Chapter XVII: Two Men

Naturally enough Cora's words were echoed aloud by some of the party.

"Lost!" cried Belle. "How do you know?"

"We're going in the wrong direction," Cora said. "Don't you know when persons get lost in the woods they always go around in a circle? Nearly always they turn to the right, as we have done. I forget the explanation, but it has something to do with the right side of the body being stronger than the left. And that's what we've done. We've wandered around in a circle, so of course we're lost."

"That doesn't follow at all," declared Walter.

"Why not?" challenged Cora.

"Because the path may have been shifting. We've only followed the trail through the woods. We haven't gone off it."

"That's so," chimed in Paul. "We're still on the path, and it must lead somewhere."

"Perhaps it's a cow-path," suggested Bess. "It's narrow enough for one."

"Well, even a cow-path leads somewhere," said Hazel. "We'll end up at a stable."

"Or a dairy," added Jack. "Some bread and milk won't go bad if we miss our supper."

"Oh, we won't miss it," declared Walter. "We're bound to end up somewhere, and even if we come out a mile or more from our camp. And if we see a house, we can hire a farmer to drive us over, if we're too tired to walk."

"Yes, we could do that," Cora assented. "But what plan is best to follow now? Shall we keep on the way we are going, on this path, even though it leads west and our camp is to the east? Or shall we go back until we find a path extending in an easterly direction?"

"Whew!" whistled Jack. "That sounds like a question in my old school geography. What's the answer, Cora?"

"I wish I knew," said his sister. "Let's take a vote on it."

They discussed the matter a little while, and the general opinion was that it was better to go on than to retreat.

"We didn't see any houses in all the distance we came," said Walter, "and it is getting so late now we may have to appeal to a farmer to drive us back. I say go ahead, even if the direction seems to be wrong. We may reach a house this way."

"I guess you're right," admitted Cora, "though it seems illogical to go deliberately away from, instead of toward, our camp."

"Perhaps it isn't called Camp Surprise for nothing," suggested Hazel.

"What do you mean?" asked her brother.

"I mean it may surprise us by appearing when and where we least expect it."

"You always were a hopeful child," laughed Paul. His sister blushed. "You believed in Santa Claus long after I had detected our respected parents sneaking down the back stairs with the presents," he continued. "Hope on, foolish one."

"She may be right at that," said Jack, championing Hazel's cause. "If the sun insists on appearing where we think it oughtn't to be the camp may take a notion to do the same thing. Come on! Forward!"

A little anxious, they kept on, rather tired, but not greatly discouraged. Youthful hearts are not made for discouragement, fortunately.

"Anything left to eat?" asked Jack after a bit, when the path seemed to be shifting somewhat toward the east.

"A little," announced Walter, who was carrying the basket. "But you can't have any."

"Why not?" demanded Jack, indignantly. "I have as good a right as you. Who delegated you to carry the rations?"

"Nobody else seemed to want to. Now I'm in charge of the commissary department, and I'm going to put you, and myself included, on short rations. We may have to stay out all----"

"Ahem!" interrupted Paul, giving Walter a nudge. "Do you see anything like a house through the trees? Cut out that talk about having to stay out all night, if that's what you were going to say," he added in a quick whisper.

"It was," Walter admitted. "But I'll cease."

"You'd better. We don't want the girls to get nervous."

"I don't see any house," Jack reported, having looked in the direction indicated by Paul.

"I thought I saw smoke, and where there's smoke there's generally a house or a camp," Paul said. "However, I may have been mistaken."

It was evident that he had been, but a little later, as they once more emerged from the woods, Cora gave a joyful cry and called out:

"There it is!"

"What, our camp?" asked Belle.

"No, a house! See it?"

They looked to where her finger pointed. Undoubtedly, it was a farmhouse, located on the farther edge of the clearing in which they had halted. There was a vacant space about it, and several barn-like structures. But there was a curious lack of life around the place.

"I don't believe any one lives there," said Jack.

"Don't be a pessimist," urged his sister. "Let's go and find out."

They hurried toward the house, but the nearer they approached it the more it seemed that it was not a farmhouse in the ordinary sense of the word. Though in the midst of cleared fields that must at one time have been part of a farm, there were no growing crops. The fields were overgrown with weeds, there were no horses or cattle to be seen, and no challenging dog rushed out to bark at the boys and girls.

"Still some old man or woman may live there who can put us on the right road," Cora suggested. "We won't give up yet."

Confirmation of Jack's idea that the house was uninhabited was given as they went up the weed-entangled front path. And the sight of broken windows, a door sagging open on fractured hinges gave further aspects of abandonment.

"Anybody home?" called Walter, knocking on the door, which swayed as though it wanted to part company from the only hinge that held it up. "Who's in here? Hello inside!"

An echo was his only answer, though as they had approached the place Paul had said he heard a noise inside.

"Nobody home," said Jack. "But this is at least encouraging. We are getting 'warm' as they say in hunt the thimble. Let's go around back. Maybe they don't use the front door."

He started around a side path, followed by Cora, Bess and Belle. The others straggled along in the extreme rear. As the four in the lead turned around an ell of the house, Cora uttered a cry and pointed to two men who were running out of the barn, not far off.

"Look, Jack!" she cried.

Jack stood still, quite taken by surprise, and then Belle added:

"Why, Cora! I declare! One of those men looks like one of the two who ran off with your car!"

"Are you sure about that, Belle?" demanded Cora's brother. "I don't want to make a mistake."

"I only saw their backs, of course," explained Belle, quite excited. "But that one on the left looks like the one who took the wheel and steered Cora's auto away from the tea room. The coat is just the same."

"Well, it's pretty slim evidence on which to chase after two strange men," said Jack, "but here goes. Come on, boys!" he called to Walter and Paul. "Tally-ho!"

"What's the excitement?" asked Walter, as he and Paul came running around the corner of the house. "Dog after you, Jack?"

"No, but we want to get after those two fellows. See 'em?"

He pointed to the fleeing men.

"Who are they?" Paul queried.

"Belle thinks they're the ones who took Cora's auto. It's a rather slim identification, but we'll take a chance."

"Yell at 'em," suggested Paul.

"Good idea," commented Jack. "I say there--you two! Hold on a minute, we want to talk to you!" he cried.

The two men, running away, never heeded nor looked around. They ran on toward the woods, the boys following, while the girls stood in a group near the deserted house.