CHAPTER XXVIII AN UNLOOKED-FOR DISAPPEARANCE
The excitement at Putnam Hall over the disappearance of the cannon andthe flagstaff was fully duplicated at Pornell Academy when it wasdiscovered that the trophy room had been looted of its entire contents.
"This is an outrage!" stormed Doctor Pornell. "An outrage! I shall putsomebody in prison for it!"
"Something has been left behind," said a teacher who chanced to be withthe doctor. "A toy flag and a toy cannon."
"What!"
"See for yourself, Doctor."
"Ha! I understand! A flag and a cannon indeed! This must be some ofCaptain Putnam's work--to pay me back for the loss of his cannon and hisflagstaff," stormed Doctor Pornell. "I'll see about it! I'll havesomebody in jail before night!"
The news soon spread, and great was the indignation among the studentsand especially among those who had helped to win the trophies.
"Well, we have only been paid back for what we did," said one pupil, whohad aided Roy Bock in the removal of the cannon and the flagstaff."Those who play with fire mustn't complain if they get their fingersburnt."
"We must find those trophies," declared another.
A hunt was made that day and also the next. In the meantime DoctorPornell sent a decidedly sarcastic letter to Captain Putnam. Thisangered the master of Putnam Hall exceedingly, and he sent an equallysarcastic letter in return; and there, for the time being, the matterrested,--so far as the Putnam Hall students were concerned.
But it did not rest with Roy Bock and his immediate cronies. In somemanner Doctor Pornell learned that Bock had concocted the scheme to takeaway the cannon and the flagstaff, and consequently he considered Bockresponsible for the removal of the trophies.
"You and your friends who took part in this disgraceful affair must getback those trophies," said the doctor to Bock. "If you do not I shallpunish you severely."
"I--I will do what I can," stammered Bock, who was so chagrined overbeing found out that he knew not what to say. That afternoon he and hiscronies went out on another hunt for the missing things, but withoutresult. They passed the deserted house, but did not go inside. Had theydone so they might have seen something which would have amazed themexceedingly, for the old building now had strange visitors.
Some days after the trophies were removed from Pornell Academy Jack andPepper were out in the _Alice_ when they saw a youth in a rowboatpulling up the shore.
"That is Will Carey," cried Pepper. "Let us sail over to him and findout if he has done anything about Flossie Ford's bracelet."
They caught Carey just as he was starting to fish. It was a favoriteamusement with the Pornell Academy student and he took every availableopportunity to indulge in it.
"Hello, Carey!" sang out the young major, as he brought the sloop aroundand told his chum to drop the mainsail.
"Hello yourself," returned the other youth, not particularly pleasedover the meeting.
"How is everything at Pornell Academy?" questioned Pepper.
"Guess you fellows know well enough. Did a big thing, didn't you, tosteal all our trophies?"
"Are your trophies gone?" asked the Imp, innocently.
"Sure they are--and you fellows know it. You cleaned us out nicely I mustsay."
"I am very, very sorry, Carey," and Pepper grinned.
"You look it."
"The trophies, eh?" said Jack. "When did Pornell ever win any trophies?"
"Oh, he means the trophies they bought at some junk shop," said Pepper."You know you can buy all kinds second-hand, for about twenty centsapiece."
"These were trophies our school won!" exclaimed Will Carey.
"From who--some primary school, or kindergarten class?" asked the Imp.
"Oh, we can win 'em--and you'll find it out some day," growled thestudent from Pornell Academy.
"See here, Carey, we didn't come over here to ask you about yourtrophies," said Jack, earnestly. "We want to know what you have doneabout Flossie Ford's bracelet."
"Oh, can't you drop that!"
"We could--but we are not going to," declared the young major. "You mustfind that bracelet if you possibly can. Have you fished for it anymore?"
"Yes, but----" Will Carey paused and looked at Jack and Pepper doubtfully."Say, did I hear something about your meeting two masked men aroundhere?" he went on earnestly.
"Perhaps you did--but what has that got to do with the bracelet?"
"Everything. Did the men have green masks and hoods?"
"Yes."
"Then they must be the same."
"The same? What do you mean?"
"They robbed me of the bracelet."
"Robbed you!" cried Jack and Pepper in chorus.
"Yes."
"But you said you had lost the bracelet--that it fell in the lake," saidthe young major.
"Humph, I thought so."
"Thought what?"
"You're the Bone and Blood Club, ain't you?"
"We are. Now what about this bracelet and the two masked men?"
"Why, a couple of days after you caught me I went fishing for the bluetin box again and found it. The bracelet was inside and all right. Itook it out and started for the Ford place, intending to give it back toFlossie. On the road I met those two masked men, and they held me up andtook the bracelet and a ruby ring away from me."
"Is this true?" asked Pepper. "You are sure you are not fooling?"
"It is the positive truth--hope to die if it isn't. The men had clubs andone had a butcher knife, and I admit they scared me half to death. Theyacted as if they were about half crazy. One said he was going to givethe bracelet to the queen of the North Pole, or something like that."
After that Will Carey did not hesitate to give the particulars of theencounter on the road. His description of the two insane men was soperfect it left no doubt in the minds of his hearers regarding the truthof the recital.
"I wish I could catch those chaps," he added. "But they said if I toldanybody they would come to the school and butcher me some night, so Ihaven't dared to open my mouth. Besides, I didn't want to let DoctorPornell know about the bracelet."
"You say they had clubs and a butcher knife," said Jack.
"Yes, and each of 'em had a couple of white bags over his shoulder,stuffed with excelsior and other things."
"What!" almost yelled Jack and Pepper in concert.
"White bags. They had something in 'em wrapped in excelsior."
"Where was this?"
"On the back road--over yonder," and Will Carey pointed with his hand.
"Humph! We'll have to look into this," said the young major and lookedmeaningly at his chum. "We are in a hurry now. We'll see you later,Carey."
"But about those crazy men?" began the Pornell Academy student. He didnot understand the sudden haste of the others.
"The authorities are already watching out for them," answered Jack. "Runup the mainsail again, Pep," he continued to his chum, and the _Alice_moved away from that locality.
"Jack, do you imagine those bags were our bags?" demanded Pepper, whenthey were out of hearing of the Pornell student.
"We'll soon know. I am going to sail for the deserted house at once."
"He said they were stuffed with excelsior."
"Yes, that is what made me suspicious."
The run to the vicinity of the old mansion did not take long. Reachingwhat was left of an old dock, they tied up, and almost ran to thebuilding.
"Nobody around now, at all events," observed the young major, as theyglanced through the lower rooms.
"No, but somebody has been here, Jack--by the muddy footprints."
Wondering if their suspicions would prove correct, they mounted to thesecond story of the old mansion and ran into the room in the closet ofwhich the trophies had been stored.
"Empty!" gasped Pepper, peering inside the closet.
"Every bag gone!" echoed Jack. "Those crazy men must have carted themall away!"
"Where did they take the things to?"
"That remains to be found out. And if we can't find the things----" Theyoung major paused. "Well, somebody will have a fine bill to pay, that'scertain!"