CHAPTER XXVIII
RUTH TELLS HER SECRET
"Quick! We must hurry him to a doctor!" exclaimed Ruth, as she bent downover Fenn. "Will he die, daddy?"
"I think not. He'll be all right in a little while. But we'll take himto our house. Lucky the auto is not far away."
"I'm--I'm all right," gasped Fenn, faintly. "I was just tired out,that's all. I didn't swallow any water. There--there seemed to be somesort of a current setting against the shore, and--I couldn't make anyheadway."
He sat up, looking rather woe-begone, soaking wet as he was, and withsome of the red clay still clinging to his clothes. Mr. Hayward washastily donning his outer garments over his wet things.
"I'll have the auto around in a jiffy!" he exclaimed. "Lucky it'ssummer, and you'll not take cold. Just rest yourself, Fenn, until I comeback, and we'll have you all right again."
"But how in the world did you ever get into the lake?" asked Ruth, asher father hurried away.
"I jumped in."
"Jumped in!" repeated Bart. "How was that?"
"Now we mustn't ask him too many questions," interrupted Ruth. "He's notable to answer."
"Oh yes I am," replied the lad who had been through rather strenuoustimes in the last few hours. Thereupon he briefly related what hadhappened since his chums left him to go hunting, ending up with hisunexpected plunge into the lake. In turn Bart told how they had searchedfor him, and how, having met Mr. Hayward and his daughter, the hunt wasbrought to such a timely ending.
"But what were those men taking out of the cave?" asked Frank, when Ruthhad gone down the shore, along which a road ran, to see if her fatherwas returning.
"That's what we've got to discover," answered Fenn. "I think there's avaluable secret back of it. We'll go--"
But further conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the auto--thesame big touring car that had so nearly come to grief in Darewell. Thefour boys got in, Fenn was wrapped in a lap robe, to prevent gettingchilled on the quick ride that was to follow, and the car was sentwhizzing along an unfrequented road to Mr. Hayward's home, several milesaway.
The three chums wanted to ask Fenn all sorts of questions about hisexperiences, but Ruth, who constituted herself a sort of emergencynurse, forbade them.
"You'll have time enough after he has had a rest," she said. "Besides,he's just gotten over a fever, you say. Do you want him to get another?It looks as though he was."
And that was just what happened. When the auto reached Mr. Hayward'shome Fenn was found to be in considerable distress. His cheeks were hotand flushed and he was put to bed at once, though he insisted, with hisusual disregard of trifles that concerned himself, that he was "allright."
A physician was summoned, and prescribed quiet, and some soothingmedicine.
"He has had a severe shock," he said, "and this, on top of his formerattack of fever, from which he had barely recovered, has caused a slightrelapse. It is nothing dangerous, and, with careful nursing he will beall right in a few days."
"Then, I'm going to take care of him," declared Ruth. "It will be achance to pay back some of his, and his folks' kindness to me and myfather. Now mind, I don't want you boys to speak to Fenn unless I giveyou permission," and she laughed as she shook her finger at the chums toimpress this on them.
Fenn, under the influence of the medicine, soon fell into a deep sleep,which, the pretty nurse said, was the best thing in the world for him.
"I guess we'd better go back to camp," proposed Bart. "All we broughtaway from there are the guns, and some one might come along and stealthe other stuff, which isn't ours."
"That's so, those smugglers are still around I suppose," added Ned. "Wehad better get back, I think."
"You'll do nothing of the sort," declared Mr. Hayward good-naturedly."You're going to be my guests, or I'll be very much offended. We've notgot such a fine place as some, but you're welcome to what there is. Ifthings were different--but there, I want you to stay."
He seemed affected by something, and his manner was so queer that theboys could not help noticing it. Ruth, too, appeared embarrassed, and,at first, Bart and his chums thought it might be that she was notprepared for company, since, as her mother was dead, she had the wholecare of the house, though there was a servant to help her. But herinvitation, which she added to that of her father's, assured the boysthat they would be very welcome.
"You can't rough it so much as you could out in the woods," said Ruth,"but I think you'll like it here. We have a motor boat, and you may wishto run it on the lake."
"A motor boat!" exclaimed Bart. "That settles it! We stay!"
"But what about our camp stuff?" asked Frank.
"I'll send a man to gather it up and ship it back to Duluth," said Mr.Hayward. "There's no need of you going back there at all. I'll be gladto have you stay. We're a little upset on account of--"
He stopped suddenly, and glanced at his daughter, who did not appear tobe listening to what he was saying. But she heard, nevertheless, as wasshown by her next remark.
"Oh, dad means some of the servants have gone," quickly explained Ruth."You see we had too many," she went on. "I decided we could get alongwith one, for I want to help do the work. I must learn to be ahousekeeper, you know," and she blushed a little. "We're not upset abit, daddy. You see, I'll manage."
It seemed as though something sad was worrying Mr. Hayward, but, he soonrecovered his usual spirits, and got the boys to give him directions forshipping back their camp stuff.
"Now, I'll look after it," he said, as he prepared to leave the house,having changed his wet garments for dry ones. "I have some other mattersto attend to, and I may not be back until late. I guess you can getalong here. You can pretend you're camping out, and, if you get tired ofthat, Ruth will show you where the motor boat is. Only, don't upset,"and, with that caution, he left them.
The three chums decided they would try the boat at once, and, Ruth,having ascertained that they knew how to run one, showed them where thelaunch was kept in a neat boat-house on the shore of Lake Superior.
"Don't be gone too long," she said. "You can't tell what will happen toFenn."
"I guess he couldn't be in better hands," said Frank, with a bow.
"Oh, thank you!" exclaimed Ruth, with a pretty blush.
"That'll do you," observed Bart, nudging Frank with his elbow. "I'lltell Fenn when he gets well."
Ruth returned to her patient, after urging the three chums to be back intime for dinner. She found Fenn awake, and with unnaturally bright eyes.
"You must go to sleep," she told him.
"I can't sleep."
"Why not?"
"I'm thinking of something."
"What about?" she asked with a little laugh. "About all the wonderfuladventures you had?"
"Partly, and about that cave. It's the same one."
"The same one? What do you mean?"
"The same one you talked about when you were at our house. The mysteriouscave, where the men were at work. I see it all now. It's the same cave!There is some secret about it! Tell me what it is. Don't you rememberwhat you said? You wanted to find the cave, but couldn't. I have foundit!"
"Oh!" exclaimed Ruth. She drew back as if frightened. "Oh!" she criedagain. "Can it be possible. It seems like a dream! Can it be my cave?"
"Tell me about it," suggested Fenn, for even his illness could not deterhim from trying to solve the mystery.
"I am going to tell you a secret," answered Ruth. "It is something Ihave told no one. You know my father is--or, rather he was--quitewealthy. He owned considerable property, and was counted a millionaire.But lately, through some misfortune, he has lost nearly all his wealth.I suspect, though I do not know for sure, that some wicked men havecheated him out of it. But he does not know that I am aware of his loss.He has kept it a secret and he tries to keep up when he is with me, butI can see the strain he is under. He does not want me to suffer, deardaddy! But I don't mind. I don't care for money as long as I have him.
; "He thinks he can get his wealth back again, and so he has been makingall sorts of sacrifices in order that I may continue to live here, inthe same style we used to. But I found out about it. I discharged allthe servants but one, to save money, and I am economizing in otherways."
"But about the cave," insisted Fenn.
"It sounds almost like a dream," went on Ruth. "One day, when I waswalking through the woods around here, just before daddy and I took thatautomobile trip East, I was on a ledge of the cliff, about oppositewhere you were in the lake to-day. That particular ledge is not therenow, as a landslide carried it away, but it was quite large, and easyto get to, when I was on it. I was after some peculiar flowers that grewthere.
"As I was gathering them I saw an opening in the cliff, and I could lookright into a large cave. I was so surprised I did not know what to do,and, much more so, when I saw several men at work. They seemed to betaking stuff out--valuable stuff, for they were very careful with it. Imust have made some noise, for one of the men came to where I waslooking in.
"He was very angry, and tried to grab me. I drew back, and nearly toppledoff the ledge into the lake. Then the man threatened me. He said if Iever told what I saw something dreadful would happen to me.
"I was much frightened, and hurried away. I was going to tell my fatherof what I had seen, but the memory of the man's threat prevented me. Thething got on my mind so I was taken ill. Then came the automobile tripand the accident. But I could not forget the cave. It seemed like a baddream, and it followed me. I did not know I had mentioned it in mydelirium at your house, until you told me. Then I was frightened lestsomething happen to you, as well as to myself, and I begged you never torefer to it. But I could not forget it. All the while I kept wonderingwho those men were, and what they were taking out. I thought perhapsthey might have found gold. Of course it was foolish, and, sometimes Ithink it was all only a bad dream. Only it is not a dream about poordaddy losing all his money."
"And it isn't any dream about that cave!" exclaimed Fenn, sitting up inbed. "It's real. There are men in it taking out something I think isvaluable. They are doing it secretly, too. I don't know who it belongsto, but we'll soon find that out. By some curious chance I havediscovered the same cave you looked into. I'll take you to it, andwe'll see what those men are digging out. I'm going to get right up andgo back there. I'm all right! We must go before the men take all thestuff! Where are the boys? Tell them to come here and help me dress."
"No, no!" exclaimed Ruth. "The doctor said you must be kept quiet!"
"I'm going to go back to that cave!" declared Fenn, and, getting out ofbed, clad in a big bath robe, he began to hunt for his clothes, which,however were not in the room, having been taken to the laundry to bepressed.
"Mary! Mary!" called Ruth to the servant. "Telephone for the doctor.Tell him Fenn is delirious!"