First he pa.s.sed all the way through the strip of woods. It was not very thickly grown, and there was really only a stretch of about one hundred feet where he did not find himself in sight of some house or other.
Fred secreted himself about midway here. It was rather a gloomy spot, considering that it happened to be so near a town. The trees grew pretty thick all around the rambling path; and one big, old, giant oak in particular caught Fred"s attention, on account of the fact that it seemed to be rapidly going into decay, being full of holes, where perhaps squirrels, or it might be a racc.o.o.n, had a den.
Then he heard the whistle from the factory in town, immediately followed by the ringing of the church bells. Noon had come, and if Gabe carried out his regular programme he would soon be coming along the trail.
Yes, that must be his whistle right now, turning off the latest air that had caught his fancy. Fred wanted to see him at close quarters.
Perhaps he even had some faint idea of stepping out, and walking with Gabe, to judge for himself whether the other had a guilty air or not.
But if such were his plans he soon found cause to change them. Gabe came whistling along, looking behind him occasionally, and then all around. Fred became deeply interested. He fancied that this must mean something; and it did.
Suddenly the whistling stopped. Looking, he saw Gabe hurry over to the old tree trunk. He seemed to thrust his hand in, and draw something out. Fred, watching sharply, noticed that the boy was deeply interested in what he had taken from the hollow trunk; and he could give a pretty good guess as to what this must be.
But Fred did not move from his place of concealment. Lying snugly hidden he saw Gabe replace the little package, after which he stepped out into the trail, picked up the ragtime air just where he had dropped it, and came walking smartly along, a satisfied grin on his face.
Waiting until he had pa.s.sed out of sight around a bend in the path, and his loud whistle began to grow fainter in the distance, Fred hurried over to the big tree.
He had noted that particular crevice in the hollow trunk too well to make any mistake now. A minute later and he had fished up a little cardboard box, not over four inches in length, and secured with a rubber band.
With trembling fingers Fred took this fastening away, and raised the lid; just as Gabe had recently done, no doubt being consumed by a desire to feast his eyes once more on the contents.
Fred gave a satisfied sigh. It was all right, and Bristles" reputation had been cleared; for in that little cardboard box which Gabe Larkins had secreted so carefully lay seven milk-white opals, doubtless of considerable value.
CHAPTER XXI
A PLAN TO CATCH THE THIEF
"That settles it!"
Fred was saying these three words over several times to himself as he stood and stared at the seven little opals. They had appeared rather pretty when he looked at them in Miss Muster"s best room, on the occasion of his visit there in company with Bristles. They gave him a shiver now; just because he knew that they had tempted weak Gabe Larkins to commit a terrible wrong.
What had he better do about it?
Fred had, in fact, about made up his mind that there was only one course open to him in case he found the opals. This was to go to Miss Muster at once, and let her know what had come to pa.s.s.
She would be glad, for the sake of Bristles and his parents--yes, Fred began to believe the old maid really had a heart of her own, and would herself rejoice over the vindication of her nephew.
But should he take the opals along with him? He decided against this as unwise. To fully prove his case, he should be able to catch Gabe in the act of handling the precious stones, and with a witness present.
So he put the small cardboard box back into the cavity of the hollow oak, just as near where he had found it as he could. Then, with a cautious look along the trail, to make sure Gabe was not already returning, Fred hurried away.
He was unusually quiet at lunch time, his mother and sister noticed.
They even asked him if he felt unwell; but Fred laughingly replied that he never was better in all his life.
A little while later Fred took his way to the large house in which Miss Muster lived. His heart beat high with satisfaction, because of the fact that he had in so brief a time fully proved the innocence of Bristles.
At sight of Fred it was remarkable what a sudden look of expectation flashed over the thin face of Bristles" aunt. Apparently, then, she had come to place considerable confidence in the boy, whose manly bearing must have impressed her, as it did nearly everyone with whom Fred came in contact.
"You are bringing me news, Fred!" she exclaimed, as she put out her hand toward him. "Your smiling face tells me that, for you cannot hide it. Oh! I hope I am not mistaken. Have you found my opals?"
"Yes, ma"am, the whole seven that you said you"d lost," he answered, promptly.
"That is good news," the lady went on; "but tell me more; have you learned who the thief is, Fred?"
A vein of anxiety might have been noticed now in her voice; for she could not help fearing that after all it might prove to be her nephew.
"I saw him take a little cardboard box out of the hollow of a tree,"
Fred started to say, "look at what it held, and then stick it back.
After he went away, ma"am, I examined that same box, and found the opals there."
"W--who was the boy?" she faltered, her hands shutting tightly as she kept her eyes fastened on Fred.
"Gabe Larkins, ma"am!"
"Oh! the butcher"s boy!" and she gave a great sigh, as of relief.
"Yes, ma"am. On the way home from the shop to get his lunch, he had to stop and take a look at his treasures," Fred continued.
"He did not see you watching him, I suppose, Fred?"
"Oh! not a bit of it," replied the boy, smiling. "I looked out for that."
"Have you the opals with you now, my dear boy?" she asked.
"No, ma"am," replied Fred. "You see, I thought it would be better if you could see Gabe handling the things, and know by the evidence of your own eyes he was the guilty one."
"That sounds very clever of you, Fred," Miss Muster remarked, with a look of sincere admiration. "Perhaps now you may even have figured out some sort of plan that would allow of my doing such a thing?"
"I have; that is, if you don"t think it too much bother," he answered.
"Too much bother?" she echoed; "after what I have done in my haste to bring sorrow into the happy home of my niece, nothing could ever be too much trouble for me to attempt. And, besides, I should really like to face that unhappy boy, to reproach him for his wrongdoing. I know his mother, and she is a very good woman. Yes, tell me, Fred, what is your plan?"
"It"s simple enough, to be sure," observed the boy. "Just give Gabe an extra chance to-morrow morning to slip into that parlor again. He"s got the habit, I guess, and can"t resist, if he sees an opening. Then, at noon, on his way home, why, of course, he"ll stop at the big oak to add what he took to the others. You will be hiding right there with me and we can give Gabe the surprise of his life."
"I should think that would be a splendid idea, Fred," Miss Muster said, nodding her head approvingly. "I suppose that it would be what they say in the newspaper accounts of an arrest in the big cities, "caught with the goods on!""
"Then you"ll agree to do it, ma"am?" asked Fred, eagerly.
"Yes. I will give Master Gabe the finest chance he ever saw to slip into my best room; and then about half-past eleven will meet you wherever you say. And, Fred, after it is all over, you will have full permission to tell Andrew; for my part, my first duty will be to go to his home, and ask his mother to forgive a foolish old woman because of her unjust suspicions."
The particulars were soon arranged. Fred mentioned a place where he would be on hand the next day, rain or shine, at eleven-thirty; and Miss Muster promised just as faithfully to keep the appointment.
After that they separated. Just as luck would have it, as Fred came out of the house he heard his name called; and looking up saw his chum, Bristles. Surprise was expressed upon the face of the other, to discover Fred issuing from his aunt"s home. A dozen questions could also be seen there; but Fred put a damper on all these.
"Don"t ask me a single thing, Bristles," he remarked mysteriously.