The Auto Boys' Vacation Part 7

CHAPTER VII

A SWIFT RIDE THROUGH THE DARKNESS

With what glorious good feeling Paul and Billy sat down to their late dinner at the American House! Paul was a little ashamed of the slighting remarks he had lately made about the hotel fare. He said as much.

"Gee! I should think you would be, to see you diving into it all right now!" Billy laughed. Ah, what a difference in _his_ spirits, also, the recovery of the car had made!

It seems strange to me that, considering the imperative nature of the telegram from Phil and Dave, Worth and Jones were not more deeply impressed by it. No doubt the finding of their own car had made them quite indifferent to all else. At any rate, they hardly more than mentioned the message from Syracuse, when they met Mr. Creek at his garage in the afternoon. Thither they had gone, eager to give the Six such a gentle but thorough washing and oiling, and the bra.s.s such a complete polishing, as they felt no one else to be capable of doing.

The work progressed most favorably. By supper time the beloved machine stood dry, clean and shining. A truly beautiful car, it never looked more lovely to Paul and to Billy than at this moment, with the sinking sun lighting up its radiance through the big front window of Creek's garage. The Torpedo, though a first-cla.s.s car, appeared dingy and commonplace beside it.

After bathing and dressing in clean, dry clothes, following their labors, the two boys were pa.s.sing through the hotel office toward the dining-room. Mr. Wagg stopped them.

"'Nother telegram," said he, peering over his gla.s.ses, as usual. "You two are getting to be about the most important citizens of this village."

Eagerly the yellow envelope was opened. "Yours received. Hurrah. Meet us with car eleven o'clock train. Phil."

"Hully gee! I'll bet _they're_ glad!" chirped Paul. But had he known all that Dave and Phil now knew, he would have been even more elated and excited than he was.

After supper the boys stepped around to the garage. Willie Creek had just left in his own car for Port Greeley, said his boy of all work, half asleep on the cot in the office. "Somebody telephoned him he could sell a car, if he could get over there and give a demonstration right off," the lad explained. "He won't be home till toward mornin', maybe."

"We were only going for a ride, anyway," said Billy.

The facts were that he and Paul had decided to drive out to see Alfred Earnest and his friend Hipp. They believed they could tell from the manner of these young gentlemen whether they had not known all along where the Six was hidden.

"For an entire stranger would never have found those planks _away over beyond that hill_," declared Worth with confident emphasis.

If Earnest or Hipp had had any knowledge of the stealing of the Auto Boys' car, however, they concealed the fact amazingly well. They appeared most hearty in their congratulations upon the machine's recovery, as Billy and Paul told the story to them and to Rev. and Mrs.

Earnest at the latter's home. Later the cordial young minister and his wife were taken for a ten-mile spin. Then Mrs. Earnest insisted that all the boys come in for a little lunch. Worth and Jones had abundant time at their disposal as they must remain up to meet Phil and Dave, and cordially accepted the invitation. It was just after ten o'clock when they at last drove back to Griffin and to the American House, there to wait until train time.

"h.e.l.lo, here! Fobes has been looking for you boys high and low!" said Mr. Wagg, severely, hastening out to meet them. "That man he has had in the lockup has escaped. Sawed the bars of a cell and went out through a corridor window. It is bad luck, I'm afraid. Fobes says the man made an offer to tell you where your car was if you'd pa.s.s some saws in to him."

"But I never _did_ it!" cried Billy Worth, indignantly. Quickly he had seen the likelihood that suspicion might point toward him in the remarkable coincidence that, directly the stolen car was found, Coster had been enabled to break jail.

The hotel telephone rang long and loudly. The very tone of haste and impatience was in its harsh clang and clamor.

"Well!" shouted Mr. Wagg, answering, and his voice was neither soft nor pleasant. Then in milder tones, "You're wanted, Worth."

Billy stepped to the phone. "No, certainly not," Paul heard him say. And then, "It can't be!" A pause, then further, "Oh, that's awful! We'll be over there right off!"

With frightened, staring eyes Worth turned to Paul. "The Torpedo is gone," he said.

Grievous anxiety and alarm filled the hearts of the two boys. Quickly they drove the Six to Creek's garage. Chief Fobes and the youth who a.s.sisted in the establishment both ran out as the car stopped at the door.

It had been long since anyone had seen Mr. Fobes so wide awake, and so keen to do his duty as he was now. He was frightened, too, lest his prisoner's escape might cost him his position. And he was so perplexed and so confused by his excitement that, as he mentioned suspiciously the circ.u.mstance that Coster "got his saws and you fellows got your car,"

Worth really feared the officer would be for clapping him into jail immediately.

The Torpedo was as completely missing as if it had never been. Creek's boy had not the shadow of an idea concerning the machine. He knew only that he fell asleep in the office and was awakened by someone who wanted gasoline. Not until this customer was gone did he discover the absence of the Torpedo. He at once telephoned to the hotel, thinking Worth or Jones had taken the car out, perhaps.

"Don't let Torpedo leave Creek's garage for any purpose." This sentence in Phil's telegram rang in Billy's ears. What did it all mean? He looked at his watch. Ten-forty. Way and MacLester would arrive at eleven, he thought. Then, "Have you telephoned Port Greeley and other places to be on the lookout for Coster and the car?" The question was addressed to Fobes, pacing excitedly about, accomplishing nothing.

No, he had had no time, the policeman answered. Coster's escape was not discovered until long after nine. There had been scarcely a chance to turn around before the theft of the Torpedo was also reported.

"You better be telephoning, perhaps," Worth suggested. "We will meet that eleven o'clock train and, with the car to go in, maybe we can all help you some."

Phil Way's eyes glistened and he smiled with a delight so inexpressible he made no effort to put his thoughts into words. He had just read the telegram from Billy and Paul, handed him at the Syracuse Automobile club's downtown quarters.

"Can it be true?" asked Dave in wonder. "Why don't they--where was the car and--"

"Course it's true!" cried Phil joyously. "But I do think they might have spent four or six cents more to tell us something about it. They kept right down to ten words all right!"

MacLester was for starting to Griffin at once. "But we can't," Way remonstrated. "We've got to stay by Mr. Rack and don't you remember--half that reward?"

However, the two boys did hurry away immediately to Mr. Bob Rack's office. He was out. The stenographer said he would return soon and the lads waited.

Detective Rack appeared greatly pleased with the telegram from Billy and Paul. "A little more information might have helped us; still, perhaps, we do not need it," said he. "We will all go to Griffin this evening.

Would you wire your friends there to meet us at--" he paused and glanced into a book of time-tables--"to meet us at the train due there at eleven o'clock?"

With so much to occupy their thoughts and tongues, Dave and Phil found train time and their meeting with the detective at the station at hand without one dull minute having pa.s.sed. And though they had discussed the evident ability and the possible plans of Robert Rack from all angles, they were no nearer a conclusion as to what he meant to do than they were to guessing how Jones and Worth had recovered the Big Six--a question they were pleasantly impatient to have answered.

Not by word or look did Bob Rack reveal one whit of what he had found during the day to the pair of his youthful admirers, who had a seat opposite him, while the train bore rapidly on toward Griffin. When he talked about the case at all it was only to ask a few questions--some of them far removed from the problem in hand, the boys thought. For instance when he desired to know whether there was plenty of lighting gas in the tank of the Torpedo, both were puzzled, though they answered that there was.

"We were extremely fortunate in getting away to-night. Every hour counts now," said Mr. Rack, "but as I have some papers to look over I'll get at them."

Swiftly through the summer night the train sped on. The detective seemed to be occupied with nothing more important than some road maps, but his companions did not venture to interrupt him and in their own conversation spoke in low tones. The distance seemed very great, somehow, to the impatient boys. But at last----

"Here we are!" said Robert Rack, even before Phil or Dave were aware of it, and a moment later the lights of Griffin came into view.

I shall not undertake to tell in detail of the conflicting emotions with which Billy and Paul greeted their friends and with which they all, Mr.

Rack included, gathered beside the Big Six while Worth quickly told of the escape of Coster and the Torpedo's disappearance.

"A little faster than I expected," mused the detective, in that same easy, gentle tone. Apparently _he_ was no more disturbed than if Billy had said it looked like rain, which, in fact, was the case.

"But this man in jail--_we_ didn't tell you anything about him, Mr.

Rack. We didn't know it ourselves," Phil spoke up anxiously. For it will be remembered that Chief Fobes' prisoner had not appeared in the situation at all at the time Way and MacLester left Griffin. "Or did you know without our _telling_ you?" Phil added, his own mind in a whirl of confused thoughts.

"Oh, I have not been idle to-day," smiled Detective Bob. Then more seriously, but still in his affable, pleasing way, quite as though he were planning a little outing, he continued, "Now I'll need some help.

The best driver take the wheel. I'll sit beside him. The rest of you ride behind and if I may ask so much, no one will leave the car except as I may request it."

Immediately Phil nodded to Dave to take the driver's place. In an instant Bob Rack was in the seat beside him, the others in the tonneau.

"Just as fast as is consistent with a reasonable degree of safety now,"