The Auto Boys' Vacation Part 19

"I bet a nickel against a cent that this is the same pistol that shot--what's his name?--Horr."

Meantime Phil, having produced several cords that he had taken from the tool box of the Six, proceeded to bind the stranger's wrists together behind his back as he lay half stunned by Billy's attack. While so doing, he stumbled against a heavy object that proved to be a cheap suitcase, filled by something that rattled metallically as it was moved.

Having tied the man's wrists, they half carried him up the stairway, through the back room and into the old office. Here Billy stood guard armed with the tube and the pistol. This last they discovered was enough like the one Billy had at home to be its mate. Also one chamber being empty, Phil at once felt sure--with Worth--that they now held the very weapon that had been fired at Horr, the supposed comrade of the man now recovering his senses at their feet.

"Watch him close, Billy," cautioned Phil, "while I go below and get that suitcase, and look around a little before we go back to Feeney's."

"Don't be uneasy, Phil. I'll watch him all right. Ain't I just getting even for the way those two did me when they ran away with our car?"

While Phil was gone below the stranger, recovering his senses, and seeing only a boy standing over him, looked up with cunning, yet imploring eyes.

"Say, kid," he weakly began, "that was a bad blow you hit me. My head's about to bust. You've tied my arms too tight. Please loose me. I won't do anything."

"No, you won't! Not while I'm in sight! Remember how you and your pal, who's been calling on you constantly, did for me when you caught me fast asleep? Not much will you get away! Just bank on that, will you?"

"I mean all right, boy. 'Deed I do! Just came back here for a few things that belong to us. Be a good boy. Turn me loose. I'll go with you all right."

"No, you won't! We don't trust you. Besides that, your pal's begging us hard to fetch 'Dippy' back. Wants to see you and ask you why you shot him after stealing our car. Do you catch on?"

At this the man, whose head and shoulder was bruised and aching from the effect of Billy's rubber tube, seemed to give up. But Worth had one more arrow. He produced the pistol, showed the man the one empty chamber, and said:

"Look here, Quinn. That's your name or the one you go by, for Horr said it was. See that empty cartridge? I know these Smith & Wesson twenty-twos, for I've got one at home myself. We got the bullet, too. It glanced off and came out. You might as well own up now and thank your stars you didn't kill your pal, or you would be in for murder as well as these other jobs."

But before the man could make any rejoinder back came Phil with the suitcase which seemed quite heavy. In the other hand he carried the stranger's black felt hat, from which Phil had brushed most of the dust and cobwebs and placed it on the man's head as he now sat leaning against the edge of the tottering counter behind which the boys had found Billy after his capture by the two who attempted to escape with the Six.

"Can you stand and walk?" queried Phil. "We've got to put you in our car; the one you and Horr tried to steal."

The man, now sullen enough, made no reply. Without more ado they helped him up and started with him towards the porch. Though his hands were tied, he went grudgingly until he saw the big, yawning open s.p.a.ce made by Worth when the boy fell through both porch floor and the cellar roofing below. The sight seemed to nerve the man to a final effort.

As they stood at the outer office entrance he suddenly pushed against Phil on one side and at the same time b.u.t.ted his head into Worth as forcibly as possible. Worth fell down while Phil, overborne by the weight of the suitcase, seemed in danger of stepping into the hole in front. The man, seeing a wild chance, drew back his foot, and was about to kick at the suitcase as if to send it through the hole in front.

"You would, would you?" grunted Billy, recovering in time to put his back against the door-facing and administer a push with his foot to the man, still standing on one leg in the act of kicking at the suitcase.

Down he went, the intended kick going wild. At the same moment Phil, having dropped the suitcase, sprang upon the man and with Billy's ready aid, managed to bind both legs fast together, so that he lay helpless.

After that the boys dragged their prisoner across the porch, then they carried him to where the car stood amid the shrubbery and placed him in the tonneau.

"Now, Billy," said Phil, "you watch him close. I'll go back, get that bag of his, shut the doors and come back. Don't take your eyes off him.

He's tricky!"

And Phil again went back while Worth stood over the man watchful and wary.

He was a sullen looking chap, like and yet unlike the stranger whom, with his partner, Billy had briefly seen that day at Feeney's. His eyes, roving about, avoided Billy, while he apparently looked for some further loop-hole that might offer another chance to resist or afford a possible escape.

"No good, old man," remarked Worth, standing over him with the tube in hand, ready for any move the bound man might make. "You've got to go with us."

"Look here!" suddenly said the fellow. "We've got money--me and my partner. Why not turn us loose on the quiet? We'll make it all right--sure."

"How do we know you'll make it all right? Didn't you shoot your own partner? He says you did. He calls you Dippy Quinn. That your name?"

"Oh, that's nothing! I was reloading the pistol. It went off 'fore I knew a thing. That's the real goods, boy! As I said, he and me have the dough. Two hundred of it's yours, provided you'll turn us loose--on the quiet."

"You're talking to no good, Quinn. I wouldn't be party to turning either you or Horr loose, not if you placed twice that amount in my hands right now."

About this time Phil was seen coming, lugging what appeared to be a very heavy suitcase, evidently packed full of something that weighed about as much as Phil could carry. At sight of this the man seemed beside himself with anger. He almost spat in Billy's face as he declared:

"You're both a dirty set of rogues! Yes, both of you! That," pointing at the packed bag, "is mine--mine and my partner's. We wasn't bothering you--"

"Oh, no!" laughed Billy. "Come, that's good! All you did was to gag and tie me and try to steal our car. That's a mere nothing, of course."

Phil, by this time arriving, seated himself at the wheel, putting the bag beside him. Then he looked warningly at Worth, saying:

"Keep a sharp eye out, Billy. If he gets too obstreperous, just use the tube. If that don't quiet him, try his pistol."

Then he started the car, steering carefully until they had turned round and were headed up the old road leading through the timber towards Feeney's. As the car b.u.mped along over the rough places, Quinn seemed to be suffering greatly, his tightly bound ankles being the cause of his present misery.

"Honest, boy," he began, "at least loose my legs! I sprained my ankle somehow in our sc.r.a.p back yonder. Besides, there's a boil on my leg.

Just loosen it up a bit--that's a good kid!"

One would have supposed that with the previous experience they had had with this man, Billy would have given no heed. But Billy, naturally soft-hearted, saw real tears in the man's eyes. His looks and manner now were in such sharp contrast to that exhibited when he felt himself on the verge of an escape that even Worth felt a certain compunction. Could the man be shamming all the time, first in one way, then in another?

With a side look at Phil, who was watching the road as he steered, he bent forward as he said:

"Does the cord hurt you like that? Will you promise to be quiet if I loosen up those leg cords a bit? But mind you, none of your shenanigan, if I do!"

"No--no--no--course not!" Thus the man mumbled, his breath coming and going tremulously, but his wet eyes, resting on Billy appealingly, suddenly changed their expression as Billy's head bent down over the cord, and a swift, crafty gleam shot from under his treacherous brows, while Worth was bending over the confined legs. Meantime Phil, trusting to Billy's watchfulness, was fully occupied with the wheel and the brakes, for right here was a bad bit of going.

In manipulating the cord so as to loosen it a little--not too much--and while, in order to deceive Billy, the fellow kept up his groaning, Billy's fingers were all needed. He hastily tucked under his arm the tube for a moment, as he contended with a stubborn portion of the knot.

Watching both the condition of the loosening knot and noting that no one else seemed to be regarding them, the man shoved his legs apart. At the same time he seized the tube with both hands, jerking it from the arms of Worth. Then, springing to his feet, he raised the tube upward--all in the twinkling of an eye, so to speak.

With one shoulder he pushed Billy heavily, so that the boy dropped back into his seat just as Quinn levelled a quick blow across the tonneau at Phil, still busy at the wheel. The blow came as a complete surprise to the latter, still fully occupied with the wheel and the brakes.

Fortunately Phil happened to bend forward in shifting gears, and the blow aimed for Phil's head fell glancingly along his shoulder. Even then the force was temporarily paralyzing.

The boy shrunk still further forward under the blow, the movement causing him to press his foot on the brake. Hence they began to slow towards a stop. With his faculties still shaken, he mechanically threw on the halting gear, thus bringing the car to a gradual stop.

Meanwhile Billy, seeing at once how he had been duped, raised up so forcibly that he b.u.mped against the prisoner, who was trying to throw himself from the tonneau to the ground, his legs now being practically loose.

"Ha, you will, eh?" gasped Worth. "I'll show you!"

Reaching forth he grabbed a leg of the leaping fugitive, holding on for dear life, so that instead of alighting on his feet, the fellow actually fell forward over the tonneau with his head and arms dragging along with the car. Reaching the earth, the man managed to wrench free from Billy's clutch and finally kick himself loose, though with his arms still bound.

Meantime Phil, having recovered, was already climbing from the car, and as the man scrambled to his feet he started in pursuit.

"After him, Phil!" shouted Worth, bursting through the tonneau door. "He fooled me! Don't give up! I'm behind you!"

From then on it became a sharp though short race. First the fugitive, his hands tied behind, bareheaded, straining every nerve. Just in his rear came Phil, with every muscle doing double duty, reaching forward to grab him who fled. A yard or two behind was Billy, doing a stunt in rapid running that might have surprised him a few minutes before.

The man was agile enough, though doubtless tired. Besides this his arms, inconveniently bound behind his back, doubtless interfered with his running. One result was that after several futile grasps, Phil was at last able to fasten his grip on the man's tied arms. From that to pa.s.sing an arm round his neck and hanging grimly on was but momentary.