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

  CHAPTER II

  DAVE PORTER'S PAST

  "What do you think of that, fellows?" asked Roger, as he concluded thereading of the letter.

  "I am not surprised," answered Dave. "Now that Merwell finds he can'tshow himself where he is known, he must be very bitter in mind."

  "I thought he might reform, but I guess I was mistaken," said Phil."Say, we had better do as Buster suggests,--keep our eyes peeled forhim."

  "We are not responsible for his position," retorted Roger. "He gothimself into trouble."

  "So he did, Roger. But, just the same, a fellow like Link Merwell isbound to blame somebody else,--and in this case he blames us. I amafraid he'll make trouble for us--if he gets the chance," concludedDave, seriously.

  And now, while the three chums are busy reading their letters again, letme introduce them more specifically than I have already done.

  Dave Porter was a typical American lad, now well grown, and a graduateof Oak Hall, a high-class preparatory school for boys located in one ofour eastern States.

  While a mere child, Dave had been found wandering beside the railroadtracks near the little village of Crumville. He could not tell who hewas, nor where he had come from, and not being claimed by any one, wastaken to the local poor-house. There a broken-down college professor,Caspar Potts, had found him and given him a home.

  In Crumville resided a rich jewelry manufacturer named Oliver Wadsworth,who had a daughter named Jessie. One day the Wadsworth automobile caughtfire and Jessie was in danger of being burned to death, when Dave rushedto the rescue and saved her. For this Mr. Wadsworth was very grateful,and when he learned that Dave lived with Mr. Potts, who had been one ofhis instructors in college, he made the man and the youth come to livewith him.

  "Such a boy deserves to have a good education and I am going to give itto him," said the rich manufacturer, and so Dave was sent to boardingschool, as related in the first volume of this series, entitled "DavePorter at Oak Hall." There he made a host of friends, including RogerMorr, the son of a United States senator; Phil Lawrence, the son of arich shipowner; Shadow Hamilton, who loved to tell stories; BusterBeggs, who was fat and jolly; Luke Watson, who was a musician ofconsiderable skill, and many others.

  The main thing that troubled Dave in those days was the question of hisidentity, and when one of his school rivals spoke of him as a"poor-house nobody" it disturbed him greatly. Receiving something of aclew, he went on a long voyage, as related in "Dave Porter in the SouthSeas," and located his uncle, Dunston Porter, and learned for the firsttime that his father, David Breslow Porter, was also living, andlikewise a sister, Laura.

  After his great trip on the ocean, our hero returned to Oak Hall, asrelated in "Dave Porter's Return to School." Then, as he had not yet methis father, he went in search of his parent, the quest, as told of in"Dave Porter in the Far North," taking him to Norway.

  Glad to know that he could not be called a poor-house nobody in thefuture, Dave went back to Oak Hall once again, as related in "DavePorter and His Classmates." He now made more friends than ever. But helikewise made some enemies, including Nick Jasniff, a very passionatefellow, who always wanted to fight, and Link Merwell, the son of a richranchowner of the West. Jasniff ran away from school, while under acloud, and Merwell, after making serious trouble for Dave and his chums,was expelled.

  Laura Porter had a very dear friend, Belle Endicott, who lived in theFar West, and through this friend, Dave and his chums, and also Laura,and Jessie Wadsworth, received an invitation to spend some time at theEndicott place. What fun and adventures the young folks had I have setdown in "Dave Porter at Star Ranch." Not far from Star Ranch was thehome of Link Merwell, and this young man, as before, tried to maketrouble, but was exposed and humbled.

  The boys liked it very much on the ranch, but all vacations must come toan end, and so the lads went back to school, as recorded in "Dave Porterand His Rivals." That was a lively term at Oak Hall, for some newcomerstried to run athletic and other matters to suit themselves, and inaddition Link Merwell and Nick Jasniff became students at a rivalacademy only a short distance away.

  The Christmas holidays were now at hand, and Dave went back toCrumville, where he and his folks were living with the Wadsworths intheir elegant mansion on the outskirts of the town. At that time Mr.Wadsworth had some valuable jewels at his works to be reset, anddirectly after Christmas came a thrilling robbery. It was Dave, aided byhis chums, who got on the track of the robbers, who were none other thanJasniff and Merwell, and trailed them to the South and then to sea, astold in "Dave Porter on Cave Island." After many startling adventuresthe jewels were recovered and the thieves were caught. But, at the lastminute, Link Merwell managed to escape.

  When Dave Porter returned again to Oak Hall he found himself considereda great hero. But he bore himself modestly, and settled down to hardwork, for he wished to graduate with honors. His old enemies were nowout of the way and for this he was thankful.

  But trouble for Dave was not yet at an end. One of the teachers at OakHall was Job Haskers, a learned man, but one who did not like boys. WhyHaskers had ever become an instructor was a mystery. He was harsh,unsympathetic, and dictatorial, and nearly all the students hated him.He knew the branches he taught, but that was all the good that could besaid of him.

  Trouble came almost from the start, that term, and not only Dave, butnearly all of his chums were involved. A wild man--who afterwards provedto be related to Nat Poole, the son of a miserly money-lender ofCrumville--tried to blow up a neighboring hotel, and the boys werethought to be guilty. In terror, some of them feared arrest and fled, asrelated in "Dave Porter and the Runaways." Dave went after the runaways,and after escaping a fearful flood, made them come back to school andface the music. The youth had a clew against Job Haskers, and in theend proved that the wild man was guilty and that the instructor knewit. This news came as a thunder-clap to Doctor Clay, the owner of theschool, and without ceremony he called Haskers before him and demandedhis resignation. At first the dictatorial teacher would not resign, butwhen confronted by the proofs of his duplicity, he got out in a hurry;and all the other teachers, and the students, were glad of it.

  "And now for a grand wind-up!" Dave had said, and then he and his chumshad settled down to work, and later on, graduated from Oak Hall withhigh honors. At the graduation exercises, Dave was one of the happiestboys in the school. His family and Jessie and several others came to theaffair, which was celebrated with numerous bonfires, and music by aband, and refreshments in the gymnasium.

  "And now what are you going to do?" Laura had asked, of her brother.

  "First of all, he is going to pay me a visit," Roger had said. "I havebeen to your house half a dozen times and Dave has hardly been to ourplace at all. He is to come, and so are Phil and some of the others. Mymother wants them, and so does my dad."

  "Well, if the others are to be there, I'll have to come, too," Dave hadreplied; and so it had been settled, and that is how we now find theboys at Senator Morr's fine country mansion, located on the outskirtsof the village of Hemson. Dave and Phil had been there for four days,and Roger and his parents had done all in their power to make thevisitors feel at home.

  "Here is some more news that I overlooked," said Roger, as he turnedover one of his letters. "This is from a chum of mine, Bert Passmore,who is spending his summer at Lake Sargola, about thirty miles fromhere. He says they are going to have a special concert to-morrowafternoon and evening, given by a well-known military band fromWashington. He says we had better come over and take it in."

  "I shouldn't mind taking in a concert like that," replied Phil. "I likegood brass-band music better than anything else."

  "How about you, Dave?"

  "Suits me, if you want to go, Roger."

  "We could go in the car. Maybe ma and dad would go, too."

  Just then the bell rang for lunch, and the visitors hurried off to washup and comb their hair. Roger went to his parents, who were in thelibrary of the mansion, and spo
ke about the band concert.

  "I can't go--I've got to meet Senator Barcoe and Governor Fewell in thecity," said the senator. "But you might take your mother, Roger, andmaybe some of her friends. The big car will hold seven, you know."

  "Sure, if mom will go," and the youth looked at his mother with a smile.

  "I might go and take Mrs. Gray and Mrs. Morse," said Mrs. Morr. "Theyboth love music, and since the Grays lost their money, Mrs. Gray doesn'tget out very much. I'll call them up on the telephone and find out,Roger;" and so it was settled.

  But the other ladies could not go, and in the end Mrs. Morr decided toremain home also. So it was left, the next morning, for the three boysto go alone.

  "I'll take the little four-passenger car," said Roger. "No use in havingthe big car for only three."

  "Boys, Roger tells me you think of going West," remarked Senator Morr,who stood near. He was a big man, with a round, florid face and a heavybut pleasant voice. "Think of trying to locate that lost mine! Is thereanything you lads wouldn't try to do?" And the big man laughed in hisbluff, hearty manner.

  "Well, it won't hurt to try it, Senator," replied Dave.

  "Not if you keep out of trouble. But I don't want you boys to go to thatneighborhood and get caught in another landslide--not for all the goldin Montana," and the senator shook his head decidedly.

  "Oh, we'll be careful, Dad," burst out Roger. "You know we are alwayscareful."

  "I don't know about that, Roger. Boys are apt to get recklesssometimes--I used to be a bit that way myself. We'll have to talk thisover again--before it's settled," and then the senator hurried off tokeep his appointment with the other politicians.

  In anticipation of the trip, Roger had had the paid chauffeur of thefamily go over the four-passenger touring-car with care, to see thateverything was in shape for the run to Lake Sargola. The lake was abeautiful sheet of water, some eight miles long and half a mile wide,and at the upper end were located several fine hotels and numerousprivate residences.

  The boys had decided to go to the lake by a roundabout way, covering adistance of about forty miles. They left at a little after ten o'clock,calculating to get to the lake in time for lunch. They would attend theafternoon concert, take Roger's chum out for a short ride around thelake road, and then return to Hemson in time for the evening meal.

  Roger was at the wheel and it was decided that Dave and Phil should rideon the back seat, so as to be company for each other. Mrs. Morr cameout on the veranda of the mansion to wave them a farewell.

  "Keep out of trouble, Roger!" she called. "Remember, there are a goodmany autos around the lake, and some of the drivers are very fast andvery careless."

  "I'll have my eyes open," answered the boy. "Good-by!" And then hestarted the car, put on more power, and swept from the spacious groundsin grand style.

  "My, but it is going to be a warm day!" remarked Phil, as they ran intoa streak of hot air.

  "I hope it is only warm," replied Dave, as he looked at the sky.

  "Why, what do you mean, Dave?" asked the shipowner's son, quickly.

  "I don't much like the looks of the sky off to the southwest. Looks tome as if a storm was coming up."

  "Oh, don't say that!" exclaimed Roger. "We don't want any rain."

  "So we don't, Roger. But we'll have to take what comes."