The Motor Boat Club at Nantucket: or, The Mystery of the Dunstan Heir

With that he rung off, asking for the StillmanHouse. Nor did it need more than a fewseconds to get that anxious father to the telephone.He had been waiting for such a call, hoping against hope.

In the fewest words possible Halstead told hisemployer the bare news of finding the Dunstanheir, adding that they were now on the way tothe court house with him.

“Be over there, you and Mr. Crane,” urgedHalstead, feverishly. “We will do our best toreach you in time. Now – we’ve got to hustle – goodby, sir!”

Again ringing off, then uttering a breathless“Thank you,” and leaving a quarter of a dollarto pay tolls, Tom dashed out of the house.

Just as he had disappeared into the house,Warren turned to Joe, asking curiously:

“Why have you got the lad bound and gaggedin this fashion?”

“Because he wouldn’t come any other way,”retorted Joe.

“Can’t we just as well remove the cords andthe gag, now?” insisted the deputy sheriff.

“Yes; if you’ll he responsible for his notgetting away,” agreed Dawson.

“Oh, I won’t let him get away, if he’s foolishenough to want to,” promised Warren. Hefreed the young man. As soon as he could talkTed broke forth, angrily:

“This is all a wicked shame! My fatherwanted me to keep out of the way for the present.These boys have been meddling from thestart. My father will be awfully angry withthem, and with you all.”

“He will, eh?” queried Warren, good-humoredly.“Young man, do you know that yourfather is nearly distracted over your absence, and that he has had a lot of police officers anda small army of detectives hunting for you allthese days?”

“I don’t believe it,” retorted Ted, stubbornly.“Anyway, I haven’t broken any law, and you’veno right to keep me here. I’m going to getout of this car.”

“I’m very sorry to say that you’re not, atleast not until I’ve seen your father,” rejoinedthe deputy. “My boy, I believe you’ve beenbadly imposed upon by rascals. In any case, you’ll stay right here with me until some oneolder than you are changes the orders.”

At this moment Tom came running down thepath from the house.

“There’s the fellow who’s been the worst ofthe lot,” cried Ted bitterly, tears of rage shiningin his eyes.

“Has he?” smiled Warren. “Then I believeHalstead will come in for a pretty handsomereward from your father.”

“Maybe,” hinted Joe, “if you folks can getus into Nantucket and up at the door of theprobate court before the minute of four.”

“Start her up, please,” begged Halstead, ashis feet struck the running board and hesqueezed in among the tightly-packed crowd.“What time is it now – exactly?”

“Twelve minutes to four,” responded Warren.

“Whew! What if we miss?” quivered Halstead, his face again paling.

“We won’t,” Warren assured him, as the carlurched forward.

Nor would there have been any danger, butabout a mile out of Nantucket something wentwrong with the gasoline flow. The man drivingthe car had to get out and crawl under. Twoothers got out and helped him. Halstead, whohad wound and set his watch by the deputy’s, sat watching the fateful minutes slip by. In avery short time the car was ready to go onagain.

“I’ll speed her now,” promised the man at thesteering wheel. “It’s make or break.”

It was barely one minute before four when thetouring car raced in sight of the court building.In Nantucket the news had spread like wildfireand now a crowd of hundreds of residents andsummer guests had collected before the courtbuilding. But at the gate of the grounds, eachwith a watch in his hand, stood Horace Dunstanand Lawyer Crane.

“Here they come, Crane, thank heaven!”breathed Mr. Dunstan, tears of joy springingup in his eyes. “Now rush, man —rush!”

Inside the court room Judge Swan sat on thebench. Down below stood a solitary clerk. Twocourt officers lounged listlessly. Judge Swan, having no case before him, was sorting somepapers. He looked up to say:

“Mr. Clark, if there’s no further business tocome before the court to-day, you may declareit adjour – ”

“One moment, your honor!”

Lawyer Crane fairly ran into the court roombreathless, waving a paper above his head asthough to attract attention.

At that same instant a great, rousing, hoarsecheer began to well up outside.

“I will ask the court to remain on the benchone or two minutes more,” called the lawyerimploringly. “My clients, Mr. Horace Dunstanand his son will appear before you instantly.”

Then father and son entered. The two courtofficers had already stirred themselves into lifeto hold back the crowd of hundreds that attemptedto rush in also. Judge Swan noddedto the clerk, and the lawyer, finding that his appealwas heard and granted, lost his excitement, becoming once more the cool, methodical manof affairs.

Tom and Joe, and the officers waited in thecorridor in case they should be asked to makeoath to their adventures. But the court not havingbeen in session the day before, thanks toJoe’s accident, all that was necessary was forthe judge to question the two Dunstans, to affixhis signature to certain papers and to order thewill of Aaron Dunstan entered for probate.

It was all over in ten minutes and court waspromptly adjourned, and Master Ted’s great inheritancewas secured to him if he lived up toall of the requirements of that remarkabledocument.

As the two Dunstans came out again thecrowd surged about them in a craze of hoarseexcitement. Tom and Joe were caught up bymen and carried on their shoulders. It was awild turmoil of laughter, cheering and shouting.

Laughing good-naturedly both boys presentlyescaped from those who were carrying them.Tom tried to push his way back to the Dunstans.The crowd tried to make way for him, but it could not all be done in an instant. Whileone of the young captain’s hands was behindhim he felt a piece of paper thrust against thepalm.

As soon as he could, in that great crush, Halsteadbrought his hand before him. On it, inscrawling letters, had been penned these words:

“It is all over – except your reward.”

Reward? Tom Halstead understood thatmessage in an instant. It was a plain threatfrom the balked Alvarez crew.

CHAPTER XXII – JED RUNS A NAVAL BOMBARDMENT

“Get into my machine, all hands,” urgedDeputy Sheriff Warren. “It’s theonly way ever to get out of thiscrush.”

Those who could not sit in the auto had tostand, wedged in, as Warren, clearing a wayas fast as he could, got the various members ofthe party to the car. Then, with a toot of thehorn, the machine started.

“I want to get you all over to the hotel to seewhat is to be done in the way of prosecution,”the deputy explained to Mr. Dunstan. “Yourlawyer can help us, too, if he will.”

Horace Dunstan had as yet had time tohave but a very few words with his nowastonished son. As soon, however, as theparty got in a room by themselves Master Tedstepped quickly over to Halstead, holding outhis hand.

“I put up as good a fight against you as Icould, captain,” he said, “but now I want toapologize and thank you.”

“I knew that time would come,” Halsteadlaughed, as he took the younger boy’s hand.

“Now we want to understand a few things,”broke in Lawyer Crane. “Master Theodore, you have told us that you went away withstrangers in obedience to what you consideredwritten instructions from your father. Whohanded you that note?”

“Gambon, dad’s gardener.”

“What did the note say?”