Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online DistributedProofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
BART KEENE'S HUNTING DAYS
Or
The Darewell Chums in a Winter Camp
BY ALLEN CHAPMAN
AUTHOR OF "BART STIRLING'S ROAD TO SUCCESS," "WORKING HARD TO WIN," "BOUND TO SUCCEED," "THE YOUNG STOREKEEPER," "NAT BORDEN'S FIND," ETC.
_The_ GOLDSMITH _Publishing Co._
CLEVELAND OHIO
MADE IN U.S.A.]
COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE I. A MIDNIGHT EXPEDITION 1 II. THE MISSING DIAMOND BRACELET 8 III. A FRUITLESS SEARCH 24 IV. IN THE SHOOTING GALLERY 35 V. AN INITIATION 49 VI. AN UNEXPECTED MEETING 57 VII. GETTING READY FOR CAMP 67 VIII. AN ODD LETTER 77 IX. OFF TO CAMP 84 X. A RAILROAD ACCIDENT 91 XI. PUTTING UP THE TENTS 97 XII. THE PLACE OF THE TURTLES 106 XIII. THE MUD VOLCANO 111 XIV. BART'S FIRST SHOT 119 XV. FENN FALLS IN 125 XVI. FRANK MAKES PANCAKES 132 XVII. TREED BY A WILDCAT 141 XVIII. THE MYSTERIOUS MAN AGAIN 153 XIX. LOST IN THE WOODS 160 XX. A NIGHT OF MISERY 167 XXI. UNEXPECTED HELP 173 XXII. CHRISTMAS IN CAMP 179 XXIII. FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW 187 XXIV. A SHOT IN TIME 193 XXV. NED'S RABBIT TRAP 200 XXVI. A VISIT TO TOWN 206 XXVII. THE MAN WITH THE TURTLE 212 XXVIII. THE PURSUIT 217 XXIX. BART'S BEST SHOT 227 XXX. THE DIAMOND BRACELET--CONCLUSION 232
BART KEENE'S HUNTING DAYS
CHAPTER I
A MIDNIGHT EXPEDITION
"Hold on there! Go easy, now, fellows," cautioned Bart Keene to his twochums, as they stole softly along in the darkness. "What are you makingall that racket for, Ned?"
"It wasn't me; it was Frank."
"I couldn't help it," came from Frank Roscoe in a whisper. "I stumbledon a stone."
"Well, don't do it again," retorted Bart. "First thing you know some onewill hear us, and the jig will be up."
"And then we can't play the joke on Stumpy," added Ned Wilding.
"Of course not," went on Bart. "Easy now. Come on. Keep behind me in aline, and walk in the shadows as much as possible. We're almost there."
The three lads bent upon playing a peculiar trick on their chum, Fenn,or "Stumpy" Masterson, kept on toward the Darewell High School, at whichthey were students. The building set well back from the street, and thecampus in front was now flooded with brilliant moonlight. It was closeto midnight, and to approach the institution unobserved, to take from itcertain objects, and to steal away without having been noticed, was theobject of the three conspirators.
"Are you coming?" asked Bart, as he turned around to observe whatprogress his companions were making. He saw Ned and Frank standingstill, crouched in the shadow of a leafless tree. "What's the matter?"he continued, somewhat anxiously.
"Thought I heard a noise in the building," whispered Frank, hoarsely.
"You're dreaming," retorted Bart. "Come on. It's getting late, and wewant to finish."
"Yes, and it's as cold as Greenland," added Ned. The boys had on lightovercoats, for winter was near at hand.
Once more the two advanced, and joined Bart. The three were now in theshadow of one of the wings of the school, and, as far as they knew, hadnot been seen.
"Which way are you going in?" asked Ned, of Bart, who was leading thismidnight expedition.
"Through the side court, and in at the girls' door. That's most alwaysopen, as Riggs, the janitor, lives on that side of the school, and hedoesn't take the trouble to lock the door, as his house is so near."
"Good idea," commented Frank. "Lead on, Falstaff, an' may he who----"
"Cut it out," advised Bart sharply. "This is no time to spout Shakespearestuff."
Once more the three advanced. Suddenly Bart stopped, and Ned, who wasclose behind, collided with him.
"What's wrong now?" whispered Ned, as soon as he caught his breath.
"Hush!" cautioned Bart. "I saw a man just then! He was right by thefront door of the school." Bart had come to a halt in the shadow of abuttress, just before stepping across an open space that led to thecourt.
"A man," murmured Ned. "Probably it was Riggs, the janitor."
"No, he was too tall for Riggs," answered Bart. "Besides, he didn'tlimp, as Riggs does, from a leg that was once broken. No, this manwasn't Riggs."
"What was he doing?" asked Frank.
"Standing near the front door, as if he was going in. Then he seemed tochange his mind. I think--There he is again!" exclaimed Bart, suddenly,and he shrank farther back into the dense shadows, his chums followinghis example.
At the same instant Ned and Frank caught sight of the man. The strangerapproached the front door as if afraid of being seen, and, every now andthen, he turned about, as the boys could notice to take an observation.As they looked on they saw him suddenly open the front door, afterfumbling about the lock, and enter the school, closing the portal behindhim.
"Well, what do you think of that?" gasped Bart, after a moment's pause.
"He's a burglar!" declared Frank.
"Let's go tell the police," suggested Ned.
"No, wait a minute," advised Bart, putting restraining hands on his twochums. "Don't tell the police."
"Why not?" Ned wanted to know.
"Because they might ask what we were doing around the school at night,and we don't want to tell--do we?"
"That's so," agreed Frank. "Maybe that chap isn't a burglar, after all."
"You're right," came from Ned. "What could a burglar steal in theschool?"
"Books, and instruments from the laboratory," was Bart's contributionto the opinions. "But I, myself, don't believe he is a burglar. Possiblyhe is some one whom Riggs hired to help out with the sweeping anddusting."
"Let's wait and see," suggested Frank, and this was agreed to. Silentlythe chums, from their place of hiding, kept their eyes on the school.Presently there was a flicker of light in the windows of one of theupper rooms.
"There!" exclaimed Ned, "what did I tell you! He's a new janitor,sweeping out," for the light moved to and fro.
"What room is that?" asked Bart.
"Professor Long's--the place where we're bound for," answered Frank.
"Hush! Not so loud," pleaded Bart. "Some one may hear you, and get on toour trick. I guess you're right. We'll wait until he gets out of theway."
"It may be a long time, and Fenn may come looking for us," ventured Ned.
"Can't help it," decided Bart. "We can't go in while the man is there."
There seemed no way out of it, and the three chums crouched in theshadows, waiting. It was cold, and more than once they wished they hadnot started to play the joke on Fenn, but they were not going to giveup now. They saw the light, moving to and fro, but it did not leave theroom where they had first observed it--the classroom of Professor Long,the science teacher.
"He must be giving that a good cleaning," remarked Bart. Hardly had hespoken than the light disappeared. A few minutes later it was visible onthe floor below, and then it
could be traced, as the person carrying it,descended.
"He's coming out," declared Ned.
"So much the better," commented Frank.
An instant later the front door opened and the man who had gone in,hurried out. He seemed in great haste for, giving a quick look around,he darted away from the school, down the front walk, and up the street.
"Fellows, that was no janitor!" declared Bart. "I believe he was aburglar!"
"But he didn't have any bundles," declared Frank. "If he had stolenanything, he'd have to pack it up, as anything of value in the schoolis quite bulky. I don't believe he took anything."
"Then why did he run?" demanded Bart.
This was a poser for his chums, until Frank said:
"It may have been one of the teachers who went back after some papers heforgot."
"Didn't look like any of the teachers," said Bart. "Besides theteachers wouldn't run, as if the police were after them, and theywouldn't act as frightened as that man did."
"Well, what are we going to do about it?" asked Ned. "If we're going toplay that joke, let's get busy. We won't say anything about seeing theman unless something developes, and I don't believe it will. Come on in.The front door seems to be open. We can go in that way, instead ofaround through the court; less chance of Riggs seeing us."
"All right," agreed Bart, "only I wish I knew who that man was." Thetime was to come when the boys would have given a great deal to havebeen able to penetrate the identity of the mysterious stranger. But thethree chums gave little heed to that now, for they were intent onplaying a joke that Bart had evolved. A little later, finding the frontdoor unlocked, they were inside the school, just as the distant townclock boomed out the hour of midnight.