Chapter XVI
Jimmy was dropped off at the Higginbotham camp; the other two menwent ahead to their own camp.
A wild, distracted young woman met them. Norah was standing nearthe edge of the water gesticulating wildly. Jack, in instantconcern ran through the last few feet of shallow water. "Jack,"she panted, "Tommy is gone." He stared at her stupidly. Shecontinued wildly: "Jack," she panted, "Tommy is gone! he's gone!"
He reached her side and took her shoulders. "Get hold of yourself,sis. Tell me--"
"When he didn't get up, his usual time this morning, I didn'tthink anything of it. I didn't want to go up to disturb him. Ateight o'clock I went up to his room, he wasn't there. Martha saidshe heard him outside about six o'clock, or perhaps a littleearlier.
"She didn't think anything of it; he often did that. We felt hewas safe, the water is too shallow to drown between here and thefloat. But--"
Her arms went about him convulsively and she broke into violentsobbing. She calmed herself in a moment and continued:
"I tried to reach you in New York, but you had gone. Mr. McCalladvised against notifying the police. He thinks that is perhapsthe worst thing we can do. He went down to the other camp and toLentone to see what he can do. Oh, Jack--"
Professor Brierly stood wide-eyed as he heard the news. This wasmore than the mere solution of a problem. His little friend hadbecome very dear to him. He looked at the expanse of waterrippling and glinting in the mid-day sunlight. Then he looked upand down the shore line. The irregularity of it at this point wassuch that one could not see a great distance in either direction.
He stared at the growth on each side of the house. Impossible thatTommy could have penetrated more than a few yards in eitherdirection. And Professor Brierly too, remembered that the littleboy had shown a disinclination for going into the woods alone.Back of the house stretched the trail leading through the woodsand fields, plowed and un-plowed, to the main road. Norah andMcCall had been over that.
Professor Brierly went into the house. Norah was going aboutdistractedly from room to room, looking in impossible places forthe missing boy. Matthews had gone up the road. The young manreturned shortly and they all went down to the water. Jack, hisusually smiling features set in lines of care, got into the canoeand paddled slowly toward the float, his eyes fixed on the water.
Here, as was the case for some distance out, the water was soclear that the pebbly bottom was distinctly visible, with its tinyfish darting in flashing schools, from shadow to shadow.
Jack waved his hand and went roaring toward Lentone in the seasled. This blow, he felt, coming to his sister so soon after thelate tragic loss of her husband was more than one person should becalled upon to bear. He went to the post office and barely glancedat the mail and newspapers the clerk handed him. He met Jimmy ashe left the post office. With set face and dead tones he apprisedhis friend of the calamity that had visited their camp. Jimmy, insilence, too grief stricken to think of it in terms of a story,accompanied his friend to their camp.
McCall had returned without news. The group met in stony silence.Professor Brierly was absently fingering an enclosure addressed tohim when he uttered an exclamation. He read it and handed it tothe person nearest him, McCall. The latter read the communicationaloud, all crowding in their eagerness to see it over hisshoulder. There was no signature.
_The boy is safe. You will hear from us. Do not communicate withthe police._