CHAPTER XXI FROM ONE CLUE TO ANOTHER
"Now, what do you want?" asked the old man, as he eyed Dick, curiously.
"I want to talk to that woman, first of all," cried Dick, and he pointedto Mrs. Sobber, who was just disappearing through a door in the rear ofthe hallway.
"But what does this mean?" went on Mr. Mason, in a faint voice. "I havedone nothing wrong." And now he sank on a rush-bottomed chair, all out ofbreath. He was very old, and his hair and his face were exceedinglywhite.
"I'll be back and tell you," went on Dick. He could see at a glance thatthe old owner of the building had had nothing to do with the stealing ofthe fortune or the abduction of Mrs. Stanhope.
Dick ran to the door at the back of the hallway, to find it locked. Hethrew his weight against it, but it did not give way.
He was on the point of pushing on the door again, when a cry from theyard reached his ears.
"Dick! Dick! Come and stop them!" It was Tom who was calling.
"I'm coming, Tom!" he yelled back. And then he landed on the door withall his might.
"Don't br--break the door!" gasped the old man. "If you want to get outto the back, go up and down the stairs," and he pointed a tremblingfinger upward.
Dick understood, and ran up the front stairs three steps at a time. Hepassed through a short hallway and then reached a stairs, running down toa back entry way. As he went down these stairs there came another cryfrom Tom.
"Dick! Dick! they are getting away!"
As fast as he could, Dick reached the entryway and threw open the outerdoor. He came out in a small yard, surrounded on three sides by a highboard fence. At the rear was a gate, and this was wide open.
"Tom! you are hurt!" exclaimed Dick, as he caught sight of his brotherflat on his back, and with the blood oozing from a cut on his forehead.
"Yes, the rascal hit me in the head with a club!" gasped poor Tom.
"What rascal?"
"Tad Sobber!"
"Where is he now?"
"Ran out of the gate--and a woman just followed him."
"Did you see anybody else?"
"No. Go after 'em," added the injured youth, pluckily.
"Are you badly hurt?"
"I--I guess not. But he gave me an awful crack!" And pulling himself up,Tom staggered to a wood-chopping block and sat down.
Dick waited to hear no more, but made for the gate and ran into analleyway beyond. This made a turn and came out on a street behind thatupon which the house was located. Dick looked up and down the crookedthoroughfare, but could see no signs of Tad Sobber or the woman.
"Did you see a young man and a woman come out of here?" asked Dick, of aboy who was playing with a ball.
"Sure I did," answered the lad.
"Where did they go?"
"Took the auto and went that way."
"An auto?"
"Yes."
"Was it waiting here?"
"Sure."
"Somebody in it?"
"A man was running it. He was here yesterday, too."
"Did you see who he took out yesterday?" went on Dick, growinginterested.
"He came twice. Once he had a lady and a gent for passengers. They cameout of that alleyway, just as you did."
"When was this?"
"Just about supper time."
Dick ran down the street in the direction the automobile had taken. Hecould see no signs of the machine, and presently returned to the backyard where he had left Tom. There the pair were joined by Sam.
"We were too late--they got away!" said Dick, with something like a groanin his voice.
"But not too late for Tad Sobber to leave me his card!" muttered Tom,putting his hand to the cut on his forehead.
"We'll have to have that tended to, Tom," said Dick, kindly.
"Oh, it isn't so bad. I'll put some court-plaster on it, after I'vewashed it."
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't locate a policeman anywhere," said Sam.
"Never mind, I guess a policeman would only be in the way," returned hisoldest brother. "He'd ask a lot of questions, and let it go at that. I'mgoing into the house, and see if I can find out anything."
"Maybe Mrs. Stanhope is in there," cried Sam.
"No--they have taken her off in an auto, I am almost sure of it, Sam."
The three Rover boys entered the old house, to find Mr. Mason walkingnervously up and down in the parlor.
"Where is Mrs. Sobber?" he asked anxiously.
"I imagine she has run away," answered Dick. He drew a long breath. "Mr.Mason, I am going to ask you some questions. If you wish to avoid troublewith the authorities, you will answer me directly and truthfully."
"Yes! Yes! I felt that something was wrong!" cried the old man. "I wantno trouble, I am too old and respectable. What is it all about?"
"Briefly, a lady has been abducted and a fortune has been stolen."
"Oh, then the lady they said was--er--insane, was not insane at all."
"Did they tell you she was insane?"
"Yes, that is what Mrs. Sobber and one of the men said. They said theywere going to take her to a private asylum."
"The villains!" burst out Tom.
"What asylum?"
"I don't know that. But I overheard them talking about taking a boat toPortland."
"Portland?" repeated Dick. "Are you sure they were bound for that city?"
"Oh, I am not sure of anything--I am only telling you what I overheard."
"Please tell us all about those men who came here, and about the lady,and about Mrs. Sobber," pursued Dick.
"Hadn't we better get after the auto?" asked Tom, who believed in action.
"You and Sam can try to hunt it up," answered the elder Rover. "I'll hearall Mr. Mason can tell first. It may give us a direct clue. I'll meet youlater at the Parker House."
Sam and Tom went off, and then Dick listened patiently to the ratherrambling tale Oliver Mason had to tell. The old man said that he hadknown Mrs. Sobber when her husband was alive and had hired her to be hishousekeeper after the death of his three sisters and his wife.
"She was all alone in the world excepting for a young man named TadSobber, who came to see her once in a while," said Oliver Mason. "Ididn't like the young man much, but the two had quite some businesstogether."
The old man then told how Mrs. Sobber had gone away for several days,stating she must look after a lady friend who had become insane. Shestated that possibly she would bring the lady to the house for a day ortwo, but that if she did, Mr. Mason need not be afraid, for a doctor anda nurse would come along. Then the lady had arrived, in company with TadSobber and two men. He had not been allowed to talk to the woman, theothers saying she might become violent in the presence of strangers. Thenthe lady had been taken away by the men and Tad Sobber the night before,and Tad Sobber had come back for Mrs. Sobber just about the time theRovers tried to get into the house.
The story was told with such simpleness that Dick felt bound to believeit, and consequently he saw no reason for blaming Oliver Mason, who was,in truth, on the verge of second childhood.
"I must look around and see if those scamps left anything behind," saidDick. "You won't object to that, will you?"
"No! no!" cried the old man. "Only please do not take any of my fewbelongings."
"I'll not take anything, sir, you can trust me absolutely," answeredDick, readily.
He made a search of the rooms, and especially the apartments occupied byMrs. Stanhope and her abductors. At first he found little of value,although he picked up a handkerchief that had Mrs. Stanhope's initialsembroidered in the corner.
"That is proof positive that she was here," he thought grimly.
In one of the fireplaces he came across some half-burnt letters. Helooked them over with care and caught the post-mark, Portland, Me. On oneslip he read the following:
easy from Portla the schooner Mary Del as we arrive, I will have if not then Slay's Island
, where
"Humph! this may prove of value," murmured Dick to himself, and placedthe bit of letter in his pocket. Then he hunted around the rooms again,but nothing more came to light.
"Will Mrs. Sobber come back?" asked the old man, when Dick went below.
"I doubt it, sir."
"She must be an awful woman, if what you say is true."
"She is a criminal, Mr. Mason, and so is that Tad Sobber. I would adviseyou to have nothing more to do with them."
"I must have a housekeeper," whined the old man.
"Then hire somebody you are sure is honest," returned Dick; and a fewminutes later he quitted the house.
On his way to the hotel he met Sam and Tom, who had looked in vain forthe automobile. In as few words as possible he told his brothers aboutwhat Oliver Mason had said, and of the finding of the slip of paper.
"What do you make of it?" asked Sam.
"I think they are going to Portland, either by auto or in a boat,"answered Dick.
"That's just what I think," added Tom. "But we may be mistaken."
"Before we go any further, I am going to have that house watched," wenton Dick. "I'll hire a first-class detective, and then, if Mrs. Sobber orany of the others come back, we'll have 'em arrested."
They visited a detective agency, and a man was put on the case withoutdelay. Then the Rovers hurried down to the water front, to see if theycould get any trace of Mrs. Stanhope there.
An hour's tramping produced no results, and somewhat discouraged, theywere on the point of going to the hotel, to meet Spud, when they saw anold sailor come from a restaurant close by.
"My friend," said Dick, addressing the old tar, "I'd like to get someinformation. Did you ever hear of a schooner in these parts that wascalled the Mary Del something or other?"
"Mary Del?" repeated the old sailor, twisting his forelock. "Oh, I reckonyou mean the Mary Delaway!" he cried. "Sure, I know her. Didn't I see hersail for Portland less than an hour ago!"