CHAPTER XVIII
AN EVENING DRIVE
Although the weather had been threatening all day, Mildred Kent wentover to Lettie Parker’s house after supper, as she had promised. Therehad been no school for several days, but the girls were just as busy asDan and Billy Speedwell. They were hard at work finishing certainChristmas presents.
To tell the truth, Lettie’s present was for Billy Speedwell, and was ahandsome silk scarf—thick and warm—that the bronze-haired girl had beenat work on for several days. Now her nimble fingers flew as she sat andgossiped with the doctor’s daughter. Meanwhile the latter was completingthe initials “D. S.” she was embroidering in the corners of six veryhandsome handkerchiefs.
“And there’s another thing, Milly,” Lettie was saying, “that I want tosee Billy about. There’s something going on up at Island Number One, andthey say Dan and Billy know about it.”
“What do you mean?” asked Mildred, calmly.
“Something queer. You know what the boys said about that fellow theycall ‘Dummy’?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Well, Sheriff Kimball told my father that the Speedwells are at theisland a good deal, and that the dumb boy is a member of a gang ofoutlaws. Now, what do you think of _that_?”
“What nonsense!” exclaimed Mildred, her eyes very big and round.
“It’s not nonsense at all. I’m telling you the truth,” said thebronze-haired young lady, sharply.
“Of course. I don’t mean that you are not telling the truth. But thissheriff must be crazy to believe that Dan and Billy would know anyoutlaws. What kind of outlaws?”
“I’m sure I don’t know. But Sheriff Kimball has been twice to see fatherabout it. Dan and Billy are bound to get into trouble if they don’t lookout.”
“How ridiculous. I don’t believe there is anybody on the island.”
“We saw that dummy ourselves,” declared Lettie, her lips pursed.
“But you went all over the island with Billy afterward. You didn’t findany hiding place.”
“The sheriff says it’s there. He has reason to know, he states. Therewas some man—so he says—who broke with the outlaws and ‘turned State’sevidence,’ he calls it. Sheriff Kimball says he has been waiting for twomonths for this boy who can’t talk very well to come and see him. Theman who confessed said he would send all the evidence by this dummy. Andyou know he was at Billy’s house and the boys never told the sheriff——”
“Why should they?” demanded Mildred, startled.
“Well, you know what the boys said about finding a slip of paper afterthe dummy went away, and what was written on the paper? It said: ‘Buriedon the island. Dummy will show you the spot.’ Sheriff Kimball says thatdoubtless referred to the evidence Harry Biggin meant him to have.”
“Harry Biggin?”
“That’s the name of the man who broke with the outlaws and is helpingthe officers get the crowd.”
“He’s an informer,” asserted Mildred, with scorn.
“But that doesn’t help the matter any. If Dan and Billy have foolishlygot themselves mixed up in it——”
“Mixed up in _what_?” demanded Mildred, with some heat. To MildredKent’s mind it was impossible that Dan Speedwell could ever be in anyreal trouble—that is, trouble that came about through his not being“perfectly straight.” Billy, perhaps, might be foolish; but never Dan!
Just as she spoke there was a jingling of sleigh bells at the door ofthe Parker house. There had been little sleighing this winter, save onthe river; but a couple of days before, a trifle of snow hadfallen—enough to crust the Riverdale streets and the drives in and outof the town.
“Here’s Mr. Kimball now—I do believe!” cried Lettie, jumping up andrunning to a front window. “Yes! he said he was going up the river tothe Biggin place, and he’d stop for father——”
“This Harry Biggin,” said Mildred, suddenly. “Is he one of those farmerson the other side of the river?”
“Yes. They own that big place near Meadville, only on the other bank.”
“And he says Dan and Billy are connected with robbers—or outlaws—orsomething——”
“I never said so!”
“I’m going to ask Mr. Kimball what he means, then,” said Mildred,firmly, and putting aside her work she arose and went quickly to thehall door.
Mr. Parker was welcoming the sheriff at the door. The latter was a tall,thin and wiry man, dressed in a long gray ulster belted at the waist. Ifold John Bromley could have seen him he would have immediatelyrecognized the man he had driven away from his dock while the Speedwellswere trying out their new motor-iceboat.
“Hullo!” said the jolly county clerk. “It’s only my girl and her chum.How are you, Milly?” and he pinched the cheek of the doctor’s daughter.
But Mildred was too anxious to be anything but direct. “Oh! I beg yourpardon, sir,” she said, to the man in the ulster. “But are you thesheriff?”
“Of course he is!” chuckled Mr. Parker. “Have you some mysteriousevidence you want to put before him——”
“That’s just what she’s got, Dad!” cried Lettie, giggling.
“I’ll be glad to take up any case Miss Mildred has to offer,” said thecounty official, his eyes twinkling.
“It isn’t that. I want to know about Dan and Billy Speedwell. They_can’t_ have done anything wrong——”
“There it is again, Kimball,” exclaimed the county clerk, slapping thesheriff on the shoulder. “You start anything about Dan and Billy in thisneighborhood, and even the girls will be after you.”
“But what’s their game up there at the island?”
“They have no game there,” said Mildred, with a very determined look.
“And at that old fellow’s wharf up the river. I’m not known much aroundthat section. I’m from the other end of the county, and having only beenin office six months, everybody doesn’t know I’m sheriff,” and Mr.Kimball laughed.
“To-day I was watching Island Number One for—well, for a reason. I sawthose two boys racing over there in a most marvelous iceboat run by amotor——”
“Oh, jolly!” exclaimed Lettie, breaking in. “They’ve built the new boat,then.”
“Wait, Kimball,” interposed Mr. Parker. “Tell the girls something more.I can see Mildred is interested.”
“She is if you are going to arrest Billy and Dan Speedwell,” laughedLettie, who was just as full of fun as her father, and was not aboveteasing her chum on occasion.
“Well, I tell you!” exclaimed the sheriff, smiling. “I’m in a hurry. TheBiggins, like all farmer folk, go to bed early, and I hear that Harryhas dared creep home again and may be there to-night. I’m in a hurry, asI say; but I’ve got a two-seated sleigh here, and plenty of robes, andabout the fastest pair of horses in this county—raised ’em myself. Whatsay if we all—you, too, Parker—drive up the river, and on the way I’llexplain how the Speedwells seem to be mixed up with the Steinforthcounterfeiting gang.”
“The Steinforth counterfeiters?” gasped Mr. Parker. “That’s more thanyou’ve told me before, Kimball.”
“Yes. But it seems we have about got things to a head now. Something isgoing to break soon, and I’ll risk talking a little. Want to go,Parker?”
“We’ll go,” said Mr. Parker, looking at the girls. “Just ’phone yourmother, Milly, that you are going sleighing with me.”
“That’s all right,” said the sheriff, with a boyish laugh, and he ranout to spread the robes for the girls in the rear seat. Not a flake ofsnow had fallen yet, but the night was starless, and the wind cutsharply.
They got under way in ten minutes. The black horses were young and theyhad been standing in the stable behind Appleyard’s all day, and werevery restive. The girls squealed a little as they clipped the cornersgoing down to the open ice.
From River Street a path had been made down to the shore. It was an easyslant and the runners of the sleigh fairly
pushed the horses on theirhaunches.
“Easy, boys! _now_ we have it!” cried the sheriff, coaxingly. He handledthe colts as though he loved them, and they tossed their heads, andpricked their ears forward, and seemed to know that he would let themout in a minute and give them a chance to show their mettle.
Their shoes had just been sharpened, and when they clattered out uponthe clear ice they left little marks every time their dancing hoofslanded.
That did not seem to be often, at the pace they took when first Mr.Kimball let them out. They whipped the sleigh behind them as though itwas of a feather’s weight. The two little lamps—one set at each side ofthe dash—sent twinkling, narrow rays of yellow light along the ice,glistening on each little imperfection. It seemed as though where thelight fell a trail of stardust had been laid.
But there were no other lights upon the ice. With the keen wind blowingstronger, none of the boats were out from the Boat Club cove where allbut the Speedwells’ craft were kept. And there were few skaters out onthe river to-night.
For several miles—until they had swung past the lower end of IslandNumber One, indeed—Mr. Kimball had no chance for much talk. The girlswere delighted with the drive now.
“It’s almost as good as being on the boys’ ice yacht,” declared Lettie.
“And now, what about the Speedwells and this Steinforth counterfeitinggang, Kimball?” demanded Mr. Parker, laying a hand upon the sheriff’sarm.
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