CHAPTER XXIV
A CAPTURE AND A SURPRISE
The others were much astonished by what Tom said, and they couldscarcely believe that they had heard aright.
"Bill Dangler!" cried Sam, but Tom put his hand over his brother's mouthto silence him. Then he nodded vigorously.
"What would that freight thief be doing here?" questioned Dick, in awhisper.
"I am sure I don't know. But I am almost certain it was Dangler's voice.If you will remember, it has a certain shrillness to it."
"Yes, I know that."
During this talk there were murmurs in the cabin which those outsidecould not understand. Then the old man came towards the door and slippeda bolt into place.
"I want you to go away!" he said sharply. "I don't like strangers aroundhere."
"We won't hurt you, Mr. Derringham," said Dick. "We came to pay you afriendly visit."
"Wouldn't you like a nice rabbit from us?" asked Tom, bound to get intothe cabin somehow.
"I have no money with which to buy rabbits."
"We'll make you a present of one," said Sam.
"I want no presents from anybody. I want you to go away," said the oldman, in a high-pitched, nervous tone.
"Mr. Derringham, don't you remember me?" asked Jack Ness. "I used to buyherbs and watercress from you. I'd like to speak to you for a minute."
"Who are you?"
"I am Jack Ness, the man who works over on the Rover farm."
"The Rover farm!" muttered a voice in the cabin. "Don't let them in!Don't you do it!"
"I am sure that is Dangler!" cried Tom, whose ears were on the alert."If he is really there we have him cornered!"
"Yes, and he shan't get away from us again," added Dick.
"If he tries it we can halt him with a dose of buckshot," put in Sam.
After that there was a pause, the boys not knowing exactly how toproceed. Tom pressed on the door, but it refused to give way.
"I tell you I want you to leave!" cried the old man, after some morewhispering in the cabin. "If you don't go away I'll get my gun."
"There are four of us and all armed," answered Dick. "So you had betternot do any shooting. But you have got to open that door. We will do youno harm."
"What do you want in here?"
"We want to see who is in there with you?" answered Tom, boldly.
"Don't you know that I am alone?"
"You are not alone," said Sam.
"Well, I know best," was the hesitating answer. "If I was sure youwouldn't hurt me I'd let you in."
"We will not harm you in the least," answered Dick.
There was a moving around in the cabin and what seemed to be thedropping of a door. Then old Derringham came forward again.
"You are sure you won't rob me if I open the door?" he asked.
"We mean you no harm--if you will do what is right," said Tom.
Then the door was thrown open and the Rover boys and Jack Ness wereconfronted by a man at least seventy years of age. He had snow-whitehair and a snowy beard that reached to his waist.
The boys and the hired man went hastily into the cabin and lookedaround. Nobody but Derringham was in sight. Dick looked at the floorunder the table and saw something which looked like a trap door.
"He must have gone into the cellar," said he to the others, and made amovement forward.
"Stop, do not touch that table!" cried the old man, in alarm.
"Mr. Derringham, listen to me," said the eldest Rover boy firmly. "Weare after a criminal--a man who for years robbed the railroad company ofvaluable freight. We know he is somewhere around your place. If youshield this criminal, or aid him in getting away, you will be guilty ofa crime."
At this strong assertion the old man began to tremble, and he lookedfrom one to another of those before him in alarm.
"I--I Bill Dangler said it was not true--that it was a plot againsthim," he murmured.
"It is true, and there is no plot against him, excepting to make him paythe penalty of his crimes," put in Tom. "If you have hidden him you hadbetter give him up."
"I know you," said old Derringham, turning to Jack Ness. "You used topay me good prices for what you bought of me. Can I trust you?" he wenton, pleadingly.
"Certainly you can, and you can trust these boys, too," was the hiredman's reply. "If you want to keep out of trouble you had better help usall you can."
By this time Dick had the table shoved to one side. Under the bottom ofone of the legs he found a small iron ring, connecting with the door inthe floor. He pulled on this and the door came up, showing a smallcellar below, used chiefly by the old man for the storage of wintervegetables and the roots he gathered.
"Dangler, you might as well come up!" called out Dick. "It won't do youany good to try to hide."
"What do you want of me?" came in a sullen voice from below.
"You know very well what we want."
"I haven't done anything."
"You can tell that to the police, after you are locked up. Come up."
Slowly and with downcast face Bill Dangler crawled from the small cellarand pulled himself up to the floor of the cabin. He gazed reproachfullyat the old man, who was again trembling.
"I'll fix you for going back on me," he muttered.
"They say you are a thief," answered the old man. "If you are, I wantnothing more to do with you. I am poor, but I am honest--everybody whoknows me knows that."
"He shall not harm you," put in Tom. "He'll soon be behind the bars."
A glance at the party of four, with their shotguns, convinced thefreight thief that escape was out of the question.
"I suppose I'll have to give up," he growled. "But I ain't as guilty asyou may think I am."
"You are guilty enough," said Sam.
"I didn't plan those freight robberies."
"Who did then?" questioned Tom.
"Merrick and Pike. I don't mind telling on them, for they have gone backon me."
"Is Merrick the head of the gang?" asked Dick.
"Yes."
"Where is he now?"
"If I tell will you let me go?"
"I can't do that, Dangler."
"Well, I don't care anyway. Merrick hasn't treated me right, and heought to suffer. He has a hangout a few miles from the city of Ithaca,if you know where that is."
"Yes, on Lake Cayuga."
"That's it."
"You say a few miles from the city," pursued Sam. "What do you mean bythat?"
"He and some of his friends, Pike among them, have a meeting place alongthe lake. It's an old house, unpainted, and with very narrow windows, soI've been told. You find that house and likely you'll find Merrick andPike."
"I thought those chaps were from the city?" said Sam.
"They are, but every once in a while they find it convenient todisappear, and then they go to that place on Lake Cayuga. It's an oldhomestead that used to belong to Merrick's sister."
"We ought to be able to find that place," said Tom to his brothers."Especially if it was a homestead."
"Was the sister's name Merrick, too, or was she married?" asked Sam.
"She was a widow, so I was told. When she died she left her son incharge of Merrick--but I don't believe he ever looked after the boy verymuch."
"What was her name?" asked Dick.
"Sobber--Mary Ann Sobber."
"Sobber!" ejaculated the three Rover boys.
"That's it."
"Did you ever hear the son's name?" asked Dick.
"I don't remember--yes, I do. Merrick had a letter from him once. Theboy's name was Tad Sobber. He was at a boarding school somewhere."