CHAPTER XV PUZZLED
"Looks bad enough."
"Yes, the more so as you come closer."
"I don't see any way but to go back."
"That's right. Lucky we've got room to turn."
Thus Paul and Innis exchanged remarks and criticisms as they approached the house which, being moved from one site to another, now blocked the entire road.
"There's no chance of getting past, without running the risk of getting fast in the ditch," decided Dick, as he got out of the car and took a careful survey. "I guess we're stuck, boys."
"Funny they're quitting work so soon," observed Paul, looking at his watch. "Why, it's only four o'clock, and they're getting ready to leave, and hanging out a red light."
"We've got to do it," said one of the workmen. "Our windlass busted just now, and we can't do anything until it's fixed. No way of moving the shebang."
"You could if you had enough horses," said Dick. "Why can't you hitch two or three teams directly on the pulling rope, and yank the house a little further along—or even back—that would give us room to pass."
"It can't be done, young feller," said the man.
"Why not?"
"Because we ain't got the horses to do it. There'd be four teams needed, at the very most, to snake this house ahead or back, without a windlass to give us leverage. That's what we need—leverage."
"You've got ropes and pulleys; haven't you?" asked Dick.
"Sure we have."
"Can you attach them to the back of the house as well as on the front?"
"Sure we can. But what good is that going to do? There ain't enough horses that we can get now to snake the old building out of the way. We'll have to wait until morning, and then we can get a blacksmith to mend the windlass."
"Yes, and in the meantime I'm stuck here!" exclaimed Dick.
"Well, that is too bad, but you can turn around and go back to the other main road."
"That's eight miles or more, and I won't get to Fullerton until long after dark, even if I break the speed limits."
"Well, what can we do?" appealed the man, while his fellows prepared to go to their several homes.
"I'll tell you what we can do!" cried Dick, with sudden energy. "Put your tackle on the back here and I'll pull the house far enough this way so I can get past. It's just at the wrong point in the road for me to do that now. Ten feet either way will let me pass."
"I s'pose it will, but land sakes! you can't pull that house with anything you can rig up now. Where's your horses?"
"Horses? I don't need horses. I've got seventy-five of 'em right here with me."
The man's face was a picture of startled surprise. He looked from Dick to Paul and Innis, who were silently laughing, and then he inquired:
"Which one of you is his keeper?"
"What's that?" cried Dick. "Do you think I'm crazy?"
"I'm sure of it," said the man, confidently. "Move this house—seventy-five horses—got 'em with you! Where? In your pocket?"
"In there!" replied the young millionaire, pointing to the hood covering the engine of his auto. "I'll pull the house out of the way."
By this time a crowd of workmen had gathered. Dick stood in front of his big car, not at all put out by the curious glances cast at him.
"What's the matter here?" asked a man who seemed to be in charge.
"This young feller wants to get past," explained the man who had been about to hang up the red lantern. "He can't 'count of Simpson's house bein' in the road. Says he'll snake it fo'rd or back so's to make room."
"Back, not forward," said Dick. "I can't get past to hitch on to the front end or I'd haul it ahead for you. But, as it is, you won't lose more than ten feet, and I really have a right to half the road."
"Yes, I s'pose you have," agreed the foreman. "But I don't see how we're going to give it to you. I never thought that windlass would bust so soon. I knowed it was an old one, but I figured it would last until we got Bill's house moved. Howsomever——"
"I tell you I can move the house!" exclaimed Dick. "If you'll have your men attach the tackle to this end I'll pull it far enough back so I can get past."
"How?" demanded the foreman, dubiously.
"He says he's got seventy-five horses," put in the man with the red lantern. "I guess he's from some asylum," he added in a whisper loud enough for Dick to hear.
The latter smiled and answered:
"Perhaps I should have explained. My auto is about seventy-five horsepower. If you'll fix the ropes so I can hitch them to my rear axles I can pull the house far enough back so I can pass. I think I have a right to ask that."
"Yes, I guess you have," assented the foreman. "We'll let you try. We can pull her back again in the morning after the windlass is fixed. Get busy, boys!" he exclaimed. "Put the ropes on this end."
"But what about the windlass?" asked the lantern man, referring to the spindle on which the rope was wound.
"I won't need it," declared Dick. "I can get enough purchase with the pulleys. I'll be turning the car around, and by that time you can have the ropes in place."
Turning the big car in rather a restricted roadway was no easy matter, but Dick accomplished it, and soon he had it backed up toward the rear of the house, to which the men were attaching the ropes, rove through heavy blocks.
The house was elevated on piles of short crossed beams and jack screws, and was being slid along big timbers, common yellow soap and tallow making the ways slippery enough so that friction would, in a measure, be overcome.
Dick took a long rope, and put it around the rear of his car so as to strain it as little as possible. Then this rope was bent on to the one connecting with the system of pulleys.
"Are you all ready?" called the young man to the foreman, who had had his men rearrange the beams.
"All ready!" came the answer.
Dick's motor was running. With himself at the wheel, while three of the heaviest workmen had been added to Paul and Innis in the tonneau to give weight and trackage to the machine, Dick threw in the speed gears and released the clutch.
There was a whining, groaning noise. The roped tautened, the pulley blocks shrilled out a protest and then the house was seen to quiver.
"She's moving!" cried the lantern-man.
"By Jupiter! So she is!" agreed the foreman, in surprise.
"Watch out!" warned Dick, "and let me know when I have her far enough!"
He turned on more power, threw in the second speed gear and then the house began moving more quickly, while the astonished men looked on.
In a short time, pulling directly on the main rope as he was, Dick had moved the house back far enough so that he could pass to one side, the building having been halted in a particularly narrow part of the road.
"That'll do!" shouted the foreman.
"All right," answered Dick, bringing his machine to a stop. "Now we'll try to get past."
It did not take long to disengage the ropes, turn the auto, and negotiate a way to one side of the building. Dick came to a halt on the now unblocked road, and called his thanks to the foreman for being allowed to do as he had done.
"Don't mention it!" was the answer. "You saved me ten dollars. I'd been fined that by the county authorities for blocking the road over night."
"Then we're even," laughed Dick. "Good night!"
"Huh! He ain't half as crazy as I thought he was," observed the man with the red lantern as he hung it on the rear of the house to warn night-drivers of the danger.
Dick and his chums sped on, and soon reached the town for which they were headed. They bought some more food, which, with the cold chickens, made a good supper. Then, as they did not like the looks of the only hotel in the place, they drove out a little way into the country and prepared to spend the night.
Dick was the first up the next morning.
"What's the route to-day?" asked Paul, turning over in the bunk.
"I'm going to try to make Buffalo."
"What! Buffalo?"
"Sure, we can do it by taking short cuts, I think. Let me have a look at that road map. Hand it over, Innis."
From his cot Innis reached into the pocket on the inner side of the door, and hauled out an envelope. This he handed to Dick.
"What's this? Where did this come from?" asked the latter, as he pulled out several blank sheets of legal paper. "This is a funny trick. Our road map has been transformed into nothing."
"Maybe I got hold of the wrong envelope," suggested Innis. "Here's another," and he pulled out a second.
"No, those are the legal papers," said Dick, after an examination. "See if the map isn't there."
It was not, and a search of the other places in the auto where it might have been put did not reveal it.
"This is queer," exclaimed Dick. "Our road map disappears, and we have some blank papers in its place."
"But the legal papers are safe!" exclaimed Paul.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that there's been some crooked work here. Some one tried to get those legal papers, and took the road map by mistake."