Part 16 (1/2)
”I believe he knows more about it than he has told us yet,” declared John.
”All I know,” said George solemnly, ”is that some of the Go Ahead boys have reversed their name. Whenever they pluck up courage enough to go to the old house they always go there with fear and trembling. They walk as if they were traveling to their own funeral, but when they leave they make better time than I ever saw any of them make on the cinder path. I think that we ought to change the name. They aren't Go Ahead boys any more, they are the Go Backward or the Get Away boys.”
”I notice,” spoke up Grant, ”that you didn't stand very long in the way of your own departure. At least I haven't noticed yet that you have been very far behind any of us when we ran from the place.”
”Of course you haven't,” said George. ”I have to look after my guests, don't I? And if they are in such a hurry to leave, it wouldn't be very polite for me to stay.”
”Don't leave on our account,” said Fred dryly.
”I guess there isn't much danger that you wouldn't any other time,”
laughed George. ”Perhaps you don't need any help after all. I was just trying to be polite.”
”It's too great an effort,” said Fred. ”Don't try it again, but what are you going to do about that stolen car?”
”I'm going ahead,” replied George.
”You certainly have a strange way of doing it then,” retorted Fred. ”It seems to me you were going all around it.”
”Never you mind,” said George. ”We'll have that car back in our garage in less than a week, you mark my words and see if we don't.”
”If we do,” declared Grant, ”it won't be any fault of ours. I guess your father will be the one that will find it.”
”He will help,” laughed George.
”Help,” repeated Fred. ”If we keep up the idiotic kind of a search we made to-day I guess he will have to do the whole thing.”
”Perhaps he will,” admitted George. ”I'm not jealous. If we can only get that car back, that's about all I want.”
”Well, I'm going to bed,” declared John. ”This has been my busy day.”
”And you haven't told us yet what you were doing,” suggested Grant.
”I guess I don't have to tell you,” said John. ”All three of you seem to know more about Uncle Sim and me and what we have been doing to-day than we do ourselves.”
In a brief time the boys had withdrawn from the room and sought their beds.
The following morning when three of the Go Ahead boys went down stairs they discovered George talking over the telephone.
”Yes,” he was saying. ”That's all right. We'll start right after breakfast. Thank you very much. Good-by.”
As he hung up the receiver George turned to his friends and said, ”What would you fellows say if I told you that I had some word about the car?”
”We would all say that it was a good word, anyway,” said Fred promptly.
”I was just talking to my father who told me that he had received a telegram this morning from Newburgh.”
”That's in New York State,” spoke up Fred.
”Correct,” answered George. ”I'm glad that for once in your life you are correctly informed.”