Fairview Boys at Camp Mystery/Chapter 7
CHAPTER VII
AT CAMP MYSTERY
"Sammy, do you really think we can do it?"
"How did you happen to think of it?"
Thus Frank and Bob questioned Sammy as they walked away from Jed and the larger boys, after getting the promise of the use of the ice-boat any time they wanted it.
"Of course I think we can do it," answered Sammy. "And I don't just know how I happened to think of it, except that I knew if we did go camping on Pine Island we'd have to take some extra clothes with us, and maybe something to eat, and we couldn't very well do that and skate. So I thought of the iceboat. It'll hold a lot."
"It's a fine idea!" exclaimed Frank. "Now the next thing is to see if our folks will let us go."
The boys were a little worried about that part of the program. True, they had been in a number of adventures of late, and their parents had not objected to their going off on several trips during the Summer; trips, too, that kept them away over night.
But now it was Winter, and sleeping away from their warm beds might mean severe colds, if nothing worse. So all three of the boys were a bit doubtful about being allowed to go.
"I'll tell you what let's do," proposed Sammy.
"What?" asked Frank.
"Let's go see Mrs. Blake," he went on. "We'll tell her we want to go up and call on her brother. She said he'd be glad to have us, and we'll get her to ask our folks if we can't go. They'll be sure to let us then."
"Good idea, Sammy!" cried Frank.
"I believe that will work!" declared Bob, slyly sticking out his foot to trip up Sammy. But the latter was too quick for him, and it was Bob himself who went down in a snowbank.
"I—I'll wash your face for that!" he cried, as he scrambled to his feet and made a rush for Sammy. But at that instant old Mr. Dolby, popularly called a miser, came unexpectedly along, and Bob ran full tilt into him, knocking him down.
"Whew!" whistled Frank. "Now you have gone and done it!"
The miserly old man struggled to his feet. All the boys were afraid to go near to help him, for fear he would use his cane on them.
"Ah, ha!" he spluttered as he got up, brushing the snow from his clothes. "Ah, ha! Up to your old tricks again; are you? Knocking folks down! I'll fix you for this! I'll have you all arrested, that's what I will!"
He shook his cane at the frightened boys.
"I—I didn't mean to!" faltered Bob, as he picked up the angry man's hat and gave it to him.
"Didn't mean to! Humph! That's what ye allers say! But I'll have the law on ye jest the same! I'll have ye all arrested! Look at my hat—all snow!"
"It'll brush off," said Sammy.
"Hold your tongue! Don't speak to me!" snapped the angry man, as he stalked off down the street. "I'll attend to your cases."
For a moment the three chums remained looking after him. Then, as he noted the direction taken by the miser, Frank said anxiously:
"He's going toward the police station. Maybe he will have us arrested."
"He can't have you two taken in," said Bob. "I'm the only one that knocked him down."
"Huh! S'pose we'd let you stand it all?" demanded Sammy. "We'll all stick together. But come on. There's no use waiting for trouble. If he does make a complaint let the officer find us. I'm going home and ask my mother if I can go to Pine Island."
He turned aside, but stopped a moment later to pick up a paper from the snow. He unfolded it and exclaimed:
"Why! it's a check—a check for ten dollars, and it's for Mr. Dolby! He must have dropped it."
"Say! This is just the thing!" cried Frank, with ready wit. "Let's run and give it to him. Maybe he won't be mad then."
There was no need to race after the old miser, for a moment later he turned the corner, coming toward the boys. He seemed very much in a hurry, and quite excited.
"Have you found it? Did I drop it here? If you boys have found it and don't give it up—" he spluttered.
"Is this it?" asked Sammy quickly, holding out the check.
The miser fairly snatched it from the boy's grasp.
"That's it! Where'd you get it? You must have took it from my pocket when you knocked me down!" the peevish man exclaimed.
"We did not!" cried Sammy, in righteous anger. "We found it in the snow where it fell. And knocking you down was an accident."
Perhaps the miser realized this, or perhaps the joy at finding the ten dollar check he thought he had lost made him more humane. At any rate he growled out:
"Well, maybe you couldn't help it. But you boys shouldn't be so rough. I won't have you arrested this time, but I will next. I'm an old man, and I can't stand bein' knocked around rough-like. Here—here's a penny for you for findin' my check," and he fumbled in an old wallet.
"No, thank you!" exclaimed Sammy, turning aside. "We don't want any reward."
"Oh, all right," said the miser, and with a sigh of relief he put the cent back in his purse. "Boys have too much money now-a-days as it is."
He shuffled off, followed by the indignant glances of the lads.
"Isn't he the limit!" murmured Frank.
"He sure is," agreed Bob.
"You want to stop your fooling, Bob," advised Sammy. "You nearly got us into trouble."
"All right—I'll be good," promised the fun-loving Bob. But his chums knew that it would be only for a short time at best. However, they were used to it now.
The three soon forgot the little happening with the miser, in their hurry to get home and find out if they could go camping on Pine Island. School would close for Christmas in a day or so, and there was much to do to get ready.
It was no easy matter for the boys to get their parents' consent to the trip. They had to "tease" very hard. But their plan of getting Mrs. Blake to put in a good word for them was not in vain.
"Of course you ought to let the boys go," she said, when she called in turn on Mrs. Bouncer, Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Haven. "My brother will be delighted to see them, and he'll take the best of care of them. It will do them good. They're only boys once, and they have studied well this term."
So it came about that permission was given. The boys were to take along plenty of warm clothing. As for food, Mrs. Blake said her brother had plenty in his cabin. She had written that the boys were coming, and he had laid in a good stock of provisions.
"Hurray!" cried Sammy, when the matter was settled, "we can go!"
Arrangements were made, and Jed and his larger chums promised to take the three boys to the island on the ice-boat. The lake was frozen over thickly now, and there was no danger.
School closed, Christmas came, with all its joys, and two days after the holiday the little party of three, in charge of the older boys, set off on the ice-boat.
It was a fine sunny day, though cold, and there was a good wind, so they were only a comparatively short time in getting to the upper end of Pine Island. As they neared the dock in front of the cabin where Mr. Jessup had his camp, Sammy and his chums kept a bright lookout. None of them admitted as much, but they were all thinking they might see the mysterious hermit.
"There's your friend, I guess," said Jed, as the ice-boat came up into the wind, and headed for the dock. "That's Mr. Jessup waving to you. I know him."
A tall man, with a gun under his arm, was standing on the edge of the little pier that extended out into the frozen lake.
"Yes, that's him," said Sammy, who knew the hunter from the way in which Mrs. Blake had described her brother.
"I wish we were you chaps," spoke Jim Eaton. "You'll have no end of good times here."
"That's what they will," added Hank.
But neither they, nor Sammy and his chums, dreamed of the queer, as well as good, times in store.
The ice-boat came to a stop, the three small boys got off, and the craft veered away again.
"Well, boys, glad to see you!" called Mr. Jessup, cordially as he met them. "Welcome to Camp Mystery!"