CHAPTER XXX
THE ROUND-UP
Jerry Hopkins, lying in the haymow and looking down at the men andlistening to them, could hardly believe his senses. At last it was allclear to him. Before him was the crooked-nosed man who had been seenin Cresville the night of the tenement house fire. And now, by his ownadmission, there was the man who had set the blaze so the robbery couldbe carried out with less fear of detection. As to the third man, Jerrydid not know what to think. His mention of “Pug” seemed to link himwith the bully, Kennedy, but this yet remained to be proved.
“Anyhow, I’m sure of one thing,” decided Jerry, as he looked back intothe dark mow, and could detect no movement that would indicate hischums were awake. “Crooked Nose is the man who robbed old Mr. Cardon,and the other chap is the one who set the fire. They’re both guiltyby their own admission. But where is his other money if these fellowsdidn’t get it? And the brooch and the watch? I wonder if they could bein the ruins?”
Jerry was thinking quickly. There was much to do if he hoped to capturethe three men and fasten their crimes on them. First he must awakensome of his companions, and let them listen to the incriminating talk.
Jerry crawled to where his two friends were sleeping. He firstawakened Ned, and clapped a hand over his mouth to silence any suddenexclamation of surprise.
“What is it?” Ned demanded.
“Crooked Nose!” whispered Jerry. “Keep still! I think we have them!”
Bob was harder to arouse, and inclined to make more noise, but atlength the three motor boys, leaving the other soldiers sleeping in thehay, had crawled to the edge of the mow and were looking down on thethree men gathered about the shaded lantern. The discussion was stillgoing on.
“Why don’t you wait?” begged the crooked-nosed man, who had given hisname to Mr. Martin as Jim Waydell. “Why do you want to spoil thingsnow?” and he addressed the fellow who had displaced the coat, which hadbeen adjusted again, however. “Why don’t you wait?”
“Because I’m tired of waiting,” was the growled-out answer. “I wantsome coin. I set the fire. You robbed the Frenchman. It was fifty-fiftywith the risk. Now let it be the same with the coin.”
“But I tell you I haven’t got much coin left,” declared Crooked Nose.“We missed the biggest bunch of it, and what I got----”
“Give me half of what you got then!” growled the other.
“I can’t. I had to spend some----”
“Don’t talk so loud!” warned the man whose face was in the shadow.“First thing you know some one may hear us, and then----” He shruggedhis shoulders, as though no words were necessary.
“Great Scott!” whispered Ned to Jerry. “Is it possible we have stumbledon the very men we wanted?”
“More a case of them stumbling in on us,” Jerry answered. “Listen towhat they are saying.”
It was the same argument over again, one man demanding money and theother trying to pacify him without giving it.
“What are we going to do?” whispered Ned.
“Get ’em, of course,” Jerry replied in the same low voice. “Do youthink we three can manage them alone--each one take a man?”
“Sure!” declared Ned. He and his chums were in excellent physicalcondition, thanks to their army training.
“Well, then let’s jump on ’em. Take ’em by surprise,” advised the talllad. “We can slide down from the hay and grab ’em before they knowwhat’s up. We’ve heard enough to convict them now. It was the veryevidence we needed.”
“Better wake up the other fellows so they can stand by us in case oftrouble,” advised Bob, and this was decided on. While the two menwere still disputing, and their companion waited, Ned, Bob and Jerrysilently roused their sleeping comrades, briefly telling them what thesituation was.
“We’ll slide down and grab ’em,” said Jerry. “They don’t appear to bearmed, but if they are we’ll take ’em by surprise before they can gettheir guns. You stand by with your rifles, fellows. I guess the sightof the guns will be all that’s needed. All ready now?” he asked Ned andBob in a whisper.
“WE’LL SLIDE DOWN AND GRAB ’EM,” SAID JERRY.]
“All ready!”
The boys had drawn back to the far end of the haymow to make theirplans, so their whispers would not penetrate to the ears of the men.But there was little danger of this, as the storm outside was makingtoo much noise.
The three chums from Cresville now worked their way to the edge of thehaymow. The men were still below them, Crooked Nose and his companionangrily arguing, while the other man had risen. For the first timeJerry and his chums had a glimpse of the face.
“I’ve seen him somewhere before,” decided Jerry.
But there was no time then for such speculation. The men must be caught.
Poised on the very edge of the haymow, Jerry and his chums waited amoment. They were going to jump down the ten feet and rush at the men.There was a litter of straw below them which would break the force oftheir leap.
“Go!” suddenly whispered Jerry.
Three bodies shot over the edge of the haymow, landing with a thud onthe barn floor. The men, hearing the noise and feeling the concussion,turned quickly. A sudden motion of one again displaced the coat overthe lantern, so that the scene was well lighted.
“They’ve got us!” yelled Crooked Nose, and he made a rush, but JerryHopkins caught him in his long arms.
“Get out the way!” shouted the man who had been begging for a divisionof the spoils, as he headed for Ned like a football player trying toavoid a tackle. But Ned was used to such tactics. He downed his manhard, the thud shaking the barn.
Bob did not have such luck. His man crashed full into him, knocked Bobto one side and then disappeared in some dark recess of the barn.Chunky, somewhat dazed, rose slowly and tried to follow.
Meanwhile Jerry and Ned were struggling with the two men they hadcaught. The outcome was in doubt, for the prisoners were desperate.But the advent of the other soldiers sliding down from the haymow withrifles ready for use, soon settled the matter.
“Surrender!” sharply ordered Jerry.
“Guess we’ll have to,” sullenly agreed the crooked-nosed man.
“Now find the other fellow,” Jerry ordered, when the men had been tiedwith ropes, which had been found in the barn.
But this was more easily said than done. Using the lantern and theirelectric searchlights the boys hunted through the barn, but the thirdman was not to be found.
“He got away,” said Bob regretfully.
“Oh, don’t worry,” returned Jerry consolingly. “We got the two mainones, anyhow. And maybe these fellows will have something on them totell who the other fellow was.”
The prisoners did not answer, but they looked uncomfortable.
“Well, this is a good night’s work,” declared Jerry, when he and hischums had a chance to talk matters over. “We’ve got the robber and thefirebug, and I guess we can help get back most of the Frenchman’smoney and maybe the gold watch and the diamond brooch. They are back inthe fire ruins, I imagine.”
By turns Ned, Bob and Jerry explained to their companions the reasonfor capturing Crooked Nose and the other man, relating the story of thefire in Cresville some months back.
There was little sleep for any one the rest of that night. A guard wasposted over the two prisoners, when a search had failed to reveal themissing third man, and in the morning, after a hasty breakfast in theold barn, the march back to camp was made. The storm was over.
There was some surprise when Jerry and his chums returned with theirprisoners. Captain Trainer, when he heard the story, had the men lockedup in the guardhouse until the civil authorities could be communicatedwith, as the crime was not a military one.
And, a little later, Hans Freitlach, _alias_ Jim Waydell, thecrooked-nosed man, and Fritz Lebhach, his companion, were safely injail, and some papers found on them disclosed their real identity.
They were German spies, being members of a band that had f
or its objectthe destruction of munition plants and warehouses and factories, wherewar goods for our government and the Allies were being stored and made.They had set a number of fires, it was learned afterward, though theone in Cresville had been a personal matter, designed to get hold ofthe old Frenchman’s money. After that crime Freitlach and Lebhach hadfled, agreeing to meet later in the South, as they did, much to theirown discomfort.
“And who do you think that other man was--the one that bowled Bobover?” asked Jerry, rushing excitedly up to his chums a few days afterthe men had been sent to Cresville to await trial.
“Haven’t an idea, unless he was some football star,” Chunky ruefullyanswered, remembering his failure to tackle.
“He was Pug Kennedy’s step-father!” was the unexpected informationJerry gave.
“Pug Kennedy’s step-father!” exclaimed Ned and Bob.
“Yes. His name is Meyer, and he’s another German spy, and so is Pug.Meyer masqueraded as an Irishman, for he had been pals with an Irishprize-fighter for some years.”
“And was it his father Pug sneaked out to meet at night?” asked Ned.
“Yes,” answered Jerry. “Since Pug has deserted the whole story has comeout. His father was another spy, and his particular work was to maketrouble in camps--set fire to storehouses, quartermasters’ depots andthe like. Pug was going to help him, and that’s why he enlisted--therotten traitor! But he’s gone, and the Secret Service men hope to catchthem both.”
A week later came back word from Cresville that filled the youngsoldiers with keen satisfaction. The ashes of the tenement house firehad been thoroughly searched and an iron box belonging to the Frenchengraver had been recovered. It contained a large part of the old man’smoney and also Mr. Baker’s gold watch.
“I’m glad dad has his watch back,” said Bob. “But what about thediamond brooch belonging to Jerry’s mother?”
“Maybe they’ll get that later,” said Jerry hopefully.
And they did, although not in the manner expected. The doings of thecrooked-nosed man were minutely investigated, and it was finallylearned where he had left the brooch with a pawn-broker for a smallamount--thinking to get it out of pawn later on and sell it, when itmight be safe to do so. The authorities took charge of the valuablepiece of jewelry, and it was finally turned over to Mrs. Hopkins, muchto her delight.
The thief and the firebug received long terms in state’s prison--termswhich were richly deserved.
As for Pug, the military authorities made a search for him after hisdesertion, which followed the capture of the two men, but he was notfound. It was surmised that his step-father got word to him, somehow,after the former’s escape from the barn, that the game was up, and thatPug had better flee. So he did.
The crooked-nosed man and his companion both declared that Pug and hisfather helped plot the Cresville fire, and wanted to have a share inthe proceeds of the robbery. Whether this was true or not could not belearned.
It was learned that Mr. Cardon had, at one time, done some businesswith Crooked Nose, as it is easier to call him than using one of hismany false names. But the unscrupulous one had cheated the Frenchman,and then, later, using the knowledge he had of his wealth and habits,had tried to rob him, getting a confederate to set the fire. Themen had gone South after the Cresville crimes because Pug was sentthere, and they wanted to keep in touch with him. But, thanks tothe activities of Ned, Bob and Jerry, the gang’s operations weresuccessfully broken up.
To the barracks, where Ned, Bob and Jerry were sitting and talking,there penetrated the clear notes of a bugle.
“What’s that--another drill?” asked Ned, starting up.
“The mail has come,” interpreted Jerry.
“Oh, boy!” yelled Bob, making a rush for the door.
A little later all three were reading letters and looking over papersfrom home.
“Good news, Chunky?” asked Ned, as he saw a smile light up his stoutchum’s face.
“Surest thing you know!” was the answer. “Helena writes to say that herfather has changed his views, and that they’re both real Americans now.She says she likes me better than ever for being in the army and----Oh, I didn’t mean to read that!” and Bob blushed. “It was somethingabout the Red Cross I was going to tell you.”
“Go to it, Bob!” laughed Jerry. “Helena’s all right!”
It was that evening, in the free period between the last mess and taps,that a cheering was heard in a distant part of the camp.
“What’s that?” asked Jerry of his two friends.
“Maybe they’ve caught Pug Kennedy,” suggested Ned.
“I hope it’s better news than that,” Jerry remarked.
“It is,” Bob informed them, when he came back from a hasty trip ofinquiry. “We’ve received orders to move.”
“Move? Move where?”
“Over there!”
A cheer from his chums interrupted Bob’s words, and for some timethere was such confusion that any connected story of it was out of thequestion.
But those of you who wish to follow the further fortunes of Ned, Boband Jerry may read of other adventures that befell them in the nextvolume of this series entitled, “The Motor Boys on the Firing Line, or,Ned, Bob and Jerry Fighting for Uncle Sam.”
“Well, we put in quite a summer, didn’t we?” observed Jerry to hischums one day, as they came back from a practice hike. “We had somelively times.”
“And we may have more,” added Ned. “I just had a letter from ProfessorSnodgrass. He says he’s coming on another bug-hunting trip. I’m goingto tell the captain to warn the sentries not to shoot when they see abald head.”
“That’s the idea!” laughed Jerry. And while the motor boys are talkingover their various adventures we will take leave of them.
THE END