CHAPTER XXI
FOLLOWING DORA AND NELLIE
The nerves of the Rover boys were on edge. Dick and Tom wereparticularly anxious, for those who had been thus rudely carried offwere very dear to them.
"I wonder who that so-called doctor was?" mused Sam, as the DARTAWAYsailed along, keeping over the road as well as the windings through thedense woods permitted.
"Most likely some tool of Crabtree or Sobber, or both," answered Tom.
"Do you think Koswell and Larkspur are in this game?"
"Perhaps they are!" cried Dick. "It would be just like them to joinforces with Crabtree and Sobber. They are down and out, and need money,and all of them would expect to get a big stake out of this."
"Then you think they carried the girls off for money?" questioned Tom.
"I do, Tom. You hit the truth when you said they found out they couldn'tdo anything at the farm, and couldn't reach Mrs. Stanhope and Mrs.Laning. The only things left were to try to reach us or the girls."
"And they didn't dare tackle us," put in Sam.
"Do you suppose that Mrs. Sobber is in this?" continued Tom, referringto a relative of Tad Sobber, who had assisted once in the carrying offof Mrs. Stanhope.
"She may be, although she was pretty well scared that other time,"replied his older brother.
The boys relapsed into silence, each busy with his own thoughts. Allwere anxious to catch a glimpse of the enclosed touring car. But theycame within sight of the village of Beechwood without encountering aturnout of any sort.
"I'll land here and make some inquiries," said Dick.
"Yes, if the auto went through here somebody must have seen it," saidTom.
A landing was made directly on the village green, in front of thepost-office, and a small crowd quickly collected.
"It's them young fellers from Brill!" cried one of the villagers. "Iheard tell they had an airship."
"That ain't no airship, it's an aryplane," said another. "They don'tlift up like no balloon--they sail like a bird, on them canvas wings."
"Wot makes the thing go, Job?"
"Them wooden things. They go 'round like windmills."
"Say, we want some information and we want it quick!" cried Dick. "Haveany of you seen a big auto go through here, an enclosed auto--one with acoach-like body?"
"Sure we did!" cried one of the villagers. "By heck! the thing nearlykilled Si Levering, it did! Si was crossin' the road, when whizz! bang!shoo! that auto went past him like a streak o' greased lightnin'! Sijumped back an' sit hisself down in the waterin' trough an' got hisselfall wet."
"Which way did the auto go?" went on Dick.
"Right straight ahead."
"No, it didn't nuther," put in a farmer, who had just arrived in thevillage. "It took the road to Shepleytown--I see it."
"Which is that?" questioned Tom.
"You go up this road about a mile an' then take the cross road to theleft. You can't miss it, 'cause there's a big tree on the corner thatwas struck by lightnin'."
"All right, we'll go to the corner that was struck by lightning," saidTom, who could not help joking, even in that moment of anxiety.
"I didn't say the corner was struck--it was the tree," explained thefarmer soberly.
"All right, much obliged," answered Tom; and then the three boys startedup the engine once more. The villagers had crowded around, but as thoseexplosions rent the air several leaped back, and then the whole crowdran for their lives.
"She's goin' up!" one yelled.
"Is the engine goin' to bust?" asked another.
"Look out, Jim, or she'll mow ye down like a mowin' machine!"
"Clear the track!" cried Sam, and then, with the usual rush and roar,the _Dartaway_ leaped over the village green and arose in the air,leaving the gaping and wondering crowd behind.
It was an easy run up to the blasted tree, and sighting this, Dickheaded the biplane along the road that led to Shepleytown.
"How far is that place?" asked Sam.
"I think it is about six or seven miles," answered Tom. "I was thereonce, on a bicycle--went after nuts with Stanley and Songbird."
"What, to the town?" questioned Sam, with a grin.
"No, the woods back of the town, Sam. Say, that's one on me,--as bad asthat countryman's struck-by-lightning corner," and Tom grinned, too.
On and on swept the flying machine, the boys watching every rod of thewinding road below. Once Tom gave a cry, as they saw a turnout at adistance. But it proved to be nothing but a tinware peddler's wagon. Onthe ground lay various pieces of tinware, scattering over a distance offifty feet.
"Look at that!" cried Sam. "He must have had an accident."
"Say, maybe that auto struck his wagon," exclaimed Tom.
"It looks that way," was Dick's comment.
"Shall we land and question him?"
"What's the use? We know the machine came this way. That's enough forthe present. We don't want to lose a minute more than is necessary."
"Say, we were chumps that we didn't telephone ahead from Beechwood!"cried Sam. "We might have had that auto stopped when it went throughShepleytown."
"It couldn't be done, for there is no line from Beechwood toShepleytown," answered Dick. "The line only runs the other way."
The route was now over a dense woods and the boys had to sail slowly,for fear of passing the automobile while the latter was running underthe overhanging trees. Once they saw something that looked like anautomobile and Dick had to sail in a circle and come back, to make sure.But it proved to be only a two-seated carriage; and they passed on.
Shepleytown proved to be quite a place, with a main street containing adozen stores. It connected by stage with Chaplet, which was a railroadcenter, five miles away.
The coming of the boys created as much of a sensation as had theirarrival at Beechwood, and once more the biplane was surrounded.
"Sure, I saw that 'mobile you are after," said one man, in answer totheir questions. "It was running putty lively an' no mistake. It wentpast the mill an' took the old Snagtown road. Queer, too, 'cause thatroad ain't half as good as the Chaplet turnpike."
"Did you see who was in the auto?" queried Dick.
"I think a couple o' men an' some girls. I couldn't see very well, themachine run so fast. I had to hold my hoss, for I was afraid they'd runinto me."
Several others had also seen the big enclosed touring car and all weresure it had taken to the old Snagtown road.
"Where does that road run to?" asked Dick.
"Goes over the hills to what used to be Snagtown," answered one of themen. "But there ain't no town now, since the mills closed down--onlyempty houses."
"Just the place they'd be likely to head for!" cried Tom, in a low voiceto his brothers. "Come on, hurry up!"
Sam and Dick needed no urging, and having thanked the men for theirinformation they started up the engine once more.
"How far is it to that deserted village?" called out Tom, as the_Dartaway_ was about to move off.
"Six miles!" shouted one of the crowd. "That is, by the road. The wayyou're going it ain't more'n four!" And this answer made the crowdlaugh.
"Four miles," murmured Dick. "We ought to be able to head them off."
"I wish we were armed," came from Tom. "We may have some desperatecharacters to deal with."
"We might go back and get pistols," suggested Sam.
Dick thought for a moment. He knew well how desperate their enemiesmight become. He hated to lose the time but he realized it would beworse than useless to face a gang of four or more empty-handed. Therewas no telling what Sobber, Crabtree and the others might do ifcornered.
"I guess we'd better go back and arm ourselves," he said. "It willcreate talk, but that can't be helped."
"It will create talk anyway, as soon as it is known that Dora and Nelliehave been carried off," answered Tom.
"What do you care for the talk!" cried Sam. "What we want to do is tosave the girls--and put those rascals where they belon
g, in jail!"
Then the biplane was turned back in a circle and soon the boys were backin Shepleytown, much to the astonishment of those who had but a fewmoments before seen them leave.