CHAPTER III
SAVING THE AUTO
Fenn's brain was in a whirl. The manner of the girl, her strange words,her sudden fright when he had sought to recall to her what she had said,and her reference to a mysterious cave, all served to give the lad muchto think about. Coming as it did, on top of the automobile accident, itadded to the excitement of the day. He was glad, when he got down stairs,to find that his three chums had returned with the things for which thephysicians had sent them.
"Well, were you playing nurse?" asked Frank.
"Say," declared Fenn earnestly, "I certainly was up against it. I had adelirious patient, who was talking about caves and strange men."
"Tell us," suggested Bart, and Fenn related what the girl had said.
"That's nothing," declared Ned. "She was talking in her sleep."
"No, it was delirium."
"Well, that's the same thing," retorted Ned. "It doesn't mean anything.She was all worked up over the accident. Probably she looked ahead, sawthe fence, and got scared half to death. Then, when the auto went overthe cliff, and she and her father were spilled out, it might have lookedas if she was falling into a cave. That's all."
"I don't believe it," declared Fenn determinedly. "I think there issomething back of her talk. She was only partly delirious. Besides, sheknew she had been talking about a cave, for she asked me to forget allabout it. There's something in all this, and don't you forget it. Someday I'll find out what it is."
"You're a regular mystery solver, you are, Stumpy," declared Ned.
"Fenn! Fenn!" exclaimed an excited woman, coming into the dining roomwhere the boys had gathered to talk. "What has happened? What is thematter? Are you hurt? Was there an accident? Why is Constable Darby infront of the house, keeping the crowd back?"
"There was an accident, mother," said Fenn, "and a man and a girl whowere hurt have been brought here. I told them to fetch them in. Ithought you wouldn't care."
"No, of course not. Poor things! I'm so sorry! Are they badly hurt?"
"I'm afraid the man is, but the girl seems to be getting better, exceptthat she fainted awhile ago," replied Fenn, and he briefly related whathad happened.
Just then Dr. Fanwood came into the room, to ask Fenn to heat somewater, and he remarked:
"It is not so bad as we feared. The young lady is suffering from nothingbut shock and some bruises. The man, her father, has a bad wound on thehead, but nothing serious. They will both be all right in a few days. Itwas a narrow escape."
"Who are they, Doctor?" asked Mrs. Masterson.
"I have not been able to question either of them," replied the physician,"but, from papers which we found in the man's pocket I take him to beRobert Hayward, of Bayville, Wisconsin. The young woman is evidently hisdaughter, Ruth, though what they can be doing so far away from home, inan automobile, I do not know."
"Is he dangerously hurt?" asked Mrs. Masterson.
"Well, it would be dangerous to move him for a few days, as complicationsmight set in. If he could stay here--"
"Of course he can," interrupted Fenn's mother. "He and his daughter,too. We have plenty of room."
"I am glad to hear you say so," replied the doctor. "They will get wellmore quickly if they are kept quiet. Now I must go back to my patient."
He took the hot water Fenn gave him and left the room. The four chumsand Mrs. Masterson discussed the recent happenings, and the crowdoutside, learning from the constable that there was no one dead, orlikely to die, went off to look at the auto which still hung over thecliff.
Mrs. Masterson rather ridiculed Fenn's idea that the girl's talk had abearing on some mysterious happenings, and she was of the same opinionas Ned, that it was merely the raving of delirium. But Fenn stoutlyclung to his own idea.
"You'll see," he declared.
The doctors left presently, and Alice Keene, Bart's sister, who wassomething of a trained nurse, was installed to look after Mr. Hayward.Miss Hayward declared she was not ill enough to be in bed, and wanted tolook after her father, but Mrs. Masterson insisted that the young womanmust consider herself a patient for several days, and declared that shewould take care of her.
"Come on, boys," suggested Fenn, when the excitement had somewhat calmeddown. "Let's see if we can't save the auto."
"I'm afraid if we disturb it the least bit it will go over the cliff,"said Ned. "It's hanging on by its teeth, so to speak."
"We'll try, anyhow," decided Bart. "I'd like to help haul it back. Maybewe'd get a ride in it, after Mr. Hayward gets well."
"That's all you care about it," taunted Frank with a laugh.
"No, but if we do save it, I guess you wouldn't refuse a ride in it,"retorted Bart. "It isn't often you get the chance."
"That's so," agreed Fenn. "But come on. If we wait much longer the crowdwill get around it and, maybe, loosen the wire that holds it."
The four chums hurried to the scene of the accident. They found that theweight of the big car had stretched the wires so that the machine hungfarther than ever over the edge of the cliff.
"It's going to be a hard job to save that machine," declared Ned. "Howare we going to do it?"
"Let me think a minute," spoke Bart, who was usually fertile in devisingways and means of doing things.
"What ye goin' to do?" demanded Constable Darby who, having found hispost as guard at the house an empty honor, had assumed charge of themachine. "What you boys up to now? You'd better move away from here."
"We're going to rescue Mr. Hayward's auto for him," declared Fenn withmore assurance than he felt. "He wants it hauled back," he added, whichwas true enough.
"Wa'al, ef he wants it, that's a different thing," replied the constable,who evidently recognized that Fenn had some rights in the matter, sincethe injured persons had been carried to the lad's house.
"I guess we've got ropes enough," spoke Bart. "The next thing is to getsome pulleys and find something strong enough to stand the strain. Iguess that big oak tree will do. Who knows where we can get somepulleys?"
"There are some at our house," said Fenn. "The painters left them therewhen they finished the job last week. I can get them."
"Good!" cried Bart. "You get 'em, and we'll get the ropes in shape."
When Fenn returned with the pulleys he found that his chums had takenseveral turns of one of the ropes about a tree, that was to stand thestrain of hauling the auto back on firm ground. The pulleys werearranged so as to give more power to the hauling force, and then, thecables having been cautiously fastened to the back of the auto, Bartgave the word, and half a score of boys assisted the chums in heavingon the rope.
There was a long pull, a strong pull, and a pull altogether, but theauto never budged.
"Once more!" cried Bart.
"Hold on!" a voice urged, and the boys, and others in the crowd saw atelephone lineman approaching.
"That wire holds the wheels!" he explained, pointing to where the wirefrom the fence was entangled in the spokes. "You fellows hold on therope and I'll cut it for you!"
Drawing out a big pair of cutters he crawled under the rear of the auto,and, lying on his back, proceeded to sever the wire strands.
"Keep the rope taut!" urged Bart. "When the wire is cut there'll be aheavy strain."
The boys, and several men who had taken hold of the hempen cable, bracedthemselves. There was a snap, as the cutters went through the wire.
"Look out!" cried the lineman.
There was a creaking of the ropes. A sudden strain came on them, sopowerful, that those holding the strands felt the hemp slipping throughtheir fingers.
"She's going over the cliff!" cried Bart. "Hold her, boys! Hold her!"