The Mystery of the Man in the Tall Black Hat (7 page)

The guard waved and smiled. “I’d like to have seen your mysterious stranger myself!” he called after them.

A mile past the hospital they turned left off the highway and followed the steep rise along the gravel road to the brow of the hill, pushing their bicycles most of the way up.

“Do you suppose anybody will ever believe we saw a man in a stovepipe hat?” asked Barney at last.

“Probably not until someone besides us sees him.”

“If he isn’t from the hospital, where do you suppose he came from, Tod?”

“I sure wish I knew!”

From the top of the hill the riding was all downward. It was another two miles to Wildwood. Tod looked at his watch before they began the descent. “It’s two o’clock, but we still have plenty of time before I have to deliver papers.”

The cool wind felt good against their faces as they started down the tree-lined roadway. Tod lifted his legs and placed his feet on the handlebars, leaving the pedals of the bicycle spinning freely. He lifted first one hand, then the other from the hand grips and maneuvered the bicycle with his feet. Grabbing the bars again he turned to see Barney close behind him trying to get his feet onto the handlebars of his bicycle. Tod was glad when he saw that Barney had given up. He was so awkward. He braked slightly, and a moment later Barney spurted ahead of him.

“Look, Tod!” he yelled. Tod watched as Barney freed both hands from the bars and lifted his feet from the pedals. He pedaled hard to catch up. Suddenly Barney’s bicycle swerved, and Barney sailed clumsily over the handlebars. He fell in a crumpled heap on the road amidst the clutter of articles from his bicycle basket.

Tod skidded to a stop. He was down beside Barney in an instant. “Barney! Barney! Are you OK?”

Barney lay perfectly still.

Tod’s heart was pounding wildly. He knew he had to do something. Barney groaned and moved slightly. Tod saw blood on his face and reached for the canteen at his belt. It was empty. If only he had thought to fill it at that little stream where they had eaten their lunch.

He reached for the raincoat that Barney had brought with him and which now lay on the road with the rest of the scattered contents of the basket. He covered Barney as best he could. If only a car would come along so he could get help! Or if he could get to a telephone!

Barney groaned again.

“I just have to do something,” Tod said aloud.

He stood up and looked around. He glanced up the road while listening intently, hoping to hear the sound of an approaching car. A jay flew overhead and screeched loudly. The wind moaned through the branches of the trees, and there was a rustling in the brush.

All at once Tod noticed the house set back among the trees. It had been vacant for at least two years—ever since the Henrys had moved, he remembered. The dark windows stared at him blankly. Weeds and vines had grown up around it, but there was something different about it today. For just an instant he couldn’t figure out what it was. Then he detected a thin wisp of smoke spiraling upward from the brick chimney.

Glancing quickly at Barney, Tod dashed through the undergrowth toward the house, unmindful of the low bushes scratching his legs.

When he reached the door he pounded on it wildly with his fists. Everything was strangely silent when he finally stopped to listen. Maybe he’d made a mistake. Maybe he had imagined seeing smoke.

He knocked again and called, “Please help me!” When there was no answer he tried the doorknob and found that the door was unlatched. He pushed it open and looked in upon a small room. A fire was burning low in the fireplace. Tod moved cautiously into the room.

“Is anybody home?” he called. When there was still no answer, he looked around for a telephone.

“What do you want, young feller?”

Tod started, his heart pounding against his chest. He turned to face an elderly man who sat before the fire in a large chair. His dark eyes flashed angrily beneath a shock of snow white hair.

“Can I use your phone?” Tod finally found his voice. “My friend fell off his bicycle. He’s hurt.”

“Can’t hear you!” shouted the man.

Oh, no
, thought Tod.
He must be deaf!

“Can I use your phone?” he yelled, glancing quickly about.

Maybe the man would be angry, but he just had to get help for Barney. The man continued to glare but didn’t move to get out of his chair. Tod went through a doorway and found himself in a small kitchen. There was no phone.

He noticed a pitcher on the sink, turned on the cold water and filled it from a faucet, from which the water seemed to run ever so slowly. Passing through the room where the old man sat, he held up the pitcher and yelled, “I’ll bring back the pitcher!”

“Young feller! Where are you taking that pitcher?” bellowed the old man.

Tod didn’t try to explain.

Barney was trying to sit up when Tod reached him. “Barney! Are you OK?” He was down beside him with the water and began sponging the blood from Barney’s face with his handkerchief. Barney seemed dazed.

“What happened?” Barney lay back down. “Oh, now I remember. I was riding no hands. I think I hit some loose gravel.”

“You sure hit
some
thing. Are you OK?”

Barney stretched his legs. “Ow! That hurts!”

“You ripped a hole in your pant leg.” Tod continued to wipe the blood from Barney’s head. “Do you think you can ride home?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll try.”

Tod finished cleaning Barney’s face as best he could and looked around for the first aid kit. It was lying a little off to one side of the bicycle but was still tightly closed.

“I told you it would come in handy.” Barney tried to grin as he sat up. Tod dabbed iodine on his scratches.

“You didn’t have to scare me half to death to prove it,” said Tod. “There. Now I’ll bandage it.” Tod taped the bandage in place. “Just sit still while I return this pitcher.”

“Can I have a drink first?” asked Barney.

Tod lifted the pitcher to Barney’s lips.

“I’ll be right back,” Tod said as he turned away.

He entered the house without knocking. As he went into the room he held up the pitcher, smiled to let the man know he was returning it, and then placed it back on the kitchen sink. On his way out he shouted, “Thanks!”

Barney was still sitting where Tod had left him and with help was able to get to his feet. “I could ride you on my bicycle, Barney,” offered Tod. “We could hide yours in the woods and come back for it tomorrow.”

It was a struggle for them both before Barney was seated on the back of Tod’s bicycle. Tod mounted and was ready to ride away when he glanced back toward the house. He could hardly believe what he saw. The man they had seen in the woods and at the gravel pit was approaching the house through the woods. A moment later the man in the stovepipe hat was blocked from view. Tod braced himself and pedaled homeward.

As they drew near to Sebastians’, Barney asked, “Tod, would you come in with me? Mom will throw a fit when she sees me. Maybe you can explain how it happened. I don’t want to tell her I was riding no hands. She’ll kill me.”

Tod stopped the bicycle by the steps of the house. “I can’t stay very long. I have to go on my route pretty soon.”

“Ouch!” Barney groaned as he slid off the rear fender. “I sort of hurt all over.”

Mrs. Sebastian had heard them coming. She put her hand to her mouth as she met them at the door. “Barney! What’s the matter? What happened?”

“Nothing, Mom. I just fell off my bicycle.”

“Are you hurt bad? You’re all bandaged up.”

“I put the bandage on, Mrs. Sebastian,” explained Tod. “He’s just scraped up a little bit.”

Tod helped Barney into the room and to a chair. Barney winced in pain as he sat down.

“Barney! You are hurt. Why did you do it? How did you fall off your bicycle?” Mrs. Sebastian fussed and twisted her hands together.

Tod had gone back and was standing in the open doorway. “We were riding home on the Hillsdale road, Mrs. Sebastian. I guess Barney must have hit some loose gravel. The next thing I knew he was lying on the ground.”

Mrs. Sebastian bustled toward the phone. “I’d better call the doctor.”

“He doesn’t have any bad cuts—only scrapes and bruises.”

“I want to make certain my Barney is all right.” Mrs. Sebastian dialed the doctor’s number.

“I’d better go, Barney, or I’ll be late for my papers. See you.”

“Tod?” He turned back to look at Barney. “Remember, I’ll be at your house at nine-thirty tomorrow morning.”

“OK, Barn. I’ll wait for you.” Tod grinned as he headed for home. He was glad Barney hadn’t forgotten his promise.

Almost before he had time to get off his bicycle, Tricia ran out of the house to greet him. “Come quick, Tod. I want to show you something!”

“I have to go on my route, Tricia. It’ll have to wait.”

“No, you’ve got to come now,” Tricia insisted.

Tod followed her past the house and out back of the woodshed. “Look,” she beamed. She pointed to a piece of paper tacked to the woodshed wall above the frog pond.

Tod read, “We found a polliwog with legs at 2:21 this afternoon.” Underneath the girls had signed their names.

“OK, show me,” demanded Tod.

They dropped to their knees and searched the pond. “There,” said Tricia at last, pointing to the largest and fattest tadpole.

Tod looked and saw the two tiny black legs protruding from just beneath the tail.

“So, how about the secret?” asked Tricia.

“Nope. We agreed that you had to find the tadpole with legs when you and Donna were together so it’s only fair that Barney and I tell both of you at the same time. You’ll have to wait until tomorrow. Barney’s going to Sunday school with me.”

“Barney’s going to Sunday school?”

“He promised. Didn’t I tell you he asked Jesus to be his Saviour?”

“Oh, Tod! I think that’s wonderful!”

Tod got up to leave. “I’d better hurry or I’ll never get my papers delivered.”

Tod kept looking out of the window every few minutes. If Barney didn’t show up soon he would have to leave without him. He gathered his things together for Sunday school, picked up his Bible, and left by the front door.

How could Barney have let him down like this? he wondered as he looked hopefully up the road. When he arrived at Wildwood Church ten minutes later he went in search of his mother. He found her in the beginner department preparing things for her class.

“I should have known Barney wouldn’t come,” he said.

“Don’t be too disappointed, Tod,” his mother said, trying to cheer him. “The doctor may have thought Barney should stay at home today after that bad fall.”

“Do you really think so, Mom?”

“Why don’t you go over and find out right after church, while I’m fixing dinner?”

Tod’s knock at Barney’s door at twelve-thirty was answered by Mrs. Sebastian. “Is Barney OK?” he asked.

“The doctor wants him to get lots of rest, but he is going to be fine.” Mrs. Sebastian forced a smile but didn’t invite him in.

“Hey, Tod. Is that you?” Barney, wearing a robe and slippers limped out from an adjoining room. “I’m sorry I couldn’t come this morning. I didn’t even wake up until ten o’clock.”

“What did the doctor decide?”

“Just that I needed to rest. He put some stuff on my scraped knee, and my head hurts only when I touch it.” Barney grinned.

“Do you suppose we can go get your bicycle today?”

“I forgot all about my bicycle.” Barney turned and called to his mother who had left the room during their conversation. “Can I get dressed and go with Tod to get my bike?”

“You aren’t to leave the house today.” Mrs. Sebastian sounded annoyed.

“Come out and sit on the porch for a minute, Barney. We have to decide what to do,” suggested Tod.

“I sure hate to leave my bicycle up there any longer,” sighed Barney, lowering himself painfully to a sitting position.

“Maybe I can get Tricia to let me ride her up, and she can ride your bicycle back. We have to get together with Tricia and Donna anyway and tell them our secret.”

“You mean they found legs on one of the polliwogs?”

Tod nodded his head. “Tricia showed me when I got home yesterday.”

“Barney!” Mrs. Sebastian called. “The doctor said you are to rest!”

“I guess I have to go in. Come back later and bring the girls.” Barney lifted himself from the step and went inside.

After lunch was over, Tod changed his clothes and wandered out to check on the frog pond and to see how the polliwogs were doing. Tricia and Donna stood beside him as he looked into the pool.

“You know something? I don’t think there are as many tadpoles in here as when we put them in.”

“Maybe some of them turned into frogs already,” suggested Donna.

“Or maybe the rain we had the other night overflowed the pool and they washed over the top,” said Tricia.

“I don’t think either of those things happened.” Tod was thinking hard. “I’m going to check the book Mom brought me from the library.” Tod left the girls and went into the house.

When he came back a few minutes later, he said, “You know what? Sometimes when they don’t have enough food, polliwogs turn cannibal and eat each other. As soon as Barney can get out again we’re going to have to find something more for them to eat.”