His approach had been discovered by the would-be burglars, and the two who had formed the base of the pyramid that had just boosted the third through the fractured window, rushed around to the front of the house and attacked the old man from two sides.
“That must be Adam Fairclough,” explained Dick, he and Joe springing to their feet. “He must have met somebody on the road who told him that his brother wasn’t dead, and thus aroused his suspicions that something was wrong at this end of the business, and so he came right back. Those rascals may kill him if we don’t interfere, Joe. So, come on. Let’s take them by surprise.”
Thereupon both boys leaped the fence and, flourishing their cudgels, rushed to the rescue.
CHAPTER XII.
DICK AND JOE BLOCK MUDGETT AND TIM BUNKER’S SHADY ENTERPRISE.
Mudgett had seized the old miser by the arm and was dragging him out of the buggy when Dick Armstrong sprang upon him like a young tiger and bore him to the ground. At the same instant Joe Fletcher ran around the vehicle and hit Tim Bunker such a whack over the head with his cudgel that the Walkhill youth saw unnumbered stars and hastened to make his escape over the back of the buggy.
But Joe cut him off, and the two boys were soon mixing it up pretty lively, with all the advantage in Joe’s favor.
In the meantime Dick found Mudgett a tough proposition to get away with, while the bearded man discovered in the strong and active boy a hard nut to crack.
Old Adam Fairclough, thus relieved of his assailants, stood helplessly aloof, and watched the struggle that was going on about him.
He seemed to be utterly bewildered by the condition of affairs that had faced him on his return home.