He opened his eyes and looked hard at the window. The dim outline of
Stark mountain off in the distance began to grow into form, and what
was that? A speck of light? It must be his eyes. He rubbed them
sleepily and looked again. Yes, a light. Alert at once with the
alertness that comes to all boys at the sound of a fire bell or some
such alarm, he slid from his bed noiselessly and stole to the window.
It was gone! Aw, Gee! He had been asleep and dreamed it. No, there it
was again, or was it?
Blackness all before his eyes, with a luminous sky dimly about the
irregular mountain top fringed with trees. This was foolish. He felt
chilly and crept back to bed, but could not keep his eyes from the dark
spot against the sky. He tried to close the lids and go to sleep, but
they insisted on flying open and watching. And then came what he had
been watching for. Three winks, and stop, three winks, stop, and one
long flash. Then all was dark. And though he watched till the church
clock struck three he saw no more.
But the old torment came back. Mark and Cherry and Lynn. The guy at the
parsonage and the girl with the floured face and base ball bats in her
ears! Aw Gee! He must have a fever! It was hours since the clock had
struck three. It must be nearly four, and then it would soon be light
and he could get up. There seemed to be a light somewhere down the
street through the trees. Not the street lamp either. Somebody sick
likely. Hark! What was that? He wished he hadn't undressed. He sat up
in bed and listened. The purr of a car! Someone was stealing Mark's
car! Mark was away and everybody knew it. Nobody in Sabbath Valley
would steal, except, perhaps over at the plush mill. There were new
people there--Was that Mark's car? Some car!
With a motion like a cat he sprang into the necessary garment which
nestled limply on the floor by the bed, and was at the window in a
trice. A drop like a cat to the shed roof, down the rainwater spout to
the ground, a stealthy step to the back shed where old trusty leaned,
and he was away down the road a speck in the dark, and just in time to
see the dim black vision of a car speeding with muffled engine down the
road toward the church. It was too dark to say it was Mark's car. He
had no way but to follow.