Part 34 (2/2)
”That's who we are,” replied Fenn.
”By Heck! men, we've got th' wrong ones!” cried the man who had last spoken. ”These are the balloon boys! It was two men, not four boys, who broke jail! We've made a mistake!”
”What made ye run, if ye wasn't guilty?” demanded the constable, rather incensed over his disappointment.
”Guess you'd run, Amos,” put in the other man, ”if ye saw this crowd after ye.”
CHAPTER XXIX
AN UNEXPECTED MEETING
It took considerable explanation to set things straight but it was finally accomplished. The boys told as much of their story as they thought proper, from the time they went up in the balloon until they saw the crowd after them.
In turn they were informed that during the night two prisoners had escaped from the jail at Blissville, the next town to Pentkirk, which was the village they were then in.
”Lucky you mentioned balloon,” spoke Mr. Weldon, the farmer who had come to the chum's aid.
”Did you hear of it?” asked Ned.
”Well, I guess! Circulars describin' ye have been sent to every postoffice around here.”
”Then Captain Needham hasn't telephoned word to our folks!” cried Bart.
”We must do it at once. Is there a wire in town?” he asked.
”Yep, an' ye can use it all ye want to,” said Mr. Weldon. ”There's a hundred dollars reward for news of each of ye, an' maybe ye wouldn't mind lettin' some of th' boys earn it by telephonin' t' th' Darewell police?”
”Of course not,” replied Bart, ”so long as our folks are told, at once, that's all we care.”
”We'd like some breakfast and--and--some decent clothes too,” put in Fenn.
”We'll see to that,” replied Mr. Weldon. ”Come along with me.”
He took the boys to his house, first sending a messenger to telephone to Darewell that the boys were safe and would shortly be home. The chums were soon eating a hearty meal, and then were fitted out in garments, which, if they did not fit them well, being collected from several houses that contained lads about of their age, were a welcome relief from the overalls and jumpers.
”I never knew how much depended on shoes before,” said Fenn, as he gazed at those loaned him.
”I can feel those thistles yet,” observed Frank.
”Now I s'pose you boys'll want t' git home,” observed Mr. Weldon when breakfast was finished. ”I'll be glad t' advance ye th' money for your tickets.”
”We'll be much obliged if you will,” spoke Bart. ”If you want references you can telephone to any one in Darewell.”
”Them circulars is reference enough,” was the answer, as he waved one containing a description of the boys. Their relatives had sent them broadcast after the balloon had broken loose and no word had been received from the chums by the following morning.
It was not long before the four were on a train, speeding home. They were so full of talk over their recent experiences that it was hard to say where one began and the other left off.
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