CHAPTER VIII
LAST DAYS ON THE FARM
"I believe you are right," said Tom, after he, too, had looked over someof the bits of paper strewn around. "Here is the word 'box' and here isthe word 'Saturday.'"
"Yes, and here are the words, 'fast freight,'" added Sam. "This wasnothing more than a letter box for the freight thieves."
"But why was it placed here?" questioned Dick. "It's a veryout-of-the-way place and hard to get to."
"Maybe somebody had to come this way," answered Tom. "See, here issomething of a trail."
"Yes, and here are those same big footprints!" exclaimed Sam. "For allwe know they may lead to some house or hut on the mountainside."
Having picked up the majority of the bits of paper and put them in theirpockets for future examination, the three Rover boys followed the pathor trail they had discovered. It led along the mountainside to wherethere was a small clearing, backed up by a series of rocks from which aspring gushed forth, sparkling brightly in the sunshine.
"I'd like to get another drink," said Sam; "I am terribly thirstyto-day."
"Wait!" warned Dick, and caught his youngest brother by the arm.
"What's up, Dick?"
"I see a log cabin--over yonder, among the trees."
"Yes, and I see Dangler!" yelled Tom, suddenly. "There he goes, with abig bundle over his shoulder!" And he pointed to the rear of the logcabin. A man was just disappearing behind a fringe of brushwood. Thebundle he carried appeared to be tied up in a horse blanket. He wasrunning as hard as he could.
For a moment the boys did not know what to do. Then they ran to thecabin and entered. It contained but one room, and this they soondiscovered was deserted. In the chimney a fire was smouldering, and theremains of a meal lay scattered over a box that did duty as a table.
"This must have been Dangler's hangout," was Dick's comment. "He musthave come back for his things."
"Yes, and this explains why the queer letter box was stationed backthere," said Tom.
"Aren't you going to try to catch him?" asked Sam, impatiently.
"To be sure," answered Dick, and rushed out, and the others after him.
"Keep back there!" they heard Dangler cry, as they appeared on the trailback of the log cabin. "Keep back, or it will be the worse for you!"
"Stop!" called Dick. "You might as well give up Dangler; you are boundto be caught some time."
"Not much! I am armed and I warn you to keep back," answered the freightthief, and then a bend of the trail hid him from view.
"Do you think he'd dare to shoot?" asked Tom.
"There is no telling what a desperate man will do," replied Dick. "Wehad better be cautious."
After that they advanced with care. Presently the trail came out on amountain road and this passed over some rocks and crossed two otherroads. They saw no more of Dangler, and the footprints had disappeared.
"He has slipped us," said Tom, coming to a halt and resting on a fallentree. "Hang the luck anyway!"
"He came back to the cabin for his things," mused Sam. "I guess he isgoing to leave the neighborhood, and maybe for good."
Chagrined over their failure to catch the freight thief, the boys lookedaround that neighborhood for awhile and then retraced their steps to thelog cabin. Here they found several old articles of wearing apparel and afew newspapers.
"Here is an envelope," said Sam, fishing the object out from behind thebox that had done duty as a table. "It is addressed to William Dangler.Must have been some letter he got."
"Anything in it?"
"No."
"What is the postmark?"
"It is almost blurred out," said Sam. He took the envelope to the light."Well, I declare! Ithaca!"
"Ithaca!" cried Tom.
"Why, that's the city we stop at to take the boat for Putnam Hall,"exclaimed Dick.
"I know it."
"This is interesting, to say the least," was the comment of the oldestRover boy. "Wonder if Dangler has friends or confederates in Ithaca?"
"We must notify the police of this," said Tom. "And the sooner thebetter."
Satisfied that they could learn nothing more by remaining around the logcabin, the boys departed, and inside of an hour were on their buckboardand bound for the farm. From that place they called up the authoritiesand informed them of what they had learned. Another search was at onceinstituted for Bill Dangler, but the rascal was not captured.
The next day Mr. Anderson Rover came home, and the boys and RandolphRover had to acquaint him with all that had taken place. He shook hishead when he heard of the unregistered bonds.
"I am afraid you will never see them again, Randolph," he said to hisbrother.
"I am afraid so myself," was the mournful reply.
Anderson Rover had come home to see his boys off to school.
"I want you to make the most of your opportunities while at Putnam Hallthis term," he said, "for it is to be your last."
"Yes, I know that," answered Tom. "But after that, what?"
"We will talk that over later, Tom. You must either go to college or getready to go into business."
"I'd like to go to college!" put in Dick.
"So would I--if I knew what kind of a place it was," added Tom.
"If it was as fine a place as Putnam Hall I'd jump at it," came fromSam.
The next few days flew by quickly. During that time Dick received aletter from Dan Baxter, the former bully of Putnam Hall, whichinterested him not a little. This letter ran, in part, as follows:
"I am glad to say that I am now doing fairly well. I tried severalpositions and am now a traveling salesman for a large carpet house. Iget fifteen dollars per week, all my expenses, and a commission onsales, so I consider myself lucky.
"When I look back on what I once was, Dick, I can scarcely realize whata change has come. But I feel happier than I ever was, and I am in hopesthat I shall live to make a man of myself yet. I am trying to give upall my bad habits, and I haven't smoked, or drank a glass of liquor,since I left you in the south."
* * * * *
"That's the kind of a letter I like to get," said Dick, as he let hisbrothers peruse the communication. "It does a fellow's heart good,doesn't it?"
"I am glad we let him have that hundred dollars," said Sam. "Do youthink he'll pay it back?"
"Here is a postscript in which he says he will send a money order nextweek."
"He certainly means to pull himself together," said Tom. "Well, now hehas turned over a new leaf, I wish him the best of luck."
Almost before they knew it, it was time to leave the farm and journey toPutnam Hall. Everybody was sorry to see them go.
"I can't abide yo' boys being away nohow!" wailed Aleck Pop. "It jessdon't seem natural to have yo' gone, dat's wot it don't!"
"Oh, we'll be back some day, Aleck," answered Dick. "And if we go off onsome trip later, maybe we'll take you along."
"I most wish I was a waiter ag'in at de Hall," sighed the colored man.
"They can't spare you from here," said Sam.
"Oh, I know dat, Sam."
The boys' trunks had been packed and sent on ahead, so all they carriedwith them were their dress-suit cases. Their father drove them to therailroad station at Oak Run, and their aunt and uncle and the othersaround the farm came out on the piazza to see them off.
"Now be good boys," admonished their Aunt Martha. "And take care anddon't get sick."
"And be sure and study all you can," said their Uncle Randolph."Remember nothing is quite so grand as learning in this world."
"Yo' keep out ob mischief!" cried Aleck Pop, shaking a warning finger atTom, who grinned broadly.
And then the carriage started off, and the journey to Putnam Hall wasbegun.