CHAPTER XXIII -- A Fortunate Meeting
Scout Master Hall was right when he said Alvin Landon and Chester Hayneswould not waste a minute in carrying out the task he had given them.They were determined to secure the arrest of the men who it was believedhad kidnapped the little daughter of Doctor Spellman, before they couldleave that section. In addition, they aimed to get the help of GeorgeBurton and his bloodhound.
This last was far more important than the other, and would insure thediscovery of the fate of the child. If Zip was allowed to take the scentwithin twenty-four hours after she left home--and possibly a littlelater--he would never lose it.
It was four miles over the rough broken trace to the highway, and thentwo more of smoother traveling would bring them to the straggling townof Bovil, where they hoped to secure telephonic communication withBoothbay Harbor and other near by towns. If that could be done, theycould reach Samoset Hotel, on Mouse Island, by the same means. It wouldbe like young Burton to start at once. He could be taken quickly acrossto Boothbay in a motor-boat, where he knew the right course to follow,since he had been over it with Zip. He would have to ascend theSheepscot and walk three miles to reach Bovil, but if a midnight startwas made, he ought to reach the village at daylight and soon after.
It was between eleven and twelve o'clock that Alvin and Chester came insight of the score of buildings which make up the village of Bovil. Whenthey passed through it on their way to Gosling Lake, they paid so slightattention that they could not recall whether it had an inn. Vastly totheir delight, however, they came upon the old-fashioned structure nearthe center of the place, and it was the only one in which a light wasburning.
"That's luck," said Alvin, as the two ascended the steps, pushed openthe door and entered the roomy office, with its unpainted desk, broadfireplace where no wood was burning, a bench without any back, severalrickety chairs, and showy posters on the walls for the information oftravelers by boat or rail.
Staring around the room, by the dim light of the kerosene lamp suspendedfrom the middle of the ceiling, the youths at first saw no person, butheavy breathing directed attention to a settee at the other side, uponwhich a young man was stretched at full length, with his coat doubledunder him for a pillow. He was the model watchman, who was aroused onlyby vigorous shaking. By and by he glumly assumed a sitting posture, andblinked at the disturbers.
"What do you want?" he demanded sourly.
"Can you get us a room?"
"'Spose so. Why didn't you come earlier?"
"Because we came later," replied Chester; "have you got a telephone inthe house?"
"'Course we have,--what of it?"
"We want to use it at once to call up Boothbay Harbor."
"This ain't no time to bother with such things; you'll have to wait tillmorning. What bus'ness had you to wake me up?"
"See here," said Alvin, who was in no mood for trifling, "we have come agood many miles to reach a telephone; this is a case of life and death;we haven't a minute to spare."
"Don't make no difference; you'll have to wait till to-morrer morning."
"Give me the number of the Chief of police at Boothbay."
As Alvin made the peremptory request, he slipped two silver half dollarsinto the bony hand of the young man. This effected the purpose intended.He became wide awake on the instant, stepped briskly to the desk, caughtup the receiver of the instrument, asked and answered several questions,and after a brief wait, nodded to Alvin, who with Chester stood at hiselbow.
"Here you are," he said, passing the receiver to the former; "ArtSpofford is the chief of police at Boothbay, and he's at t'other end ofthe wire."
Artemus Spofford, or "Art" as he is called by every one, was courteous,and replied that no tramps had been seen in town for several weeks, buthe and his officers would be on the alert and arrest and hold anyvagrants answering the description. Not only that, but he volunteered tocommunicate with the neighboring towns and see that every possibleprecaution was taken.
"Leave it to me," he added; "don't mix in; I can attend to it betterthan you; how shall I reach you, if we scoop in the gentlemen?"
It was agreed that Art should 'phone to Bovil, where some of the BoyScouts would call at intervals of a few hours to get any message leftfor them. This arrangement was the most convenient for all concerned.
It took some trying minutes for Alvin to get Hotel Samoset on MouseIsland. It looked as if Everett Ham, the night clerk, was also asleep athis post, but I must not do the faithful young man that injustice. Heresponded after a time, and an understanding was speedily reached.
"Is George Burton staying at your hotel?"
"Yes; he has been here for a week."
"Please call him to the 'phone as quickly as you can; this is of theutmost importance; don't delay for a moment."
"Hold the wire."
With his ear to the receiver, Alvin Landon plainly heard by means of themarvelous invention the hurrying footfalls of Clerk Ham as he dashed outof the office, along the hall and upstairs to rouse Burton. Sooner thanwas expected he was back at the instrument.
"Hello! are you there?" he called.
"Yes; where is Burton?"
"He isn't in the hotel."
The boys were dumfounded for the moment.
"You are sure of that?"
"Yes; I've been to his room; he isn't there; then I remembered he wentoff two days ago and hasn't been back since."
"Didn't he leave any word as to where he was going?"
"He never does; he and that dog of his are on the tramp all the time."
"Then you can't help me to locate him?"
"I wish I could; there's only two things he's fond of,--that is scoutingthrough the country with that dog of his, and going to clambakes. Capt.Free McKown says he's looney on clambakes and eats as much as any twomen."
"Well, Mr. Ham, will you be good enough to give a message to Burton thefirst minute you see him?"
"I surely will."
"Tell him to make all haste to his uncle on Gosling Lake--Got that? Thattheir little girl is lost, and her parents are distracted withgrief--Get that? And they beg him to come as quickly as he can--Getthat?"
Ham repeated the substance of the words, and then rang off.
"We may as well go to bed," said Chester to the clerk, who had saunteredback to the settee and sat down. He lighted a tallow candle and led themupstairs to a roomy apartment, where he bade them good night, pausing atthe door long enough to say:
"There's only one other chap staying with us; he's at t'other end of thehall. Do you want me to call you in the morning?"
"No; we shall wake early."
"That's a bad setback," said Chester dejectedly, as the two beganpreparing for bed; "we never dreamed that Burton would be away fromMouse Island."
"And with not the remotest idea of where to look for him. He left hisuncle's house this forenoon, and may be miles inland, without our beingable to get track of him for a week. I can't help feeling that Zip isthe only one that can solve the puzzle, and it won't take him long to doso."
"No one who knows the dog can doubt that. If Sunbeam has managed to fallinto the lake, he will lead us to the spot. If those scamps have stolenher, she will be found within an hour or two,--and then may the Lordhave mercy on them!"
"Chest, do you believe they are mixed up in this business?"
"I can't help suspecting it."
"I don't, even though their hanging about Doctor Spellman's home has abad look. Those kidnappings are done in the cities,--not in the opencountry like this; and then think for a moment of the conditions. Fortwo tousled bums to steal a little girl, and compel her father to pay aransom for her,--here in the Maine woods, within a few miles of BoothbayHarbor,--why the thing is preposterous."
"Has it occurred to you that they may be connected with others? They maybe agents of the Mafia or Camorra or some regularly organized gang ofkidnappers."
This was new to Alvin, and disturbed him painfully. What was
improbableabout it? The persistency of Biggs and Hutt in prowling about the lakesuggested a strong motive,--such as that of earning a big reward throughthe commission of some such crime as indicated.
"I tell you, Chest, none of us has gone the right way about thisbusiness. Suppose Chief Spofford or some other officer succeeds inarresting the two tramps, what good will it do? They are not such foolsas to walk into a town with a little girl in their charge. They would becalled to account on sight without any request from her friends. As weagreed, we must pin our faith on the bloodhound, and we may not find himfor days, when the trail will be so cold that even he cannot follow it."
The two felt that for the present they were at the end of their rope.They had done all they could to set the wheels in motion for the arrestof the tramps who were under suspicion, and the dread was strong withthem that if such arrest could be brought about it would affect nothing.Any plan for the kidnapping of the little girl would be so cunninglylaid by master minds that their agents would never walk into a trap, nomatter how skilfully set.
"We must find Burton and his dog," was the last remark of Alvin. Hiscompanion murmured assent and then the two sank into the sleep ofweariness and sound health, because of which they did not awake untilthe young man who had received them the night before hammered on thedoor and shouted that breakfast would be ready in ten minutes.
With self-reproaches they bounded out of bed, hurried through theirpreparations, and went down stairs two steps at a time. The meal was onthe table, and for the moment they were the only guests, with the youngman referred to acting as waiter.
The boys had hardly seated themselves when through the open door entereda third guest, accompanied by a black, sturdy, long-eared dog, and thename of the youth was George Burton and that of his canine companionZip.