold-up?" exclaimed the old farmer, and then of asudden he reached between the barrels of potatoes and brought forth along horse-pistol and pointed it at them.

  "Don't shoot!" cried Pepper, thinking the old fellow might be justscared enough to pull the trigger of his ancient weapon. "This isn't anyhold-up."

  "Who be you?" and the farmer peered forth anxiously in the darkness.

  "We are cadets from Putnam Hall."

  "Oh! I see! Waal, don't ye try to play no trick on Ezra Cole, or I'lllet fly with this hoss-pistol, sure ez you're born!"

  "We don't want to play any tricks, Mr. Cole," answered Jack. "We are introuble, and I was wondering if you could help us out."

  "Wot's the trouble?"

  In as few words as possible the young major and hi
s chums explained thedifficulty. The old farmer listened with interest.

  "I know Mr. Ford; he buys garden sass from me," he said.

  "We don't know how we are going to get to the Lodge, unless we can findsomebody to drive us over," said Pepper. "Could you do it, if we paidyou?"

  "Wot, with this load o' potatoes? Not much!"

  "Couldn't you leave your potatoes here?" asked Andy. "I'll give youfifty cents to drive me over."

  "And so will I," added Pepper.

  "That will be a dollar and a half for the three of us, Mr. Cole," put inJack.

  "Hum!" The old farmer began to look interested. "It's a putty stiffdrive to Point View, an' I'd have to come back fer the potatoes."

  "Make it two dollars!" cried Jack. "And do it as quickly as you can."

  "Hum! Got the cash with you, young man?"

  "Yes, here it is!" And the young major held up two one-dollar bills.

  "All right, I'm your man!" cried Ezra Cole. "I ain't in no hurry to gitto hum, an' two dollars ain't picked up every day. Jest wait till Idrive in an' leave my potatoes where they will be safe."

  "Might leave 'em with our bicycles," said Jack.

  "So I will."

  It did not take the old farmer long to unload his barrels of potatoes.Then he swept out his farm-wagon and spread some horse-blankets for theboys to sit upon. They leaped in and he took up the lines once more.

  "G'lang!" he shouted to his team and cracked his whip, and off they wentalong the road at a good gait.

  "Great Julius Caesar!" cried Andy, after a quarter of a mile had beenpassed. "Talk about bumping the bumps! This road has 'em beaten to afrazzle!"

  "Getting your money's worth, Andy?" asked The Imp, with a grin.

  "Ain't no springs on this wagon!" said Ezra Cole, with a grin. "Butdon't you mind; it will give you a fine appetite fer that dinner whenyou git there!"

  "It will, if it doesn't knock out our teeth so we can't chew!" murmuredJack.

  On and on they rattled at a good pace until the lights of Point ViewLodge shone in the distance.

  "Just drop us off at the gate!" cried Jack. "We don't want to ride upto the piazza in such a rig as this."

  "Why, hello, have you arrived at last?" cried a voice from out of thedarkness, and then Laura and Flossie appeared, standing by the gate. Thethree cadets looked glumly at each other, and then Pepper commenced tosnicker and all burst into a hearty spell of laughter.