CHAPTER X
ADVENTURE BEFALLS THE CHOSEN TRIO
The stable's one window, composed of two small panes of extremely dirtyglass, admitted to the young gentlemen within a dingy light. The shedwas empty, save for the dirt and litter everywhere; but not one crack orcrevice could be seen to suggest a loose board and possible means ofescape. Clambering up to the little window, however, Freddy Perthdiscovered that it was hooked inside and he lost no time in admittingthe air and sunlight.
"Can wriggle through here, all right, if we want to do it!" he exclaimedin loud undertones.
"Get along then, quick!" ordered Pickton. "S'pose we're going to stayhere and get fined? You right after me, Soapy!"
Ordinarily Pick would have shown Gaines a very noticeable deference inallowing him to go first; but this was a different situation. He evenresented Fred's being ahead of himself, and fumed irritably while thatyoung fellow was slowly struggling through the narrow opening.
With no ledge or projection of any kind on the outer wall to steady him,Perth could only slip one foot and then the other through the window,let his body follow and drop to the ground. He struck in the midst of awet and sticky heap of decaying weeds, garbage, tin cans, ashes andbroken crockery but fortunately, upon his feet.
More frightened than ever, now, he viewed impatiently Pickton's painfulefforts to force himself out of the stable by the same route, and hiseventual success.
"For pity's sake, Gaines, don't be all day!" admonished Pick fretfully,when finally he had reached the ground in safety. "Let go, now! You'reall right! Hangin' on there like a crazy pinchin' bug!"
Thus pleasantly encouraged, Soapy had by this time his head and bodythrough the aperture, and was moved, yet loath, to let go his desperategrasp upon the edges of the window's frame. Stupidly he had not advancedfeet first and in consequence there was but one chance in a thousand ofhis being able to alight upon those extremities when he let himselfdown. However the urgency of the situation as well as his friend'scaustic remarks determined him to make the effort and with a subduedgroan he pitched forward.
It was only as might be expected, under the circumstances, that whenGaines sought to leap clear of the window and get his feet in under him,he failed--failed wretchedly. His head plunged into a large, and sadlydecomposed pumpkin, carried out to the heap of refuse when Mrs. Gougerhad cleaned the cellar recently. His hands grasped only the wet,decaying weeds and, unable to steady himself, he rolled on his back amidthe cans, the ashes and all that the rank heap contained.
If there was consolation for young Mr. Gaines in the fact that thepumpkin had broken the force of his fall, he expressed it in a weird andpeculiar manner, as he struggled out. If he found reason to congratulatehimself that, beyond a mixture of pumpkin pulp and seeds upon his faceand in his hair, and sundry sorts of decomposed vegetation clinging tohis hands and arms and clothing, he was not injured, he did this,likewise, in strangely excited, irritated language.
Perhaps he was thinking of other things than either consolation orcongratulations. Nevertheless he let Perth lead him quickly to the car,half-blinded with the juices of the pumpkin in his eyes. Pickton had theengine going, and Soapy was pushed and lifted into his seat with moredispatch than ceremony. Even while Fred climbed up to the rumble theautomobile was put under way. Then out of the alley and down the sidestreet it lunged as if Eli Gouger were but a yard behind.
To follow the side streets to the city's outskirts, and avoid everythoroughfare that looked like a principal artery of the town, wasPickton's plan. For some distance he put on great speed, but laterheeded Perth's suggestion to go more slowly and so attract less notice.And as even moderate driving would take one from center to circumferenceof Sagersgrove in no great length of time, the Roadster was well intothe country within a quarter of an hour.
But on and on Pickton hurried. Whither he went he cared not, nor lookedto see where he might turn to left or right. He wanted only to leavebehind as far as possible the pursuers he believed would certainly becoming on.
"We'll be at the south pole sooner than the Queensville race course atthis rate," Freddy Perth shouted, at last. "Head down the first likelylooking road west. Great guns! Things aren't so desperate as all this!"
Soapy Gaines, still bearing noticeable evidence in his hair and on hisclothing of his plunge from the window, but now able to see as usual,vehemently acquiesced in Perth's suggestion.
"Never saw a man lose his head so!" he growled, with reference toPickton's frantic haste, regardless of direction. "We're after that PhilWay outfit, don't you know it! Catch 'em about next year! Sagersgrove iswhere we were going to get right behind 'em on the old pike!"
"A few miles west, then on the first thing that looks like a road, duenorth, and we'll come to the pike," suggested Fred, more pleasantly. "Wecan't help but recognize it, and the paper said Way's crowd took thatroute. Keep a-going. If we don't stop for noon we won't have lost muchtime, after all."
The still frightened travelers reached their looked-for road to the westa mile further on. Often they had looked back, but now they paused andscrutinized carefully the distant horizon in the direction they hadcome.
An old black horse and buckboard and a small boy in charge of thatconveyance, which they had passed a few minutes before, were the onlyobjects in sight along the dusty, sunny road. Over in the pasture on theright, some cows were feeding. In the wood lot on the left silencereigned save for the vagrant breeze faintly rustling the leaves. From afarmyard further down the road came indistinctly the cackling of a henin token of a new laid egg added to the world's food supply; but foraught else within view or hearing the three lads might have been thesole inhabitants of the country.
The general influence of the calm and quiet scene was beneficial to theexcited minds of Mr. Gouger's erstwhile prisoners. At a far moremoderate speed than they had lately traveled they now went forwardagain, taking the road to the west. It pitched down a remarkably long,stony hill, then crossed a broad valley. And as by following this routethe Trio escaped the necessity of taking a round-about way on the northside of Sagersgrove, as the Auto Boys had done, to pass the streets tornup for improvements, they really fared better than they thought.
Particularly was this true when, by mid-afternoon, they found themselveson the hard, level surface of the old State pike, quite as Freddy Perthhad planned. What difficulties they escaped by missing the northernroute the Auto Boys used, and what danger of straying into the Cowslipmarshes they thus avoided, the travelers never discovered.
The fever of excitement accompanying their flight from the stable hadquite subsided as Fred and Pickton exchanged places, the former takingthe wheel preparatory to a long, steady run over the fine old pike.Three objects were now kept constantly in view. One, to leaveSagersgrove as far behind as possible before nightfall; another, todiscover a store or restaurant where provisions for a picnic suppermight be purchased, and the third to gain, if possible, certaininformation as to whether the Auto Boys had passed that way. A campingplace for the night was a fourth but much later consideration, for ithad been decided to keep the car in motion until a late hour.
Years ago one would have found plenty of opportunities to purchaseeither food or lodging along the still famous old road the boys weretraveling. At nearly every four corners was a tavern or some house whosehospitality might be enjoyed for a moderate price. Frequent hamlets andvillages marked the way, also, and there quite elaborate entertainmentmight be obtained at the inns. Very different did the Trio find thesituation, however--as different, almost, as the contrast between theirown conveyance and the stage coaches of old.
In one small settlement after another did either Perth or Pickton leavethe car to inquire for the provisions they wanted, but beyond crackers,cheese and sometimes dry, hard cakes or cookies the general countrystores offered them, they found nothing.
"We would have brought some proper stuff to eat along if you two hadn'tbeen in such a frothy hurry!" growled Soapy Gaines, and as he spoke hewas busily
consuming the last of a dozen bananas Fred had brought fromhome.
But Mr. Gaines was not much given to self-denial or to a consideratemanner at any time. He had set his heart on cold ham or chicken, icedtea and salad for his supper. The prospect of feasting on crackers andcheese did not strike him at all favorably, hungry as he was. Beingpretty tired and having the mortification of his ridiculous plunge intothe decayed pumpkin still in his mind, as well, it may be said that hewas not the most agreeable of traveling companions.
And indeed, his mood showed little improvement as time passed. How muchof his more than usual ill-temper might be attributed to the humiliatingplunge from Eli Gouger's stable window, would be difficult to determine.No doubt he thought much of it and so grew all the more irritable,instead of passing the whole matter off with a laugh and then forgettingit, as any sensible young fellow would have done.
But Gaines had not gathered in environment or training even a moderatedegree of good, sound sense. Perhaps he was not alone at fault, yetright here it may be said that, clear through to the wretched andunfortunate end of his connection with the present enterprise, hemaintained quite constantly an air either of bullying and grumbling orutterly selfish indolence and indifference.
Freddy Perth and Pickton, as well, for that matter, were quite willingto make a supper of such simple provisions as they could obtain at thegeneral stores, with the possible addition of milk, and maybe a pie orfresh bread and butter from some farmhouse. But no extent of "soap," asPerth called the wheedling talk and flattery Pick administered toGaines, would make that young gentleman agree. It was quite dark,therefore, ere a town affording even moderately good hotelaccommodations was reached. There a stop for supper was made. Even thenSoapy found the iced tea and the salad not at all to his taste, but atehugely of the plainer fare.
A more important development of the hour spent in the hotel was thecertain knowledge gained that four lads in a heavily-laden touring carhad stopped to purchase some newspapers a couple of days earlier. Thenews-stand clerk supplied this information quite frankly when asked ifsuch tourists had been noticed passing through. He added that therewould be many touring parties on the roads during the next week or more,going to the Gold Cup races.
So certain was he in his own mind, indeed, that the boys before him werebound for the big stock car contests (as he likewise had no doubt thefour earlier travelers had been) that unconsciously he overstepped thetruth in the report he gave. The young men who had passed on in advancehad _told_ him, he said, that they were _going_ to the races. He_thought_ they had stated that they would stay in Queensville.
"Sure thing!" exclaimed Freddy Perth as the information gleaned wasdiscussed while the Roadster forged steadily forward again, a littlelater. "Sure thing!" said he. "I didn't think there was much to that'three stones piled one on top of another,' unless just marking theplace they are to have beside the race course. They'll go straight toQueensville. If we keep going late to-night, we can be there byto-morrow night ourselves."
Again Gaines gave it as his opinion that the Auto Boys had some businessventure, as well as the races in view. Again Pickton kept to himself histhoughts on this subject--thoughts that were far from loyal to hiscompanions. Maybe it would have been better had he mentioned them. Maybeit would have been better had he changed the plan that, in his heart, heknew he had formulated even before this journey was fairly started.
It was a warm June night. Fireflies flashed and vanished in constantsuccession over the field and along the roadsides. In the frequentfarmhouses the lights shone pleasantly through open doors and windows.And always the gas lamps of the Roadster showed ahead a clear, smoothcourse. The car was leaving the miles steadily behind. Under theinfluence of the calm surroundings and the automobile's easy motion,Soapy fell asleep. He had turned partially upon his side and rested hishead upon his arm thrown over the back of the bucket seat.
"We'll make camp when we find a good place," said Perth, at the wheel,over his shoulder to Pickton, "Gaines is dead to the world."
"Blessed good thing! He'd insist on a feather bed or something, if hewasn't," the person addressed made answer. "Don't know that I relish theidea of sleeping out very much myself; but gee whiz! I haven't got theprice to hunt up hotels every time we want a meal or a bed, and neitherhave you. And you take it from me, Soapy will want to borrow some moneyfrom one of us before the week is over. I'll not give him a picayune!"
"Humph!" Perth responded, and that was all he did say. He didn't fancythe change in Pickton's words and tone, now that Gaines would not hear.But later he did add:
"It's camp out or nothing for me. That is what we planned to do and ifwe don't find a place where we can do what cooking we have to do, I'llget a room somewhere and pick up meals as best I can. Then if I run outof money I'm going to get a job at something or another till the racescome off. Might as well see them, while we're there. Our chasing PhilWay and his bunch isn't going to amount to anything anyway--nothing morethan that they won't be able to say they saw the Gold Cup and wedidn't."
"You stick to me, Fred. We'll make Gaines do as we all agreed. We aregoing to find Worth and Way and those fellows and we're going to havesome fun with 'em. We can rough it just as well as they can and ifGaines don't like it--"
"Oh, fiddle! You dream miracles and talk wonders! And it stops there,"Perth exclaimed, but only half seriously. Then, "What you say is allright, Pick, but you won't stand by it."
"By the old bean porridge pot, Perth! You're the most contrary monkey Iever saw!" was Pickton's ejaculation. "I'll stand by every word I'vesaid!"
But whether he did or whether he didn't subsequent chapters will show.For the present it is essential to state that beside a thick hedge,where the ground was level and the grass deep--and very wet with dew, inconsequence--a camping place was found. Not one of the Auto Boys wouldhave chosen such a spot. There was no water near, no trees beneath whichthe ground would be comparatively dry. The thorns of the hedge, also,where dead branches had fallen, might be encountered just when one leastexpected them.
No, Billy Worth or Phil, Paul or Dave would not have picked this placeeven in the dark. Pickton and Perth would not have done so either, hadthey possessed half the knowledge and experience the Auto Boys hadgained in matters of this kind.
It was eleven o'clock by Freddy Perth's watch. For an hour or more thenight air had felt quite cool, in the automobile, and thoughts of warmblankets and sleep were pleasant ones as camp was established at thepoint described, despite the objectionable features named.
Far back in Sagersgrove the town clock was striking the hour. Eli Gougerturned restlessly in his sleep and half awakened. "Might have had two,or maybe four dollars apiece out of 'em just as well as not, if thatgood-for-nothing Petersby hadn't had to get his dinner 'fore coming withme," he growled, as indeed he had been growling for some time. "Get hisdinner! The blamed calf! He's a great one to be a constable, he is!"