CHAPTER XXVII
THE MAN WITH THE TURTLE
The chums took their meal at one of the two hotels in Cannistota, and,liking the appearance of the place, which the doctor had recommended,they made arrangements to stay there for a few days, during which timeFenn's arm was to receive treatment. They had adjoining rooms, and, oncethey had visited them, and left the few belongings they had brought fromcamp, they were ready to go out into the street again, and watch thepreparations being made to celebrate the advent of the New Year thatnight.
"I know one thing we'd better do," remarked Frank, as they strolledalong.
"What's that?" inquired Bart.
"Send telegrams to the folks at home, telling them where we are, andwishing them good luck for the New Year."
"Good!" exclaimed Fenn, "but don't say anything about my sore arm. Myfolks might worry."
This was agreed to, and then each lad wrote his own telegram,explaining briefly why he was not in the woods, the carnival forming agood reason for the change.
"This will be a good plan in case they have any word to send us,"remarked Ned. "A telegram will reach us at the hotel, but it never wouldat camp."
Bart had taken his rifle with him when they left the hotel, and when hiscompanions joked him about it, asking him if he expected to see a bearor a deer in the town, Bart replied:
"I want to take it to a gunmaker's and get a screw set in a littledeeper," referring to one on the lock mechanism. "It works loose everyonce in a while, and now's a good time to have it fixed, when I'm notlikely to have a use for the rifle. I intend to do a lot of hunting whenwe get back to camp."
As the chums strolled on, they saw, on every side, more evidences of thecarnival spirit. On several side streets, as well as on the main ones,flags and bunting were in evidence, and colored electric lights werebeing strung. Linemen were high up on poles arranging extra wires, andothers, below, were passing up the colored bulbs, or pliers, and othertools needed by their mates on the high poles. The boys watched this forsome time, and then, at Bart's suggestion, they strolled toward thecentre of the village.
There a still busier scene was observed. There were a number of linemenon the tall poles, and, as the boys looked on, the current was turnedinto the hundreds of various-hued bulbs, to test them. It was earlyafternoon, and much yet remained to be done in order to get thedecorations completed.
The lads found a gunsmith in his shop, not far from the intersection ofthe main streets, and he was soon at work on Bart's rifle, talking as heworked. The boys told him of their experience in camp, and the necessityfor their visit to town.
"Got scratched by a buck; eh?" remarked the old gunsmith as he gazedfrom under his bushy white eyebrows at the lads. "That happened to meonce. Their horns seem to sort of poison a wound. I guess it's becausethe critters rub their antlers up against all sorts of trees and bushes.They get poisonous juices on 'em."
Soon the lads were again strolling along the street. The afternoon waspassing, and presently the town, which was now thronged with visitors,would be in the full sway of the carnival.
Fenn was walking ahead of his chums, looking in the store windows, andtaking care that he did not collide with persons in the crowd, and soinjure his sore arm. The stout youth saw, just ahead of him, anestablishment devoted to the sale of pets of various kinds. There werepigeons, white rats, puppies, gold fish, some monkeys and parrots, andscores of canary birds. As several specimens were on exhibition in thewindows quite a crowd was gathered about watching the antics of a pairof monkeys. Fenn, always interested in such things, drew closer,motioning to his chums, who were walking slowly, to join him.
As he turned back toward the store he saw a man entering--a man, at thesight of whom, the stout lad started, and looked at him again, moresharply.
"I wonder if it can be--yes, it's the same man--the mysterious man we'vebeen after so long!" murmured Fenn. "He's going in that store! I hope hedidn't see me." He got behind a couple of men who were close to thewindow, and watched until he had seen the person he had observed closethe door, after entering the store. Then Fenn turned to address hischums who were now at his side.
"What's the matter?" asked Bart, laughing. "You look as if you had seena ghost, Stumpy."
"I've seen something more substantial than a ghost," replied the lad,"I've seen the man who stole the diamond bracelet, fellows!"
"Where?" gasped Ned and Frank.
"Hush! Not so loud," cautioned Fenn, for several persons were curiouslyobserving the four lads. "He's in that store," went on the stout youth.
They could hardly believe him, but Fenn soon told them thecircumstances, and repeated his belief in the positiveness of hisidentification. "I'm sure it was the same man," he said.
"Well, we'll soon see," declared Bart. "He'll have to come out, sometime or other, and then we can tell. We'll just wait here a while."
A little later they were all startled to see the man, about whom thereseemed to be such a mystery, come hurriedly from the store.
"There he is!" exclaimed Fenn.
"It's him, all right," assented Bart, in low tones. "Now what shall wedo; follow him?"
The man turned south on the main street, and began walking rapidly away.At that instant Fenn caught sight of a package in his hand. It was apaper bundle, but, as the stout lad looked, he saw projecting from itthe long, snake-like neck of a mud turtle.
"He's got a turtle!" cried Fenn, excitedly. "Let's chase after him! Wemust solve this mystery now or never!"