CHAPTER XI
FUDGE SCENTS A SECRET
Mr. Brent was not in. The clerk, recognizing Gordon as the youth who hadcalled previously and been admitted, explained, in answer to his look ofperplexity, that Mr. Brent had been suddenly called to New York andwould be gone at least overnight.
"He didn't leave any message for me, did he?" asked the boy.
"No. He went away hurriedly. If it's very important, you can reach himin New York by telephone this afternoon."
Gordon departed, shaking his head. On the sidewalk he was presentlyjoined by Fudge, who came out of Castle's drug store, a few doors away,with a suspicious moistness about the mouth.
"You're soon back," he said. "Did he throw you out?"
"He's away. Gone to New York. Now what'll I do?"
"Do nothing. That's easy. I should think you'd be tickled to death."
"But that automobile can't stay out there on the road forever, Fudge.Someone will steal it or pull it to pieces or something. I guess I'll goover to the Brents' and see what Louise thinks we'd better do."
"Huh! What's a girl know about it?" demanded Fudge. "Say, I had a soda.Want one?"
Gordon shook his head at first but finally allowed himself to beconducted to the front of the long white marble counter. A nice coldraspberry phosphate is an awfully good thing to soothe the mind, andGordon felt more cheerful when he emerged. Fudge, who had followed hisoriginal root beer with a pineapple phosphate, confided to Gordon on theway home that he believed he'd apply at Castle's for a job at the sodafountain.
"You see," he explained, "I never had enough soda yet, and if I workedthere I'll bet I'd have a dandy time!"
Gordon postponed his call at Brentwood until after dinner and in themeanwhile presented his problem to his father. Mr. Merrick's advice wascaution. He thought Gordon had best let the automobile alone unless heobtained authority from Mr. Brent or perhaps Mrs. Brent to rescue it.When he reached Brentwood he asked for Louise and that young lady soonjoined him. Morris, she reported, was very comfortable, considering thefact that his left leg was in a cast, but the doctor didn't want him tosee anyone quite yet. Gordon was secretly relieved, for he was afraid hewouldn't know just how to behave or just what to say to an invalid.Louise led the way to the porch and then disappeared in search of hermother. When that lady appeared Gordon had to listen to many nice thingsand many expressions of gratitude, all of which embarrassed himhorribly.
Mrs. Brent was a short, comfortably stout lady with soft, quiet mannersand a voice to match. Gordon liked her immensely, but just now he foundhimself wishing that he might have escaped her. It was Louise who,noting his unhappiness, finally came to his rescue.
"There, mama, you're embarrassing Gordon awfully. I'm sure he doesn'twant to be thanked any more. Besides, he didn't come to make a socialcall; he's here on important business. He told me so."
Gordon explained the difficulty about the abandoned automobile and askedthem what he had better do. "You see," he pointed out, "Mr. Stacey won'tgo after it unless someone tells him to. I was thinking that perhaps thebest thing would be to have one of the liverymen bring it back and keepit until Mr. Brent decides about it."
"Well, I don't know what to say," replied Mrs. Brent. "If Mr. Brent sayshe won't pay the man the rest of the money, why, he won't, and that'sall there is to that. But, of course, the automobile can't stay on theroad. I suppose, Louise, we oughtn't to worry Morris with it just yet."
"Goodness, no! What does it matter what happens to the horrid old thing,anyway, mama? Let someone bring it into town and keep it. I'm sureMorris will never want to see it again, even if papa is willing; and ofcourse he won't be."
"Then if Gordon will see to it----"
"Yes'm, I will. I'll get Stewart to go after it. I guess he can pull itif he puts a timber under the broken wheel. There wouldn't be room inyour stable for it, would there?"
"Yes, there would," replied Louise. "There's lots of room in thecarriage-house. Tell Stewart to bring it here, Gordon."
"All right. That would be the best thing, I guess. Stewart wouldprobably charge storage for it if he kept it at his stable. I suppose hewill want quite a little money to haul it in, too."
"Tell him to charge it to papa, Gordon. Do you mind attending to it?It's awfully nice of you to take so much trouble for us. You'll begin tothink we're a pretty bothersome family, I'm afraid."
"I don't mind at all. I'm glad to, Louise. I wish you'd remember me toMorris, please. I--I'll call and see him some time after he's able tohave visitors. Is there anything I can do for him, Mrs. Brent?"
"I think not, Gordon. You've done so much already----"
"I couldn't have done any less," murmured Gordon hurriedly, fearing thatMrs. Brent was about to express her gratitude again. "Folks--folks mademore of it than it--really amounted to. I guess I'll go and see Stewart.I hope Morris will get along finely and--and everything."
"I suppose," he said, after he had bade good-bye to Mrs. Brent, "youwon't get over to the Point for some time, Louise."
"No, not for a month, probably. I don't mind a great deal. The mainthing is to get Morris well again. It's going to be terribly dull andstupid for him, Gordon."
"Fierce!" They had paused at the gate. "If there's anything I can do, oranything any of us can do, Louise----"
"Not now, but you can do a lot later," she replied smilingly. "You cancome and see him and cheer him up in a day or two. Will you?"
"Of course! Glad to! And I'll bring the other fellows, too."
"I guess there aren't very many others, are there?"
"Many others?" he asked.
"Many others who would care to come, I mean. Morris doesn't seem to havevery many boy friends, does he?"
"Why, I don't know. I guess every fellow likes Morris----"
"Fibber! Never mind, though. You come when you can, Gordon. Good-bye.I'll tell Ryan to get a place ready for the automobile."
His way to Stewart's stable led him past Lanny's house and he sloweddown as he reached the gate and whistled. Lanny appeared from around thehouse with a bicycle chain dangling in his hand.
"Come on over to Stewart's stable with me," commanded Gordon.
"Can't." Lanny exhibited the chain. "Chain's busted. I've been trying tofix it, but I think I'll have to take it to the shop."
"Bring it along, then, and we'll walk. I'll stick my wheel back of thefence here. I've got something I want to talk to you about."
"All right. Wait till I get some of this dirt off my hands. It won'ttake a minute." As a matter of fact, it took five, and Gordon wasestablished comfortably on the horse-block in front of the gate whenLanny returned. Together they went on along B Street and turned intoRiver Street, talking very earnestly all the way and more than oncepausing stock-still on the sidewalk. Whatever the subject ofconversation was, it was easy to see that Lanny was both interested andenthusiastic, and at last, just before their halting progress landedthem outside the livery stable, Lanny clapped a hand on Gordon'sshoulder.
"It's a peach of a scheme!" he declared. "Does he know anything aboutit?"
Gordon shook his head. "I just thought of it awhile ago, after I'd seenhim. I don't think we'd better say anything to him about it, Lanny,because he'd probably refuse."
"That's so. The best way is to go ahead and do it--and tell himafterward." Lanny chuckled. "The other fellows will have to know,though."
"Yes, but we'll make them promise not to talk. Gee, if I don't hurrythat automobile will stay out another night, I guess!"
But fortunately Mr. Stewart had a truck and horses that could be at oncedispatched on the errand and the two boys waited while the expeditionmade ready. Mr. Stewart himself, a good-natured little red-facedScotchman, proposed to accompany the truck and personally superintendthe project. Afterward Gordon went with Lanny to the bicycle repair shopand waited while a new link was put in the broken chain. Later in theafternoon they mounted their wheels and, with Fudge, who had joined themmeanwhile, rode over to the back entrance of Br
entwood and awaited thearrival of the automobile. It came about half-past five and was rolledinto a corner of the big carriage-house. Then Gordon and Lanny and Fudgetook stock of injuries. One wheel was smashed and the front axle wasbent. It didn't require an expert to determine that much. For the rest,barring a broken lantern and bent fenders and a dent in the radiator,the car was as good as new so far as they could see.
"I wish I knew enough about cars to try it and see if the engine is allright," said Gordon. "But I don't see how anything can be wrong there,do you?"
"No, I guess the wheels will go around same as before," said Lanny. "Howmuch do you suppose it will cost to fix it up?"
Gordon shook his head. "Maybe thirty dollars," he said finally. "What doyou think?"
"Bet it will be nearer a hundred," said Fudge. "Repairs on automobilescost like anything."
"Fudge knows," remarked Lanny. "His repair bills are somethingfrightful, aren't they, Fudge? Why, he was saying just the other day,Gordie, that he had half a mind to sell two or three of his cars!"
"Th-that's all right," sputtered Fudge. "I've heard Mr. T-T-Turner sayth-th-that----"
"Of course you have," agreed Gordon soothingly. "By the way, Lanny,heard the latest? Fudge is going to get a job with Castle at the sodafountain."
"That s-s-s-s-so?" laughed Lanny.
"Yes. Can't you see Fudge, with a white apron on, leaning across thecounter asking, 'What kind of s-s-s-s-soda will you have, Miss?'"
"'S-s-s-sarsparilla, please,'" responded Lanny.
"'S-S-So s-s-s-sorry, but we're all out of s-s-s-sarsparilla. We've gots-s-s-some nice ch-ch-ch-ch-chocolate, though.'"
"Oh, dry up," said Fudge, with a grin. "If you fellows come around thereI'll p-p-poison you!"
"Well, come on, fellows, it's supper time," said Lanny. "Don't you takethat car out and go 'joy riding,' Mr. Ryan."
"Huh!" growled the Brent coachman, who had viewed the proceedings withdeep pessimism. "I wouldn't touch the thing for a hundred dollars. Howdo I know it won't be blowin' me up some fine night?"
"It won't if you treat it kindly," Fudge assured him. "Give it plenty ofoats and hay, Mr. Ryan, and a drink of gasoline now and then and it'llbe as quiet as a lamb."
They left the coachman muttering over the harness he was cleaning andgot on their wheels. "Who will you get to look at it?" asked Lanny asthey rolled homeward.
"I don't know. Not Stacey, anyway. Of course I'll have to talk withMorris first, and Mr. Brent too, I guess. And maybe it won't come toanything."
"What won't?" asked Fudge suspiciously.
"Never you mind, son. It's something that doesn't concern little boys."
"Go on and tell me," begged Fudge. "Is it a secret?"
"It wouldn't be if you knew it," answered Gordon unkindly.
"I'd like to know when I ever blabbed anything," exclaimed Fudgeindignantly. "Didn't I know all about Charlie Matthews a whole weekbefore anyone else did? And didn't I----"
"Well, we may tell you some time," teased Gordon. "What do you think,Lanny?"
"I guess so. It would cost money to advertise it in the paper, andso----"
"Oh, you make me tired," growled Fudge. "I don't want to know it anyway.'Tain't anything, I'll bet!"
"Not a thing, Fudge," agreed Lanny.
"Then what you so--so mysterious about?" Fudge demanded.
"To arouse your curiosity, Fudge. Good-night, Gordie. Maybe you'd bettertell him before he busts up. Good-night, Fudge. Say, we play LestervilleSaturday, don't we?"
"You bet! And don't forget practice again to-morrow. We want to beatthose fellows."
"Well, we've got a perfect record so far," laughed Lanny. "Ourpercentage is one thousand. Played one, won one, lost none. Are thePointers going to play us again?"
"Sure! I told Dick to see Caspar Billings to-day if he had a chance andsee if they'd come over here a week from Saturday."
"That's good. Bet you, though, they lick us next time. So long."
Lanny sped homeward and Gordon and Fudge parted midway between theirgates. "You come over after supper, Fudge, and I'll tell you what thatis we were talking about."
"Thanks, but I guess I don't care to know," replied Fudge a triflehaughtily. Gordon laughed.
"Don't be a chump. We were only fooling. All the fellows are going toknow about it, but I'll tell you first if you'll come over."
"You told Lanny first," Fudge objected doubtfully. "But--I'll come."