CHAPTER VII.
THE TWO HORSEMEN.
The attack in the barn was so utterly unexpected and so suddenly madethat Matt and Carl hardly realized what had happened until it was allover. Although a little dazed by the whirl of events, and still partlyblinded by the gleam from the dark lantern, the king of the motor boyshad his wits about him.
The letter was gone, but that was no great loss. The value of theletter lay in the use Matt had intended to make of it, by discoveringwho had placed it under the rubber mat in the tonneau. Such a discoverywould have given the young motorist a clue as to who "James Trymore"really was.
Neither Matt nor Carl were very much damaged by their rough experience.In their rush from the barn they were only a few yards behind the menwho had attacked them, and they would have been right on the others'heels if Carl had not made a mistake and caught hold of Matt just atthe moment when there was no time for delay.
Matt, who was in the lead, heard a sound of running around the side,and toward the rear, of the barn. Flinging away in that direction, hecame out on an alley, with the sounds he had been following abruptlyblotted into silence. While he stood there, wondering which way themen had gone, a pounding of horses' hoofs jumped out of the stillness,somewhere to the left. He turned barely in time to see the forms of twomounted men melting away in the blank darkness.
Matt was disappointed. He had not expected to overtake the men, but hehad hoped to come close enough so that he could get a fairly good lookat them.
"Who vas dem fellers, anyvay, und vat vas der mix-oop aboudt?" came thevoice of Carl as he pushed toward Matt through the gloom.
"That's too deep for me, Carl," returned Matt. "There were two ofthem, and they had their horses in the alley. One of them grabbed thatTrymore letter just as I was going to put it in the car."
"Vell, der ledder don'd amount to nodding. Ve know vat it hat on derinsite, und dot's plenty for us. Be jeerful."
"I guess I'll have to revise my opinion of Tomlinson. Neither of thosehorsemen could by any possibility have been him, and it's a cinch theywere in the barn to get that letter. We blundered into their hands tooslick for any use! As things look now, Carl, Tomlinson is straightgoods."
"I t'ink he vas some skinflints, all righdt, aber dot's der vorst vatcan be saidt oof Domlinson. Dose two fellers vas de vones vat dry torop der car, hey?"
"They must have been."
"Und meppy vone vas Pringle! Der tinhorn vat cut loose fromWienerwurst! Say, I vish I could haf hanted him a cholt in der slats. Icould blay ragdime moosic all ofer dat feller."
"We'll go back and take a look at the Red Flier," said Matt, "andmake sure those two men haven't done anything to put the car out ofbusiness. This is a mighty puzzling proposition we're up against, and Ican't make head or tail out of it. If Tomlinson didn't have anything todo with that letter, I can't understand how it got into the bottom ofthe tonneau. And if he was the one who put it there, why did those mencome after it?"
"Tough luck, Matt, aber take it jeerfully," counseled Carl. "I haf hatmore money come indo my hants since I peen hooked oop mit you dan Iefer t'ought I vould ged a look ad in all my life. Dot's righdt. Dotpig ret car comes rolling righdt oop to us, invitationing us to grabholt und keep it--vich ve don'd. Den ve findt t'irty t'ousant tollars'vort oof bearls vich likevise say for us to cash dem in, go off pyourselufs und be rich und jeerful--vich also ve don'd. Oudt oof alldose shances, you pull down a huntert-tollar chob und I get a rite pyTenver. Ach, himmel!" and Carl heaved a long sigh.
Paying no attention to his comrade's regrets, Matt had been making hisway back to the barn door. The excitement in and around the barn hadnot claimed the notice of any one in the hotel or on the street. Whatracket there was had been confined to a limited space and had evidentlynot been heard by the townspeople.
"Close the door, Carl," said Matt, as the Dutch boy followed him intothe barn. "I saw a lantern on the wall, when we brought the machine in,and I'll light it while we look around."
Carl shut the door, and Matt struck a match, found the lantern, andlighted it.
"Nopody heardt vat vent on here," remarked Carl, while Matt was movingabout the Red Flier. "Ve couldt haf peen laidt oudt for keeps mitoudtaddracting any addention. Vy, oof dose fellers had vanted to, dey couldhaf shtole der car, py chiminy!"
"There ought to be some way to lock the barn," said Matt, "but, asthere isn't, I have a notion to bunk down on the tonneau seat for therest of the night."
"Oof you do dot," asserted Carl, "I vill keep along mit you."
"That would be foolish. All I want to do is to watch and see that thosetwo horsemen don't come back."
"Two to watch is pedder as vone, Matt," answered Carl firmly. "Is derRed Flier hurt anyvere?"
"I can't see that the machine has been tampered with at all." Hestepped around in front and "turned over" the engine. "Everythingappears to be just as we left it," he added, "so I am compelled tothink that those two horsemen rode into town after that letter."
"Und Domlinson didn'd know a ting aboudt it, hey?"
"That's the way it looks. Of course, it's hard to under----"
Matt bit off his words abruptly and whirled around from the front ofthe machine. A crunch of footsteps could be heard outside, cautiouslyapproaching the barn door.
Swiftly Matt extinguished the light, caught Carl by the arm and pulledhim across the barn and into a box-stall. There they crouched down andpeered out.
"By shinks!" whispered Carl. "A lod oof t'ings vas habbenin' to-nighdt.Dose two fellers vas comin' pack! How ve ketch dem, hey?"
"Hist!" warned Matt.
Just then the barn door opened, and a dark form could be seen againstthe lighter background of the doorway.
The man slipped into the barn stealthily and pulled the door shutbehind him. It was impossible for the boys to see him very plainly, andafter the door was closed they could not see him at all.
While they crouched breathlessly in the box-stall they heard a sound offumbling movements, then the scratching of a match. Two hands could beseen, one holding the match and the other a piece of candle. When thecandle was lighted the face of the man was brought out with positivedistinctness.
It was Tomlinson!
Carl, fairly shaking with suppressed excitement, gripped Matt's arm.Taking the hand from his arm, Matt pressed it to signify that they wereto remain where they were, and watch and see what happened.
Having lighted his candle, Tomlinson raised erect and peered about himthrough the gloom. Rest and food had brought back most of his strength,and he moved toward the car quickly and carefully.
Following down the right side of the machine, he opened the tonneaudoor, stooped and pulled up the rubber mat. The next moment adisappointed exclamation came from him.
Throwing the mat aside, he searched frantically, getting down on hisknees in the tonneau and then carrying his hunt to the forward part ofthe machine.
He was all of five minutes bobbing around in the machine, and when hegot out of it, and stood for a moment in front of the car, there was anugly and perplexed look on his face.
Muttering to himself, he pinched out the candle, flung it away fromhim, turned, and went through the door.
"Pinch me vonce!" murmured Carl, with a long breath. "Meppy I vastreaming."
"You're wide-awake, Carl," said Matt grimly, "and so am I. What do youthink of that?"
"I don'd know vat to t'ink, und dot's all aboudt it. Dere's peennodding but funny pitzness efer since you shtopped der car ven it vasrunning avay mit itseluf--schust vone keveer t'ing afder some more.Chiminy plazes! I feel like I vas going pughouse. Domlinson come afderdot ledder, too."
"Sure he did."
"Und dose odder fellers vas afder it."
"No doubt."
"Und dose odder fellers got it----"
"And Tomlinson will think I was the one who took it, and that I amkeeping it."
"Vat you t'ink, Matt? Vill you go und tell der deputy sheriff?"
"No. What we
have discovered we will keep to ourselves. We don't knowenough, yet, to lodge a complaint against anybody."
"Ve'll go on to Tenver mit Domlinson?"
"Yes, and keep our eyes and ears open every foot of the way. I've gota hunch that we'll find the key to this mystery somewhere between AshFork and Flagstaff. You go on up to the room, Carl, and go carefully.I'll sleep in the Red Flier. The car will be fairly comfortable forone, and it wouldn't be for two. Besides, it will be better if some oneoccupies our room."
Carl protested a little, but was finally prevailed upon to carry outMatt's suggestion. Matt got into the car and doubled up on the rearseat.
His mind was so full of the queer developments of the mystery that itwas a long time before he went to sleep. However, he dozed off at lastand did not open his eyes again until, in the early morning, he wasaroused by the opening of the barn door.
As he started up quickly in the tonneau, the face of Tomlinson met him.
Tomlinson was startled by the sight of Matt, and leaped back inconsternation; then, recovering himself, he came on into the barn anddrew near the machine.
There was flaming suspicion in his eyes and a fierce look on his face.