CHAPTER IX
NEWS OF NODDY
For several seconds no one spoke. The boys stood staring at one anotherand the agent started to go away, evidently believing he had done hispart.
"Can you give us any particulars?" asked Jerry at last. "Where is theboat? Perhaps we can have it fixed."
"It's at Longwood, about ten miles from here," the agent replied, "butthere's no trains to-night. Yo'-uns will have to wait until mornin'."
"I'll never sleep a wink," declared Ned. "Think of the _Dartaway_ beingsmashed!" And he gave something like a groan.
"If she is smashed the railroad company will have to pay heavydamages," declared Jerry. "They've spoiled our whole vacation trip!Can't you give us any particulars?" he went on, turning to the agent."Maybe we could hire a carriage and drive to Longwood. We've got tofind out something about our boat."
"Yes, I guess yo' could drive there," the agent replied. "But Iwouldn't advise yo' to, after dark. The roads are bad and dangerous.Why can't yo' wait until mornin'?"
"We're too anxious," declared Bob.
"Can't we telegraph?" inquired Ned.
"The telegraph office is closed after supper," announced the agent,and, with their last hope gone, of getting any particulars that night,the boys turned away. They went back to the hotel.
"We'll tell the professor," said Bob. "Maybe he can help us out."
When the scientist was made acquainted with the news he was muchsurprised.
"That spoils my plan of catching the prize butterfly," he remarked."I've got to make other arrangements."
"Did you ever have anything lost by a railroad?" asked Jerry.
"Once."
"Was it smashed?"
"Partly."
"What did you do to find it and get it back?"
"Oh, the railroad company was glad enough to assist me," answered thescientist.
"How?" inquired Jerry, and the boys looked interested.
"Why I once shipped a case of very valuable white rats," Mr. Snodgrasswent on. "It was in a wreck, or something, and the railroad lost trackof the case; I couldn't get trace of it. But in a little while Ireceived urgent letters calling on me to take my white rats away. Itseems the case had been side tracked after the accident and sent toa lonely station where the agent was a woman. The rats got loose andfrightened her almost to death. She wired to headquarters threateningto resign unless the rats were taken away. In that way the claim agentheard--"
But what the professor was going to say he never finished, for, at thatmoment some kind of a bug came flying into the room through the openedwindow, and the scientist was after it at once. With his long-handlednet in his hand he pursued the insect about the room.
"Now I have it!" Mr. Snodgrass cried as the bug alighted on the upperpart of the door. He was bringing his upraised net down to catch itwhen the portal opened and a colored man entered, bearing a pitcher ofice water. His head came just in the right place and an instant laterthe professor had brought his net down on the woolly pate of the negro.
The startled colored man dropped the pitcher of water, which splashedall over himself and the professor, and then the darky let out a yell.
"I'm cotched! He's got me in de net! I'm a gone coon! Leggo! I ain'tdone nuffin! It were Sam Johnson as done it! Please, good Mr. Man letme go!"
He struggled to get the net off his head, and the professorendeavored to assist him, but their efforts only seemed to make themosquito-fabric cling the tighter, until the yells of the colored manbrought several guests out into the corridor on the run, thinking thehotel might be afire.
"Help 'em, Ned!" called Jerry, who was laughing so he could not go tothe aid of the two.
"Help 'em yourself," responded Ned, almost doubled up with mirth at thesight of the struggling figures.
At length the two managed to extricate themselves, and the professor,taking his net from the colored man's head, carefully examined it forpossible rents.
"Did I hurt you?" asked the scientist.
"No, I cain't 'zactly say as how 'yo hurted me," the colored manreplied with a grin, "but yo' done mos' scaired me t' def!"
"I'm very sorry," went on Mr. Snodgrass. "I was after a bug!"
"I thought yo' were after me!" and the bearer of the ice water gazed atthe broken pitcher.
"Well, here's something to buy salve for your head," and the professorgave the man a half dollar.
"Landy! Fo' bits!" exclaimed the delighted negro.
None of the boys slept well that night, on account of thinking abouttheir boat. All hoped against hope that it might not be so badlydamaged but what it could be repaired.
They paid an early visit to the railroad office, the professor goingwith them. Mr. Snodgrass, in spite of his scientific training, knewhow to talk business, and he soon had the agent wiring for particularsconcerning the motor boat.
"Tell 'em to send it here, no matter how badly it's smashed," put inJerry.
"Yes, we want our boat," added Bob.
"In a hurry," was Ned's contribution to the general orders.
"My, but yo' folks from the North are in a powerful rush," observed theagent with a smile. "We-uns down here take life easier. I'll do my bestfor yo'. The night man left word that yo' uns was frettin' an' stewin'about yo' boat. Yo' uns is jest like another feller from the North.He was here a while ago, an' he were raisin' Hail Columbia 'cause thetrain was behind time. Said he were goin' to his cocoanut plantationnear Lake Okeechobee an' wanted to git there in a hurry."
"Cocoanut plantation?" asked Jerry, a sudden idea coming into his brain.
"Yep; that's what he said. Looked rather young to be ownin' aplantation. He was about the age of yo' lads. Seemed to think a gooddeal of himself, an' give a powerful lot of orders."
"What was his name?" asked Ned eagerly.
"Let's see, now. It was a curious sort of name. Shaky--no, it wasn'tShaky--Sleepy--no, that ain't it either--Noddy--that's what it was.Noddy Nixon!"
"Noddy Nixon down here!" cried Jerry. "How long ago?"
"He was at this station a week ago to-day," replied the agent. "Had tostay over one night because he missed a train, and he tried to make outit was my fault."
"Just like Noddy," murmured Ned. "So he's down here? Maybe we'll meethim."
"Hope not," remarked Jerry.
"Hark!" exclaimed the agent, as he listened to the clicking of thetelegraph instrument. "There's a message from Longwood. It's about you'boat."