the boys, thinking that the robbers might still be able to shoot, went back a little way until they saw the other car coming.
"well, you got them, sure enough," declared mr. switzer, as the car drew up and came to a stop, "but i guess, by the looks, they're both dead. we'd better have our guns ready though, for they may be able to shoot," he added turning to his men.
their fears were groundless, however, for on approaching the overturned car, they found that both men were unconscious, although they were alive. reed, who had lost the false mustache he had been wearing had been thrown from the car and, having struck his head on a rock, was lying a few feet away, stunned, while king was pinned under the car, and groaning heavily. it was necessary to get the jack from the other car and raise the machine before they could drag him out. he slowly opened his eyes and groaned as they bore him to the car.192
it took some time to bring reed around, but finally he began to show signs of life and soon sat up and looked around in a dazed manner. as his eyes rested for an instant on jack, a shudder ran through him and he muttered something about not doing a very good job and sank back with a moan.
they found the stolen money and securities in a box under the car, which was badly wrecked, and mr. golden took it in charge.
"now," said mr. switzer, speaking to mr. golden, "if you are willing, george and i'll take these fellows back to skowhegan in your car. there's a house just around that turn where a man by the name of berry lives, and he'll probably hitch up and take the rest of you back to oakland and you can catch the train there for home."
"all right," replied mr. golden, "i guess that will be the best plan, and the boys can go along with you on their wheels."
so it was arranged, and the two injured robbers were made as comfortable as possible on the back seat of the car with mr. switzer, after he had slipped handcuffs on them. they said nothing except that king said he believed his left leg was broken, and it was paining him a good deal.
"you're both mighty lucky that your necks aren't broken," declared switzer.193
"i don't know as it's so very lucky for us, either," said reed moodily.
the other officer took his seat in front with sandy, and as they started off, mr. switzer shouted:
"i'll send some one out to tow their machine in."
the return trip was made without incident, the boys following the car. the prisoners were not inclined to talk and refused to answer any questions. on reaching skowhegan, they were taken to the jail and a doctor summoned, who found that king's left leg was broken below the knee. beyond a good sized lump on the back of his head and a severe shaking up, reed was not injured.
the authorities at boston were notified, and it turned out that reed was the long-wanted jim the penman, and, as captain long had suspected, king proved to be the man known as oily joe. they were both sentenced to twenty years' imprisonment in the state prison of massachusetts.
as the boys, accompanied by mr. switzer, left the jail, after hearing the doctor's report regarding the condition of the robbers, bob told him of his suspicions regarding the farmer and his son, with whom they had the trouble the day before.
"that must be looked into," declared mr. switzer. "it certainly looks as though they were mixed up in it somehow. tell you what i think we'd better do. it's only ten-thirty now; suppose we take 194your father's car and drive right back there and see what we can find out about it."
to this the boys readily agreed, and taking the other policeman with them they started, waiting only long enough for bob to call up his mother and tell her the news.
they reached the place in a little over an hour, and as they drove into the yard, the farmer was sitting on the back door step. as soon as he saw them, he rose and started to go into the house, but mr. switzer was too quick for him, and drawing his revolver, he pointed it at the man ordering him to stop. he wisely obeyed and switzer told him to come to the car.
"is this the man?" he asked, turning to bob.
"yes, he's the man all right."
the chief then explained the situation to him and told him that he had better make a clean breast of it. the man was very much frightened and his voice trembled as he spoke, telling them that he would tell them all he knew.
according to the man's account, the house in the woods belonged to him. it had been built by a man from new york, three years ago, who intended to use it as a summer home, but his wife had died before it was completely furnished, and he had bought it at a very low price. king and reed had driven into his yard one afternoon, a week or so ago, in 195an automobile. the smaller of the two, reed, had said that he was a wealthy business man from boston and that king was his servant. he, reed, had suffered from a nervous breakdown, and his doctor had ordered him to go way somewhere, with his man, where he could be perfectly quiet and where no one would bother him, and they were looking for a place which they could rent.
he had at once thought of the log house in the woods and had offered to show it to them. on seeing it, reed had declared it to be just the thing and had paid him a month's rent in advance. he had thought that reed was pretty healthy looking for a sick man, but considered it none of his business so long as he got his money. he had seen but little of them, but did know that they were away most of the time. yes, he thought it strange, seeing that he wanted to be perfectly quiet, but here again, it was none of his affair and he had not bothered his head about it.
bob asked him why he had been so hostile toward jack and him, and why his son had stolen their wheels, and why he had kept the cap, on abandoning them. he said, in explanation, that reed had called at the house one day, and during their conversation had told him that two boys had stolen an invention from him. some kind of a storage battery, the secret of which was in some metal caps. he had said that he was very anxious to get back 196at least one of the caps as he had lost the formula for making them and had been unable to get the right proportion of metals. asked why he didn't have the boys arrested, he had replied that, unfortunately, he had no proof that they had stolen it, but that he would give one thousand dollars to get one of the caps. so, it happened that when he had seen the boys the day before, and had noticed the electric motors on their wheels, he had at once jumped to the conclusion that they were the boys reed had told him about. so, seeing a good chance, as he thought, to make one thousand dollars honestly and without much trouble, he and his son, who had been at work in a field nearby, had followed them, and he guessed they knew the rest.
the farmer's story sounded plausible enough as he told it, and, as they had no evidence to the contrary, mr. switzer said he guessed probably he was all right, but cautioned him to be more careful in the future or he might get into trouble, and telling him that he might be called as a witness, proposed that they start back.
"i don't know i'm sure," he said to the boys, on the way back, "whether that fellow was telling the truth or not, but as long as we caught the robbers, i don't see that we'd gain anything by arresting him and i guess we'd have a pretty hard time proving anything against him."197
"well, i got one good crack at him anyhow," chuckled bob, "and i guess that son of his will think twice the next time, before he tackles a dude."
as the car drew up in front of the bank, they found that their father and the others had returned and getting their wheels, the boys lost no time in starting for the cottage, as they felt, according to jack, hollow clear to the toes. mrs. golden said that he and uncle ben had eaten lunch and would be up later as he had some business to attend to at the bank.
as they rode through the town, they had to stop a dozen times and receive congratulations from their friends, and it was nearly two o'clock when they reached the cottage. however, they found a good lunch awaiting them, as their father had 'phoned that they were coming. while eating, they gave their mother, their aunt and the two girls an account of the events of the forenoon.
"i am very glad," declared mrs. golden, "that they are caught, as i would never have felt easy with them at large."
mr. golden and uncle ben came up in time for supper and the evening was spent in talking over the events of the last few days.
the next night, when mr. golden came up from skowhegan, he told the boys that he had a surprise for them.
"what is it?" both asked eagerly.198
"i received a telegram this afternoon from captain long, saying that a check for ten thousand dollars had been sent to you, which is the reward offered for the capture of jim the penman and oily joe."
the boys were surprised, and of course delighted, for they had not thought of a reward, although they now remembered that captain long had told them that one had been offered.
"but, father, don't you think that mr. switzer and the other policemen ought to have part of it?" asked bob.
"no," replied his father, "i hardly think so. they only did their duty in arresting them, while you were really the ones who caught them. what do you say, ben?"
uncle ben agreed with their father, in thinking that the reward belonged to them alone, but jack proposed that they would feel better about it if they gave them a part, and mr. golden smilingly told them to do as they thought best. so, after talking it over, they decided to give them one thousand dollars each. mr. switzer and the other two men were much pleased when the boys gave them the money, and all decided that they had not expected any part of it as they considered that it belonged to the boys.
