axle was completed all of the boys went into the house to ask the farmer more about the two men and the automobile.
"I can't tell yeou nuthin' more," said the farmer. "They left the autymobile in the barn all night an' paid me a dollar fer it. I don't know who they was, or where they went."
"Can you remember the date this happened?" asked Dick.
"I certainly kin do that, fer it was on my birthday, the tenth."
"The day Crabtree escaped!" murmured Dick, and Sam and Tom nodded.
"Where did they go?" asked Tom.
"I dunno. They went off at night."
This was all the old farmer could tell, and a few minutes later the boys left him. All were rather thoughtful as they got into the carriage once more and drove off.
"Just to think of it!" cried Tom. "Crabtree was around here a night and a day, and nobody knew it!"
"It's too bad we didn't get news of it before," returned Dick. "We might have followed up that 'autymobile,' as the old man called it. But it's too late now. They must be miles and miles away. Crabtree may be in Canada, or on his way to Africa, or China."
