“He’s out in the barn now,” interrupted the farmer. “Go talk to him, if you like.”
He waved his hand toward a ramshackle red building, and the three boys started toward it. As they entered they heard some one moving around, and then they caught sight of the very man they were looking for standing in the opened rear door. The last rays of the setting sun streamed full in on him from behind, and illuminated his face. His crooked nose was very much in evidence.
“There he is!” exclaimed Bob.
And as if the words were a warning the man, with a cry, gave a jump up into the haymow and disappeared from sight.
“Come on!” cried Ned. “We’ll get him!”
The three motor boys sprang to the pursuit, scrambling over the hay. It was a noiseless chase, for the hay deadened all sounds. They could not see the man, but it was evident that he was either going to hide, or was making toward some unseen door by which he could escape.
“We’ll get him!” exclaimed Bob. “Come on!”
There came a cry from Ned.
“What’s the matter?” asked Jerry.
“Slipped and stuck my hand into a hen’s nest in the hay,” was the answer. “Broke about half a dozen eggs, I guess! Too bad! We might have taken ’em back to camp to fry for breakfast.”