CHAPTER III.
WHEN THE CHALLENGE CAME.
A SILENCE so dense that, as Elmer afterward said, it could almost befelt gripped that library when the colonel made his astonishingdeclaration.
The two boys stared at each other in dismay. Then Mark once more lookeddown at the cap he held in his hand, as though he expected it to begiven speech in order to indignantly deny the accusation. Twice heopened his mouth to say something, but no sound followed.
"Please remember, Mark, that I am not accusing you of having done thismiserable thing," continued the gentleman in a softer tone; "I cannotfind it in my heart to believe that you would be guilty of doing an oldfriend such an unkindness. But I found the cap just where I stated; itbore those initials, and I sent for you to see if you claimed it. Andnow, could you tell me how it chanced to come there under my prize peachtrees that were robbed last night?"
Mark shook his head slowly.
"I'm sure I can't do that, sir, because I don't know," he said.
Elmer opened his mouth to explain under what circumstances the cap hadbeen lost at twilight on the preceding evening, then he thought betterof it and held his tongue. It might be as well for the gentleman toconduct the examination after his own fashion. The truth was bound tocome out shortly, at any rate.
"Since you admit that the cap is yours, Mark, will you please tell mewhen you saw it last, for if I am right in judging what Elmer just said,you claim to have lost it?" Colonel Hitchins continued.
"Why, yes, sir, I wore it yesterday afternoon when a party of us wentfishing away over to the old hole where the Sunflower runs into theSweetwater," Mark began.
"Don't I know it as well as any lad," remarked the old gentleman, with afaint smile. "I was brought up here, and came back home after manyyears' wandering, partly on account of those recollections of my boyhooddays. Well, you did your fishing in the afternoon, you say. And if thosebass act just the same now as they used to many years ago, they beganbiting just when you thought of starting back home--how about that,Mark?"
"Just what they did, sir; and we caught nearly all we had, a good stringapiece, from that time up to after six. Then we couldn't stay any longerand started home. On the road, when we were about a mile or so away, andjust going to leave the little Sunflower stream, Lil Artha got tocutting up with me, and I lost my cap."
"Just so, as I have done many a time in the long ago. That SunflowerRiver has memories for me I can never forget," declared the colonel,sighing.
"I stopped to hunt for it, sir," Mark continued, "but the evening wason, and there were more or less bushes around. Besides, the fellows weredrawing farther away all the time, and I didn't care much for the capafter all. So I began to think it might have just fallen into the river,and I gave it up, chasing after the rest of the bunch."
"Was that the last you thought of the cap?"
"Why, no, sir," Mark went on. "This morning I ran over there on my wheeland gave another hunt, but it was no use. That made me all the more sureit must have gone sailing down the river. And you can imagine mysurprise when you hauled it out just now."
"Strange how it came to be under my peach tree, isn't it?" asked ColonelHitchins.
"Perhaps some fellow found it, sir, and wore it last night," suggestedElmer.
"Ah, I had quite forgotten about you, Elmer," remarked the other. "Isuppose, now, you were along with your friend last evening, and knewabout him losing his cap?"
"I was, sir, and besides there were three others--Landy Smith, ArthurStansbury, and Chatz Maxfield. And more than that, colonel, I went overto Mark's house after supper, and we sat up till nearly eleven o'clock,arranging things about our scouts' baseball club; for you see we expecta challenge from Fairfield troop any day now."
The look of distress left the bearded face of the colonel. He thrust outa hand in his customary hearty manner.
"I want you each to shake hands with me," he said; "and Mark, I hope youwill not feel badly because with suspicion pointing so strongly towardyou, I wanted to ask you a few questions about this cap. As Elmer said,no doubt some boy picked it up and left it under the tree, eitheraccidentally or in the hope of turning suspicion toward you."
"Oh, I hope not that!" said Mark, who could not believe in his heartthat any boy in all Hickory Ridge could be so mean and tricky as to wantto get one of his schoolmates in trouble.
"No matter, I am now absolutely sure it could not have been you, and Ishall not give the matter another thought. I would advise you to forgetit also, if you can, my boy," and he laid a hand caressingly on Mark'sshoulder.
"I'll certainly try to, sir," returned the boy, looking up with a smileand meeting the eyes of the gentleman squarely, as was always his wont,"but sometimes it's hard to forget things like this. I suppose I'll justbother my head about how my cap got under your tree when I lost it amile away, up to the end of the chapter. And I reckon it will never becleared up."
"As your ten minutes are about up, Mark, I won't detain you any longer,"said the old traveler, "but promise me that you will come over withElmer next Saturday night, and look over some of my curios. I like tohave boys around me, and there's an interesting story connected withsome of the strange things I've rounded up in various unfrequentedquarters of this old world. You'll come, won't you, Mark?"
"I sure will, colonel, and be mighty glad of the chance. Shall I take myold cap away with me, or do you want to place it among your curios as anunsolved mystery?" and Mark laughed as he said this.
"I think you had better carry it off, Mark," replied the gentleman. "Butunless I am lucky enough to catch the rascals who robbed me of my prizepeaches last night, I'm afraid the truth will never be known. Whatpuzzles me most of all is the fact that Bruno was loose last night andnever gave the alarm. He must have been off roaming, as he does wheneverhe manages to slip his collar and chain."
He shook hands with both of them again, and when Mark felt the pressureof the old gentleman's fingers, as well as saw the kindly look on hisface, he felt positive that Colonel Hitchins had eradicated allsuspicion of his guilt from his mind.
Sam was waiting for them, scolding his restless horses the while. And nosooner did the two boys jump into the carriage before the driver gavethe word, and they were being carried out of the grounds in greatstyle.
On the way they met Lil Artha returning home. The tall fellow stared atseeing his two chums seated so delightfully in the elegant carriagewhich he, of course, recognized as belonging to Colonel Hitchins. Heshouted something after them, but Elmer only waved his hand out of thevehicle as they went on.
"How about it, Mark?" he asked; "Lil Artha will never rest until hetries to pump it all out of you. Will you tell him about the cap, andhow it was found?"
"Why not?" demanded Mark, instantly. "I haven't anything I want to hidethat I know of. And perhaps, if all the fellows learn about it some onemay be able to give me a pointer about who could have taken this capthat I lost on the bank of the Sunflower last night, and left it wherethe colonel found it this morning."
"I see by the way you talk that there's small danger of you notbothering your brain about that mystery," laughed Elmer.
"Well, who wouldn't, just tell me that? I'll never feel easy till I'mable to patch up some sort of an explanation, Elmer. If some fellowpicked my cap up, did he leave it there on purpose to get me in trouble,or was it only an accident? That's the point, you see."
"Oh, well, I hope you find out sooner or later," remarked Elmer, whoknew from previous experience how such little things worried his chum,and would have liked very well to have influenced Mark to cross it offentirely. "Now, let's talk about other things--that coming great gamewith Fairfield, for instance, and what chances we have with our poorpitching staff."
"Rats!" cried Mark. "When everyone believes that you're stronger thanever this year, and that break of yours works like a charm. I tell youFairfield will have her hands full trying to hit some of those ChristyMatthewson slow floaters you can waft up to the rubber. They'll nearlybr
eak their necks trying, and it's going to be the greatest fun watching'em."
Talking in this vein they were soon dropped in front of Elmer's home. AsMark lived close by he chose to leave the vehicle at the same time.
"Why, whatever do you suppose my folks would think?" he declared, "ifthey saw the Cummings hope and heir driving up with a carriage and pair?Not that I don't expect to tell all about this cap racket, for I'vealways been in the habit of letting my mother know all I do, and manythe time she's advised me as no other person could."
Elmer sighed. He had no mother himself, and always envied this chum whowas lucky enough to be possessed of such an adviser. And fortunateindeed is the boy who can go to his mother, or father, either, for thatmatter, to seek advice in some of the puzzling little problems that areapt to arise in the life of a lad.
So the two chums separated for the time being.
"See you this afternoon, then, Mark?" called Elmer, as the other startedto hurry away, for it was very near the time he had promised to be home;and one of Mark's strong points was a scrupulous regard for his word, nomatter to whom given.
"That's right, Elmer; call for me, and we'll go down for a practicegame. Most of the fellows are going to come out, and perhaps we can geta scrub team to bat against us," and waving his hand once more Markhurried off.
Elmer looked after him. There was the light of a sincere affection inhis eyes, as he shook his head while muttering to himself:
"No wonder Colonel Hitchins knew that cap was no indication of guilt,once he looked in the face of my chum. There isn't the faintest streakof double dealing about Mark Cummings, and his face shows it. Even ifthings looked ten times blacker than they do, and he said he didn't doit, everybody would just have to believe his simple word. I'd soonertake it than lots of people's bond, that's what"; and with this eloquenttribute to the honesty and fair-play qualities of his friend, Elmerturned into his own place.
About two o'clock Elmer dropped in at Mark's home. He always liked beingthere, for Mrs. Cummings was very fond of the motherless boy and mademuch of him. Indeed, she never ceased being thankful that Mark had founda chum with such high principles; for while Elmer was a boy all over,full of fun and ready to take a joke with the rest, he had drawn a linefor himself, beyond which nothing could ever tempt him to pass.
"Ready?" he asked, upon bursting into Mark's den, where he found theother engaged in some sort of sketching.
He immediately threw everything aside. With the call of the diamond inthe air what boy, who loved baseball, could resist or allow any otherpursuit to hold him in check?
So together they presently went out, Mark having hastily donned hisbaseball suit. It was the regulation Hickory Ridge uniform, and had beencarried by the players of the town for years past, long before such athing as Boy Scouts had ever been thought of.
Possibly the only real mark that distinguished the members of the troopwhen on the diamond was, first their badge with the significant words:"Be prepared," such as all scouts in good standing are entitled to wear;and second the little totem telling that they were members of the Wolf,the Eagle, or the Beaver Patrol.
Once they reached the field where the games were held they found fullyfifty of the town fellows on hand, some tossing the ball, others battingflies for a host of catchers.
It was soon arranged. Among the fellows who did not, for variousreasons, belong to the scouts there happened to be some pretty goodtimber for the several positions on the field. And Johnny Kline was theone to act as captain. Johnny was a good player, but addicted so much tostrong slang that he despaired of ever being able to make good in thetroop, and kept putting off the day when his application for membershipwould go in.
"Now we're all ready, Elmer," said Mark, who caught for the regularteam.
"Yes, let's get down to business," remarked Lil Artha, who, besidesbeing a cracking good first baseman, was also a field captain.
"Just wait a minute, please," said little Jasper Merriweather, "for herecomes Mr. Garrabrant, and he looks like he might be bringing us somegreat news."
"Hey! bet you that old challenge has arrived!" shouted Red Huggins.
"And you win, hands down, Red," declared the fine-looking young man whogave more or less of his time to the affairs of the troop, on account ofthe deep interest he had in boys in general, "because you see that isjust what I am holding in my hand. So close in and listen while I readit to you!"
"Hurrah! now will you be good, Fairfield?" shouted Lil Artha, waving hiscap.