The Outdoor Chums at Cabin Point; Or, The Golden Cup Mystery

, being left to their own devices, set about

umerous ways of bettering the conditions of affairs, and took keen del

y an hour. When in the end he laid it aside in wor

e on there'll be no danger of a slip when the trap is sprung. That's been bother

he had drying, as though anxious to get a pr

bit of paper on which the sun had printed a very clear

"I'd easily enough recognize the man if ev

ng and earnestl

is estate for years, living the life of a recluse among his books and papers. There must be some good reason for his act

an Will, looking uncertain, as though he did not know just how the

his chum. "Somehow when you declined to let Bluff take the camera along with him I had an idea you w

I might coax you to go up there ag

upon hearing

the hermit's place, Will?

, don't shut down on me too quickly. Say you

p again. There is a sort of subtle fascination about prowling around forbidden territory. Then the mystery connected with the

we run across old Aaron, his housekeeper, or a

e other sm

vate grounds," he explained; "his enthusiasm is supposed to tempt him to take any risks. And Frank, i

u're aiming to take

fairly wild to snap it off. And then, if we just happened to come on Aaron himself, why I might manage to get him in f

hing drop till we're eating our lunch

on his chum, for somehow he must have guessed t

red Will's face looked so much like one big interrogation point

pleased. "Of course," Frank continued, "it isn't exactly the right thing for us to crawl through that opening in the fence again, es

of you to a

because I own up there's something about Aaron's place up there that draws me more than I ou

returning the old gentleman's visit of last nigh

however, urged a start because he had hopes that they might return by a long

Frank, "and we may get a little thunder shower wh

two boys might get back before they did, and it would be foolish to bar them out of the cabin. Be

e dimly seen trail. From time to time he would show his companion the marks of footprints both

against the string of your flashlight trap," Frank explained; "and I

Frank, that we had bunked in the cabin

away from everybody for so long, buried in his books, old Aaron might have enough cu

e may have meant to order us to vacate the ranch. Then

course of time they sighted the high board fence with which the stran

connected with the isolated home o

lot of trouble, even if it has got a barbed wire strand along the top; but it would ta

n't found the loose board and fastened it up s

oose board still hung in position, and could be easily moved to

he and Bluff had made when leaving, since these marked the shortest route to the

ped those drifting clouds would not come along in an exasperating way, as so oft

gerly, and in the lowest of tones, as though he feared that something

equally cautious voice; "which was one reason I

re. Taking into consideration the situation of the sun at that particular minute, together with the dir

ul operator with the lens and the shutter, Will could judge these things much better than any

ged, from the number of these openings. He was also wondering whether that old and vigilant housekeeper would chance to

in; he remembered the weird cry that had come floating to the

ing way, and no gruff keeper of the grounds came along with an angry demand that he desist in his undertaking, as the owner

ne exposure, though like a cautious photographer he might decide to shi

eccentric owner of the place himself should come along and give Wi

his work. Once he fancied he heard some slight sound, like the rustling of bushes, and

re. He decided that they had better linger no longer; and was really in the act of turning to wav

with anger came to his ears

to take a picture of my house, you young rascals?" was what this furious voic