AT IT AGAIN

The guide was stirring when Lieutenant Wingate and Grace reached the camp. Grace greeted him with a smiling good-morning.

“Mr. Wingate tells me that you discovered some bears nosing about the camp last night,” she said.

“Yes.”

“They did not get into our provisions, did they, Mr. Badger?”

“No. I drove them off before they found the chuck.”

“Do you know, Jim, there’s something queer about the visit of those bears—I haven’t found a sign of a trail left by them. How do you explain that?” questioned Hippy good-naturedly.

“I don’t. There’s no accountin’ for bears,” grinned the guide.

Hippy said he agreed with Badger on that point.

“By the way, Jim, did you hear about the robbery at the hotel last night?” interjected Grace.

“Robbery? No. I ain’t been away from the camp. Who got robbed?”

Grace told him what she knew of the occurrence, omitting, of course, the investigations of herself and Hippy, to all of which Badger listened with eager interest.

“That’ll give the Park guards somethin’ to do, I reckon,” he chuckled. “But the chances are they won’t catch the thieves. There’s lots of good hidin’ places in the Park, and the guards don’t know all of them.”

“Suppose we have breakfast,” suggested Hippy. “I hear our folks stirring.”

“I was just thinking. Let’s all go to the hotel for breakfast and leave Badger here to pack up.” Hippy agreed and shouted to his companions to dress for breakfast at the hotel. While they were dressing, Tom came into camp, after a long morning hike, the purpose of which he did not mention.

“Have you been looking for bear signs?” questioned Grace half teasingly.

“I may have been,” replied Tom, grinning broadly.

“We are going to the hotel for breakfast, and incidentally to report the result of our sleuthing trip this morning.”

“Did you discover anything, Grace?”

“Yes, but don’t speak of it here. I think the girls are about ready.”

When the Overland Riders entered the hotel they were regarded with rather more interest than before, for on this morning every person was an object of suspicion. Colonel Scott nodded and smiled at the newcomers.

As the party passed out of the dining room after breakfast, Hippy said in passing the colonel:

“There is something that I should like to say to you, sir, when you have finished your breakfast.”

“Meet me in the writing room,” answered the colonel briefly.

It had been agreed between Grace and Hippy that he should give Colonel Scott the result of the morning’s investigation, so Lieutenant Wingate told the colonel the details of that investigation, to all of which the railroad man listened attentively.

“That’s my theory to a dot!” exclaimed the colonel. “These people think that the robbery was committed by some person in the hotel. I tell them it’s nonsense. No one else appears to have had the sense to look at the rear of the house, and the probabilities are that, had they done so, they would have discovered nothing at all. I wish you would repeat to the manager of the hotel what you have said to me.”

Hippy nodded his willingness to do so. The manager came in hurriedly after receiving the summons, and Hippy repeated his story of the discovery of the morning.

“You are the young fellow that I met on the second floor last night, aren’t you?” questioned the manager.

“No. That was Mr. Brown of our party, I believe.”

“Suppose you show me what you found at the back of the house,” suggested the manager.

“It were best not to do that,” answered Lieutenant Wingate. “It will attract too much attention, and, in case the thieves are about, will tip them off that you have a clew.”

“That is good sense,” agreed Colonel Scott. “Better leave following the clew to the Park guards.”

“Yes, you are right. This is a matter for Colonel Appleby. If you will go with me to the commanding officer of the post and give him the facts, I shall appreciate it. Kindly bring Mrs. Gray with you,” requested the manager, Hippy having given most of the credit for their discoveries to her.

Grace was picked up on the way out, and the party, singly and in pairs, sauntered across the plateau as if they were bent on whiling away time. They met at the office of the commanding officer later on and gained an immediate audience with Colonel Appleby, to whom the facts were related by Hippy, added to here and there by a word from Grace.

“I congratulate you,” said the officer. “You have rendered us a service. I shall now know how to proceed.” Colonel Appleby rang for his orderly.

“My compliments to Lieutenant Chambers, and say that I should like to see him here as soon as possible. You say you lost the trail?” he questioned, turning to his callers.

Hippy nodded.

“I think probably it may be found again farther up the mountain,” said Lieutenant Wingate.

“You are of the opinion that the robbery was not committed by any person in the hotel, then?”

“I am reasonably certain that it was committed by an outsider,” answered Lieutenant Wingate.

“Do you base this opinion wholly on the fact that the thieves headed up the mountain?”

“No, sir. They were not shod as persons about the hotel would be likely to be. Both men wore heavy boots.”

“Excellent reasoning. I shall put the guards at work on that theory, and thanks to your keenness we ought to catch someone. We shall, at least, round up all suspicious characters. How long do you remain in camp here?”

“Unless you wish us to delay moving on, we plan to leave within an hour or so.”

The colonel said he knew of no good reason why the Overlanders should delay their departure, and added: “If there be anything that we can do for you while you are in the Park we shall esteem it a favor to serve you. Colonel Scott, I also thank you for your assistance in this matter. I trust that none of you will speak to outsiders on this subject. Mr. Wingate, you were in the service during the war, were you not?” he asked, turning to Hippy.

“Yes, sir. Ninety-fourth aero-squadron, fighting pilot. The young ladies of our party were members of the Overton College unit, and Mrs. Gray served as an ambulance driver at the front.” As Lieutenant Wingate rose to take his leave, Colonel Appleby and the others of the Overland party also rose. The commanding officer saluted and all hands returned the salute snappily, then left the office of the commander of the Park forces. Outside, they bade good-bye to Colonel Scott and started back towards their camp.

They found that Jim Badger had struck the camp and was lashing the packs, whereupon all hands fell to and assisted in making ready for their day’s journey. They planned to make camp that night at the base of Electric Peak. Hats were waved in farewell as the outfit passed the hotel; then the ponies settled down to a steady jog and were soon lost in a cloud of dust.

Prairie schooners, parties on horseback, bicycle squads and many others were passed on the government road. Here and there the little white tents of other campers were observable some distance back from the road, and early in the afternoon the Overland party halted to make camp. Leaving Badger to pitch their tents at the edge of a fringe of trees, the Overlanders set out with their ponies to visit the Upper Basin. They had not ridden far ere they found it necessary to dismount and tether their ponies, because the ground near the geysers was found to be insecure.

As the Overlanders walked out over the thin volcanic crust each one was profoundly impressed. They picked their way amid steaming pools, now and then startled by a sudden column of steam and water that shot up near by. Gusts of heated sulphurous air fanned their faces.

“This must be the Devil’s Parlor,” suggested Stacy.

“I should say it is his workshop,” answered Miss Briggs. “But it is a wonderful place.”

“Not wonderful—terrible!” declared Nora. “Were I suddenly to find myself alone here I know I should have an attack of heart failure.”

“Pshaw! You’re a tenderfoot,” accused Stacy.

“At least Nora wouldn’t fall in,” cut in Emma.

“By the way, Stacy, this is the opportunity of a lifetime to fall in. Why don’t you?”

“I don’t have to, that’s why. Why don’t you?”

“Because I keep my head level,” retorted Emma quickly.

Stacy made no reply but wandered off muttering to himself as he gazed into the boiling pools, his forehead wrinkling in perplexity, for this phenomenon of nature was too much for him to understand.

All at once the Overlanders were startled by a mighty yell from the fat boy.

“He’s at it again!” cried Elfreda.

“Where is he? Where is he?” wailed Nora.

Stacy had suddenly disappeared from sight, though he had been standing only a few rods from them and they had been talking with him but a moment before. There was only one conclusion to be drawn and Tom Gray instantly voiced it.

“He has fallen in through the thin crust. Quick! Help me find him!” cried Tom, starting at a run for the spot where he had last seen the fat boy standing.