CHAPTER XXVIII
AT THE OLD HOUSE
The Rover boys and their chums approached the old house with a good dealof interest. Dick led the way, setting a pace that made it hard for theothers to keep up.
"Don't hurry so, Dick," remonstrated Fred. "The house isn't going to runaway."
"Dick wants to make sure if that Merrick is around," responded Songbird."And I can't blame him."
The old Sobber homestead was surrounded by a grove of trees equallyaged. One of the trees had blown down, taking a corner of the roof withit. Through this opening the birds flitted.
"I don't believe a soul is around," observed Tom, as they halted infront of the building.
"Nothing like ringing the bell!" cried Sam, and mounting the dilapidatedpiazza he raised the ancient knocker of the door and used it vigorously.Then came a crash and the youngest Rover felt the piazza bottom giveway.
"Look out, a post is coming down!" cried Dick, warningly, and Sam hadjust time enough to leap away when the corner post of the piazza fell,allowing the roof above to sag several inches.
"Looks to me as if the whole building was on the verge of collapse," wasSongbird's comment.
"Yes, and I don't know whether I want to go in or not," added Larry.
"It certainly does look shaky," admitted Dick. "I don't think anybodywould risk staying in it long."
Leaving the front, they walked around the old house and gazed throughseveral of the broken-out windows. Inside all was dirt and cobwebs, witha few pieces of broken-down furniture scattered about. As he looked inone window Tom saw a big rat scurry across the floor.
"I guess rats are the only tenants," he said dryly. "And they don't payrent."
"With a few birds on the top floor, front," added Sam. "Well, do we goin or not?"
"I am going in," declared Dick, and pushed open the old kitchen door. Itwas damp and mouldy in the apartment, for the rain had soaked loose muchof the plaster and caused it to fall.
The big open fireplace looked grimy and forbidding with its iron barsand chains. An iron kettle stood on the chimney-piece, a crack acrossthe bottom.
"Somebody has had a fire here not so very long ago!" said Dick, andpicked up a bit of half-burnt newspaper. He turned it over. "Here is adate. This newspaper is only four days old!"
"Then whoever made a fire here visited this house within the past fourdays," said Larry in a tragic whisper.
"Whoop! just listen to what a detective Larry is becoming!" cried Tom."Regular Bowery Bob, the Newsboy Sleuth!"
"Perhaps it was only some curiosity seeker who came here," suggestedFred.
With caution, for the floors were very rotten, the cadets moved from oneroom of the old house to another.
"Anything in there?" asked Tom of Sam, as the latter peered into a roomthat was extra dark.
"I can't make out," was the answer, and Sam took a step forward. Then ofa sudden there was a strange whirring, and something hit the youngestRover boy on the ear, causing him to fall back in fright.
"Stop that!" he cried.
"What was it?" queried Tom, while the others came running to the spot.
"Something hit me on the ear!"
"Anybody in there?"
"There must be."
"Come out of that, whoever you are!" yelled Fred, while Dick pointed hisshotgun at the door.
There was no answer, but a second later came the whirring again, andthen a big bat flew into the light, just grazing Tom's face.
"A bat!"
"Let it go!" said Songbird, and then the bat flew out of a window anddisappeared.
"Oh!" murmured Sam, and breathed a sigh of relief. "I--I thoughtsomebody struck at me!"
"I've got one of those electric pocket lights along," said Tom. "Let meuse that."
He turned on the little electric lamp, and by its rays they inspectedthe apartment. It was a bedroom, and in one corner was an old bedsteadand on it a musty straw mattress. In another corner was a closetcontaining several shelves.
"Here is an old inkwell," said Dick, and brought it forth. "And here arethe remains of a box of writing paper and envelopes."
"Any letters?" asked Fred.
They looked around, but at first could find no writings of any kind. Butbehind one of the shelves, in a crack, they discovered several sheets ofpaper and took these to the light to read.
"They are parts of letters from Mr. Sobber to his wife," said Dick."They must have been written by Tad's father."
"He speaks here of Merrick," added Tom, who was scanning a blurred page."Merrick is Mrs. Sobber's brother beyond a doubt."
"From these letters I should say Mr. Sobber had been off on a sea trip,"continued the eldest Rover boy. "And it looks to me as if he had been anhonest man, for he tells his wife that he hopes Merrick will give up hisgambling habits."
From the bedroom the boys entered what had been the parlor of the house.This was almost bare. To one side of the parlor was an entry-way, andhere was a stairs leading to the second story and another leading to thecellar.
"Well, shall we go up or down?" queried Dick.
"Let us see what the cellar looks like first," answered Sam. "Perhapswe'll find a pot of gold there."
"Or a few skeletons," put in Tom.
"Ugh! don't say skeletons," cried Songbird, with a shiver. "I've got thecreeps already!"
"Look out that you don't break your neck on the stairs," warned Larry,and then Dick led the way down, holding the light before him.
If it was damp above it was far more so below, and the boys shivered inspite of themselves. The cellar had only a mud bottom and this wascovered with slime and mold. There was little there to interest themoutside of an old chest which, when they pried it open, proved to beempty.
"Listen!" cried Tom, suddenly, and held up his hand.
"What did you hear?" demanded several of the others.
"I thought I heard somebody walking around upstairs. There it is again!"
All gave attention, and heard the unmistakable sounds of footsteps onthe stairs leading to the second story.
"Who is up there?" called out Dick, and turned to leave the cellar,followed by his brothers and chums.
"Stay where you are!" came back in a harsh voice. "Don't any of you dareto come out of that cellar!"
"It is Merrick!" burst out Tom.
Hardly had he spoken when they heard a door shut sharply and a boltdropped into place. Then the footsteps retreated.
"He has shut the door to the cellar!" cried Dick, flashing the lightupward. "We are locked in!"
"Hark! I heard more than one person running from the house," said Larry.
"That Pike must be with him."
"Or else Tad Sobber."
As quickly as he could, Dick ran up the old stairs and tried the door.It was in fairly good condition and refused to budge.
"Smash it down!" called out Tom, and went to his brother's assistance.
"We must get out and collar those rascals," said Sam. "Can't you get thedoor open?"
"We ought to be able to," answered Dick. "Here, catch the light and takethe gun."
In a few seconds Dick, Tom and Songbird were pressing on the door withall their strength. All stood on the top step of the cellar stairs.
"Now then, all together!" cried Dick, and they shoved with might andmain. Then came a crack below them, and an instant later the cellarstairs collapsed, carrying them with it. As they went down in a confusedheap the stairs struck the electric light and smashed it. It alsoknocked the shotgun from Sam's hand.
Bang! went the firearm, with a report in the narrow confines of thecellar that was deafening.
"I'm killed! I'm killed!" came from Larry, an instant later. "You'veshot my hand off!"