After they had passed along for some little distance, eagerly scanning every object in sight, their hopes fell a trifle. Boylike, they had imagined that as soon as they started out upon this promising theory they would find plenty of evidence calculated to prove its truth.
"Ain't seen a sign of him yet!" grumbled Corney; "and we're nigh half-way to the old graveyard, too."
"Wait!" said Fred, as he suddenly drew up, and the others followed suit; though none of them could imagine what had caused their leader to stop his quick walk.
"Seen something; have you, Fred?" asked Bristles, eagerly.
"Why, I was wondering," Fred remarked, quietly, and with a twinkle in his eye, "if they grew things like that around here on bushes, instead of blueberries!"
He pointed down as he spoke. Alongside the road at this point lay a ditch that was a couple of feet lower than the surface of the pike. Straggly bushes partly over-ran the watercourse; and caught on the twigs of these was some sort of object that had attracted the attention of the observant boy.
"Say, it's a cap!" ejaculated Corney.
"And a good cap, too; not an old cast-off thing!" Sid declared.
"Hold on, let me take it up out of there with this stick," said Fred. "No use getting our feet wet; and besides, it's easier this way."
So saying, while the others clustered around, he reached down, and deftly thrusting the end of the stick under the cap, drew it to him.