Chapter VI: "carry the News to Andy!"

"Nobody here, Jack!" announced George, in a relieved tone, as the two entered the stable, and looked around.

A number of horses stood in stalls, munching their oats, which in itself told the observing Jack that some one must have been there a short time before, since the animals had been recently fed.

Before he could make any reply to his companion's remark, once more that thrilling sound came to their ears. And this time even George realized that it was unmistakably a human groan.

"It came from over here!" exclaimed Jack, as without the slightest hesitation he sprang across the floor of the place.

George following close upon his heels, saw him bending over the figure of a man, who was lying upon the floor in a doubled-up position.

"What has happened? Did one of the horses kick him?" gasped George, always a bundle of nerves.

"No, I don't think so," replied Jack. "I can find no sign of an injury about him. It's more likely a fit of some kind he's just recovering from. Lots of people are subject to such things, you know."

"Say, that's just what;" declared George. "I had an uncle who used to drop like a rock right in the street or anywhere."

"What did they do with him at such times?" demanded Jack, anxiously.

"Well, nobody seemed able to do much," replied the other. "I saw my father loosen the collar of his shirt, and lay him out on his back. A little water on his face might help; but in most fits it takes some time to recover. But I thought I saw his eyelids twitch right then, Jack."

"Yes, he's going to come out of it," replied Jack, as he managed to get the old man into what seemed like a more comfortable position.

And presently, as the two boys still bent anxiously over him, the man opened his eyes. He stared at them for a bit, as if trying to collect his thoughts. Then a horse neighed, and he seemed to realize his position.

Jack, seeing him trying to sit up, assisted him. The old man sighed heavily, and spoke in a weak tone.

"Reckon I dropped in my own stable that time. Might have been under the feet of the hosses too. And both men away. Who are ye, boys? I'm beholdin' to you more'n I can say," he went on.

Whereupon Jack soon explained how they belonged to a little company of cruisers who had been driven by the storm to take shelter behind the point of land; and that their present errand was to secure a supply of fresh milk and eggs, if so be they could be had.

"Help me to the house, please, boys," said the farmer, trying to rise. "I'm always some weak after one of these spells. They're acomin' oftener now, and I'll have to quit bein' alone. Now more'n ever I need Andy. Oh! if they can only find him for me, I'll be so happy."

Of course this was so much Greek to the two boys. But they gladly helped him to regain his feet, and walk to the house.

"The men will be back soon, and you can have all the milk and eggs you want!" he declared; and even as he spoke George discovered a team coming toward the farmhouse, evidently from some nearby town, with a couple of husky men on the wagon, which was piled high with new and empty apple barrels.

"That let's me out," laughed George, "for you see, I was just going to volunteer to milk Bossie; and as I've had mighty little experience in that line, perhaps she'd have kicked me into the next county for a bungler."

The men came on to the house, seeing strangers present, and Jack soon explained the situation to them. He learned that the old farmer's name was Jonathan Fosdick, and that the Andy he had spoken about was his only son, with whom he had quarreled several years back, and for whom his heart was forever yearning, now that old age and disease began to grip hold of him.

Supplied with the milk and the eggs the two lads started back to the camp.

"Promise to come up and see me again tonight, boys," the old farmer had pleaded, as he came to the door with them, after positively refusing to accept any pay for what they had received. "I want to speak with you about something that's on my mind a heap lately. You helped me once; p'raps ye can again."

"Now, what under the sun do you think he meant?" remarked George, as they plodded along with their heavy burdens toward the lake shore, where the boats lay.

"Just wait, and we'll know all about it soon," replied Jack; for while he could himself give a pretty good guess what was on the mind of Mr. Fosdick, he did not care to commit himself.

The others greeted the foragers with loud cries of delight.

"Then there wasn't any bull handy?" said Nick, with an evident shade of disappointment in his voice; for Nick was nothing if not generous; and having tasted the delights of being chased up a tree by an angry bovine, he felt that the other fellows ought to share the experience with him.

The fire was already burning briskly, and Josh employed in his customary tasks of getting things ready for cooking. At such times Josh was looked upon as a czar, and his simplest word was law. It was very pleasant for the tall, lanky lad to feel that he did have an hour or so each day, when every one bent the knee to his superior knowledge; and he certainly made the most of it.

And the supper was of course a bountiful one. It could not be otherwise so long as Nick and Jimmie had a hand in its preparation. The former hovered around from time to time, suggesting that Josh add just another handful to the rice that was being cooked, or possibly wondering if they could make one big can of mullagatawny soup do for six fellows; until frequently the boss would turn and wither him with a look, backed up as it was with that big spoon.

Later on, after everybody had declared themselves satisfied, Jack beckoned to the skipper of the _Wireless_.

"We promised that we'd run up and see how Mr. Fosdick was getting on, fellows," remarked the latter. "Be back inside of an hour or so; long before you are thinking of going aboard."

Nick started to rise, but sank back again as Jack shook his head.

"This farmer keeps a black bull, Buster. I saw him in an enclosure, and seemed to me the bars looked mighty slender!" observed George, maliciously.

"Excuse me, I think this fire feels mighty comfy," grinned Nick.

The two boys found Mr. Fosdick waiting for them. The woman who did his household work, a black mammy, had been over at a neighbor's when they were there before; but had later on returned, and cooked supper.

Things even looked a little cheerful, with the lamp-light flooding the comfortable livingroom of the big farmhouse.

"Sit down, boys," said the farmer, pointing to two chairs, he himself reclining on a lounge. "You're wondering now why I wanted to see ye again. I'm beholdin' to you for the prompt assistance you gave me. But there's somethin' more'n that. Did ye say as how ye was bound for Lake Superior way soon?"

"Why, we are going as far as the Soo," Jack replied, readily; "and we may take a notion to prowl along the northern shore for a short distance. I've always heard a heap about the big speckled trout to be taken around the mouth of the Agawa river and other places there, and since we have the chance I thought I'd like to try to land a whopper, if so be the rest of the boys are willing to go."

"The Agawa!" repeated Mr. Fosdick, eagerly. "I wonder if that might be the place now. 'Twas somewhere along that northern shore he said he saw my Andy."

"That was your son, I take it?" ventured Jack.

"Yes, my only boy or child. His mother died after he ran away, and I'm gettin' old now. I want Andy to come home; but try as I would, I never could get a line to him."

Then he went on to tell about his boy, and for a long time Jack and George had to listen to an account of Andy's childhood life. Gradually he came to the point where the highstrung boy had refused to be treated as a child any longer. A violent quarrel had followed, and Andy left home.

"I know now I was most to blame," said the old man, contritely; "and if only I could get word to my boy I'd beg him to come back to me. I want to see him again before I foller his mother across the great divide. Just a week ago I had a letter from a party who told me he was sure he saw Andy in a fish camp up on Superior. He'd growed up, and the gentleman didn't have a chanct to speak with him; but afterward it struck him who the man was. If so be ye run across Andy, tell him I'm waitin' with my arms stretched out for him, won't ye, boys?"

"To be sure we will!" declared George, heartily, for he was considerably affected by the appearance of grief on the old man's face.

They soon afterward started to say goodnight, wishing to get back to where the rest of the party sat around the camp fire.

"I forgot to tell ye," went on Mr. Fosdick, as he followed them to the door, "as they was a young chap here t'other day as said he'd keep an eye out for Andy. And now that I think of it, he had a little motor boat too, like them you tell me about. And he said he 'spected to cruise around Superior a bit."

George and Jack exchanged glances.

"And was his name Clarence Macklin?" asked the latter, quickly.

"Just what it was," replied the farmer, waving them a farewell.

"Now, what do you think of that?" asked George, as they strode on. "Why, that fellow is bound to crop up all the time like a jack-in-the-box. We can't even start to do a poor heartbroken old father a good turn, but he gets his finger in the pie. But there's a bully chance for me to get another race with his piratical _Flash_, and that's some satisfaction;" and Jack found himself compelled to laugh, realizing that George had his weakness just as well as Buster.