"say, bob how fast do you suppose that new boat of the jenkins boys will go?"
"i don't know, but she is sure some speeder and i tell you what, sonny, the sprite has got to cut through the wet a whole lot faster than she ever did before if we are going to hang on to that blue ribbon."
it was late friday afternoon, and mike and the boys had just finished putting in the new motor.
"jack," continued bob, "you run up to the house and get those end caps, will you, while mike and i run the boat out? just as soon as it gets a little dark i want to give her a try-out."
jack rushed off to the house while mike swung open the big doors, and in a few moments the sprite was floating at the pier. just then jack came running wildly down the path leading from the house, and as soon as he reached the wharf asked eagerly:
"didn't you say you left those caps in the table drawer in the bedroom?"20
"yes, why, didn't you find them?"
"no, they are not there."
"but they must be. i saw them there this morning," insisted bob.
"well they might have been there then, but they aren't there now, that is, not unless i've lost my eyesight, and i seem to see you fairly well," replied jack grimly.
"o pshaw, you probably overlooked them. come on back to the house and i'll show you where they are," said bob starting for the house on a run.
"all right," answered jack, close at his heels, "i'm from missouri all right."
in a moment the boys, with mike bringing up the rear, reached the bedroom and as bob yanked open the drawer, he said, "some people never can find anything." but the next moment he started back in dismay, for although he had taken everything out of the drawer, the caps were not there.
"well that's mighty funny," he muttered. "i declare i saw those caps there this morning."
"who's loony now?" jeered jack, as he saw the look of dismay on his brother's face.
but the caps were gone and a thorough search of the room, and the entire house as well, failed to disclose them.
"well, begorra, one thing is certain sure," declared mike, "them ere caps didn't walk out 'o here all by their lonesome. somebody sure swiped 'em."21
just then a loud cry of "bob, mike, come out here quick," brought them running down the stairs to the back door, where they found jack on his hands and knees in the path which led to the woods back of the house.
"say, did either of you go out here since dinner?"
"no," both replied.
"well then," continued jack, "you know we had a hard shower just after dinner and these tracks were surely made since then."
"by jove, that's so," affirmed bob, examining the tracks carefully. "and look here, these tracks were made by some one wearing sneakers. now who wears sneakers round here?"
"why," replied jack, "fred and will jenkins most always wear them when they are up here."
"that's so, and i'll bet a fishhook that one of them sneaked in here while we were at the boathouse," said bob. "you remember, don't you jack, that you saw one of them at the window of the lab when we were trying them? they must have suspected then that we were up to something, and then the fact that we have been hard at work here ever since would make them feel sure that we were doing something to the sprite."
"begorra, and i'm jist agoing to go down to their place and make 'em hand 'em over," almost shouted mike.
"no, no, that won't do," said bob. "you see, 22we have no positive proof that they took them, and of course they would deny it."
"but, bob," spoke up jack. "we've just got to get those caps back. they can get them analyzed and find out how they are made and then our secret is up the flue, because most anyone who knows anything about storage batteries would know that we use either manganese or lead dioxide in the cylinder, and besides we haven't time to make any more before the race."
"you're right there, son. now just let me think a minute," said bob, and then a moment later, "i'm going to try it. it's the only way and it may work."
"what may work?" asked jack.
"never mind just now, but i'm going to get those caps back if they haven't thrown them into the lake or break a tug trying."
that night about 8.30, bob, dressed in a dark suit and wearing sneakers, stole down to the boathouse, and getting into the little canoe, started paddling down the lake. the jenkins cottage was about three miles from the head of the lake, on the east shore. it stood in a thick grove of cedars, about forty feet from the shore.
reaching a place, about a quarter of a mile from the cottage, just inside a point of land reaching out into the lake, bob drew his canoe from the water and hid it in a little clump of bushes near the water's edge. circling around away from the lake he approached 23the house from the rear. as he got within a few paces of the cottage, a dog began to bark and bob shuddered as he knew that they kept a large collie which had a reputation of being very savage.
"he's coming this way sure as guns," thought bob, as he heard the animal creeping through the bushes. picking up a stone about as large as his fist, which he felt under his feet, he crept back behind a tree, hoping that the dog would not follow. but this hope was not realized, for the keen-nosed animal had scented him, and with a low growl was approaching. holding the stone tightly bob waited for the attack which he saw was inevitable. just then the moon came out from behind a cloud and by its light, he saw the brute almost upon him and about to spring. drawing back his arm he let fly the rock. bob had pitched on the skowhegan high school team for two years, and his practice now stood him in good stead, for the stone flew true to the mark and hit the dog right between the eyes. with a single loud yelp he went down, gave a kick or two and was still.
"by gum, i believe i've killed him," said bob to himself. "well, it was either he or i and i'm mighty glad it wasn't i."
just then some one shouted from the house: "here, brave, come here, where are you?"
bob recognized fred jenkins' voice and then he 24heard two persons coming toward him. quickly he grabbed hold of the dead animal and dragged it into some thick bushes. hardly had he done this and dodged back behind the tree, when he heard fred and will jenkins within a few feet of where he was standing.
"where do you suppose that dog went to?" he heard fred say.
"i don't know, but i guess likely he heard a rabbit or something and has gone on a chase after it," replied will, adding a moment later, "let's go back to the house. if he's on a rabbit trail we won't see him till morning."
"no, i guess you won't," chuckled bob as, much relieved, he heard them making their way back through the bushes. he waited till he thought they had had time to get back, then carefully creeping on his hands and knees he slowly approached the house.
the front porch, as he knew, was built up from the ground, being faced with lattice work, while both ends were open. carefully creeping closer, he slipped through the open end of the porch and stretched himself at full length on the ground. to his great disappointment he heard nothing for some time and was about to crawl out when he heard a door bang over his head, and the creaking of chairs told him that the boys had come out on the porch. to his delight he found that he could hear perfectly all that was said. for some time they talked about 25things of no interest to our hero, and he was getting pretty badly cramped from lying so long in one position, for he did not dare move, but just then he heard will jenkins say:
"fred, when are you going to take those caps down to the city and have them analyzed?"
"oh, some time the first of the week," was the reply, then he added, "if it wasn't for the race i'd take them down tomorrow."
"oh, well, i guess next week will do just as well, but i want it done as soon as possible," he heard will say; then after a short pause he added: "i suppose those two swell heads will make a big howl, but they can't prove anything, and we have sure put them out of the race tomorrow."
"perhaps we can't prove it," thought bob, "but here's betting that we come pretty near it."
"oh, by the way, where did you put them?" asked fred a moment later to bob's delight.
"i've got 'em safe," was the reply, "in my coat pocket, in the closet in our room."
"all right, you lock up and i'll go down to the spring and get a pail of water."
bob heard them go into the house and in a moment one came out and started for the spring, a little to one side of the house, while he could hear the other going about locking the windows. soon the one with the water returned and in a short time all was quiet. bob waited a little longer and then 26carefully crept out and sat down behind some bushes a few feet away.
"i'll wait an hour," he thought as he looked at his watch and saw that it was a few minutes past 10 o'clock.
it was hard work to keep awake and the time passed very slowly, but at last the watch told him that the hour was up. going to the back of the house, he carefully examined the windows and finally found one that he thought he could unlock.
"well," he thought, "i never supposed that i would turn burglar, but i'm going to have one big try for those caps, so here goes."
with a strong knife blade he managed to push back the catch, and quietly raised the window. slowly and noiselessly he crept through and flashing his electric torch about, advanced to the front of the house. although he had been there several times before, he had never been upstairs and did not know in what room the boys slept. his heart was beating so that he was almost afraid that some one would hear it, as he was beginning to realize that he was engaged in a very serious and dangerous undertaking. he did not know for sure whether or not the two boys were alone in the house, but as he had heard no one else on the porch he thought it probable that the rest of the family was at their home in skowhegan.
very carefully he crept up the stairs and a flash 27of the torch showed him that four rooms opened from the hall. he stood still a moment and listened. the sound of deep breathing in one of the front rooms soon told him which was occupied and stepping to the door a flash showed him two forms in the bed.
"this is the room," he thought, "and that must be the closet, by the head of the bed. it sure couldn't be in a worse place. wonder if i can get the door open without waking them?"
like a cat he crept across the room and fumbled with his hand till he found the knob. the door squeaked slightly as he pulled it open, and one of the sleepers stirred and mumbled something about an electric boat. bob's heart seemed to come almost into his throat, but in a minute the regular breathing of the sleeper reassured him and he edged into the closet. there were quite a lot of clothes hanging there, but he had not searched far when he felt something hard in one of the pockets, and the next instant he had transferred the precious caps to his own pocket.
"now for a quick get-away," he muttered. but it seemed that bob's good luck was to end right there, for as he stepped out of the closet his foot caught in something on the floor, and he fell forward into the room with a crash that fairly shook the house.
