The Brown Fox Mystery (10 page)

“Something’s on fire in Lakeville,” Djuna repeated. “I think it’s Scatterly’s store. Can’t we get dressed and go? Please, Miss Annie!” he begged.

“For mercy’s sake!” said Miss Annie as she hurried out on the front porch and peered across the lake.

“Can’t we go, Miss Annie?” pled Tommy.

“
Please
, Miss Annie!” begged Djuna.

“Oh, dear,” said Miss Annie. “I suppose there might be something I can do, if it’s the hotel.”

“We
ought to go and see
, Miss Annie,” said Djuna. “Maybe they need us.”

“Oh, all right,” Miss Annie said. “I’ll slip on some clothes and go with you. Be sure you both put on sweaters.”

“Jeepers, we will!” they said as they dove for their rooms and their clothes.

A few minutes later with each of the boys pulling an oar, evenly and together, they had covered half of the distance to Lakeville. They could see people running back and forth along the water front and hear the wail of a fire siren as a second fire truck came roaring through the village to join the one that was already playing water on the flames.

“Mercy me,” said Miss Annie from the stern thwart, “I don’t think it’s Scatterly’s store. It’s beyond Scatterly’s and down closer to the water.”

Suddenly, there was a terrific explosion and flame flew in all directions, followed by a billowing mass of smoke that hid everything from view.

“Jeepers!”
said Tommy as both of the boys dropped their oars and turned around to stare at the now raging fire. “That sounded like dynamite, or something.”

“
Hey!
Do you know what I think?” Djuna said excitedly. “I think that’s Captain Ben’s boathouse and boat that’s burning. His gasoline tank must have blown up!”

“Oh, no!” said Miss Annie, and there were tears in her voice. “It would break his heart if that boat burned!”

“It
is!
” said Tommy, and he sounded as though he could cry, too. “
Look!
Did you see that man? His clothes were on fire and he dove right into the lake to put them out!”

“I didn’t see him,” Djuna said, “but he must have been splattered with gasoline when Captain Ben’s tank exploded.”

“You’re sure it’s Captain Ben’s boat, Djuna?” Miss Annie asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” said Djuna, and he added thoughtfully, “but I don’t see how it could have happened because Captain Ben is always so careful about everything. He—”

“Maybe someone set it on fire!” said Tommy in a high-pitched voice. “Somebody who don’t like him.”

“Everyone likes him,” said Miss Annie sharply. “I don’t think there is a person in this town who doesn’t like and admire him.”

But a half hour later when they finally managed to get ashore they found Captain Ben staring down at what had been his boat and his boathouse. While he carried on a halfhearted conversation with the Chief of Police, he confirmed what Tommy had suggested.

“Oh, hello there, boys. Hello, Miss Annie,” Captain Ben said in a tired voice when he saw them.

“How did it happen, Captain Ben?” Miss Annie asked him. “We—”

“Someone set it afire,” said Captain Ben grimly. “Wa’n’t no other way it could a happened. Not any way! I’ve always been afeerd of fire an’ I’ve always guarded ag’in it. But I’ll git the man who done it, if it’s the last thing I ever do!”

“And I’ll help you!” said Djuna, but he spoke so quietly that no one but he himself could hear.

When Djuna and Tommy came back from their heliograph practice at lunch time the next day, Miss Annie surprised them by saying, “Well, Captain Ben made his regular delivery this morning.”

They both stared at her.

“How could he?” asked Tommy, and then he didn’t wait for Miss Annie to answer before he added, “Oh, I know. He came over that awful corduroy road that runs behind the cottages, in a car.”

“No, he didn’t,” said Miss Annie. “He delivered by boat, same as always.”

“He carried all his ice and groceries in a rowboat!” said Djuna incredulously.

“No,” said Miss Annie. “It wasn’t a regular rowboat. It was larger. He called it a dory, and it had a motor at the back of it, on the outside.”

“Oh, an outboard motor,” Djuna said. “I know what they are. I saw one in Granger’s hardware store in Clinton. Golly, he’s going to get awful wet if it rains.”

“He mentioned that,” said Miss Annie. “But he said he had a sou’wester, and a rubber coat and boots.”

“What’s a sou’wester?” Tommy wanted to know.

“It’s a tarpaulin hat with a broad brim in the back and a chin strap,” said Miss Annie. “My uncle Harvey, who was a seafarin’ man, used to have one.”

“I didn’t know Captain Ben had another boat,” Djuna said. “He never mentioned it.”

“It’s one he used before he bought the
Little Buttercup
,” Miss Annie told them. “It was in his boathouse, too, but he managed to get it out before the flames became too hot. My, but he feels awful bad about the
Little Buttercup
. He seemed just as cheerful as ever, but I could tell he feels pretty bad about it. He told me he had it insured for enough to buy another boat, but he said he’d rather have the
Little Buttercup
.”

“Did he have any idea who set the
Little Buttercup
on fire?” asked Djuna.

“No,” said Miss Annie. “I asked him about that, and when I did he acted sort of funny, as though he didn’t want to talk about it.”

“Maybe he knows, and doesn’t want to say anything until he can prove it,” said Djuna thoughtfully.

Miss Annie looked at Djuna sharply, and then she put her teacup down in its saucer with a decisive movement.

“Djuna!”
she said. “I don’t want you to start botherin’ your head about who burned Captain Ben’s boat! I don’t want you to even
think
about it.” Miss Annie shook her finger at him as Djuna looked up at her with a very disarming expression on his face.

“Golly!” he said, with complete truthfulness, “Nobody could think about who burned Captain Ben’s boat while they were practicing with a heliograph.”

“Well, I don’t want you to let it even enter your mind, when you’re practicing with a heliograph, or any other time!” said Miss Annie severely.

“Yes, ma’am,” Djuna said, and then he couldn’t say anything more because his mouth was too full of chocolate cake.

When the boys had reached the point where they just couldn’t eat any more chocolate cake, but could look at it wistfully and
wish
that they could, they told Miss Annie they were going fishing.

“Well, be careful,” said Miss Annie.

“Oh, sure,” said Tommy.

“Is there anything you’d like us to get for you if we row over to Lakeville?” asked Djuna.

“Why, yes, there is, now that you mention it,” said Miss Annie. “Go to Scatterly’s an’ get me a spool of Bedford’s mercerized sewing thread, number 39A. Can you remember that?”

“Sure,” said Djuna. “Bedford’s mercerized sewing

thread, number 39A … 39A … 39A … 39A. Sure, I’ll remember it.”

“Don’t be late for supper,” Miss Annie warned, and then, suddenly something came into her mind and she looked at Djuna more closely. “What are you thinking of going to Lakeville for?” she asked.

“Oh, I thought we might want an ice cream cone, later,” said Djuna.

“Well, you remember what I told you!” said Miss Annie.

“Yes, ma’am,” Djuna said, too meekly.

While Djuna was rowing and Tommy was trolling from the stern of their rowboat about an hour later Djuna said, suddenly, “Golly me!
How
can I
help thinking
about Captain Ben’s boat? I try to stop and then the first thing I know I’m thinking about it again!”

“Yeah,” said Tommy. “I know what you mean. I keep thinking how terrible Captain Ben looked last night, and how awful he felt.”

They were silent for a time and then Tommy said, “Say, let’s go over to Lakeville and see Captain Ben’s dory.”

Djuna’s face brightened, just as though he had been hoping, without letting himself hope, that Tommy would make such a suggestion. “Sure,” he said. “I’d like to see it.”

After the boys had tied up their boat at the Lakeville landing they went down to Scatterly’s dock to look at Captain Ben’s dory. It was moored at the same place Captain Ben had formerly moored the
Little Buttercup
. It was painted white, and on the stern and the bow the name,
Jolly Polly
, was lettered in black. It had a flat bottom, just like their rowboat, but unlike their boat it had high flaring sides, a sharp bow and finely tapering stern. Attached to the stern was an outboard motor that was covered with a tarpaulin.

“Golly, she’s a pretty good-sized boat,” said Djuna after they had looked the
Jolly Polly
over carefully.

“Yeah,” said Tommy, “but she’s nothing like the
Little Buttercup
.”

Just then the Chief of Police of Lakeville, Captain Ben, and another man neither of the boys had ever seen before, came around a corner of the post office and stopped beside them.

“Hello, boys,” Captain Ben said, and he gave them a faint smile but it wasn’t anything like his usuall greeting. The other two men didn’t even look at them. They both felt uncomfortable and started to move away when something the strange man said stopped them.

“How do we know
you
didn’t set it on fire?” the strange man said to Captain Ben.

Djuna looked at the man with startled eyes and saw that he had a very disagreeable face. His mouth was twisted at the corner with what he might have thought was a smile to take the sting out of his words.

“Now, look here, bub,” Captain Ben said, “you’re twenty years younger’n I am, but—”

“Wait a minute! Wait a minute!” the stranger said, and he drew a little away from Captain Ben as the Chief of Police put a hand on Captain Ben’s shoulder. “I didn’t say you set your boat on fire.”

“Well,
don’t!
” said Captain Ben firmly and quietly. “I know you insurance adjusters are pritty tough characters, but we c’n be pritty tough aroun’ these parts, too. If you try to make out that I set my own boat afire to git the insurance, mister, you’re a goin’ to have some trouble.”

“Don’t you know when a man is joking?” the insurance man said.

“Accusin’ a man of settin’ fire to something to get the insurance money is nothing to joke about,” the Chief of Police said, dryly. “I’d advise you to get yourself somethin’ a little funnier.”

“All right, all right,” the insurance man said. “But I want to warn you, Captain, that I think you carried more insurance on that boat than she was worth, and I don’t think we’ll pay your claim in full.”

“P’rhaps the court’ll have to decide that,” said Captain Ben and he looked very tired, as he had looked the night before.

Djuna, looking at Captain Ben’s distressed face, had a sudden surge of sympathy for him, mixed with no little amount of anger for the insurance man, who suddenly turned, and, without saying another word, walked away. The boys, Captain Ben and the Chief of Police all turned and watched him until he disappeared around the corner of the post office without looking back.

“Don’t mind that galoot, Ben,” the Chief of Police said. “He was just needlin’ you so that you’d agree to take less than the full amount of your insurance. I’ve seen them birds work before!”

“Well, he ain’t a goin’ to get any place by suggestin’ that I set my own boat afire,” said Captain Ben firmly, but he looked very worried as he and the Chief of Police followed the insurance man around the corner of the post office without saying anything to Tommy and Djuna.

“Jeepers!” Tommy said, and he looked very worried, too, as he added, “You don’t suppose Captain Ben set his own boat on fire, do you?”

“Of course not!”
said Djuna indignantly. “Captain Ben wouldn’t do anything like that. Why, they could put him in jail if he did!”

Then Djuna remembered that Miss Annie had said that Captain Ben had acted very funny when she asked him if he had any idea who set his boat on fire, and hadn’t wanted to talk about it. For an instant suspicion gnawed in Djuna’s mind, then he threw it out as he said to himself, “Captain Ben would
never
do anything like that!”

To Tommy he said carelessly, “Let’s row over to the north end of the lake and see if we can get any bass in those lily pockets.”

“Sure,” said Tommy. “But let’s get an ice cream cone, first.”

“Golly, I couldn’t eat one,” Djuna said, “but I’ll go with you, because I’ve got to get that thread for Miss Annie.”

Miss Winne helped Djuna get the right kind of thread for Miss Annie while Tommy got an ice cream cone, and then they went back to their boat and started to row the length of Silver Lake.

When they were opposite the last dock at the northeast end of the lake Djuna said suddenly, “Say, let’s leave our boat here and walk up that corduroy road and look at that old icehouse.”

“Hey!” said Tommy and he looked at Djuna with wide eyes. “What about that man, Lame-Brain, who threatened to shoot Captain Ben that night we were fishing for bullheads?”

“That’s the reason I said I think we ought to walk there,” Djuna said. “He’s always sitting out front of the icehouse, sleeping or fishing. If we go up the road we can kind of look around without anyone seeing us.”

“Well,” Tommy said doubtfully, “I don’t know, but we wouldn’t be doing any harm.”

“If they see us we can just say we wondered how they used to put ice in that old icehouse,” said Djuna. “That would be the truth.”

“Sure, it would,” Tommy agreed. “Anyway, that other man, the one named Baldwin, seemed to be all right.”

After they had moored their boat at the last dock, where some people named Herrick lived in the cottage, they stopped and said hello to Robert Herrick, and some of the other younger kids who were playing on the lawn.

“Miss Annie didn’t come with her cookies today. What was the matter?” Robert asked.

“Captain Ben’s boat burned up last night,” Djuna said. “I guess he didn’t have room for her in his smaller boat.”

“Will she come tomorrow?” a little girl asked anxiously.

“I guess so,” said Djuna. “But I’m not sure.”