"It suits me, and will surely suit the girls," returned Dave. "We can sit out in the moonlight nights, and have fine times singing," he added. "Say! talking about singing in the moonlight, puts me in mind of a story," burst out Shadow. "Once on a time a young fellow went to serenade his girl, and----" "Never mind the yarn now, Shadow," said Ben. "I've got something to tell you that is more interesting than a story. It's about Nat Poole's uncle." "Nat Poole's uncle?" queried Dave. "You don't mean Wilbur Poole, the wild man we caught in the woods back of Oakdale?" "That is the man." "What of him? I thought they had taken him to a sanitarium, and that he was getting better." "So he was getting better--in fact he was almost well, so Nat said. But now what do you think has happened?" "What?" came from all of the other boys. "He has disappeared." "Disappeared?" "That's it. He has run away, and nobody knows where he went to." CHAPTER VIII OFF FOR BEAR CAMP "Who told you this, Ben?" asked Dave. "I just got the story from Nat. He and his family are very much worried. They had an idea that Wilbur Poole was practically well again, and that is the reason why they did not watch him very closely." "Of course they are searching for him?" "Sure! Nat said the authorities and also several other people were after him. Nat himself was going to look for him to-morrow." "Maybe we'll run across him," said Luke Watson. "I hope we don't, Luke!" exclaimed Dave. "That man gave us trouble enough up at Oak Hall." "Right you are there!" burst out Shadow. And then he added: "I wonder if he'll call himself the King of Sumatra, as he did before?" "A man who is out of his mind is apt to call himself anything," said Dave. "I feel sorry for Nat. This must worry him and his family a good deal." It was not long after this when all the boys went over to the Wadsworth mansion, there to complete their preparations for the trip to Mirror Lake. Ben had had the Basswood automobile thoroughly overhauled, and Dave had likewise had the Wadsworth touring-car put into the best possible running shape. "My, but there is going to be quite a bunch of us!" was Dave's comment, as he looked at the boys and girls who were present. "Mamma says we must finish all our packing to-night or else do it Monday morning," said Jessie. "She doesn't want any of it done on Sunday." "My things are all ready, and so are Belle's," returned Laura. "But I don't know how it is with the boys." "We'll be all right; don't you worry," answered Dave. "We never got left yet," added Ben, with a grin. Luke had brought along his banjo, and the others insisted that he play a tune or two. Then they sang a couple of songs; and after that the Wadsworth phonograph was started, and the young folks enjoyed an hour or so of dancing.