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"Great heavens! It's Lew Grandall!" cried the stranger onthe raft. (_Page 399_)]
THE AUTO BOYS' MYSTERY
By JAMES A. BRADEN
AUTHOR OF
"THE AUTO BOYS," "THE AUTO BOYS' ADVENTURE,""THE AUTO BOYS' CAMP," "THE AUTO BOYS' BIG SIX,""FAR PAST THE FRONTIER," ETC.
FRONTISPIECE BY ALFRED RUSSELL
THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY
CHICAGO--AKRON, OHIO--NEW YORK
THE AUTO BOYS' MYSTERY
CHAPTER I
PROLOGUE
The Auto Boys had been camped on the unfrequented shore of Opal Lakefor several days. At first hunting and fishing were the only enliveningfeatures of this, their unusual summer outing.
Opal Lake, far up in the big northern woods, had at this time no othercampers. True, there was an abandoned clubhouse on a nearby point not farfrom where Phil Way, Billy Worth, Dave MacLester and Paul Jones selectedthe spot for their Outing Camp. But, until within a day or two, even theclubhouse had seemed to be as it looked, deserted.
But a smoke being seen one day, the boys had become curious. Withoutactually entering the house itself, they had made individual or collectivetrips that way. Also strange sounds had been heard, and even humanpresence had been detected. Finally Paul, the youngest of the boys, madea cautious trip thither and even entered the house where he had heardvoices, and otherwise had detected that real folks were undoubtedlythere; though why they were there Paul could only guess. Perhaps theywere in search of a bag of money, said to be twenty thousand dollars,stolen three years before and supposed still to be hidden somewherein that region.
Strange men had been seen near the end of a gravel road which theLongknives Club (owners of the now abandoned clubhouse) were thenconstructing for their own use and convenience. The unexpected loss ofthis money caused the work to stop, while the workmen, including aSwedish foreman, Nels Anderson by name, remained unpaid to this day.
Aside from the clubhouse, the nearest inhabitants to the boys' camp werethis same Anderson and his family, who lived in a small clearing five orsix miles away on the trail leading to Staretta, a small town perhapsa dozen miles further on. This was the nearest town to Opal Lake whichwas, indeed, a veritable "Lake of the Woods."
When Paul Jones, finally escaping through the cellar window, left theclubhouse without being discovered, he ran across in the dark anothersomebody who vanished, uttering strange and savage oaths. Paul also madehimself scarce in another direction and happened upon Chip Slider, whosemerry response to Paul's greeting caused both soon to become so friendlythat Paul took Chip to their camp, where a warm meal soon loosened theboys' tongues and there was a general interchange of opinions aboutgame, fish, the big woods, and at last the abandoned house on the point.
Here the boys learned from Chip that a man named Murky was also in thewoods and supposedly after that lost or stolen satchel, thought by many tobe hidden somewhere near. They learned from Chip more of the robberyof Grandall, the treasurer of the Longknives, by this same Murky; alsothat Murky himself, through the connivance of Grandall, was held up byChip's father by the order of Grandall. The scheme seemed to have beenfor Grandall to get the money thus entrusted to his care in a way thatwould divert suspicion against himself and direct it elsewhere. Aftersufficient time had elapsed, then Grandall would manage to use that money,meanwhile placating Chip's father, supposedly by bribes.
So open, frank and friendless was young Chip that he won the Auto Boys'confidence, and stayed on at the camp, proving himself a valuable aid andan added link in their narrow social life.
Shortly before this Chip, encountering Murky in the woods, had beenbadly beaten by the other, and had been seen with a bandaged head bysome of the boys. This induced much pity for the homeless lad, whileChip's knowledge of Murky and matters connected with the robbery justalluded to, made him serviceable in the matter of knowing more aboutwhat was going on in and about the house on the point. It appeared, too,that others of the boys during previous scoutings about the point hadseen Murky, though they did not know who or what he was until Sliderenlightened them.
The general conclusion was that the voices heard inside the house weremore than apt to have indicated the presence of Murky and Grandall,still on trail of stolen money that must have, in some way, slipped intounknown hands. Still nothing was sure or settled in their minds exceptthat Chip was a good fellow and Murky a bad one from almost any point ofview one might take.
Another point occurred to Phil Way, the oldest and the leader of the AutoBoys; not one of suspicion against Chip, but for general enlightenment.
A recent visit to their camp when all the boys were away had occurred.Things had been taken, including provisions, bedding and dishes. Perhapsyoung Slider, more familiar with the woods life nearby, might have someknowledge that would lead to the perpetrator.
Taken all round, the camp thought itself rather in luck that Paul had metthis strange homeless lad in the way and under the circumstances he did.
Nels Anderson, the giant Swede, had also been seen under suspiciouscircumstances by some of the boys. Taken altogether, the whole matterwas attractive enough to foster certain ambitions inside the lads, whowere too apt to fancy themselves amateur detectives, a vocation theyknew little or nothing about, rather than young woodsmen, hunters, oranglers, pursuits they really did have some knowledge of and also someskill.