University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER XVI.
NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU DON'T!

IT was soon evident to the other boys that Elmer could be in no mood for hurrying on this particular day. He seemed to fairly loiter at times, as though desirous of killing time.

They could easily guess the reason for his tarrying on the way. Evidently, for some good reason, Elmer did not wish to arrive in the vicinity of his former home until a certain time; and knowing just how much further they would have to wheel, he was regulating his speed to suit the distance.

But if they did make several stops, and navigate

the wretched road on foot, pushing their motorcycles ahead of them, this gave the five lads an opportunity to do more or less talking; and boys enjoy an exchange of opinions about as well as any of their sisters may do.

Rooster was not saying much, for a wonder. He seemed to have received something of a little shock, after watching the contortions of that venomous rattlesnake, finally killed by Josh; and every time they chanced to be on foot, it might be noticed that Rooster eyed both sides of the road suspiciously. And once, when the comrade who was ahead of him happened to strike a detached vine, that was projecting a foot or so into the road, causing the other end to vibrate amidst the dead leaves close to Rooster, the boy who was so much afraid of snakes could not repress a low cry of alarm; which, however, he managed to hide in a cough, as he quickly guessed the true nature of the movement.

But if Rooster was rather depressed in spirits, Hanky Panky seemed to grow more lively the further they advanced. There were times when he could apparently hardly hold himself in; and only for the fact that Rod was so close by, with that questioning look on his face at times, Hanky Panky might have even burst out into a jolly song.

He was a boy of moods, and one of his gay spells had come upon him, it seemed. So long as he did not let it overpower him, to such an extent as to

interfere with any plan Elmer might have in mind, Rod was not the one to interfere; for like all the others he dearly enjoyed seeing the amusing antics of this frisky chum, when he happened to be "on his high horse," as Josh called it.

"If you're just bound to have it out, Hanky, old fellow," Josh was saying, late in the afternoon, when there was some talk about spending another night camping on the roadside, "the sooner you get busy the better. What sort of trick have you got up your sleeve now, hey? Goin' to show us how to cook eggs in a hat? Wish you would, because we ain't got never a single egg handy, and if you could produce a nice omelette now, I think I'd enjoy it just immense. How about that, boys?"

"So say we all of us!" chimed in the others, in chorus; but the wizard waved a hand at them, and shook his head sadly.

"Go easy with me, fellers," he said. "How c'n I produce an omelette when there ain't a single egg to be had? There are lots of stunts I might pull off; but say, that's beyond me, sure it is. Wisht I thought of it, an' just hid a few of the hen fruit away to sort o' surprise you right now; but I didn't. But I've got something new to show you, somethin' I ain't done before. Wait till we get located for the night, and if I c'n find a good high stand, where you all c'n see me, I'll do my little turn."

"Well, I think I see our camp-ground ahead there,

right now," remarked Elmer, to whom the ordering of things had been entrusted by the regular leader, since this was really his "funeral," as Josh called it.

"For one I ain't a bit sorry," announced Rooster, who was just about "played out," from being compelled to push his heavy motorcycle over so many rises, on account of the torn-up condition of the road after the recent storm, rendering it a risky operation to try and ride over such rough ground, where a fall might mean a bad plunge into some ditch, or over a little precipice possibly.

"I only hope that we've got enough grub to see us through till to- morrow," Josh sighed; "not that I couldn't stand fasting as well as the rest of you, understand; but as a rule I don't hanker after going without my regular allowance of bacon, and grits, which down here they call hog and hominy."

"Oh! no danger of our starving, I guess, Josh," Rod assured the anxious one. "I saw to storing away a little extra supply in this bundle that I've got strapped to my machine here. Nothing like looking out for an emergency, you know."

"Good for you, Rod; if I didn't have both hands employed right now blest if I wouldn't feel like throwing up my cap, and giving a yell!" ejaculated Hanky Panky, who had listened to this side talk with a peaked look on his face; for as was well known, the boy who liked to practice tricks, and balance on all sorts of odd places when showing off his nimbleness,

also dearly loved the sound of the supper call; Hanky was usually the first to begin eating, and the last to clean out the frying-pan, whenever the motor-cycle boys camped out.

"Well, I wouldn't do anything like that if I were you, suh," cautioned Elmer, as he turned to look at the speaker, and shook his head. "In fact, I was just about to ask you all, as a personal favor, not to make any more noise after this than you could help."

"Whee! what's the trouble, Elmer; are we apt to stir up a hornet's nest then? Would these lanky mountain men get mad if a Northern boy came down here, and let off a little surplus steam in a war whoop or two?" asked Josh.

"Partly that, suh," replied Elmer, smiling in spite of himself; "and then again, we happen to be not a very great ways off from my old home; and I think it would be a good plan not to tell everybody inside of five miles that we chance to be around. You see, suh, my plans are not all made up just yet. I want to talk things over with Chum Rod before we make another move."

"Nuf sed, Elmer," Hanky Panky hastened to call out; "I'll just keep that yell for some time later on, when you think there's no danger. But if I promise to behave, and put a bridle on my tongue, I guess nobody's agoin' to object to my showin' my new little trick when we get stalled."

A few minutes later, and the five boys came to a halt,

It was only the middle of the afternoon, but all of them felt more or less tired and welcomed the chance to lay aside their machines, for a time at least. Elmer admitted that he had by accident chosen the worst road that could have been picked out. Needing repair very badly, it had undoubtedly suffered to a greater extent in the recent storm than any of the others.

"When we go back north again," he assured them, as they saw to placing their motorcycles in a safe place, and once more chaining them together so as to prevent a repetition of the robbery of a wheel; "we will take another course, I give you my word, suh. There was a time when this used to be the best route around heah; but I've found out now that times have changed. That man of the cabin on the rock was right when he told us that fact."

"And for one I'm right glad to hear that, Elmer," declared Rooster. "P'raps now I'm a poor rider, when you compare me with the rest of the bunch; but no matter, I'd much sooner take my chances in the saddle than tire myself out pushin' all this weight up-hill, ever so many times a day."

"And as we ain't got a tent, why, makin' camp's as easy as jumpin' off a log," observed Hanky Panky, as he began to look curiously around him, with the air of a circus manager who has located

his "round-top," and wishes to ascertain what especial advantages the spot may possess for showing purposes.

When Hanky Panky once got a notion in that stubborn head of his, it was hard indeed to dislodge the same. He had chosen to promise them a new exposition of his powers as a necromancer, and a nimble acrobat, and his first thought was to discover a platform from which they could with comfort view his act. Hanky Panky was lately developing the "show" instinct very strongly; when he had anything unusual to offer his mates it was not enough that he turn and play the game. He preferred to excite their curiosity by certain preliminary movements calculated to stamp the little affair with an air of mystery.

If a stone wall were handy he never failed to clamber to its top, and there, take up his position. For Hanky Panky had learned the first rule of a conjuror, which was to have a little distance between himself and his argus-eyed audience; and if possible perform his tricks from an elevation. Looking upward on the part of his audience serves to aid the magician in his magic passes, and in deluding the observer.

So Hanky Panky, on discovering the stump of a very large tree, that stood about ten feet from the ground, allowed his eyes to linger there. He wondered whether it might not be possible for him

to climb up, and make the top of that broad stump serve as a platform. Why not, when there were several fragments of former limbs still sticking out from the remnant of the trunk of the forest monarch?

And accordingly, the wizard commenced climbing upward, watched curiously by his four comrades; who however, knowing his weakness for display could give a pretty good guess as to what he meant to do.

When the climber managed to finally reach the top of the stump he found, much to his satisfaction, that it presented quite a flat surface, and if he were careful not to trip, it would be possible for him to utilize this as his platform or forum.

"Here you are now, gentlemen," Hanky Panky began to say, as he stood erect, and looked down quizzically at the rest, standing there with upturned faces, for they always expected to be amused when he went to such great trouble to place himself, as he was now doing; "and now, if you'll just keep your eyes fastened on me, I'll endeavor to show you one of the most remarkable tricks you ever heard tell of. It has puzzled all the crowned heads of Europe; and those who have had the pleasure of seeing a famous performer practice the same, unite in declaring that no one but a Hindoo magician could have conceived such a marvelous display of sleight of hand."

"Oh! hurry up and do something," groaned Josh, who was always in a hurry.

"Give a feller a little time, can't you?" demanded Hanky Panky, leaning forward, and shaking his forefinger at the offender. "'Tain't fair to bait the animals in the menagerie that way, I leave it to Rod if it is. Now, pay attention to what I'm agoin' to do, for you never before saw such a splendid display of 'now you see it, and now you don't.' Keep your eyes fixed on me, feller citizens, and watch how I swaller this here hatchet, first of all. Now, presto, hanky panky, here you have it, and in the twinkling of an eye

He did not have a chance to complete his sentence, for just then his support seemed to suddenly give way beneath the wizard. The last the four others saw of the wonderful magician, Hanky Panky, was when his arms flew up over his head, and he vanished from their sight, dropping down into the heart of the hollow stump of the decayed forest monarch!

And for several seconds a dead silence followed this unexpected performance.