Part 32 (1/2)
”You're right,” answered the miner, springing up and hurrying to the door.
The shouting now became general all up and down the street.
”What is it?” asked Tad.
”I don't know. Seems to be a party coming into the camp. It's Munson, that's who it is. There are two people with him on foot. I can't make them out in the twilight. Come on, we'll hurry down and find out what the uproar is about.”
Instinctively Tad and Tom Phipps set off at a jog-trot, followed more leisurely by Stacy Brown.
Tad soon observed something familiar in the movements of the two figures who were walking beside the superintendent's pony, and in a moment Tad made out through the gloom the well-known form of Professor Zepplin.
”There they are! There they are!” he shouted. ”They've got back.
Hurrah!”
”Rah!” echoed Stacy Brown, flirting one hand lazily.
The meeting was a joyous one for all concerned.
”All hands come over to my shack,” glowed Tom Phipps. ”I want to hear about this mystery. Thought you were riding a pony, Professor Zepplin?”
”He was,” laughed d.i.c.k Munson. ”Some other people wanted the animal more than he did and helped themselves.”
At this point, Walter, who was staying in another cabin, having heard the noise, had hurried over and joined the little party.
”Now let us hear all about it,” urged Phipps, after all had gathered in his shack.
”There is not much to tell,” smiled the Professor. ”I did exactly what I had been warning my young men against. I lost myself. Then the next thing that happened, I lost my pony.”
”How?” interrupted Mr. Phipps.
”I don't know.”
”Stolen,” nodded d.i.c.k Munson.
”Same old game,” muttered Phipps. ”Yes, what next?”
”Then in a most miraculous way I found Master Ned. I had gone to sleep, worn out and discouraged, not caring much whether I got back or not, the way I felt then. Along toward morning I woke up. I thought I had heard something. I listened, and then all at once realized that some one was snoring not far from me.”
”And it wasn't Chunky this time,” cut in Walter Perkins.
”Chunky doesn't snore on an empty stomach,” laughed Tad.
”I called out, 'h.e.l.lo, who's there?' The snorer woke up calling out something that I could not catch.”
”Who was it?” asked Stacy in a hurry to learn what the Professor was getting at.
”Well, when he woke up he said his name was Ned Rector and that he was lost.”
The Professor smiled grimly as the boys shouted with laughter, in which Tom Phipps joined. Even the rugged face of the superintendent relaxed into a broad smile.