Under Canvas; or, The Hunt for the Cartaret Ghost

by Captain Alan Douglas

Elmer sat up and watched closely, for he anticipated that a fellow who possessed as sharp eyes as Connie, could not help but see the bag that lay in plain sight near the fence. The dog had already been chained to his kennel by Mrs. Mallon, the watcher fancied, though he had not seen her do this. Connie stopped to speak to the ugly looking beast, and from the way Towser wagged his crooked stump of a tail it seemed as though he must be somewhat fond of his master.

Then the big boy shuffled on toward the well, where he was evidently expecting to draw a bucket of drinking water.

Suddenly Elmer, who was using the glasses now, saw him come to a standstill, and look straight at the bag, as though he could hardly believe his eyes.

Down went the water pail, and Connie hastily strode across the yard until he reached the bag lying where Elmer and Toby had dropped it, snug up against the fence palings.

He bent down, and opening the bag by cutting the stout cord that had been wound around the flap above the store of nuts, stared hard at the latter. Elmer saw that he was greatly staggered, for he started to scratch his head after the manner of one who did not know what to believe. Just as Chatz had suggested, perhaps he began to think the prize must have rained down in the night, for he examined the sack, and evidently recognized it as one of those he had taken with him on the preceding day when starting out on that nutting expedition with the idea of getting ahead of the scouts.

Then again it might be that he began to believe all that affair of the panic and flight must have been a bad dream, and that after all he and his cronies had brought back some spoils when they returned. Again Elmer saw him put his hand up to his face and feel of his cheek.

"He's got a cut there to show where he banged against a tree," the scout told himself, "and that's plain proof there was a panic. There, he's examining the bag again, as if he thought it would speak and explain the mystery. This is surely worth watching. Hello! there comes Phil Jackson, and that Benners fellow on the run. Looks like they had found their bags at home, and are coming to see what Connie has to say about it. And now there'll be a high old time, I expect."

There was, after the two newcomers had discovered that one of the bags half filled with nuts stood in the Mallon yard, just as they had found at their homes.

Elmer sat there for fully fifteen minutes, watching them talk and make gestures. He imagined that they had quickly figured it all out, and must know to whom they were indebted for a winter's stock of nuts. What they might choose to do about it was another question, however. Elmer hoped for the best, yet was prepared to meet the worst, whatever might come.

"Anyway, Connie's concluded not to refuse the nuts just because they came to him through the scouts he hates so bitterly," Elmer concluded, as he saw the Mallon boy shoulder the sack and carry it to the house, after saying good-bye to the other two, who hastened away, possibly to learn if the fourth and last member of the expedition had likewise been favored by a visit from the fairies during the night.