The doctor was an old man. He looked very nice and kind when I woke him up. I told him a story. I said my brother and I were on Spanish Island yesterday afternoon. We were hunting. We found a small raft (a flat boat made of pieces of wood) and stayed there.
I told the doctor a lie about the accident. I said my brother had a dream at midnight. He kicked his gun in his sleep. The gun fired and shot him in the leg. I asked the doctor to go to the island to fix the leg. I told him to keep it a secret. I said we wanted to surprise our family later.
The doctor asked about my family. I told him we lived with the Phelps family. The doctor took his lantern (a lamp with a handle for outside) and his bag of medicine. We walked to the water. But the doctor saw my canoe (a small, narrow boat). He did not like the look of it.
The doctor said the boat was big enough for one person. He said it was not safe for two people. I told him the boat carried three people before. He asked which three people. I said me, Sid, and the guns. I felt nervous because I almost told the truth.
The doctor shook his head. He looked for a bigger boat. But all the other boats had chains and locks. So the doctor took my canoe (a small, narrow boat). He told me to wait for him. He said I should go home and wait for the surprise. I told him how to find the raft (a flat boat made of pieces of wood). Then he left.
I had a new idea. Maybe the doctor cannot fix the leg quickly. Maybe it will take three or four days. I did not want to wait there. I decided to sleep in a pile of wood. When I woke up, the sun was high in the sky.
I went to the doctor's house. The people there said the doctor went away in the night. He was not back yet. I felt very worried about Tom. I started to run to the island. But then I ran into Uncle Silas.
Uncle Silas asked where I was. I told another lie. I said Sid and I were looking for the runaway man. Uncle Silas said Aunt Sally was very worried. I said we followed the men and the dogs. I said we got lost and slept in a boat.
I told Uncle Silas that Sid was at the post-office. We went there to find Sid. But Sid was not there. Uncle Silas got a letter from the office. We waited for a long time. Sid did not come. Uncle Silas said we must go home.
When we got home, Aunt Sally was very happy. She laughed and she cried. She hugged me many times. She hit me a little because she was angry, but it did not hurt. She said she would do the same to Sid.
The house was full of farmers and their wives. They were eating dinner. They were all talking at the same time. Mrs. Hotchkiss talked more than anyone. She said the runaway man was certainly crazy.
She talked about the grindstone (a heavy, round stone for sharpening tools). She saw strange writing on the stone. She said a person with a normal mind would not do that. She thought the man was very strange.
Mrs. Damrell talked about a ladder made of old clothes. The neighbors asked how the heavy stone got into the small house. They asked who dug the hole in the ground. Mrs. Hotchkiss said many people helped the man escape.
The neighbors looked at many strange things. They saw saws made from knives. They saw a bed-leg that someone cut with a saw. They thought a dozen people helped the runaway man. One man said forty people could not do all that work.
A neighbor saw a shirt with strange red writing on it. He thought the writing was done with blood. Aunt Sally told the neighbors about the thieves. She said they stole a shirt and a sheet. They also stole flour, candles, and spoons.
Aunt Sally was very confused. She said her family watched the house day and night. But the thieves still stole her things. She said the thieves were as fast as spirits. She said the dogs never heard the thieves.
The neighbors were all very surprised. Aunt Sally said she was very afraid last night. She was so scared that she locked the boys in their room. She thought the boys were safe upstairs. She did not know the room was empty.
Aunt Sally looked at me. I felt very nervous. I went outside to think of a new story. Later, I went back inside. I told Aunt Sally that the noise woke us up. The door was locked.
I told Aunt Sally we wanted to see the fun. We climbed down the lightning-rod (a metal pole on a house to protect it from storms). I said we got hurt a little. Aunt Sally forgave us. She said boys always do wild things. She was just happy we were alive.
Aunt Sally kissed me. Then she remembered Sid. She was very worried because it was almost night. I said I would run to town to find him. But Aunt Sally said no. She said one lost boy was enough.
Uncle Silas went to look for Sid after supper. He came back at ten o'clock. He did not find Sid. Aunt Sally was very upset. Uncle Silas said Sid would return in the morning. Aunt Sally was not happy, but she stayed awake.
I went to my bed. Aunt Sally came with me. She was very kind to me. She sat on my bed and talked about Sid. She said Sid was a wonderful boy. She started to cry.
Aunt Sally was afraid that Sid was hurt or dead. She cried quietly. I told her Sid was okay. I said he would be home in the morning. She squeezed my hand and asked me to say it again. It made her feel better.
Before she left, she looked into my eyes. She said she would not lock the door. She knew about the window and the metal pole. She asked me to be good for her sake. She asked me not to leave the house.
I wanted to leave to find Tom. I really wanted to go. But I could not leave after Aunt Sally asked me to stay. I did not want to make her sad.
I did not sleep well that night. I was worried about Aunt Sally and Tom. Twice I climbed down the lightning-rod (a metal pole on a house to protect it from storms). I looked at the window. Aunt Sally was sitting there with a candle.
I saw tears in her eyes. I wished I could help her. I promised myself I would not make her sad again. At dawn, I looked a third time. Aunt Sally was still there. Her head was down and she was finally asleep.