“Welcome to the island!” cried a cheerful voice, as the boys approached the lodge, and, looking up they saw that the stranger had removed a cigar from his mouth and was smiling genially.

He was an attractive-looking man of perhaps thirty-five, slightly bald, his temples tinged with gray. He was fully six feet tall and of a magnificent physique.

“Thank you, sir,” Chot responded. “We have no wish to intrude, but we are searching for a camping place.”

“And the island looked good to you, eh?”

“Oh, we did not intend camping here.”

“Well, there, what if you did. It’s a pleasure I assure you to have you visit me. I so seldom see anyone who is sociable.”

He came down to the foot of the steps, hand out-stretched to greet them.

“I am Jared Lawrence of Boston,” he told them. “This is my summer cottage. I call it Winnsocket Lodge.”

“And it’s a beauty all right,” said Fleet, after Chot had introduced each in turn—“just the sort of a place to have in the Thousand Islands.”

The other boys echoed Fleet’s sentiments.

“I suppose you wouldn’t think of accepting a proposition from us for a month or so, Mr. Lawrence?” queried Chot.

“You mean that you want to rent the lodge?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, now, that might be arranged easier than you imagine. But come in, all of you, and make yourselves comfortable.”

He led the way on to the spacious verandah which looked out over a portion of the river and afforded an excellent view of many of the other islands.

“You see,” continued Mr. Lawrence, “I am in a secluded spot, yet when I feel lonesome, I can watch the boats over yonder plying up and down the stream.”

“Do you live alone, then?” asked Tom.

“Well, yes, except for my Japanese cook and valet. I suppose I may as well admit boys, that I am a bachelor,” and he smiled rather indulgently. “I am fortunately able to come here with Hoki and spend the summers, going back to Boston in September or October to again take up my business duties.”

He did not state what these duties were, but the boys felt that he must be either a banker or a broker, to be able to leave his work for an entire summer on a stretch, and they secretly envied him his ease.

Soon they were seated on the verandah, their coats having been taken by Hoki, an intelligent looking little Jap, dressed in a white suit. The Jap then brought two tables which he placed in front of the boys. Then they could hear him cracking ice somewhere in the rear of the building, and presently he emerged with a mammoth pitcher of lemonade.

“I knew you boys must be thirsty,” said Mr Lawrence, “hence told Hoki to find the largest pitcher in the house. You see, I was a boy once myself.”

The boys began to like Mr. Lawrence from the start, and as for the cooling beverage brought by Hoki, nothing would have been more welcome. Soon they found themselves feeling comfortable not only from a physical standpoint, but thoroughly at ease at Winnsocket Lodge, and wishing that some trick of fate would cause Mr. Lawrence to rent them the premises for the time of their stay.

As if divining what was passing in their minds, after a moment’s silence, in which he appeared to be debating something to himself, Mr. Lawrence said:

“I find it imperative that I take a short journey, probably leaving to-morrow. I had intended leaving Hoki in charge of Winnsocket Lodge, but I am inclined to believe that I could not do better than leave it in the hands of you boys.”

The Comrades and their chums exchanged glances of mingled joy and amazement, and Mr. Lawrence, stopping only to take a couple of draws from his cigar, continued:

“I may be gone two or three days; the time may stretch into two or three weeks. I am going on special business, and it is impossible to say just when I can accomplish what I desire. The lodge is well stocked with provisions, and Hoki is a fine servant. He will obey you as implicitly as he does me if I say the word.”

“But, Mr. Lawrence,” said Chot, “I feel that we should protest against your kind offer. We don’t want to take advantage of your hospitality. We would rather rent—”

“That’s just it; you boys want to rent the lodge, but the lodge is not for rent. You are simply a fine lot of young fellows, athletes everyone, I imagine, and I am very fond of young men. I trust you thoroughly, and I ask you to stay at Winnsocket Lodge until my return—to stay as my guests, taking care of my property, at the same time going where you please, when you please, in search of such amusement as you may desire. The rent you boys could afford would be nothing to me. I say to you, frankly, that the money would not be of the slightest use, as I now have all I can care for with any peace of mind.”

“Since you put it in that light, and speaking for us all, sir,” said Chot, “I will say that we accept your kind offer, and will show you that we can take the very best care of your property while you are away.”

“I have no doubt of that. You will find plenty of sleeping accommodations both downstairs and up. I frequently have house parties here, and I provided sufficient room for everyone when I built the lodge.”

And it was to these rooms that the boys were shown that night, after they had been taken through the lodge by their host. The lodge was constructed after expensive plans, mostly of rough wood, but solid and substantial, and with interior fittings that might have gone well in a Boston brownstone front. There were six rooms below—a living room, a dining room, a kitchen and three bedrooms, with a bath in a convenient spot to each of the latter. Upstairs there were a large bedroom, a smaller bedroom and a large compartment used as a plunder-room, in which fishing nets, tackle, hunting apparatus and many other things were stored. The house was fitted with electric lights, generated, Mr. Lawrence told them, by a small dynamo in the cellar, or basement.

Expressing a curiosity to see this, the boys were taken below by their host. The basement, built entirely of stone, was damp and cool. In one end a small dynamo-room had been partitioned off, and in this was the dynamo and batteries that served to light the lodge in such a brilliant fashion.

The cellar contained several barrels of wine—or, so the boys judged from their appearance—countless jars of fine fruit, packed away on shelves, as well as many other things that demanded a cool place for safe keeping. Mr. Lawrence was, indeed, well supplied for a summer’s outing.

The boys were curious to know more about him, but he did not volunteer any further information, and they were too well bred to appear at all inquisitive.

Tom and Chot were given the bedroom just to the rear of the one occupied by Mr. Lawrence, with Bert occupying a bedroom still farther back. Fleet and Pod were taken to the large chamber upstairs, and Hoki occupied the little one next to it.

With this arrangement, the boys retired, ignorant of the deep mysteries connected with Winnsocket Lodge, as well as of the many thrilling adventures which were to befall them before they took their departure.

The first inkling that there were mysterious doings in the lodge came to Chot and Tom when, upon awaking almost simultaneously in the middle of the night, they heard a low, scraping sound from the direction of Mr. Lawrence’s chamber. It ceased after a moment, was again renewed, then ceased again.

“That was a strange noise,” said Tom, in a whisper. “I wonder what it can be?”

“You can search me,” was Chot’s reply, also in a whisper. “It might be taken for a dozen different things.”

“What, for instance?”

“Well, I don’t believe I’d know just how to guess. It may be in Mr. Lawrence’s room, and again it may have come from the basement.”

“You’re right,” said Tom. “I hadn’t thought of the basement.”

“Well, it’s stopped, anyway. I don’t suppose anyone is going to carry us off.”

“No; but let me be sure the door leading into the hall is locked. It’s best to take no chances.”

Tom tip-toed softly to the door and tried the lock. The boys had fastened the door before going to bed, and Tom found that, apparently, it had not been disturbed. Then going to the windows which looked out over the island to the east, Tom peered into the night. The windows were up, as both boys were great believers in fresh air.

The lodge stood on stilts, as it were, and Tom knew that it was at least seven feet from the ground to the window sill. No chance for anyone to enter the house that way, unless aided by another, or by means of a ladder.

As Tom listened there was not a sound save for the faint stirring of the trees. The breeze had about died out. Off to the left Tom could see several lights glistening across the river, and far in the distance a bright, white glare in the sky marked the location of Rockport.

After a moment he came to bed again. For some time the boys lay awake discussing the strange noises in low tones, but finally fell asleep again.

Sometime later they were again wakened, this time by the same scraping sound as before. It continued for an even longer period, but finally ceased altogether.

A feeling of vague uneasiness began to steal over the boys. Try as they might, they could think of no solution of the sound. There were no animals of any sort on the island, they knew, so the noise must come from some human agency. But just what they were unable to determine to their satisfaction.

After discussing the matter in low tones for a time, they were ready to have another try at sleeping, when a noise from without caused them to tip-toe to the windows with suppressed excitement.

Here they listened intently. A conglomeration of small sounds came to them, but they were unable to distinguish any certain ones, until, finally, they heard the chug-chug of a motor-boat. The sounds grew more frequent but of less volume, and they decided that the little craft must be moving away from the island.

The sound died away entirely as the motor-boat apparently lost herself among the little islands surrounding the one on which stood Winnsocket Lodge.

Chot and Tom grew wide awake speculating over the matter, with the result that there was little sleep for them during the remainder of the night. They decided that it must have been in the neighborhood of three o’clock when they heard the motor-boat leave the island, for some two hours later it began to grow light, and soon the sun peeped over the islands to the east.

When they arose they found Hoki in the kitchen preparing breakfast. He grinned and nodded a Cheerful, “Good morning to you, sirs,” in his quaint, broken English.

“Good morning, Hoki,” said Chot. “That coffee smells mighty fine.”

“Glad you like,” was the Jap’s response. “I take pleasure in making the service for you, sirs.”

“He means it’s a pleasure to serve us,” said Chot, as a look of perplexity stole over Tom’s face.

Hoki grinned and nodded at this.

As they were talking to Hoki, Bert came out of a nearby room, rubbing his eyes, and a moment later Fleet and Pod came downstairs, feeling fine after a morning plunge in the tub.

Hoki bustled back and forth between the kitchen and the diningroom, and soon announced breakfast.

“But we’re to wait for Mr. Lawrence, of course,” said Chot.

“No wait,” said Hoki, gravely. “It gives me greatest pleasure to accept you as masters of lodge. My master, he not here—he go away in the night!”