CHAPTER XX

CHAPTER XX

WHEN ALL ENDS WELL

Though Frank Allen was an expert swimmer, the best in Columbia and the surrounding country, he found trouble in going to the aid of Fred Cunningham.

The explosion of the tank had spread blazing gasoline over the surface of the river; the wreck of theSpeedawaywas settling by the stern quite rapidly; the hundreds of splintered pieces were moving here and there, jagged and rough, a menace to the swimmer; the barge had come to a stop and was rocking to and fro while the tug held it.

Men aboard the barge were yelling and calling warnings and suggestions and the searchlight of theRocketdanced about the water as Lanky tried to compensate for the failure of Paul Bird, not very expert at the wheel, to hold theRocketwhere it belonged.

Down into the river went the intrepid boy, bent on bringing Cunningham to the surface if possible—and determined that it was possible.

It seemed hours to the three boys on theRocketbefore they spied Frank’s head on the surface, bobbing suddenly from the water, and saw that he was tugging at a heavy load.

“Here, Ralph! You take the searchlight! Keep it squarely on Frank and I’ll get the boat over!”

Lanky got Ralph West into active service, and, as he felt he could handle theRocketbetter than Paul Bird was doing, he took hold of the wheel and brought theRocketaround to the spot where Frank struggled to keep himself above water and hold the other at the same time.

“Paul, give him a hand! Grab him when I get up close!” called Wallace, the engine cut down to low speed, as he glided easily toward the boy in the water.

It was the work of but a few more seconds to get Frank out of the water and to drag Fred Cunningham along with him.

“Let’s try to save him,” gasped Frank, unmindful of his own condition.

A cry went up from the barge when they pulled the two boys over to the deck of theRocket, and now the skipper of the towboat yelled:

“Ahoy there! Can I help you any? Is he all right, or can you get him over to town?”

“I’ll attend to him. Thank you ever so much!” called Frank, as three of the boys turned their attentionto the injured lad. Lanky had already started theRocketfor the landing at Columbia. The searchlight was bearing straight ahead, since it had been abandoned in that position, and Lanky could see his way.

Frank gave instructions to the others at once, with a snap like an officer, and they went to work with vim.

Just as they touched the landing at Columbia Frank heaved a sigh of relief—Fred Cunningham was showing signs of coming back to life. Frank saw the first flush and noted that he was gasping for breath.

As they landed they saw a dozen people standing on the wharf, having been attracted by the crash of the motor boat against the barge and also by the sight of the fire.

Into an automobile the boys placed Cunningham’s limp body quickly, Frank giving directions:

“Get him to the hospital! Quick! Don’t waste a minute!”

As the automobile pulled out, Frank turned, soaking wet, a laughable sight notwithstanding the seriousness of it all and the stress and tragedy of the race.

“I’m going back for the chief. You fellows want to come along?” he asked.

The question was almost unnecessary. Lankyand Paul and Ralph, weary and worn as they were, ready to drop off to sleep except for the excitement of the day and night, were ready to follow their leader. But a thought came suddenly to Frank.

“I’ll tell you, fellows. Paul and Ralph ought to stay here to take care of that fellow and see that he doesn’t get away if he revives quickly. Maybe he’s not badly hurt and he could be released from the hospital. You two fellows stay here and see that things are ready when we get back. Tell the doctor I’ll be back in an hour or so to see dad—and all that, you know. Tell mother, too, if she’s still at the hospital.”

The two boys, sensible, realizing a division of forces was now the best, grabbed Frank and Lanky by the hands, wished them well and promised to see about Cunningham.

Before theRocketleft the wharf, they brought back a bottle of hot coffee and warm rolls, which Frank and Lanky barely gave thanks for as they grabbed, in their hunger, for the viands.

Just as the sun broke through the far horizon and shot its first shafts of light into the world, theRocketgot away from the landing at Columbia and started back to the Jed Marmette farm.

Though as tired as two boys can ever be, a morning breeze which blew across the Harrapin was an invigorating one, their worries were almost over—theprincipal ones were over except for Frank’s father, and the boys fell to chatting gaily while they raced theRocketupstream as rapidly as the engine would take it.

“Frank,” said Lanky, as they had gained their full speed and stood looking ahead of them along the river, “theRocketis a better boat than theSpeedaway.”

“Right now, you mean?” laughed Frank.

“No, I mean she always was. She gained on theSpeedawayto-night in straight running.”

“Not to-night.” Frank felt in a teasing humor.

“Well, last night, then. But, believe me, Frank, you surely did do some clever headwork! By jove, that was good the way you made those bends and beat him to the punch.”

Full daylight was upon them as they made the landing at the Marmette place.

“Did you catch him? I know you did!” called the chief as theRocketwarped into the shore.

“I’ll say we caught him—out of the water!” cried Lanky from the bow. “He smashed into a barge and tore his boat all to pieces!”

The chief had to hear the entire story before he brought his charges on board, which was done very shortly.

The two strangers and Jed Marmette were ledaboard, their arms pinioned and locked with handcuffs.

“Here is the jewel box!” said Frank, when they were ready to leave the shore. He reached down into a locker and brought out the black iron box, no longer mat-surfaced with soot, but shining brightly from the new japanning on it.

The chief took it, raised the cover and peered within. Then he gasped with surprise. Here, surely, was a fortune which these fellows had almost made away with. He carefully closed the box and tied it with a piece of the rope which his sharp knife clipped off from the arms of Marmette.

The trip down the river was without event. The chief asked many questions of the two boys, and the boys, in turn, asked how things had gone after they had left so hurriedly.

“What’s all the crowd about? Some one hurt?” asked Chief Berry, pointing to the throng that had gathered at the river in Columbia.

They had not long to wait for the answer. As glasses in the hands of some of the people told them the approaching boat was theRocket, a series of wild cheers went up, hats were thrown into the air, and as rapidly as cheers died away someone started them over again.

“What’s it all about?” asked Frank.

“Sounds as if they’re cheering this boat for some reason.” The chief seemed to understand.

“Three cheers for Frank Allen and Lanky Wallace!” they heard some one cry from the shore, and the cry was followed by wild cheering by the crowd.

Frank brought theRocketup to the main landing, with the crowd laughing, cheering, waving and talking, and allowed the chief and his policemen to take the three prisoners off the boat. Then he very easily pulled out and circled to the boat-house where theRocketslipped in easily, seeming still to have the same go and pep that it had in the beginning.

“She doesn’t seem to be a bit tired,” said Frank.

To this Lanky replied that the indicator on the gas tank said she ought to be feeling quite run down, inasmuch as the pin was standing close to the word “empty.”

“Oh, well, before we take her out again we can fill her,” and the two boys walked out of the house and locked the door.

Instantly they were seized by friends in the crowd, and a thousand questions of all kinds were shot at them.

Frank spied the doctor in the crowd, and before answering any of the questions, before hardly being civil to his friends, he called to that gentleman:

“Doctor, how’s dad? Any good news this morning?”

“Nothing else but good news, boy!” the doctor waved back at him. “Don’t worry—he’s getting along nicely. Going to get well, quick!”

Tears of joy welled up into the lad’s eyes as he heard these words so cheerily spoken by the man who had fought so sturdily at his father’s bedside.

Just then Minnie Cuthbert accompanied by Helen Allen made her way through the crowd close about these two boys and grasped Frank by the hand.

“You’re a real hero! I’m so glad you did all those things they tell about you,” she exclaimed, her eyes shining brightly.

“Who tells about me?” asked Frank.

“Why, Paul Bird and Ralph West haven’t done anything else since early this morning but tell every one on the streets and telephone all those they didn’t see!” she laughed.

So that was what caused this crowd to be here!

“Come on, Lanky, let’s get away from here as soon as we can. I want to catch those two fellows and lay them across my knee,” muttered Frank in an undertone to his chum.

The two boys finally got free of the crowd, Minnie and Helen walking along with the heroes of the hour, while the crowd followed behind, talking loudly, cheering every once in a while.

“There’s Mrs. Parsons. She’s trying to attract your attention.” Minnie nudged Frank and noddedtoward the street, where an automobile was moving slowly along.

Looking that way, he could not help but see the excited beckonings of the wealthy widow up the river, who had been robbed.

“Frank, I want to apologize to you and to your friends for the way in which I have acted. I’m not going to explain anything—I’m just awfully sorry for the way I treated you.”

“Mrs. Parsons,” and Frank spoke very evenly, though pleasantly, “that is all right. I know that things were awfully exciting, and you probably didn’t think of lots of things. I don’t blame you at all.”

“And that’s the way all of us feel,” spoke up Lanky.

“I am awfully glad to hear you say that. I’ll tell you!” and a happy smile spread over her face, “won’t you organize a party and come up to my place on a great big picnic—just any day you say? Minnie, can’t you organize it?”

“Surely! We’ll make it day after to-morrow, too!” cried the young lady.

“You are to bring absolutely nothing to eat with you. I shall have all the things that a really nice picnic needs. Now, I’m going to depend on you, Minnie, to get up the picnic and be there day after to-morrow—the whole day!” Saying this she gavea nod to the driver of her car and waved the young people a happy good-bye.

“I guess I can organize a picnic, all right,” Minnie laughed gaily, as she took Frank’s arm and they stepped back to the sidewalk. “She ought to give you boys a first-class picnic, and I’ll see that she does.”

The girls said good-bye, and then over to the hospital walked Frank, his clothes dried on him, but looking slouchy, rough-dried, and anything but the neatly dressed boy that Frank Allen was. Lanky walked alongside.

There the news the nurse gave was of the very best, and Frank walked into the room, to see his father lying on the bed smiling happily, holding up his arms as if he would take his boy in them.

Fred Cunningham had suffered contusions which were very painful, and the doctor kept him in bed, announcing that he would not allow the young man to leave the hospital for several days.

At the preliminary hearing it was learned, through telegrams which Chief Berry sent out, coupled with the admissions of the men themselves, added to which were letters on their persons, that these men were professionals who looted the homes of wealthy people after careful, painstaking study of the locale, of the habits of the people, their friends, and their goings and comings.

It was shown that Fred Cunningham was a tool of one of them who had some things on the young man. It could not be learned exactly what that “something” was, though it was surmised that it was a boyish indiscretion which had been multiplied strongly by the man in order to force the boy to do his bidding.

The picnic turned out as Minnie Cuthbert had planned it should: a perfect repayment by Mrs. Parsons for all the insulting looks and remarks she had made about these boys. The picnic was an entire success.

But Mrs. Parsons was to do still more for Frank and his chums, and what that was will be related in the next volume, to be called, “Frank Allen at Old Moose Lake; or, The Trail in the Snow.” In that volume we shall learn the particulars of a stirring vacation in a winter camp and solve a very perplexing mystery.

THE END

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