9

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THE AUTO BOYS' VACATION

CHAPTER I

AGAIN THE LONELY SOUTH FORK ROAD

"You can't hide anything from the chief," observed Willie Creek, when
Chief Fobes had left his garage, the scene of the mystery related in
_The Auto Boys' Big Six_.

"Well, he didn't seem to be a whole lot interested to find out who broke
in here--who killed our dog," replied Billy Worth, severely.

"You don't _know_ him," returned Mr. Creek. "You just show him the
fellow that done the deed and he'll arrest him mighty quick."

"Maybe if we'd see a man robbing a bank here, then called Fobes so he
could see, too, that the man _was_ robbing the bank, he'd do something,"
remarked Billy, as the lads returned to the hotel.

"I'll tell you what _he'd_ do," growled Paul Jones. "He'd say--'now from
the standpoint of the law, maybe that man is going to commit a crime.
From the standpoint of the law, he better go a little careful or I'll
tell his mother on him.'"

All of which might be taken to indicate that Chief Fobes was not as
great a man in the minds of the four boys as he was in his own. Still,
something might be said on both sides of this subject, quite as Phil Way
now remarked, but the conversation was abruptly dropped.

"No news yet?" asked Mr. Wagg. The lads had just reached the hotel
again.

"None of the car, but--" and then they told the landlord of the killing
of Scottie. Confidentially they intimated their belief that John Smith
or "Pickem" might know something of the affair.

"Very strange," mused Mr. Wagg. "He checked out--paid his bill and
left--last night. He said he was leaving on the ten o'clock train east.
Seemed put out because the party he had been expecting in to see him had
not come. But he left no word--no address for mail, or anything."

The hotel proprietor was not at all pleased with the indifference of
Chief Fobes. The boys had told him of all that took place at the garage.
"Yet of course," said he, "it might make a difference if you lived here.
There'd be quite a little expense to find out who killed the dog and,
besides, the thieves, if it was thieves who did it, didn't get anything.
It doesn't seem to me, now really, that this new trouble has anything to
do with your lost automobile, and I take it that that's the main thing,
after all."

To this the boys agreed and, eager to put into execution Phil's plan to
telephone to all th