Dave Porter in the Gold Fields; Or, The Search for the Landslide Mine

  CHAPTER XII

  ON THE WAY WEST

  "Off at last!"

  "Hurrah for the West!"

  "And the Landslide Mine, Roger, don't forget that!"

  "What a splendid day for beginning the trip!"

  "Say, we make quite a crowd, don't we?"

  "Wonder if the train will be on time, Dave?"

  "I suppose so. Special excursions are supposed to start on time. Iseverybody here, and have we all our baggage?"

  "I've got all of mine," returned Laura. "How about you, Jessie?"

  "I've got my hand-bag. The trunk went with the other trunks."

  "Say, seeing this crowd, puts me in mind of a story," burst out ShadowHamilton. "Once some tourists--"

  "Oh, Shadow!" came from several in concert.

  "Better keep the story until after we are on the way," cried Dave,gayly. "We'll have plenty of time on the train. It's a four-days' tripto Yellowstone Park, remember."

  "Here comes the train!" was the cry.

  The scene was the Crumville station. The little platform was crowdedwith the folks who were going on the personally-conducted tour to thatplace of many wonders, Yellowstone Park. Mr. Basswood was on hand,wearing a blue and gold badge, and so was one of the local ministers,and these two had charge of the tour, these and a railroad official whohad to look after connections and meals. In the crowd were the boys andgirls, and also Mrs. Wadsworth, Mr. Dunston Porter, and about fortyothers from Crumville and vicinity. The tour was being run at a veryreasonable rate, considering the accommodations afforded, and many weretaking advantage of this fact to see Yellowstone Park, with itswonderful geysers, its curious boiling "paint pots," and its bears andbuffaloes. The minister had once given a lecture on the Park and thishad stimulated curiosity to go and see this land of such naturalwonders. It is a great national reservation that every American ought tobe glad to visit.

  As the train rolled into the station the crowd got aboard and theporters showed the tourists to their seats. All of the "Porter tribe,"as Phil dubbed them, were together. Mrs. Wadsworth and another lady hada stateroom, and next to this Laura and Jessie had a section, with Daveand Roger opposite. Then came the other boys, and Mr. and Mrs. Basswoodand Dunston Porter. The Crumville contingent filled two cars, and therewere three more cars from neighboring towns. To the front were a baggageand a dining-car and to the rear an observation car.

  "All aboard!" was the cry.

  "Good-by!"

  "Don't forget to write!"

  "Here, Tom, don't forget your valise!"

  "Be sure to look for Brother Jack in Chicago!"

  "Be sure to get some good pictures!"

  "Don't forget some souvenirs!"

  Then came more cries, and the waving of numerous handkerchiefs; and offrolled the excursion train, on its long western trip, Dave waving hiscap to his father and Mr. Wadsworth, who had come down to the depot tosee the party off.

  It took some little time to settle down on the train. They had leftCrumville at half-past ten and almost before the young folks knew it, itwas time for lunch. Quite naturally Dave escorted Jessie to thedining-car, while Roger took Laura, and Mr. Dunston Porter looked afterMrs. Wadsworth.

  "I hope the good weather continues," said Jessie, as she sat down withDave. "It will add so much to the trip."

  "Oh, I've ordered nothing but the best of weather," he replied, with asmile.

  "Tell me, Dave," she whispered, "did you hear anything more about thatLink Merwell?"

  "Not a word, Jessie."

  "You are sure it was he who was behind the summer-house that day?"

  "Fairly sure. Of course, we might have been mistaken. But we know he wasin Crumville--Laura was sure of that--and it would be just like him tosneak up to our place to see what he could do to annoy or injure us."

  "Oh, if only they would leave you alone, Dave!" and the girl sigheddeeply.

  "Don't you worry, Jessie; I can take care of myself."

  The lunch was a delightful one, and with so little to do, the youngfolks took their time over the repast. Then they drifted back to theobservation car, and the boys saw to it that the girls and the ladiesgot good seats, where they might see all that they passed.

  The afternoon found them rolling in the direction of Buffalo, which theywere to reach before it was time to retire for the night. Then the trainwould pass through Cleveland while they slept, on its way to Chicago.

  "I'll be glad to get a look at Chicago," said Ben Basswood, who had notdone much traveling.

  "We are to take a tour in a rubber-neck wagon," he added.

  "A rubber-neck wagon!" cried his mother. "Benjamin, what language!"

  "Well, that is what they usually call the touring automobiles," heanswered, with a grin.

  To some of the folks on the trip, going to bed on a train was much of anovelty, and they watched with interest while the porters made up theberths.

  "Do you remember the time we had Billy Dill along, and what he thoughtof sleeping on a train?" remarked Dave, to Phil and Roger.

  "I sure do," answered the shipowner's son, with a chuckle. "When he sawthe seats converted into beds he wanted to know if they didn't have aballroom aboard, or a church, or a farm," and at the recollection of theold tar's questions all in the party had to laugh.

  "Where is this Billy Dill now?" asked Shadow.

  "Safe in an old sailors' home," answered Dave. "He took a trip or two tosea, but he couldn't stand it, so we had him put in the home."

  "You've got him to thank for a good deal, Dave," remarked the senator'sson, in low tones.

  "Yes, and I'll never forget Billy Dill," answered our hero, as heremembered how the old tar had helped him to find his Uncle Dunston, asrelated in detail in "Dave Porter in the South Seas."

  Mr. Dunston Porter had found some congenial spirits in thesmoking-compartment of the car and spent a good deal of his time there.He met a man who had done considerable hunting in the West, and the two"swapped yarns," as Mr. Porter said afterwards.

  Only a short stop was made at Buffalo, just long enough to allow theboys and some of the men to stretch their legs on the depot platform,and then the excursion train started on its trip along the shore of LakeErie towards the great Windy City, as Chicago is sometimes called.

  Morning found the party well on the way to Chicago, and that metropolisof the Great Lakes was reached about noon. Lunch had already beenserved, and at the depot all hands found a string of touring automobilesawaiting them, to take them around to various points of interest,including the business section, the finer residential district, andLincoln Park, with its Zooelogical Garden. Some of the party went in adifferent direction, to visit the Stock Yards, that great place wherehundreds of cattle are slaughtered daily.

  "By the great tin dipper!" cried Phil, suddenly, when waiting for theautomobile in which he and some others sat to start off. "Look who'shere!"

  "Jim Murphy!" cried Dave and Roger, in a breath.

  "So it is!" came from Shadow. "Hi, Jim!" he called out. "Don't you knowus any more?"

  The young man they addressed, a tall fellow of Irish parentage, whostood on the sidewalk, turned swiftly. Then his face broke into a grin,and he rushed forward.

  "Sure, an' what do you think of this now!" he exclaimed. "Dave Porter,an' Phil Lawrence, an' Roger Morr, and Shadow Hamilton, an', sureenough, Ben Basswood! Say, what is this, a tour o' Oak Hall boys!" andthe former monitor of that institution of learning smiled more broadlythan ever.

  "We are on an excursion," explained Dave, and gave some details. "Whatare you doing in Chicago, Jim?" he went on.

  "Sure I got a job here, after I left Oak Hall."

  "What are you doing?" questioned Roger.

  "I'm one of the gatemen in the train shed. But I expect to get a betterjob than that in a week or two--it's promised to me," added the formermonitor. "An', by the way, lots of Oak Hall boys passing through Chicagonow," he continued.

  "What do you mean?" asked Phil, quickly. "Whom did you see?"

/>   "Saw Teddy Fells about a week ago, and two days ago I saw Link Merwell."

  "Merwell!" came from several of the youths.

  "Was he alone?" questioned Dave.

  "No, he had Mr. Haskers with him. Haskers lost his job at the Hall,didn't he?"

  "Yes."

  "I thought so, for the minute he and Merwell spotted me they got out ofsight in a hurry."

  "Where were they going?" asked Phil.

  "I'm sure I don't know. They got off the Eastern Express, and left thedepot in a hurry. They acted as if they didn't want anybody to notice'em."

  "All ready!" came the cry of the man in charge of the touringautomobiles, and then one after another the turnouts rolled away fromthe depot.

  "Shall we stay here and look into this?" asked Dave, of Roger and Phil.

  "What's the use?" returned the shipowner's son. "It isn't likely theyare here now." And then the boys waved a good-by to big Jim Murphy, andthe automobile passed out of the former monitor's sight.

  Laura and Jessie had heard what was said and they were as much disturbedas the boys themselves, if not more so.

  "Oh, Dave, do you think Haskers and Merwell are following you?" askedhis sister, anxiously.

  "They can't be following us if they are ahead of us," he replied, with afaint smile.

  "Well, you know what I mean."

  "I don't know what to think, Laura. Merwell may be going West to joinhis folks. They are somewhere out there."

  "But Haskers----"

  "He may be sticking to Link because Link has money--he gets it from hisparents, who don't want to see him caught and sent to prison, as was thecase with Jasniff. I think Job Haskers was always a good sponge when itcame to getting something out of other people."

  "Maybe you are right. Oh, I hope we don't meet them on this trip!" AndLaura shuddered; she could not exactly tell why.

  The touring trip took the Crumville folks first to the business sectionof Chicago, and the man in front, with a megaphone, bawled out thevarious points of interest. Then the touring-cars, in a sort ofprocession, moved to a residential section, fronting Lake Michigan, withits palatial homes.

  "Just as fine as Riverside Drive, New York," was Dave's comment.

  "Every large city in the United States has its beautiful section,"remarked Dunston Porter.

  They were soon in Lincoln Park, and here a stop was made to look at theanimals in the Zoo. The young people had a good deal of fun with themonkeys, and with a couple of bears that stood up to box each other.

  Five o'clock found the party back to the depot, ready to board the trainonce more. As they stood near the car steps talking, a porter of the cartouched Roger on the arm.

  "Excuse me, Mr. Morr," he said, "but did you send a man here for yoursuit-case?"

  "I certainly did not!" cried the senator's son.

  "You didn't!" gasped the colored porter, and at once showed hisexcitement. "Well, one came here, with a written order for yoursuit-case, and I done gave it to him!"