Part 34 (1/2)
”Do you think Koswell and Larkspur are in this game?”
”Perhaps they are!” cried d.i.c.k. ”It would be just like them to join forces with Crabtree and Sobber. They are down and out, and need money, and all of them would expect to get a big stake out of this.”
”Then you think they carried the girls off for money?” questioned Tom.
”I do, Tom. You hit the truth when you said they found out they couldn't do anything at the farm, and couldn't reach Mrs. Stanhope and Mrs.
Laning. The only things left were to try to reach us or the girls.”
”And they didn't dare tackle us,” put in Sam.
”Do you suppose that Mrs. Sobber is in this?” continued Tom, referring to a relative of Tad Sobber, who had a.s.sisted once in the carrying off of Mrs. Stanhope.
”She may be, although she was pretty well scared that other time,”
replied his older brother.
The boys relapsed into silence, each busy with his own thoughts. All were anxious to catch a glimpse of the enclosed touring car. But they came within sight of the village of Beechwood without encountering a turnout of any sort.
”I'll land here and make some inquiries,” said d.i.c.k.
”Yes, if the auto went through here somebody must have seen it,” said Tom.
A landing was made directly on the village green, in front of the post-office, and a small crowd quickly collected.
”It's them young fellers from Brill!” cried one of the villagers. ”I heard tell they had an airs.h.i.+p.”
”That ain't no airs.h.i.+p, it's an aryplane,” said another. ”They don't lift up like no balloon--they sail like a bird, on them canvas wings.”
”Wot makes the thing go, Job?”
”Them wooden things. They go 'round like windmills.”
”Say, we want some information and we want it quick!” cried d.i.c.k. ”Have any of you seen a big auto go through here, an enclosed auto--one with a coach-like body?”
”Sure we did!” cried one of the villagers. ”By heck! the thing nearly killed Si Levering, it did! Si was crossin' the road, when whizz! bang!
shoo! that auto went past him like a streak o' greased lightnin'! Si jumped back an' sit hisself down in the waterin' trough an' got hisself all wet.”
”Which way did the auto go?” went on d.i.c.k.
”Right straight ahead.”
”No, it didn't nuther,” put in a farmer, who had just arrived in the village. ”It took the road to Shepleytown--I see it.”
”Which is that?” questioned Tom.
”You go up this road about a mile an' then take the cross road to the left. You can't miss it, 'cause there's a big tree on the corner that was struck by lightnin'.”
”All right, we'll go to the corner that was struck by lightning,” said Tom, who could not help joking, even in that moment of anxiety.
”I didn't say the corner was struck--it was the tree,” explained the farmer soberly.