Bob Cook and the German Spy

T >> Tomlinson, Paul Greene >> Bob Cook and the German Spy

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"Perhaps we ought to report this business to the police after all,"
whispered Hugh.

"Yes," said Bob. "Still I'd hate to go home and tell father that we
didn't even go inside the place."

"That's true," Hugh agreed. "What shall we do?"

"Let's walk around it and see if we can see anything suspicious."

"All right. We'd better keep in the shelter of the woods though."

"Oh, yes, of course."

Remaining almost a hundred feet distant from the little clearing, in the
center of which stood the house, the boys began to walk. Save for an
occasional nervous glance about them they never took their eyes off the
deserted dwelling. When they came to the wagon-road they darted across
quickly, fearful lest they should be discovered. Their progress was slow
and an hour had elapsed when they returned to their starting point.

"I don't believe any one is there," whispered Bob.

"It doesn't look so. Shall we go in?"

"I suppose so," said Bob, though it was plain to be seen that neither boy
much relished the task. However they dared not go home and report failure
to Mr. Cook, so presently they ventured forth from the woods and started
across the clearing. The cellar door was open and toward this they made
their way.

A gentle breeze rattled one of the shutters, causing the boys to start
nervously. Bob kept his hand on his hip pocket and they walked closely
together. Presently they came to the cellar steps and peered in
cautiously. Their faces were pale, as gingerly they walked down the stone
steps and entered the gloomy cellar.

"Flash your light," whispered Bob.

Hugh did so, and a huge gray rat scuttled across the floor, startling the
boys so that they almost cried out. Little by little their courage
returned, however, and they advanced a few steps. They listened intently,
but no sound came to their ears. Hugh's flashlight revealed the stairs
leading to the first floor and stepping noiselessly the boys approached.

Slowly and very cautiously they ascended and presently came to the top
of the stairs. Bob was in the lead, his pistol gripped tightly in one
hand. With his free hand he pushed the door open gently and looked
within. The kitchen was deserted, a broken-down stove in one corner, a
water heater covered with dirt and rust, a sagging sink, and two
battered chairs and a table completing the furnishings. A soft breeze
entered through a broken window and gently stirred the strip of wall
paper hanging limply from the ceiling.

Bob beckoned to Hugh and they emerged into the room. They listened
intently. Not a sound was to be heard. Reassured they passed out of the
kitchen through a narrow back hall, and into the parlor. The same aspect
of neglect and decay was everywhere evident, but nothing suspicious was
to be seen.

"Shall we go upstairs?" whispered Bob.

"We might as well. I don't believe there's any one here anyway."

The stairs leading to the second floor creaked and groaned under the
weight of the boys, but as they were now convinced that the house was
uninhabited they were not worried. Coming to the second story they
proceeded to the room located in the front of the house.

"This must be the place," whispered Bob excitedly.

A table stood in the center of the room; around it were grouped five
seats, chairs and old boxes, as if five men had had a meeting or
conference there.

"This is where they had their meeting last night," said Hugh. "Here are
places for five men, and we saw that many come out."

"Yes, sir," echoed Bob. "This looks like headquarters."

"Suppose we could expose them," exclaimed Hugh. "Wouldn't it be great?"

"If we only could," said Bob eagerly. "Let's look around."

Pen and ink, together with a pad of writing paper were lying on the
table. Besides the table and seats, however, there was no furniture in
the room, and there seemed small promise of anything of interest to the
two searchers. They lifted every box and searched under it, but all in
vain. Finally Bob looked behind the door. With an exclamation of delight
he stooped and picked up a piece of paper lying upon the floor.

"What is it, Bob?" inquired Hugh eagerly.

"I don't know. I can't see very well."

"Bring it over here by the window. It's awfully dark and gloomy in
this room."

Bob followed this suggestion, and presently was reading what was written
on the paper. Hugh looked on over his shoulder.

"'List of places to be attacked.'" Bob read. "'Railroad bridge, Court
House, Armory, National Cartridge Company, High Ridge Steel Company. More
to be added later.'"

"This looks like the real thing," exclaimed Bob excitedly. "I wonder if
they plan to take these in order. At any rate we fooled them once on the
railroad bridge."

"Yes," said Hugh, "and we want to fool them on the others if we can."

"They've got father's factory listed," exclaimed Bob. "I was afraid they
would; the Germans don't like him. He's too good an American."

"Some one must have dropped that paper by mistake," said Hugh. "They
never would have left anything like that lying around."

"Suppose they discover they've left it and come back after it."

Both boys looked nervously out of the window, but all they saw was
the little clearing and the quiet trees, swaying gently under the
light breeze.

"Isn't it signed?" asked Hugh.

"No."

"Look on the back; there may be something there."

Bob turned over the sheet of paper. "No writing," he said. "There's a
picture here though."

"What is it?"

"I can't see very well. It looks like some sort of a bug."

"It looks like an alligator," said Hugh, taking the paper from Bob and
examining it closely.

"Let me see," exclaimed Bob. "That's what it is," he announced a moment
later. "What do you suppose is the idea of that?"

"I'm sure I don't know. Probably some man was just trying to amuse
himself by drawing pictures, and happened to draw an alligator."

"Maybe it's a picture of Percy," laughed Bob.

"Say," exclaimed Hugh suddenly, "it's strange, though. Heinie's
alligator was probably stolen by the man that returned the car, and
whoever returned the car was probably out here at this meeting. What's
the connection?"

"I don't believe there is any," said Bob. "You're too suspicious, Hugh."

"Won't you admit that it's queer?"

"Of course I will, but I think it also proves that Heinie couldn't have
been the one who returned our car last night. That is, if you think the
man who stole the alligator was the one who brought back the car.
Heinrich wouldn't cry about the loss of his pet if he was the one who
took it, would he?"

"It's too deep for one to understand," sighed Hugh with a shake of his
head. "At any rate one thing is sure and that is that some plots are
being hatched around here and--"

Before he could finish there was a loud crash behind them, the only door
leading out of the room was slammed shut, and a key turned in the lock.

CHAPTER XII

TRAPPED

Bob and Hugh stared at each other in astonishment. They had been tricked
and were now prisoners. A moment later they recovered somewhat from their
surprise and with one accord sprang for the door.

Bob seized the knob and shook it violently. To no purpose, however.

"Get a chair, Hugh," he cried. "We'll smash the door in."

"How do we know what's waiting for us in the hall?"

"I don't care. We've got to get out of here."

There was a deafening report of a gun fired in the narrow hall. The panel
of the door close to Bob's head was splintered, and a bullet shot across
the room, shivering the one remaining pane of glass left in the window.

"Duck!" shouted Hugh. "Get away from that door!"

Bob needed no second urging. He sprang aside and cowered against the
side of the wall. The two boys looked at each other, pale-lipped and
breathing hard.

"Whew," exclaimed Hugh. "That was a close call."

Bob whipped his pistol out of his pocket, and began to crawl back
toward the door.

"What are you going to do?" demanded Hugh in alarm.

"I'm going to send a bullet through there myself," said Bob. "We might
just as well let them know we're alive too."

"Don't you do it. You'll only waste your bullets and it may help us later
if they don't know we are armed."

Bob hesitated. "I guess you're right," he said a moment later, and
presently resumed his place against the wall.

"What'll we do?" said Hugh.

"I don't know. Did you hear anybody?"

"Not a soul. All I heard was the door bang and then the pistol shot."

"I guess we're in for it," said Bob nervously.

"We must get out of here."

"I think so too, but how?"

"We can smash the door."

"Yes, and the minute we stick our heads out of the door we'll get a
bullet through us. I don't see that we stand a chance."

"But we can't stay here," protested Hugh. "If we do they'll certainly fix
us one way or another."

"If I don't come home to lunch father will get worried and bring help to
us; he knows where we are."

"These people won't wait that long. If they are spies and plotters
they'll be desperate and they won't waste much time dealing with us."

"I wonder how far it is to the ground."

"We'd break a leg trying to jump," said Hugh.

"I'll look anyway," and Bob carefully raised himself to his feet and
advanced toward the window. He peered out and then suddenly uttered an
exclamation.

"Hugh," he cried in a low voice. "The gray roadster is out there. A man
just got in and is driving off."

With one bound Hugh was by his friend's side. "Could you see who it was?"
he demanded eagerly. The roadster had disappeared down the wagon road.

"I couldn't see," said Bob. "His back was toward me all the time."

"How do you suppose that car got in here without our hearing it?"

"I don't know. Of course they had the cutout closed."

"Do you think that man has gone for help?"

"I wouldn't be surprised."

"Then now is our chance to get out of here."

"Perhaps he left a guard."

"I can't help it. At any rate we'll never have a better opportunity
than this."

"Shall we smash the door in with a chair?" asked Bob.

"I don't see what else we can do."

"It's a chance."

"Of course it is, but it's no bigger chance than it is to stay here."

"All right then," said Bob. "Let's each get a chair."

They possessed themselves of chairs and then took their places one on
each side of the door. They held the chairs by the backs and prepared to
swing them against the panels.

"One, two, three," counted Bob, and smote the door with all the
strength he could muster. A second later Hugh followed suit. The door
was made of heavy oak, however, and stood fast. Bob and Hugh shrank
back against the wall and waited for any result of their efforts.
Silence pervaded the house.

"I guess that man was the only one here," said Hugh.

"It seems so; let's try it again."

Once more the chairs crashed against the door, but without effect. Again
and again the two boys exerted themselves to the utmost, but the sole
result of their efforts was to break the chairs. Finally, well-nigh
exhausted, they stopped.

"It's no use, Bob," panted Hugh. "The door is stronger than the chairs."

"We've got to get out of here though."

"The only way I can see is the window."

"But we can't jump that far; we'd only break a leg or something. There
isn't even a roof to help us."

"Can't we make a rope out of our clothes and slide down?"

"I say to try the door again," exclaimed Bob.

"But we can't smash it with these chairs," Hugh protested.

"I know it; let's try the table."

"How are you going to do that?"

"I'll show you," said Bob. "Take hold of this end with me."

They grasped the table and dragged it to a spot directly in front of the
door and eight or ten feet distant from it. "Now," exclaimed Bob. "When I
say, 'three,' we'll push it with all our might against the door."

"It'll never work," said Hugh, with a shake of his head.

"Try it," cried Bob. "We've got to do something."

They took firm hold of the table and set themselves. "Now," said Bob.
"One, two, three." They pushed with all their strength and a moment later
the table crashed into the door. The door creaked and groaned but did
not give way.

"It won't work," said Hugh with great conviction.

"Yes, it will too," exclaimed Bob. "Stick to it."

They dragged the table back and once again drove it hurtling against the
door. This time their efforts met with some success for the corner of the
table drove straight through one of the panels.

"See that?" cried Bob excitedly. "I believe that if I put my hand through
that opening I can reach the key and unlock the door."

"You don't suppose for a second that that man left the key in the
door, do you?"

"I don't suppose he did," admitted Bob, somewhat crestfallen. "Still
there's no harm in trying anyway."

"There may be somebody on guard in the hall."

"We'll have to risk that." Bob thrust his arm through the opening made in
the door panel, but soon withdrew it. "The key is not there," he said.

"Of course not," exclaimed Hugh. "Get out of the way and let me get a few
whacks at that panel with the chair." He attacked the door furiously and
in a few moments had knocked out the panel completely.

"I guess we can squeeze through there now," he said.

"Let me go first," exclaimed Bob. "I've got a gun."

He squirmed through the opening in the door and seeing no sign of any one
outside called to Hugh to follow him. A moment later they stood side by
side in the dark and narrow hallway.

"We'd better get out of here as fast as we can," whispered Bob.

"The sooner it is, the better I'm pleased," returned Hugh grimly.

They stole along the hall, every sense alert. Presently they came to
the head of the stairs and discovering nothing to alarm them, started
down. The stairs still creaked and groaned, but the boys' confidence
was rapidly returning as they neared outdoors and safety, and they
hurried along.

A side door stood open and toward this they made their way. Bob had
returned his revolver to his pocket for he really thought he should not
need it any more. He stepped out of the doorway and started down the
steps. As he did so a man sprang at him and with a blackjack dealt him a
stunning blow over the head. Bob reeled uncertainly for an instant, and
then sank unconscious to the floor; there he lay in a limp heap.

Before the man could deal with Bob's companion, Hugh had grappled with
him, and a moment later they were rolling over and over on the ground
fighting like wild cats.

CHAPTER XIII

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

Hugh had seized the man by his right wrist and as they went down the
blackjack was sent spinning. It was man to man, bare hands for weapons.

Hugh's assailant was not large, but he was extremely agile. He squirmed
and wriggled, kicked and butted, in fact he used every weapon at his
command. Hugh probably outweighed his enemy, and in addition was a
splendid wrestler, but he was young and his antagonist's strength was
more developed.

Each fighter struggled desperately to get an arm free. Once Hugh
succeeded, but it was his left arm, and when he seized his opponent's
throat his hold was soon shaken loose. They fought fiercely, both
breathing hard, their faces were red and blotched, and their eyes were
staring. Over and over they rolled, the stones and twigs on the ground
tearing and lacerating their hands and faces.

Hugh got hold of his opponent's right arm. He bent it back with every bit
of strength he possessed, until the man cried out in pain. Hugh knew,
however, that he would receive no mercy if he was overcome and he pressed
home his advantage. Suddenly, with a convulsive twist of his body, the
man shook loose Hugh's hold, and dealt him a heavy blow in the chest.
Hugh felt his wind badly shaken and he seized his opponent around the
waist with both arms, squeezing with all the strength in his body. His
one idea was to keep as close to his enemy as he could, so that the man
would have no opportunity to strike him again.

Gradually Hugh felt his strength slipping. He knew he could not hold out
much longer, and even as he struggled he wondered how soon it would be
before the other Germans returned and made an end of him. Then when he
least expected it, help came to him.

Bob had opened his eyes after a moment. He had seen millions of stars,
and as he came to his senses again his head felt sore and battered. He
did not recall for a moment just what had befallen him. Suddenly,
however, he heard the sounds of a violent struggle being waged near at
hand, and sitting up he spied Hugh and his assailant locked in each
other's grasp, and still fighting. Bob sprang to his feet and
approached them.

He remembered everything now. His throbbing head recalled to him the blow
he had received and he could feel a large lump on the back of it. He
wondered what would have happened to him if he had not worn a hat. A
moment later, however, he had dismissed from his mind all thought of
himself and was engaged in assisting his friend.

He grasped Hugh's assailant by his throat and knelt on his shoulders
with both knees. Gradually the man's strength waned; Hugh could feel
it slipping. A moment later he lay gasping on the ground too weak to
offer any resistance to the two boys. Hugh held his arms, while Bob
released his hold on the man's throat and sat on his legs. The
prisoner, his breath rattling in his chest, lay with eyes half-closed,
completely done up.

Suddenly Hugh spied something that made him start violently. The man's
coat lay wide open and pinned on his vest was a badge. More than that, it
was a police badge, one of the badges of the police of High Ridge.

"Bob," gasped Hugh in alarm, "this man's a detective."

"What!" cried Bob. "You're crazy."

"I am not. Look here."

He released his hold on his erstwhile opponent and stood up. Bob followed
suit. In amazement they looked at the man on the ground at their feet.

"That's a High Ridge police badge all right," said Bob. "No doubt of
it."

"Are you a detective?" Hugh asked their victim.

The man looked at them through narrowed eyelids. "Yes," he said weakly,
and started to reach towards his hip pocket.

"Here, here!" cried Hugh. "None of that! This whole thing is a mistake."

"Let me help you up," urged Bob, offering his hand to the beaten man.
Hugh also assisted him and they raised him to his feet.

"I guess we were after the same people you were," exclaimed Bob, taking
it for granted that the detective had trailed the Germans to the deserted
house as he and Hugh had done. "They had us locked up in there and we had
just broken down the door and were coming out. We didn't know you were a
detective."

"You didn't give us a chance to find out," laughed Hugh, greatly relieved
at the unexpected turn of events. He also felt safer to have an officer
of the law with them.

The detective rubbed his neck, and looked at the two boys narrowly.

"Germans in this house?" he said at length.

"They had a meeting here last night," said Bob.

"How do you know?"

"We followed them out here. Look at this too," and he handed over the
list of buildings to be destroyed that they had found in the old house.

The detective snatched the paper out of his hand and scanned it eagerly.

"Where did you get this?" he demanded.

"We found it upstairs," said Bob.

"Humph," ejaculated the detective and thrust it into his pocket.

"Weren't you trailing these Germans too?" inquired Bob.

"How do you know they were Germans?"

"Who else would want to blow up bridges and ammunition factories?"

"Did they intend to do that?"

"That's what that list says," exclaimed Hugh, nettled by the questions
the man asked as well as by his odd behavior.

"Well," said the detective, "you take my advice. This is no place for a
couple of boys like you to be hanging around. You might get hurt the
first thing you know." He glanced about him nervously as though he
expected some one else to arrive upon the scene at any moment.

"A man locked us in that room just before you arrived," said Bob. "Then
he dashed off in a big gray roadster."

"Well, you'd better get out of here yourselves," said the
detective shortly.

"They may come back at any minute and perhaps you'll need help,"
protested Bob.

"I'll take care of that part of it," exclaimed the detective. "You get
out."

Convinced that there was nothing else for them to do, Bob and Hugh
started off through the woods, leaving the detective in undisputed
possession of the premises. They were greatly puzzled by their recent
experience.

"What do you think of that detective?" demanded Bob, when they had
reached a point out of sight of the house.

"I think he was an old grouch," exclaimed Hugh. "I don't see why he had
to be so disagreeable to us; all we wanted to do was to help him."

"Yes, when those Germans come back he's apt to be handled roughly."

"He was jealous of us, I believe," said Bob.

"Why so?"

"Well, we had gone ahead on our own account, and from the way he acted I
guess we knew more about what was going on than he did."

"Perhaps that's it," said Hugh. "Maybe he was afraid we might take some
glory away from him."

"How silly!" exclaimed Bob. "What do we want with glory?"

"We'd better tell your father what happened this morning."

"Of course. He'll think I'm a pretty poor fighter though; a black eye
one day and a big lump on my head the next."

"How does your head feel anyway?" inquired Hugh.

"Oh, pretty well. It still throbs though."

"I should think it might, and you can consider yourself pretty lucky that
you didn't get your skull cracked open."

"He was a queer looking man, wasn't he?"

"Yes, and his actions were even queerer."

"I guess he was jealous," said Bob. "Oh, well, I don't suppose it makes
any difference who corners those Germans, so long as somebody does it."

"Personally, I'm sort of glad to get away from that house," said Hugh. "I
believe that if we had stayed much longer we never would have left."

"How about the detective?"

"If he wants to stay that's his lookout, not ours."

"That's right, and I suppose he'll go for help anyway."

"Perhaps they'll just watch the house for a day or two," said Hugh. "It
may be though that now that those Germans know they are watched they may
meet in some other place."

"True enough. I wish we could find the place."

Presently they came to the spot where they had left their bicycles. They
were still there, and a moment later the boys were wheeling them back
across the field again. Once more in the road, they mounted and soon were
riding towards home. Their minds were busy with plots and Germans and the
recent experiences they had undergone. They felt sure that they were on
the trail of a desperate gang, and that quick action perhaps was
necessary to prevent untold damage, and possible loss of life.

They were confused, however. Everywhere they turned they seemed to run
into some new angle of the affair, or some other person who might bear
watching. Hugh was still of the opinion that Heinrich and Lena should
be looked after pretty carefully, though Bob laughed at him. He knew
his family felt that their servants could be relied upon absolutely.
Bob wondered about his father's plant; was it properly guarded? Perhaps
his father might consent to let him go down there and help watch over
it at night.

Talking but little they spun along the road. Each boy was occupied with
his own thoughts, and consequently did not notice an automobile rapidly
approaching down the road.

"Here comes a car," exclaimed Bob suddenly. They swung over to the right
side of the road to let it pass, and a moment later it roared past them
in a cloud of dust.

"Bob," cried Hugh excitedly. "The gray roadster."

"I know it. Did you see who was in it?"

"I didn't notice."

"Mr. Wernberg."

"What!"

"It certainly was."

"I guess your father was right about him then. He said he was a dangerous
man, and I guess he is, if he's mixed up with that gang out there."

"Well, Frank wouldn't talk the way he does unless he'd heard it at home."

"Probably not. Do you suppose they recognized us?"

"Suppose they did?" said Bob, carelessly. "We have a right to the road,
haven't we?"

"Certainly, but the man who locked us in the room! He must have been in
the car and would surely recognize us as the ones who were in the house."

"That's true," exclaimed Bob. "Do you think they'll turn around and come
after us?"

Hugh glanced back over his shoulder. "The car has stopped," he exclaimed.
"Come on, Bob, we'd better ride for all there is in us."

The two boys leaned forward on their pedals, bent low over the
handlebars, and rode as hard as they could. They were not far from the
town now and they knew that the occupants of the gray roadster would not
dare molest them, when once they had gained the populated districts. Not
once did they look back until they were safely within the city limits.

"I didn't think they'd follow us," puffed Hugh. "Still it's just as well
to take no chances."

"I wasn't so much afraid of them chasing us," said Bob. "What worries me
is that probably they know who we are now, and consequently we won't be
safe no matter where we are."

"I guess we'll have to report to the police."

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