"Why, _I"m_ that Fenn Masterson!" exclaimed the owner of the name.
"Are you?" demanded William Lang. "Will you sell me your turtles?"
"Of course," replied Fenn, who had rather lost interest in his collection, of late. "You can have them. We hid and waited to see if you would call for an answer to your letter."
"I guess that"s some more of poor William"s imagination," remarked the lineman in a low voice. "Leaving a letter in a sycamore tree, and all that sort of thing."
"No, that part"s true enough," declared Bart. "We waited for some time in a storm for him to show up, but he never did. Oh, it"s true enough. I am beginning to understand some things now. The reason why your cousin ran away from us so often was because of the notion he had that we wanted to arrest him. We would never have harmed him had we known."
"Of course not," agreed the lineman, he and Bart having talked in whispers while the turtle collector was exhibiting some odd specimens to Fenn. William Lang told of his visit to Oak Swamp, and how he had fled at the sight of the boys, fearing they wanted to cause his arrest, and he also mentioned his trips to the mud volcano, and how he had run away at the sound of some one stirring in the campers" tent, likewise how he had led the boys a chase about the town, just prior to the accident on the pole.
"But about the bracelet, I don"t know a thing," concluded William Lang.
"No, and I think he tells the truth," added the lineman, in a low voice.
"I"m sorry, but you boys will have to keep on with your search."
It needed but a glance at the simple face of the turtle collector to show that he was not a thief, even if he was a decidedly peculiar individual.
"Well," remarked Bart, after a pause, "I guess all Fenn and I can do is to go back to the hotel, and wait for Ned and Frank to show up." The two turned to leave the turtle collector"s house. William Lang was busy inspecting his queer pets, and seemed to pay no further attention to his visitors.
"William was always a little queer," remarked the lineman, as he accompanied the boys outside. "Harmless, but odd. Just daffy on the mud turtle question. I don"t wonder he gave you lots to think about, or that you didn"t quite know how to take him. He is all right except on turtles. He"d walk fifty miles to get a new one. But he"s well off, and can afford to indulge in his fancy."
As Bart and Fenn turned into the street they saw, coming toward them, Ned and Frank. Ned was frantically waving a paper in the air.
"How"d you find your way here?" called Bart.
"People in the crowd told us you"d come here," replied Frank. "But have you heard the good news?"
"What good news?"
"The diamond bracelet wasn"t stolen at all!" burst out Ned. "We just got telegrams from home. They were at the hotel waiting for us. We went there after missing you in the crowd, when something happened on the top of the pole. We tried to follow that mysterious man, but we missed him. There are also telegrams for you two fellows. I thought you had them, or----"
"For gracious sake tell us the good news! What about the diamond bracelet?" yelled Bart.
"It"s been found!" exploded Ned. "It wasn"t stolen at all. It had fallen down a crack in the cabinet, in Professor Long"s room, and a snake was taking his winter sleep over the crack. Yesterday the snake died, Mr.
Long took it out--and found the bracelet."
"Well, I"ll be jiggered!" exclaimed Bart.
"I should say it was good news," declared Fenn. "This takes suspicion from the Darewell Chums."
Two days later the boys returned to their winter camp, and, after nearly a month spent in the forest, they packed up, walked in to Cannistota, sent a teamster back for their goods, and took a train for home.
The lads arrived at their home-town at dusk. Jed Sneed was at the station to meet them.
A little later the four chums were in their respective houses, telling of their adventures to their eager parents--there was considerable to tell.
THE END