CHAPTER VIII
THE CLOUD BREAKS AWAY
Mr. Stone sank down into a seat.
"Robbed!" he repeated. "Now tell me just what you mean."
In simple words the boys told how they had been held up and despoiled bythe tramps.
Mr. Stone could hardly restrain his rage.
"It's the most atrocious and cowardly thing I've heard of for a longtime," he ejaculated. "To think of those scoundrels robbing you ofeverything you had, even your railroad tickets! They ought to be drawnand quartered."
The boys were rather hazy as to what drawing and quartering involved,but they heartily agreed with him.
"I'll have to get busy at once!" Mr. Stone exclaimed, jumping to hisfeet. "There isn't a minute to lose. Those rascals will know that theofficers will be after them as soon as you tell your story and they'llbe planning to clear out. They may have started already, for all weknow. I'll get the constable and some other men after them and I'll goalong to do all I can to put the thieves in jail.
"But first," he went on, "I'll have to fix up you boys. The train willbe along in a few minutes. I'll get your tickets for you and give youplenty of money besides to get on with."
"I've already telegraphed for money and I'm expecting it every minute,"put in Bobby.
"That's all right, but we can't take chances on that. It may not come intime for you to catch the train. I'll look after the telegram if itcomes after you leave, and see that it's sent on to you."
"Of course our folks will make this all right with you," said Fred who,like Bobby himself, hated to be under any money obligation.
"That's understood," assented Mr. Stone. "I'll send them a bill."
But from the whimsical droop at the corner of his mouth it was evidentthat if the boys' fathers waited for a bill from Mr. Stone they wouldwait a long time.
He hurried over to the window of the agent's office and bought fouradditional tickets for Rockledge.
"Take these and distribute them among the other boys," he said, as hehanded them to Bobby. "And here's some money to get on with until youhear from your folks," he added, thrusting a number of bills in hishand.
"It's awfully good of you, Mr. Stone," replied Bobby, as he put them inhis pocket. "I don't know how to thank you enough. I'll keep carefulaccount and see that you get it back to the last cent."
"Don't worry about that," rejoined Mr. Stone. "I'm only paying back anold debt, and even at that I still owe you a lot. Now you boys go rightahead and forget all your troubles. I'll take full charge of the answerto your telegram and see that it gets to you all right.
"I'd like to stay with you until the train leaves," he went on, "but asI said before, every minute is precious now if we want to have anychance to nab those villains who robbed you. I'll hustle up theconstable and I'll let you know later how we come out."
He gave Tommy a kiss and a hug, waved good-bye to the others in agesture that included them all, and went out of the door. Through thewindow they could see him going briskly up the village street in a walkthat was almost a run.
The boys, left alone, looked gleefully at each other.
"Scubbity-_yow_!" shouted Fred, as he threw his cap to the ceiling.
"All our troubles are over now," exulted Pee Wee.
"Isn't he a brick?" demanded Bobby gratefully.
"Reminds me of the bread cast upon the waters that our minister wastalking about last Sunday," remarked Mouser. "He said it would come backto you after many days, and by ginger I believe it now."
"It's more than bread," gloated Pee Wee. "It's cake."
"If Pee Wee says it's cake, it _is_ cake," mocked Fred. "There's nobodyknows more than he does about things to eat."
They were now all as full of good spirits as they had formerly been fullof misery. They had found that their cloud had a silver lining. In factthere was not a cloud any longer. It had broken away entirely.
Their satisfaction was still greater when, a few minutes later, they sawtwo sleighs sweep past the station and take the direction that ledtoward the cabin in the woods. There were three determined-looking menin each sleigh, and among them they recognized the stalwart figure ofMr. Stone.
"They're after them already," cried Fred joyfully. "Gee whiz, Tommy!your father is some hustler."
"He sure is," assented Tommy proudly.
"Here's hoping that they catch the thieves!" exclaimed Mouser.
"Wouldn't it be bully!" cried Bobby. "I sure am crazy to get back mywatch."
"And my scarf pin."
"And my sleeve buttons."
"And my seal ring."
The boys watched the sleighs intently until they were drawn out ofsight.
"What do you suppose they'll do to the thieves if they catch them?"wondered Bobby.
"I don't know," said Mouser, whose notions of legal procedure werewoefully indistinct. "Hang them, maybe."
"Not so bad as that," objected Pee Wee. "But I'll bet they get a goodlong term in jail."
"Perhaps they'll be drawn and quartered, as Mr. Stone said they ought tobe," said Fred hopefully. "What do you suppose that means anyway,fellows?"
"I'm not sure," answered Bobby, "but I guess it means to be cut up intoquarters."
"They can cut them up into eighths for all I care," rejoined Fredvindictively. "Especially that fellow who called me red-head."
"Well, what if he did?" said Pee Wee mischievously. "He only told thetruth, didn't he?"
"What difference does that make?" flared up Fred, who was rathersensitive on the subject. "You wouldn't like to be called a pig becauseyou're as fat as one, would you?"
"Here, fellows, cut out your scrapping," soothed Bobby.
"Let's agree that Pee Wee's as thin as a rail and Fred's hair is asblack as ink," suggested Mouser. "Then we'll all be happy."
In the general laugh that followed, the rumpled feathers were smoothedand all differences forgotten.
A moment later the whistle of the train was heard in the distance.
"Here she comes!" cried Mouser.
"I'm sorry that telegram hasn't come yet," murmured Bobby regretfully.
"Guess old Bailey's rheumatism made him slow in getting up to thehouse," suggested Fred.
"Well, don't let's worry," observed Pee Wee, who was always ready toshunt his responsibilities to the shoulders of somebody else. "Mr. Stonewill look after that."
The boys boarded the train and sank back into their seats with a sigh ofrelief. Their troubles were over. They had been under a strain thatwould have been trying even to those much older than theseeleven-year-old boys.
"I never thought I'd be cheering for going back to school," remarkedFred. "But I'm ready to do it now. All together, fellows:
"Hurrah for Rockledge!"
They shouted it with a will.