Ted was able to guide them without any trouble. When they reached the place they tied their horses. But as they started to creep forward they heard something move a little way off. Cautiously, one of them investigated and found it was Red’s horse, Brownie.
“Good,” said Smiles, “we may find him very necessary.”
Some of the men had already gone forward and the rest joined them. They could see the cave dimly, but they could hear quite clearly. All of the men, ready at a second’s notice, watched Smiles, from whom the signal for action would come.
CHAPTER IX
THE MARSHES PAY A DEBT
MRS. MARSH, her day’s work completed, was doing some sewing. Her thoughts often turned to her beloved son, twice beloved, since he was not about. Ted had sent her a picture of himself on horseback and she was looking proudly at it. It was an unusually long letter she had received that morning. Ted had told of Red Mack, Smiles, Pop, and the others. How his horse, Scout, and he were great chums, and how Wolf had grown and was a dog any boy could be proud of. How fine and important Mr. Dean was and how good to him Mrs. Dean was, always. Throughout the boyish letter, the mother read of the boy’s happiness in his new surroundings. But Ted also made her feel that he missed her and that he missed Helen.
What a fine picture it was of him. How manly he looked. The mother was quite sure there never was a boy like her Ted. But she missed him so. And, thinking about how much she missed him, she looked for a moment as if she would cry.
But instead of crying, she suddenly smiled.
“I must not be selfish, as Helen says. It is his chance. Bless the Deans.”
Ted in his first letter of that week had written about the Academy at Wayland and that he was to arrive there on May 1st. She knew that Mrs. Dean had kept him up in his studies in the eight months he had been away from school, but she was glad to know that he was again to get back to a regular school.
After a while she started to set the table. Helen would soon be home and Mrs. Marsh was always sure to have things ready for the hungry girl when she reached home. After the table was set, Mrs. Marsh reopened the letter received that morning from Ted and placed it conspicuously, so that Helen could not fail to see it.