CHAPTER VI
"CARRY THE NEWS TO ANDY!"
"Nobody here, Jack!" announced George, in a relieved tone, as the twoentered the stable, and looked around.
A number of horses stood in stalls, munching their oats, which in itselftold the observing Jack that some one must have been there a short timebefore, since the animals had been recently fed.
Before he could make any reply to his companion's remark, once more thatthrilling sound came to their ears. And this time even George realizedthat it was unmistakably a human groan.
"It came from over here!" exclaimed Jack, as without the slightesthesitation he sprang across the floor of the place.
George following close upon his heels, saw him bending over the figureof a man, who was lying upon the floor in a doubled-up position.
"What has happened? Did one of the horses kick him?" gasped George,always a bundle of nerves.
"No, I don't think so," replied Jack. "I can find no sign of an injuryabout him. It's more likely a fit of some kind he's just recoveringfrom. Lots of people are subject to such things, you know."
"Say, that's just what;" declared George. "I had an uncle who used todrop like a rock right in the street or anywhere."
"What did they do with him at such times?" demanded Jack, anxiously.
"Well, nobody seemed able to do much," replied the other. "I saw myfather loosen the collar of his shirt, and lay him out on his back. Alittle water on his face might help; but in most fits it takes some timeto recover. But I thought I saw his eyelids twitch right then, Jack."
"Yes, he's going to come out of it," replied Jack, as he managed to getthe old man into what seemed like a more comfortable position.
And presently, as the two boys still bent anxiously over him, the manopened his eyes. He stared at them for a bit, as if trying to collecthis thoughts. Then a horse neighed, and he seemed to realize hisposition.
Jack, seeing him trying to sit up, assisted him. The old man sighedheavily, and spoke in a weak tone.
"Reckon I dropped in my own stable that time. Might have been underthe feet of the hosses too. And both men away. Who are ye, boys? I'mbeholdin' to you more'n I can say," he went on.
Whereupon Jack soon explained how they belonged to a little company ofcruisers who had been driven by the storm to take shelter behind thepoint of land; and that their present errand was to secure a supply offresh milk and eggs, if so be they could be had.
"Help me to the house, please, boys," said the farmer, trying to rise."I'm always some weak after one of these spells. They're acomin' oftenernow, and I'll have to quit bein' alone. Now more'n ever I need Andy. Oh!if they can only find him for me, I'll be so happy."
Of course this was so much Greek to the two boys. But they gladly helpedhim to regain his feet, and walk to the house.
"The men will be back soon, and you can have all the milk and eggs youwant!" he declared; and even as he spoke George discovered a team comingtoward the farmhouse, evidently from some nearby town, with a couple ofhusky men on the wagon, which was piled high with new and empty applebarrels.
"That let's me out," laughed George, "for you see, I was just going tovolunteer to milk Bossie; and as I've had mighty little experience inthat line, perhaps she'd have kicked me into the next county for abungler."
The men came on to the house, seeing strangers present, and Jack soonexplained the situation to them. He learned that the old farmer's namewas Jonathan Fosdick, and that the Andy he had spoken about was his onlyson, with whom he had quarreled several years back, and for whom hisheart was forever yearning, now that old age and disease began to griphold of him.
Supplied with the milk and the eggs the two lads started back to thecamp.
"Promise to come up and see me again tonight, boys," the old farmer hadpleaded, as he came to the door with them, after positively refusing toaccept any pay for what they had received. "I want to speak with youabout something that's on my mind a heap lately. You helped me once;p'raps ye can again."
"Now, what under the sun do you think he meant?" remarked George, asthey plodded along with their heavy burdens toward the lake shore, wherethe boats lay.
"Just wait, and we'll know all about it soon," replied Jack; for whilehe could himself give a pretty good guess what was on the mind of Mr.Fosdick, he did not care to commit himself.
The others greeted the foragers with loud cries of delight.
"Then there wasn't any bull handy?" said Nick, with an evident shade ofdisappointment in his voice; for Nick was nothing if not generous; andhaving tasted the delights of being chased up a tree by an angry bovine,he felt that the other fellows ought to share the experience with him.
The fire was already burning briskly, and Josh employed in his customarytasks of getting things ready for cooking. At such times Josh was lookedupon as a czar, and his simplest word was law. It was very pleasant forthe tall, lanky lad to feel that he did have an hour or so each day,when every one bent the knee to his superior knowledge; and he certainlymade the most of it.
And the supper was of course a bountiful one. It could not be otherwiseso long as Nick and Jimmie had a hand in its preparation. The formerhovered around from time to time, suggesting that Josh add just anotherhandful to the rice that was being cooked, or possibly wondering if theycould make one big can of mullagatawny soup do for six fellows; untilfrequently the boss would turn and wither him with a look, backed up asit was with that big spoon.
Later on, after everybody had declared themselves satisfied, Jackbeckoned to the skipper of the _Wireless_.
"We promised that we'd run up and see how Mr. Fosdick was getting on,fellows," remarked the latter. "Be back inside of an hour or so; longbefore you are thinking of going aboard."
Nick started to rise, but sank back again as Jack shook his head.
"This farmer keeps a black bull, Buster. I saw him in an enclosure, andseemed to me the bars looked mighty slender!" observed George,maliciously.
"Excuse me, I think this fire feels mighty comfy," grinned Nick.
The two boys found Mr. Fosdick waiting for them. The woman who did hishousehold work, a black mammy, had been over at a neighbor's when theywere there before; but had later on returned, and cooked supper.
Things even looked a little cheerful, with the lamp-light flooding thecomfortable livingroom of the big farmhouse.
"Sit down, boys," said the farmer, pointing to two chairs, he himselfreclining on a lounge. "You're wondering now why I wanted to see yeagain. I'm beholdin' to you for the prompt assistance you gave me. Butthere's somethin' more'n that. Did ye say as how ye was bound for LakeSuperior way soon?"
"Why, we are going as far as the Soo," Jack replied, readily; "andwe may take a notion to prowl along the northern shore for a shortdistance. I've always heard a heap about the big speckled trout to betaken around the mouth of the Agawa river and other places there, andsince we have the chance I thought I'd like to try to land a whopper,if so be the rest of the boys are willing to go."
"The Agawa!" repeated Mr. Fosdick, eagerly. "I wonder if that might bethe place now. 'Twas somewhere along that northern shore he said he sawmy Andy."
"That was your son, I take it?" ventured Jack.
"Yes, my only boy or child. His mother died after he ran away, and I'mgettin' old now. I want Andy to come home; but try as I would, I nevercould get a line to him."
Then he went on to tell about his boy, and for a long time Jack andGeorge had to listen to an account of Andy's childhood life. Graduallyhe came to the point where the highstrung boy had refused to be treatedas a child any longer. A violent quarrel had followed, and Andy lefthome.
"I know now I was most to blame," said the old man, contritely; "and ifonly I could get word to my boy I'd beg him to come back to me. I wantto see him again before I foller his mother across the great divide.Just a week ago I had a letter from a party who told me he was surehe saw Andy in a fish camp up on Superior. He'd growed up, and thegentleman didn't have a chanct to speak with him; b
ut afterward itstruck him who the man was. If so be ye run across Andy, tell him I'mwaitin' with my arms stretched out for him, won't ye, boys?"
"To be sure we will!" declared George, heartily, for he was considerablyaffected by the appearance of grief on the old man's face.
They soon afterward started to say goodnight, wishing to get back towhere the rest of the party sat around the camp fire.
"I forgot to tell ye," went on Mr. Fosdick, as he followed them to thedoor, "as they was a young chap here t'other day as said he'd keep aneye out for Andy. And now that I think of it, he had a little motor boattoo, like them you tell me about. And he said he 'spected to cruisearound Superior a bit."
George and Jack exchanged glances.
"And was his name Clarence Macklin?" asked the latter, quickly.
"Just what it was," replied the farmer, waving them a farewell.
"Now, what do you think of that?" asked George, as they strode on. "Why,that fellow is bound to crop up all the time like a jack-in-the-box. Wecan't even start to do a poor heartbroken old father a good turn, but hegets his finger in the pie. But there's a bully chance for me to getanother race with his piratical _Flash_, and that's some satisfaction;"and Jack found himself compelled to laugh, realizing that George had hisweakness just as well as Buster.