Chapter XXVIII: An Unlooked-For Disappearance

The excitement at Putnam Hall over the disappearance of the cannon and the flagstaff was fully duplicated at Pornell Academy when it was discovered that the trophy room had been looted of its entire contents.

“This is an outrage!” stormed Doctor Pornell. “An outrage! I shall put somebody in prison for it!”

“Something has been left behind,” said a teacher who chanced to be with the doctor. “A toy flag and a toy cannon.”

“What!”

“See for yourself, Doctor.”

“Ha! I understand! A flag and a cannon indeed! This must be some of Captain Putnam’s work—to pay me back for the loss of his cannon and his flagstaff,” stormed Doctor Pornell. “I’ll see about it! I’ll have somebody in jail before night!”

The news soon spread, and great was the indignation among the students and especially among those who had helped to win the trophies.

“Well, we have only been paid back for what we did,” said one pupil, who had aided Roy Bock in the removal of the cannon and the flagstaff. “Those who play with fire mustn’t complain if they get their fingers burnt.”

“We must find those trophies,” declared another.

A hunt was made that day and also the next. In the meantime Doctor Pornell sent a decidedly sarcastic letter to Captain Putnam. This angered the master of Putnam Hall exceedingly, and he sent an equally sarcastic letter in return; and there, for the time being, the matter rested,—so far as the Putnam Hall students were concerned.

But it did not rest with Roy Bock and his immediate cronies. In some manner Doctor Pornell learned that Bock had concocted the scheme to take away the cannon and the flagstaff, and consequently he considered Bock responsible for the removal of the trophies.

“You and your friends who took part in this disgraceful affair must get back those trophies,” said the doctor to Bock. “If you do not I shall punish you severely.”

“I—I will do what I can,” stammered Bock, who was so chagrined over being found out that he knew not what to say. That afternoon he and his cronies went out on another hunt for the missing things, but without result. They passed the deserted house, but did not go inside. Had they done so they might have seen something which would have amazed them exceedingly, for the old building now had strange visitors.

Some days after the trophies were removed from Pornell Academy Jack and Pepper were out in the _Alice_ when they saw a youth in a rowboat pulling up the shore.

“That is Will Carey,” cried Pepper. “Let us sail over to him and find out if he has done anything about Flossie Ford’s bracelet.”

They caught Carey just as he was starting to fish. It was a favorite amusement with the Pornell Academy student and he took every available opportunity to indulge in it.

“Hello, Carey!” sang out the young major, as he brought the sloop around and told his chum to drop the mainsail.

“Hello yourself,” returned the other youth, not particularly pleased over the meeting.

“How is everything at Pornell Academy?” questioned Pepper.

“Guess you fellows know well enough. Did a big thing, didn’t you, to steal all our trophies?”

“Are your trophies gone?” asked the Imp, innocently.

“Sure they are—and you fellows know it. You cleaned us out nicely I must say.”

“I am very, very sorry, Carey,” and Pepper grinned.

“You look it.”

“The trophies, eh?” said Jack. “When did Pornell ever win any trophies?”

“Oh, he means the trophies they bought at some junk shop,” said Pepper. “You know you can buy all kinds second-hand, for about twenty cents apiece.”

“These were trophies our school won!” exclaimed Will Carey.

“From who—some primary school, or kindergarten class?” asked the Imp.

“Oh, we can win ’em—and you’ll find it out some day,” growled the student from Pornell Academy.

“See here, Carey, we didn’t come over here to ask you about your trophies,” said Jack, earnestly. “We want to know what you have done about Flossie Ford’s bracelet.”

“Oh, can’t you drop that!”

“We could—but we are not going to,” declared the young major. “You must find that bracelet if you possibly can. Have you fished for it any more?”

“Yes, but——” Will Carey paused and looked at Jack and Pepper doubtfully. “Say, did I hear something about your meeting two masked men around here?” he went on earnestly.

“Perhaps you did—but what has that got to do with the bracelet?”

“Everything. Did the men have green masks and hoods?”

“Yes.”

“Then they must be the same.”

“The same? What do you mean?”

“They robbed me of the bracelet.”

“Robbed you!” cried Jack and Pepper in chorus.

“Yes.”

“But you said you had lost the bracelet—that it fell in the lake,” said the young major.

“Humph, I thought so.”

“Thought what?”

“You’re the Bone and Blood Club, ain’t you?”

“We are. Now what about this bracelet and the two masked men?”

“Why, a couple of days after you caught me I went fishing for the blue tin box again and found it. The bracelet was inside and all right. I took it out and started for the Ford place, intending to give it back to Flossie. On the road I met those two masked men, and they held me up and took the bracelet and a ruby ring away from me.”

“Is this true?” asked Pepper. “You are sure you are not fooling?”

“It is the positive truth—hope to die if it isn’t. The men had clubs and one had a butcher knife, and I admit they scared me half to death. They acted as if they were about half crazy. One said he was going to give the bracelet to the queen of the North Pole, or something like that.”

After that Will Carey did not hesitate to give the particulars of the encounter on the road. His description of the two insane men was so perfect it left no doubt in the minds of his hearers regarding the truth of the recital.

“I wish I could catch those chaps,” he added. “But they said if I told anybody they would come to the school and butcher me some night, so I haven’t dared to open my mouth. Besides, I didn’t want to let Doctor Pornell know about the bracelet.”

“You say they had clubs and a butcher knife,” said Jack.

“Yes, and each of ’em had a couple of white bags over his shoulder, stuffed with excelsior and other things.”

“What!” almost yelled Jack and Pepper in concert.

“White bags. They had something in ’em wrapped in excelsior.”

“Where was this?”

“On the back road—over yonder,” and Will Carey pointed with his hand.

“Humph! We’ll have to look into this,” said the young major and looked meaningly at his chum. “We are in a hurry now. We’ll see you later, Carey.”

“But about those crazy men?” began the Pornell Academy student. He did not understand the sudden haste of the others.

“The authorities are already watching out for them,” answered Jack. “Run up the mainsail again, Pep,” he continued to his chum, and the _Alice_ moved away from that locality.

“Jack, do you imagine those bags were our bags?” demanded Pepper, when they were out of hearing of the Pornell student.

“We’ll soon know. I am going to sail for the deserted house at once.”

“He said they were stuffed with excelsior.”

“Yes, that is what made me suspicious.”

The run to the vicinity of the old mansion did not take long. Reaching what was left of an old dock, they tied up, and almost ran to the building.

“Nobody around now, at all events,” observed the young major, as they glanced through the lower rooms.

“No, but somebody has been here, Jack—by the muddy footprints.”

Wondering if their suspicions would prove correct, they mounted to the second story of the old mansion and ran into the room in the closet of which the trophies had been stored.

“Empty!” gasped Pepper, peering inside the closet.

“Every bag gone!” echoed Jack. “Those crazy men must have carted them all away!”

“Where did they take the things to?”

“That remains to be found out. And if we can’t find the things——” The young major paused. “Well, somebody will have a fine bill to pay, that’s certain!”