CHAPTER II
THE STORY OF THE MILL
"Let me see if I can remember the story of the old mill," mused Mr.Fairfield, as Tom stood expectantly waiting. "It's quite some yearssince I heard it," and he gazed reminiscently at the ceiling.
"This is better luck than I expected," murmured Tom, and, while he isthus waiting to hear the story of the secret of the old mill, I willtake the opportunity to tell you something more about him and hisfriends, and the two previous books in this series.
My first volume was entitled, "Tom Fairfield's Schooldays," and inthat I related how our hero came to go to Elmwood Hall. It was becausehis parents had to go to Australia to claim some property left by arelative of Tom's father.
As Tom could not go to the land of the kangaroo with his folks theydecided to send him to a boarding school, called Elmwood Hall.
Tom at once entered into the activities of the school. He made a friendand an enemy the same day, the friend being Jack Fitch, with whom Tomroomed, and whom I have already mentioned, in this story. Of course Tomhad other friends at the school, one being Bert Wilson.
Sam Heller, and his crony Nick Johnson, made it unpleasant for Tom, butour hero managed to hold up his end. It was harder work, however, inregard to Professor Skeel, who was a most unpleasant instructor. He wasunfair to the boys, and Tom proposed a novel plan to get even.
He suggested that they all go on a "strike" against Mr. Skeel, refusingto recite to him unless he changed his manners. The unpopular professordid not change, and Tom headed the revolt against him. This took DoctorPliny Meredith, the head master of the school, and all the faculty bysurprise. They did not know what to do until Mr. Skeel proposed thatthe whole Freshman class, of which Tom was a member, be kept prisonersin their dormitory, and fed on bread and water until they capitulated.
Among the pupils at Elmwood Hall was Bruce Bennington, a Senior, andTom was of great service to him in securing a forged note that Mr.Skeel held over the head of Bennington, threatening to expose thestudent and ruin his career. Tom put an end to the illegal acts of theprofessor, who unexpectedly withdrew from the school.
Tom and his mates, after that, greatly enjoyed their life at ElmwoodHall, and matters were more to their liking, but Tom was not at an endof having adventures.
As I have said, Mr. and Mrs. Fairfield had gone to Australia to lookafter some property. When Spring came they started for home, coming ina sailing vessel for the sake of the long sea voyage.
Unexpectedly, one night, one of Tom's chums saw a note in a papertelling of a vessel picking up wreckage from the _Kangaroo_, the shipon which Tom's parents had sailed. This at once plunged Tom into thedepths of despair, but he did not give up hope. He at once decided togo to Australia himself, and if necessary charter a small steamer andcruise about in the location where the wreckage was picked up, hopinghis parents might still be afloat on some sort of life raft, or in anopen boat.
In the second volume of this series, entitled "Tom Fairfield at Sea,"I related the details of his most exciting trip. For Tom's vessel, the_Silver Star_, on which he was proceeding to Sydney, was wrecked in astorm, and Tom was tossed overboard. He managed to grab a life belt,and floated until, in the early dawn, he saw two sailors from the shipclinging to a derelict which the _Silver Star_ had hit, and which hadwrecked her.
Tom got aboard, and a little later a partly smashed lifeboat wassighted. It was brought to the derelict by one of the sailors, andfound to contain Professor Skeel, who, it seems, had, by accident,taken passage for Honolulu on the same ship as that on which our herostarted out. Naturally there was a mutual surprise.
Tom, the two sailors and Mr. Skeel were on the derelict for some time,and then having patched up the lifeboat they set out in that. But itwas some time before they were picked up, and they had nearly starved.There was also a little boy saved from the wreck--Jackie Case--and Tomtook charge of him.
Eventually Tom got to Australia, and then set out in a small steamerhe hired to search for his parents. It was a long trip, but he heardthat some survivors of a wreck were on an island in the Friendlygroup, though which island it was could not be learned. Tom searchedon several and at last, and just in time, he discovered his father andmother, and some others who had gotten away in a small boat from thesinking _Kangaroo_.
That Tom was overjoyed need not be said, and he and his parents lost notime in starting back for their home in this country. All the detailsof the wreck, and how Tom brought his quest to a successful close, willbe found in the second volume. I might add here that later nearly allthose on board the _Silver Star_ were saved, including the father ofJackie Case.
Tom went back to Elmwood Hall, and finished the spring term, graduatingand becoming a Sophomore. He had come home, ready for the long summervacation, when he received the letter from Jack Fitch, mentioned in thefirst chapter of this book.
I might state that Tom's father was quite well off, and that ourhero had sufficient spending money for his needs. He had, as I havementioned, a good motorboat.
"Well, dad," remarked Tom, when he thought his parent had sufficientlycollected his thoughts. "Let's have the story of the secret of the oldmill."
"As nearly as I can recollect it," began Mr. Fairfield, "this mill islocated about eight miles from the town of Wilden, where, as I toldyou, I spent some years when a lad. No one seems to know when the millwas built, but it is quite old, and must have been put up by the earlysettlers. It is of stone, and used to grind grain by water power.
"The mill is on the bank of a small river that flows into Lake Woonset,and it was this lake I was thinking of when I suggested that you gocamping near it. It's of good size, and there is fine fishing in it."
"But about the mill, dad. What's the secret of it, and what about thewild man?"
"I'm coming to that. As I said, the mill was probably built by theearly settlers, and, ever since I can remember, there has been a rumorthat there is treasure concealed in or about the old place."
"Treasure, dad? What kind?"
"Well, there were all sorts of rumors. Some said pirates had come thatfar inland, and had buried their ill-gotten gains there, and anotherstory was that during the Indian wars the settlers, of the then smallvillage of Wilden, fled one day, after warning had been given them of araid by the redmen. Before fleeing, however, it was said that they hadhidden all their money, gold and silver ornaments, and so on, in theold mill. I think that story is more likely to be true than the other.At any rate it is history that the Indians once descended on Wilden,and killed nearly all the inhabitants."
"Well, I'm glad there aren't any Indians up there now, if we're goingcamping," remarked Tom, "though one or two might be nice for variety.But go on dad."
"So it may be true that there is some treasure in or about the oldmill," went on Mr. Fairfield. "I know we boys used to hunt for it, butI never found any, though one of my chums, Tommy Gardner, did find adime once, and right away there was a wild story that he had come uponthe buried treasure. But it happened that the dime was one of recentdate, so that story soon fell through.
"Still, ever since I can recollect, there has been more or less of asearch made from time to time for gold and silver in the mill. In factwhile it was pretty much of a ruin as long as I can remember, it mustbe much worse now, as the treasure hunters literally pulled it apart."
"What about the wild man, dad?"
"Well, that has to do with the old mill also. This old Jason Wallace,of whom your mother spoke, is a descendant of some of the earlysettlers of Wilden. Naturally he heard the story of the treasuresupposed to be in the mill, and he was one of the most persistentsearchers after it. I never knew him very well, but it seems thatconstant searching, and never finding anything, has turned his mind.
"He is practically crazy now, and fairly lives in the old mill. He hasfitted up some sort of a room there and goes about through the woodsat times, looking in all sorts of places for the treasure, thinkingI suppose that, after all, it may not be in the mill, but somewhe
rearound it."
"Is he a dangerous character, dad?"
"Well, I suppose he might be in a way, if you crossed him, or if hethought you were trying to do him out of the treasure."
"Then we won't cross him," said Tom, with a laugh. "But all this soundsinteresting, and I don't believe we could camp in a better place."
"You'll be careful; won't you, Tom?" asked his mother.
"Oh, sure," he answered with a smile. "But after what I went through inthe shipwreck I'm not afraid of a wild man. Why, I might even help himfind the treasure."
"I don't really believe there is any," said Mr. Fairfield. "I wouldn'tlose any sleep over it if I were you, Tom."
"I won't. We fellows will probably be so busy having a good time incamp that we won't go near the old mill, except maybe to take somephotos of it. Is that all there is to the story, dad?"
"That's all I know," replied Mr. Fairfield. "You might see yourmother's friend, Mrs. Henderson, when you get to Wilden, and she may beable to give you some additional particulars."
"She wrote me," said Mrs. Fairfield, "that the way old Jason Wallacetakes on is terrible at times. He rushes around through the woods,yelling at the top of his voice, and whenever he meets people heimagines they are after the treasure in the mill. I do wish, Tom, thatyou weren't going to such a place. Can't you pick out just as good aspot somewhere else, to go camping?"
"Oh, no, momsey! This is great! I wouldn't miss this for anything, andthe fellows will think it's the best ever, I know. I'm going to tellDick Jones first, and then write to Jack and Bert."
"Well, do be careful," urged Mrs. Fairfield, who seemed filled withanxiety.
"Don't worry," advised her husband. "Tom can take care of himself Iguess. Why, he even found us when we were shipwrecked, you know."
"Yes, I know. But this is different, up there in the woods, with thatcrazy creature roaming about. And it's so lonesome and so far from atown!"
"All the better," laughed Tom. "It's no fun camping next door to avillage. We want to rough it. I'm going to find Dick." And he hurriedoff to tell his village chum the good news.