CHAPTER XXI
THE SHERIFF DIPS INTO FAIRY STORIES
"Show Mr. Dodd our notice to leave, Bluff," said Frank laughingly.
"Reach around and get it, Will, please. It's just back of you. Thanks.There you are, sir. Our lease is up, apparently, and we must get out,unless we want to have things made disagreeable for us."
The sheriff elevated his eyebrows.
"I expect this is some more doings of this wonderful ghost," he remarkedshrewdly.
"We have an idea that way, sir. What do you think it means? Why shouldany one play such a silly game? What is there valuable up here that heshould want to frighten people away?" asked Frank.
By putting it up to the sheriff he fancied he could ascertain what Mr.Dodd thought before confessing how they had figured the matter out. Ifhis ideas corresponded with their own it would then be time enough toconfess.
"Well, boys, it's all simple enough to me, knowing the ins and outs as Ido. In brief, the fellow responsible for this work up here, playingghost and the like, is the very man we're looking for. He was once anactor, and I suppose the old spirit clings to him. He had a reason fornot wanting inquisitive people up here while he was doing something, andthe ghost is the result of his figuring how best to keep 'em away.Reckon that same thing would just _draw_ some persons I know," and thesheriff chuckled as he looked knowingly at the four lads.
"Yes, we did come up here partly to find out if there was any truth inthose stories. You remember we had a part in showing up the yarn aboutthe wild man of Wildcat Island, last spring. It turned out to be acouple of hoboes who wanted to keep campers away from the place so theycould stay there," remarked Jerry.
"And you thought this might prove to be something the same. Well, ithas, for I'm dead sure that Thaddeus Lasher is responsible for theappearance of the ghost of Oak Ridge. Now, you wonder why I say that.I've a mind to tell you the whole story from the start, since you'vebeen so obliging to me and my deputy here."
"Oh! please do, Mr. Dodd!" urged Will.
"All right. Then listen, boys. You've heard how these two men brokeout, and how we got one with the dogs, long ago. The other escaped us byusing means that I hardly think were fair to the dogs, though, ofcourse, one can't blame a poor chap trying for his liberty."
"Yes, we heard about the red pepper dodge, sir, and thought it prettyclever; and that man has been at large ever since then?" said Frank.
"He has. I've been expecting to hear of him up in this section, but hekept away for some months, perhaps knowing we'd be on the lookout forhim. You wonder what has drawn him up here, of course, and that's whatI'm going to tell now. I give you my word, boys, you'll find it one ofthe strangest stories ever."
Mr. Dodd ate in silence for a few minutes, and then resumed:
"Last winter this convict tried to interest the wardens of the prison,and the chief keeper, particularly, in a wild story he told, connectedwith his innocence of the burglary that sent him up for a long term."
"How long was it, sir? I am asking because we know Andy Lasher, and havefor five years, but never dreamed his dad was in prison," queried Bluff,who always wanted the particulars, lawyer fashion.
"Six years ago it happened, and he was sent up for ten, after goodbehavior was deducted. So you see he had some four years ahead of him,worth fighting for. But about this story that made the head wardenlaugh, for he believed it only sprung from the brain of a half-crazyman.
"Lasher said that he was with an old thief who had died in the prison.He must have done something to win the good-will of the sick man, for hesaid that the other made a confession to him before he breathed hislast. In short, he owned that it had been no other than himself who hadcommitted the burglary for which Thaddeus Lasher was doing time."
Again he paused, to let this sink home. The boys looked at each other,and said not a word, eagerly waiting for Mr. Dodd to go on.
"Now, it happened that the man whose house was robbed was a queer sort.He had heaps of money, but spent his time in making collections ofprecious jewels, and in experimenting along the line of photography."
"That hits Will, here, for he just dotes on such a fad," said Bluff.
"It came out in the trial that this smart gentleman had set a trap bywhich he expected to get a photograph of any would-be thief who tried toopen his safe, containing many valuable gems. He had a camera hiddenfrom view, and so placed that when he made connections at retiring,unless these were broken first, any one who took hold of the safe wouldset a flashlight off, and have his picture taken, free of expense."
The boys, who had listened with eagerness, uttered exclamations at thispoint.
"Talk to me about the smartness of that Dicky, will you!" said Jerry.
"How about it, Will? Could such a thing be done?" asked Bluff.
"I think so. I have a recollection of reading about something like thathaving once sent a bad man to the gallows. Of course, if the fellow hadenough nerve to stick it out, he could search for the camera, anddestroy the plate," remarked Will.
"Well said, my boy. That was just what happened in this case, Lasherclaimed--that is, the burglar hunted around after recovering from hisfright, and found the concealed camera. But he did not smash the plate.Instead, after he had looted the safe he just carried away the holdercontaining the exposed plate."
"What for?" demanded Bluff.
"He must have been a sort of humorous chap, and wanted to see how helooked at the time he was doing business," laughed Frank.
"Nobody knows why he took it away. Perhaps he meant to break it later,but when he got to thinking it over he determined to have it developed,just to see what it was. So one night he visited a photographer, andthreatening him, if he ever mentioned the fact to a living soul, wentwith him into his dark-room and saw the plate developed. Lasher evenmentioned the name of the man who developed it, but the head warden onlylaughed the harder.
"Even then the man never had a print made. Perhaps he intended to later.Meanwhile, he buried his swag from the robbery, together with this sameplate, up here in these very Sunset Mountains, where, as a boy, longbefore, he used to live, on the road that leads to Chester, not far fromhere."
Again Mr. Dodd paused to eat a little more. He knew how to keep theinterest at fever heat. The boys could hardly breathe, they were soexcited at this point.
"Please go on, sir," said Will finally.
"Lasher claimed that if he were only given an opportunity, he could leadone of the prison wardens to the place where, after a little search, hefelt positive he would be able to produce not only the lost plunder, butthe missing plate, which must prove his entire innocence, if it werestill in a good state of preservation.
"The head of the institution has so many fairy stories told him byprisoners who want only a chance to slip away, that he would not listento such a thing. After repeated failures to get his case heard, it seemsthat Lasher conspired with one of his fellows. The result was the breakfrom confinement, the pursuit, and his final escape by means of thepepper he must have carried with him for just such a purpose."
"I never heard anything so strange, Mr. Dodd. It certainly sounds like afairy story, and I can't wonder at the head warden for doubting it. ButWill, here, who is something of an authority, says that photographicpart is easy enough," declared Frank, thinking that he was expected tosay something.
"Well, as I said, we lost all track of the man. Nobody knows where hewas hidden all these long weeks. I came up into the hills toinvestigate, and found it just as he declared. There were the ruins ofan old homestead near the road across the lake yonder, and they told methat an old man by the name of Fletcher had once lived there. That wasthe real name of the dead convict thief.
"I haunted the place for a week, but saw no signs of my man. Then Iconcluded that he must have been there, hunted for the plunder, foundit, and perhaps carried it away, determined that since he had paid thepenalty for the robbery he might as well enjoy the fruits."
"Do you think so now?" asked Frank duri
ng another pause.
"No, I don't. The appearance of this so-called ghost set me to thinking.Then in a roundabout way I learned, only recently, that one night a manwas seen sneaking away from the little humble house where Mrs. Lasherand her children live. So you see, I began to piece things together, andfinally I came to a conclusion.
"I believed that Thaddeus Lasher had finally come to hunt for theplunder hidden by Fletcher, and that he was having much more troublefinding the same than he had expected. In order not to be bothered inhis labor he had hit on this ghost dodge to scare the country jays off.I remembered that he had been an actor in his better days, before hebegan to drink and get in bad company.
"Accordingly, I finally concluded that it would pay me to make anothertrip up to the vicinity of Sunset Lake, this time fetching along severaldeputies, for I did not know how desperate a man Lasher might prove. Iheard from Adolphus that your party was up here, and wondered if by anychance you might have run across the man I am hunting for; but I reckonyou haven't up to now."
Mr. Dodd smiled as he once more glanced at the warning that had beenfastened to the oak tree, as if that circumstance aided him more or lessin coming to the conclusion he had.