CHAPTER V
LAST DAYS AT BOXWOOD
Mr. Slade glanced across the room at his friend Mr. Baker. The latterreturned the look, and, had one observed carefully, he might have seenthe shadow of a wink pass between the two men. Then Mr. Slade slowly,but with an evident air of firmness, shook his head.
“What is it?” asked his son.
“I’m sorry, Ned; but we can’t consider your proposition--not for aninstant.”
“You mean you won’t let us go out to the ranch to try our luck atdiscovering the cattle rustlers?”
“That’s it, Son. This is a business proposition--not a vacation lark,as you seem to think.”
“I didn’t say that, Dad. I mean business--we all mean business. Don’twe?” and Ned appealed to his chums.
“Of course we do!” chimed in stout Bob. “Why can’t we go out there andtrace the cattle thieves as well as a New York detective who wouldn’tknow a prairie dog’s burrow from a dried water hole? Come on, Dad, saysomething!” and he appealed to his father who, so far, had done littletalking. “Let us go out West. We can get to the bottom of the mysteryas well as any one. That is, if there is a mystery.”
“Oh, there’s a mystery surely enough,” said Mr. Slade. “There’s noquestion of that. The rustlers haven’t left the semblance of a trail tofollow, if we can believe Watson--and I have every confidence in him.But I wouldn’t, for a moment, think of letting you boys try your handat this. Why, there’s danger in it! Those rustlers are unscrupulousscoundrels--they shoot first and ask questions afterward. You can’ttake any chances with men like that!”
Jerry and Bob saw their chum Ned give himself a little shake. They hadobserved the same action on other occasions--notably when Ned was atbat in a tight place in a ball game, or when he knew he was going tobe called on to take the pigskin in a rush through tackle and guard tomake a much-needed touchdown. The same look Ned’s face wore at suchtimes was on it now. He was girding himself for some fray--albeit amental one.
“Just one moment, Dad,” he said in a quiet voice. “I agree with all yousay about this being a man’s job, dangerous and calling for ingenuity.And I’m not going to urge this on you just for the sake of letting ushave a little fun. We’ll get some fun out of it--I don’t mean that wewon’t--but it isn’t going to be _all_ fun. I’m in earnest when I askyou to let us have a try at this.
“Now give me a few seconds more,” he quickly said, as he observed thathis father was about to speak. “As I said, I know it’s a man’s job. ButI ask you if we three aren’t equal to one man?”
He indicated by a sweeping gesture himself and his two chums.
“Well, yes, in general appearance, huskiness and ability to take careof yourselves under ordinary circumstances, I’d say you were any oneman’s equal, if not more,” conceded Mr. Slade.
“Two and a half, easily,” came from Mr. Baker, who seemed to beenjoying the situation.
“All right, you admit that then,” and Ned seemed to be getting readyfor an argument, as he often did in some of the college debates. “Nowfor point number one. Do you remember, Dad, and you, too, Mr. Baker,how we made out that time we took the trip on the Atlantic in our motorboat? You didn’t think, then, that we’d get what we went after; but wedid.”
“Yes, you did,” admitted Mr. Baker, slowly.
“And after that,” went on Ned, like an attorney following up anargument in court, “we made an airship. You said, Dad, you didn’tbelieve it would go up; but it did.”
“Yes, and we got the fortune in it, too!” added Bob, who had remainedsilent as long as was possible for him.
“That’s right!” exclaimed Mr. Baker. “The boys certainly turned thetrick that time.”
“And then,” went on Ned, relentlessly, “do you recall how we patrolledthe border for Uncle Sam, and caught the Canadian smugglers, whennobody else could get a line on them?”
Mr. Slade scratched his head reflectively.
“Well, I do give you credit for that,” he said. “I never thought you’ddo it. But----”
“Well, if we caught those smugglers in the air where there wasn’t muchof a trail to follow, why can’t we get after the cattle rustlers?”demanded Ned. “This ought to be a whole lot easier.”
“He’s got you there!” laughed Mr. Baker.
The tide seemed to be turning in favor of the boys.
“Just what is it you propose to do?” asked Mr. Slade at length. Thismuch was a concession.
“Go out there, size up the situation, find out what the facts are andthen--_act_,” was Ned’s prompt answer.
“Hum!” said Mr. Slade, musingly. “I admit, Ned, to be perfectly fair,that you boys have certainly done well in the past. But this is a newproposition. You’ve got to deal with cunning and unscrupulous men.”
“It won’t be the first time,” observed Ned. “Look at the trouble we hadwith our Western mine. It isn’t as though we didn’t know something ofmen and their ways, Dad, and of the West.”
“No, that’s so. You have been out there. Oh! I don’t know. What do yousay, Baker?” and Mr. Slade turned suddenly to his friend.
“I leave it all to you, Slade. You’re more interested than I am. Asfar as Bob is concerned, if you want to let the lads try their hand, Iwon’t stand in his way. The more experience he gets the better off inafter life--if he takes care of himself.”
“Trying to put the whole burden on me,” said Mr. Slade with a laugh. “Idon’t know whether I told you or not,” he went on to his son, “but Mr.Baker has some money invested in this ranch. So he is losing, as wellas I, when the cattle rustlers are active.”
“Then let us go out there and stop ’em!” cried Ned. “I’m sure we can doit. You’d go, wouldn’t you, Jerry?”
“Well, I’d like to make the attempt,” said the tall lad quietly,“though I don’t know that we can guarantee results.”
“But we’ll make a big effort!” exclaimed Ned. “Come on, Dad, be niceand say we may go.”
Once more Mr. Slade seemed to be thinking seriously. Then he slowlysaid:
“All right. As long as friend Baker is willing I’ll give in, thoughI have a sort of feeling it won’t amount to anything--your going outthere.”
“Just you wait and see!” laughed Ned. “We’ll show results before youknow it. Say, fellows, this is great! And I have another idea.”
“He’s full of ’em to-day,” commented Jerry, smiling.
“We’ll make the trip in our big car,” went on Ned, not noticing theinterruption. “We’ve gone on long tours in it before, and it’s a lotmore fun than riding in stuffy trains. We’ll take the auto, and sendour airship on ahead of us, to be ready when we get there.”
“Better reverse the process,” suggested Mr. Slade. “If this businessis going to be done by you boys, the sooner the better. The longer youwait the more of my cattle will be stolen. Better go on out in yourairship, and use your auto when you arrive at Square Z ranch. I don’tbelieve I can afford the time to have you make the trip in your bigcar. It would take three weeks at least.”
“All right, we’ll take the airship,” conceded Ned. He and his chumswould have agreed to walk to the ranch for the exciting pleasure theyexpected to have after they arrived. “We’re in just as much of a hurryas you, Dad, to get at the bottom of this mystery.”
“Well, then,” went on Mr. Slade, “I’ll wire Watson you’re coming, andgive you a letter of introduction to him. And now one last thing. Thisis strictly business! I’m letting you go a little against my betterjudgment, but maybe you’ll produce results. But, remember, businessbefore pleasure, though if you can get any fun out of the trip, why,have it. Only take care of yourselves. Now you had better get youraffairs in shape. You’ll soon be through at Boxwood, you say?”
“Yes, we could start West to-morrow if we had to, Dad,” replied Ned.
“Oh, I don’t know that there’s any such rush as that. But the soonerthe better. Now we’ll try to be as comfortable here as we can. Run
overthis evening if you get time. Ouch! but my leg hurts!”
“How did the accident happen?” asked Jerry, as he and his chumsprepared to leave for Boxwood Hall.
“Oh, I was driving the car, and I made too sharp a turn in my hurry, Isuppose. The first I knew the machine had left the road and was rollingdown the hill. We were tossed out and did some separate rolling on ourown account, which, probably, saved our lives.”
The chums left, promising to return in the evening, and as the doorclosed on them Mr. Slade rang for the bell-boy and requested atelegraph blank.
“Going to wire Watson?” asked Mr. Baker.
“No, I’m going to wire Peck.”
“You mean the New York detective?”
“Yes. I think I’ll engage him.”
“But I thought you said you were going to let the boys try to solve themystery. I was going to ask you, now that they are gone, if you thinkit wise. But----”
“Oh, well, I’m going to let them _try_,” said Mr. Slade with a smile.“At the same time I think it’s a good thing to have two strings to yourbow. I’ll send the detective on after the boys to sort of watch overthem, and he’ll be there on the ground in case they fail. But don’ttell the boys.”
“I won’t,” promised Mr. Baker with a smile, as the bell-boy took thedispatch Mr. Slade had written.
* * * * *
Out on the Boxwood campus bright fires gleamed. Around them circledchanting students casting into the flames various articles, from books,the study of which had ceased, to broken baseball bats, torn gloves andother tokens. The silence of the darkness was broken by more or lessweird chants.
It was the closing of the term at Boxwood Hall and the time-honoredobservance of it was in full swing. It was several days after theaccident to Mr. Slade and Mr. Baker. The latter was able to be out, andMr. Slade had the promise that by the middle of the following week hecould walk around on crutches.
Meanwhile, messages had gone to and come from Square Z ranch. The boyshad started their preparations and then had entered with zest into thefun of the last days at Boxwood.
“Where are you fellows going to spend your vacation?” asked Tom Baconof the three inseparables. “I’m getting up a yachting party, and I’dlike first rate to have you join.”
“Sorry; but we’re going on a Western trip in our big aeroplane,” saidJerry.
“Hum! That sounds good. Well, some other time then. Look! There goesPrexy for the final,” and he pointed to the figure of Dr. AndersonCole, head of Boxwood, who, as was the custom, came out to the seniorfire to deliver the ancient Greek ode composed in honor of thedeparting class.
“Mustn’t miss that!” cried Ned, as he, Bob and Jerry started to runtoward the biggest blaze. All the other lads paid final tribute to thegraduates in this form.
Jerry felt someone tugging at his coat, and, glancing behind him,beheld Professor Snodgrass.
“Oh!” cried Jerry. “I beg your pardon,” though he did not know just whyhe should say that. “You’re out late, aren’t you?”
“No, Jerry. You see the bright fires attract so many moths and otherinsects, that I am making a fine collection. I have all my boxes full,and would you mind letting me take your cap to keep this big fellowin,” and he showed his half-closed hand in which something fluttered.
“Sure! take it and welcome,” said Jerry, snatching the cap off. “Andsay, Professor,” he called back, as he sped away, “we’re going onanother Western trip. Maybe you’d like to go along.” But he did notstay to hear the answer.
There was more news awaiting the boys when they went to the hotel thatnight after the closing scenes at Boxwood Hall.
“I guess, after all, you needn’t be in such a rush to get out to SquareZ ranch,” said Mr. Slade, as he read over again a telegram that hadrecently been received.
“Why not?” asked Ned. “Don’t tell me all your cattle have been run offby the rustlers and there aren’t any left!”
“No, it isn’t as bad as that,” replied his father. “But the gang madea raid on a place not far from mine, and they were caught--at leastsome were. So Watson thinks there won’t be much more stealing done atour ranch, at least for a time. The rustlers will keep under cover, Ifancy. So if you boys still want to go----”
“Want to go!” cried Ned. “Of _course_ we want to go. We’ve made all ourplans.”
“Well, you needn’t be in such a hurry,” went on his father. “You don’tneed to take your airship. That is, I mean you won’t have to travelin it. Use the big car as you originally intended, and forward theaeroplane if you like.”
“That will be fine!” cried Jerry. “Not that going in the airshipwouldn’t be sport, but we can enjoy it more if we don’t have to hurry.Then we’ll just reverse our plans, and make an auto tour of it. Ibelieve we can do it inside of three weeks, though it may take a littlelonger.”