"It is clear enough that I am a prisoner here," he mused, "but for what purpose?"

There seemed to be no answer to the question and he gave up trying to find one but sat down and waited for somebody to return.

CHAPTER XXII

LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT

Jack had been sitting in the dark for several minutes when he heard a sound from the loft overhead.

Some one was stirring, there was a yawn, then a step on the floor and then some one said impatiently:

"h.e.l.lo, down there! Can't you show a light? Where are you all, anyway, and what time is it?"

The boy started for he knew that voice and had hoped that he would never again hear it.

It was that of the man with the white mustache and the dark hair and eyebrows whom he had met in the woods near the foot of the hill leading from the Academy.

He said nothing and then he heard steps moving about in the loft and the man spoke again.

"I'll fall down there before I know it. There's a hole somewhere, but where is it? h.e.l.lo, there! can't you show a light? Isn't there anyone about? Where have you all gone?"

Then he heard a footstep on the ladder and knew that the man was coming down, grumbling as before.

"What's that man doing here?" he thought. "I had hoped I would never see him again. If he is not careful he will be taken and spend more of his time in prison."

Then a thought occurred to him and he said quietly:

"Wait a moment and I will give you a light."

There was a startled exclamation and then the man asked:

"Who is that? Is that you, John Sheldon?"

"Yes, it is I."

"What are you doing here? Have you come to hunt me down?"

"No, I am a prisoner but I don't know who brought me here. I have not come to hunt you down. I did not know that you were anywhere about and I don't know where I am myself."

Then the boy lighted a match and looked around him, seeing an old rusty tin candlestick with the b.u.t.t of a candle in it on a shelf under one of the windows.

He lighted this and the man came forward, looked fixedly in his face and said:

"You say you are a prisoner here? How did that happen?"

"I was run away with by two men who jumped into the runabout I was driving when I stopped but I don't know who they are nor why they did it. Why do you remain in this neighborhood? Don't you know it's dangerous to be so near the place where----"

"You had a runabout? Yours?"

"No, a friend's. I was down at Riverton on business and was just going back to the Academy."

"Where is it? Is it a fast one?"

"Yes, but----"

"You are right about the danger of remaining here but we are not as near the place as you think. This place must be miles away and nowhere near the river. It is safe enough but if I had a good car and a fair start I could----"

There was a step outside and then the turning of a key in a lock and the door was opened.

Two men were outside, both rough looking fellows whom Jack had not seen before and one of them now said:

"Waitin' for your supper? Hungry, are you? Well, we'll fix up something in a jiffy and then you can go to bed as soon as you like. h.e.l.lo! there wasn't two of you, was there?"

"What are you keeping the boy here for?" asked the man with Jack.

"I donno, some business of keeping him away from school till arter examinations, I guess, but I don't see why that should worry him. I never was anxious to go to school myself and if anybody had said I shouldn't it wouldn't have bothered me none," with a hoa.r.s.e laugh.

"Keep me away from school till after examination?" thought Jack. "Oh, I see! This is a plot of some of the Hilltop boys, Herring and his set, no doubt. No one else would do it."

"Where have Byke and Tyke gone?" asked the man.

"To take back a car. We don't want it."

"Ha! I might have wanted it myself," muttered the other. "Why didn't they let me know?"

"Couldn't tell you. Friend of theirs, hey? Well, they'll come back after a bit. Folks don't like to have other fellows' autos with 'em. It ain't allus safe."

"No, but I could have taken it back as well as they could and I wanted to go that way besides."

"Well, we come to get supper for the boy and to see that he didn't get away. If you want to go it ain't nothin' to us as I know."

One of the men now unfastened one of the windows while the other went outside where there was a rusty little cook stove and began to make a fire.

Then the other got some bacon and a half dozen potatoes from a locker under the shelf, produced a greasy frying-pan from a dusty corner and went outside to get the supper.

"I would have taken the car and got away," muttered the strange man.

"This is far enough away but it might not be safe for all that and the sooner I get away the better."

"The car will be missed and advertised," replied Jack, "and you would be taken. Where were you going?"

"Out West somewhere. It is not safe around here nowadays."

"If you had lived a decent life it would have been safe for you anywhere, George Williamson," said Jack.

"Sh! not a word! they don't know me and I don't want them to," cautioned the man, looking anxiously about him. "What you say may be true but it's too late now. Don't you feel sorry for your father, Jack?"