CHAPTER XVIII.--ON THE TRAIL.
The little town of Paris stretches out for a considerable distance alongStoner Creek, and for this reason Shirley realized that the chances ofpicking the locality where Jimmy was held prisoner were slim.Nevertheless, there was always the chance that they might be fortunateenough to find the place.
The car rushed down Main Street, and turned to the right just off thebridge. It was Shirley's plan to get to the extreme edge of the town andthen come back along the creek slowly. They had made good time, and itwas hardly probable that Jones could have reached the creek before them.
They reached the northern extremity of the town without a sight ofJones, and then turning the car about, Shirley drove south slowly.Several times the girl stopped to ask questions of pedestrians, but theresult was always the same. No one seemed to know Jones, and none knewof any house containing a prisoner.
Finally Leonard called upon Shirley to stop.
"I'll get out and do a little inquiring at some of the houses alonghere," he said.
He alighted. At the first house he approached he gained no information,nor at the second nor at the third. At the fourth, however, he came upona clue.
"Somebody told me," said the woman who answered his knock, "that aclosed carriage drove up to old Briggs' house yesterday and that threemen were in it. One went into the house with Briggs, and the othersdrove away."
"Did you hear what he looked like?"
"Well, he was young. That's all I know."
"And where does this man Briggs live?"
"About eight blocks south, in a little shanty. I know his nephew fromCincinnati has been staying with him. Anybody down there can tell youwhere Briggs lives."
Leonard thanked the woman and returned to the waiting automobile. Hetold the girls what he had learned, and Shirley drove the car in thedirection of Briggs' home.
"Better stop a block away," said Leonard.
Shirley did so, and again Leonard climbed out. Through inquiry helearned which was Briggs' house and hastened to it. An old man answeredhis knock.
"Are you Mr. Briggs?" asked Leonard.
"Yes," was the reply. "What do you want?"
There was something in the man's manner that convinced Leonard he was onthe right track. He determined to try a bold shot.
"I want to see your prisoner," he said sternly.
"Prisoner," echoed the old man, taking a step backward. "What prisoner?"
"The boy you are holding for Jones."
The old man recovered himself.
"I haven't any prisoner," he said.
"Oh, yes you have," said Leonard, "and I want him right now.Understand?"
The old man looked at him with an evil leer.
"Get out of here," he shouted, and gave Leonard an unexpected push.
Leonard, taken unaware, stumbled back, and at the same moment the oldman stepped inside the house, and closed and locked the door.
Leonard sprang forward again and laid hold of the knob. Then he put hisweight against the door, but it would not budge. He walked back to wherethe girls waited for him.
"He's in there, all right," he said grimly. "But I can't get in."
"Can't you break down the door?" asked Shirley.
"I might," said Leonard, "but if I did I probably would be shot for mypains. You can't force your way into a man's house, you know."
"Then what are we to do?" exclaimed Mabel.
"Call the police," said Leonard grimly. "They'll go in, all right,whether they have a right to do so or not."
"Let's hurry then," said Shirley anxiously. "There is no telling whatmay happen to Jimmy unless we make haste."
Leonard climbed back into the machine.
"To the police station at once," he said.
Just as the machine started off, Shirley's attention was attracted by aman who darted suddenly across the street and into the rear of the houseLeonard had just left.
"Jones!" she exclaimed.
Leonard and Mabel also had seen the hurrying figure.
"That's who it is, all right," said Mabel.
"There is no doubt about it," declared Leonard. "We'll round them all uptogether."
At the police station Leonard explained the situation in a few words.Two men were detailed to go with them and investigate. All climbed intothe machine, and in a few moments were back before Briggs' home.
Leonard and the two girls approached the door with the two policemen.One of the officers rapped loudly upon the door with his club. There wasno answer, and the policeman rapped again. Still there was no answer.
"Open up, Briggs, or we shall break the door down," called one of theofficers.
Again no answer.
"Kick her in, Bill," said the first officer.
He suited the action to the word, and there was a resounding crash ashis boot struck the door a hard blow. The second officer also deliveredseveral heavy kicks.
There was the sound of splintering wood, and in a few moments the doorgave way, shattered. The officers rushed in with poised clubs, andLeonard and the two girls followed them closely.
Straight through the house they went, but their quest was vain. Therewas no one there.
Leonard, glancing up, spied what appeared to be an attic.
"Give me a hand up," he called to one of the two policemen.
The latter obeyed and Leonard scrambled up above.
"Be careful," whispered Shirley.
Leonard struck a match and looked around. There was no one there.
"Nobody home," he said, after he had dropped down again.
"Where did they go?" demanded Shirley anxiously.
"My gracious!" exclaimed Mabel. "Why didn't we think of it before?"
"Think of what?" asked Shirley quickly.
"Why, the creek. They have probably escaped in a launch."
Without pausing to reply, Shirley turned and darted from the housetoward the creek, the others following closely. Several rowboats layidly by, and in one of them, fishing, were two men.
"Did you see anything of Briggs?" demanded Shirley.
"Yes, Miss," said one of the men. "He, and three others, just left in alaunch. Is anything the matter?"
"Yes," said one of the officers. "They are a bunch of crooks, and havekidnapped a boy."
"You don't say," exclaimed one of the fishermen. "Do you want to catch'em?"
"Yes," said Shirley eagerly, "but how can we?"
"Well, I have a launch about a hundred yards from here," said the man."She is all ready to move, and can outrun anything on the creek."
As he spoke, he came ashore and started along the bank at a run.Shirley, Mabel, Leonard and the two officers followed close at hisheels.
Another moment, and they came upon a large, powerful launch moored to alanding.
"Climb in," said the man.
The others needed no second invitation. Shirley, with the two officers,took their places in the bow of the little craft, while Mabel andLeonard were forced to remain further aft.
The fisherman pushed the launch off, and scrambled aboard. Then heturned quickly to the engine, and a faint sputtering a few moments latergave evidence that the launch was ready for the chase.
Gradually the little craft gathered headway, until she seemed to beflying through the water. Through scores of rowboats and other smallboats, she wormed her way at terrific speed, and at last, far ahead, thepursuers could make out the form of a second launch, also chugging alongat full speed.
"We'll get 'em," said the fisherman confidently. "The _Sybil_ can outrunanything on the creek."
"The _Sybil_, a pretty name for a launch," Shirley thought, excited asshe was.
She kept her eyes ahead, and soon it became evident that the pursuerswere gaining. They were now far beyond the town, and one of the officersspoke.
"To tell the truth, we really have no authority out of the city, butwe'll take a hand just the same. Might makes right, you know."
"We are likely to need you," said Leo
nard.
Now the _Sybil_ had gained sufficiently for those aboard to make out thefaces of those in the pursued craft. It was as they had expected. Theoccupants of the first boat were Jones, Briggs, Jimmy and another youngman, whom none recognized.
"Guess that is Briggs' nephew from Cincinnati," said Leonard,remembering the conversation he had had with the woman who told him ofBriggs' prisoner.
Shirley glanced at the young man in the other boat curiously.
"I seem to have seen him some place before," she said. "I can't placehim, though."
Suddenly Jones was seen to rise up in the other boat, and Leonard,divining his intention, cried out in a loud voice:
"Look out! Duck!"
In spite of their surprise, all obeyed.
From the first boat there came a puff of smoke, followed by a sharpcrack. Something whined over the _Sybil_.
"They are shooting at us," said Leonard calmly. "You girls keep down inthe boat."
"Two can play at that game," said one of the officers.
He drew his own revolver, and brought it to bear. But before he couldfire, Shirley sprang to her feet and seized his arm.
"Careful," she said, "you are likely to hit Jimmy."
The officer lowered his weapon.
At the same moment Jones fired again.
Leonard clapped his right hand to his left shoulder.
Shirley noticed this move.
"What's the matter?" she asked anxiously. "Are you hit?"
"Just a scratch, I guess," replied Leonard quietly. "We'll make them payfor that."
"We will," agreed Shirley through clenched teeth.