“I admire your language, Neale O’Neil,” sighed Ruth.
“Do go ahead and see what you can find, boy,” urged Mrs. Heard, very much excited now.
“Goodness!” murmured Agnes. “He acts as though he expected to find that barn full of robbers.”
“Nothin’ but rats in it, I bet,” grumbled Sammy, feeling much abused.
“Oh, there! You don’t catch me going near it, then!” cried Agnes.
Neale, undisturbed by either Ruth’s criticism or Agnes’ fun-making, proceeded to act as though the motor car had really met with an accident. Finally he started for the barn, which stood some distance back from the road.
“Look out for the rats—oh, do look out for the rats, Neale!” Tess called after him.
“He can’t whisper to the rats, anyway,” remarked Dot. “I guess Neale O’Neil, even if he did come from a circus, can’t tame all animals.”
The approach to the barn was by a broad, well graveled drive which sloped smoothly upward to the wide barn door. Almost at once Neale O’Neil saw that there had been an automobile on this piece of gravel. He could see where the wheels had skidded and disturbed much of the surface of the drive—whether when the car entered the barn or when it came out, he could not say.
He looked sharply around on all sides, but saw nobody. By the strands of twisted hay hanging from the closed loft door he presumed the upper part of the barn was filled with the only crop being harvested on the Higgins farm this year. On trying the main door, Neale found it barred; but there was a small door beside the great one, and this opened at his touch upon the latch.