Phil Bradleys Mountain Boys | Page 7

when at school.
"The ashes warm, you say, Ethan?" he burst out with. "Now, that's a
funny thing. What would make them hold heat that way, when there's
not a sign of anybody around?"
"There has been somebody here, and only a short time ago, don't you
see?" explained Phil.
"And like as not they heard us cheering when we glimpsed the lake,
and cleared out in a big hurry," Ethan went on to say.
"Cleared out?" echoed Lub'. "Well, why should they run from us, tell
me? We don't look dangerous, as far as I can see. We wouldn't bother
hurting anybody; and didn't Phil say a while back that if we found some
fishermen in his shack we'd just shy off, and build one for ourselves?"
"Yes, but these people didn't hear Phil say that; we were half a mile and
more away from here at the time," explained X-Ray.
"And they couldn't begin to tell just who was coming," added Phil.
"It might be!" exclaimed Ethan, "that they took us for game wardens.
Mebbe now they've been shooting deer out of season, and got cold feet
when they knew some people were coming in to the lake."

Phil nodded his head in the affirmative, when he saw that Ethan was
looking to find out just how that suggestion struck him.
"I rather think you've struck the right nail on the head there, Ethan," he
told the other. "It seems the most reasonable explanation for their
clearing out in such a big hurry."
"They tried to put the fire out too, didn't they, Phil?"
It was X-Ray Tyson who asked this. Those keen eyes of his had made
another discovery, and he was even then pointing the same out to his
chums.
"Yes, I had noticed that some one had certainly thrown water on the
fire," said Phil. "You can see where it washed the ashes off this charred
piece of wood; and besides, it made little furrows in the ashes."
"That's an old trick in the woods," remarked Ethan, with a superior air;
"fact is, no true woodsman would think of breaking camp without first
making sure every spark of his fire was put out. Lots of forest fires
have come from carelessness in guides leaving red cinders behind
them."
"Yes," Phil added, "because often the wind rises, and whirls those same
cinders to leeward, where they fall in a bunch of dry leaves, and begin
to get their work in. But when people live in cabins they seldom bother
wetting the ashes, unless they've got a mighty good reason for wanting
to hide the facts."
"And these people did," added Ethan, conclusively.
"Let's look around some," suggested X-Ray.
Two of the others thought this a good idea, for they immediately started
a search of the interior of the cabin, their idea being to find some clue
that might tell just who the late mysterious inmates were, and why they
had fled so hurriedly.

Lub may have been just as curious as his mates; but he was very tired
after the long and arduous walk, so that apparently he believed three
could cover the field just as thoroughly as four. At any rate he showed
no sign of meaning to quit his seat upon the rude stool he had found;
but leaning forward, watched operations, at the same time rubbing his
shins sympathetically.
"What's this on the peg up here?" exclaimed X-Ray, the very first thing.
"Looks like some sort of a hat to me," remarked Ethan.
"Just what it is; but say, take notice of the size, will you? It's a child's
hat, as sure as you live! Why, there must have been a child along with
the lot!"
"That's queer!" Lub observed, not wanting to be wholly ignored.
"Game poachers they may have been," muttered Ethan, "but if there
was a little chap along, there must have been a family of 'em. See if you
could pick up such a thing now as a hair-pin, or any other woman
business."
They went to scrutinizing the cracks of the floor more closely than ever.
That suggestion on the part of Ethan was worth trying out. Of course
the presence of any little article like a hair-pin would show that a
woman had been there.
"I don't hear anybody sing out!" remarked X-Ray Tyson, presently;
"and on that account it looks like we hadn't discovered anything worth
mentioning. What gets me is, however could they have cleaned the old
shack out so quick, and never left anything worth mentioning behind
'em?"
"From the time we sighted the cabin, back to when we first whooped,
couldn't have been more'n eight minutes, I should think," Lub gravely
announced.
"Lots could be done in that time," asserted Phil; "but all the same