CHAPTER XI
OVERHEARD IN THE SUMMER-HOUSE
"Dave, what do you think! I saw Link Merwell this morning!"
It was Laura who spoke, as she burst into her brother's room, where theyouth was looking over the things he expected to take with him on histrip West.
"You saw Link Merwell!" cried Dave, dropping some collars he held in hishand. "Where?"
"Down on Main Street, near the post-office."
"Did he speak to you?"
"Oh, no, the minute he noticed that I saw him he hurried out of sightaround the corner. I followed to the corner, but when I got there he hadgone."
"Was Job Haskers with him?"
"I didn't see him."
"Humph! This is interesting, to say the least," mused Dave. He thoughtof what Nat Poole had told him, and of what Merwell and Haskers hadattempted at the Morr homestead. "I'll have to look into this," headded, aloud.
"Oh, Dave, do you think he'll try to do something more round here--or atthe jewelry works?"
"I'll warn Mr. Wadsworth, Laura, and he can notify the police. But it'squeer Merwell should show himself, knowing there is a warrant out forhis arrest. Weren't you mistaken?"
"I don't think so. Of course he had on a slouch hat, drawn down over hiseyes, and an unusual suit of clothing, but I am pretty certain it wasMerwell."
"Then Haskers must be here, too. They travel together." Dave heaved asigh. "It's too bad! I wish they were in China, or at the North Pole!"
It was two days after Dave's arrival at Crumville and most of the timehad been spent in getting ready for the trip to Montana. Roger and Philwere coming to the house that afternoon, and Dave had received atelegram from Shadow Hamilton that he would accompany the tourists asfar as Yellowstone Park. The other lads were unable to make thenecessary arrangements.
It was lunch time and Dave lost no time in going to Mr. Wadsworth, whohad just come in from his jewelry works. Both of them, accompanied byDave's father, went into the library to talk the matter over, so thatJessie and her mother might not be disturbed.
"I'll see the police about this," said Mr. Wadsworth, when he had heardabout Merwell. "If possible, we must place this young scamp where thatfellow Jasniff is, behind the bars."
"I wish they could arrest Haskers, too," sighed Dave.
"I don't see how we can--we have no charge against him," answered themanufacturer.
It was about three o'clock when Roger and Phil came in. As my oldreaders know, the senator's son and Dave's sister were on unusually goodterms with each other, and the greeting between them was very cordial.
"But I don't like you for one thing, Roger," said Laura, halfreproachfully. "I don't like this idea of Dave going off to look forthat lost mine."
"Oh, we won't be away from you long, Laura."
"And the danger--not only to Dave but to--to you," went on the girl, andgave him a look that meant much.
"We'll be careful," answered the senator's son. "But I hate awfully toworry you," he added, in a lower tone.
For Phil, Laura had some good news, which was to the effect that BelleEndicott, the daughter of the owner of Star Ranch, where the young folkshad spent such an enjoyable summer, had written that she would join theparty at Livingston, for the trip through Yellowstone Park. Phil hadalways admired Belle, she was so dashing and so full of fun, and thenews was just to his liking.
"We'll have the best times ever!" he cried. "That is, after Dave andRoger and Shadow and I get back from locating that lost mine!"
"You talk as if it was going to be the easiest thing in the world tolocate the Landslide Mine!" laughed Roger. "I think it is going to behard work--and we may not get a trace of it."
"Did you bring those papers and that map?" questioned Dave.
"I did."
"Let us go over them now," cried Phil. But this was not to be, for therewere other things to attend to just then, and the girls demanded a goodshare of the boys' attention.
The following morning found the three youths in a summer-house attachedto the Wadsworth estate. This was located down near a tiny brook and wasovergrown with vines and bushes. It was a cozy retreat, especially onsuch a hot day in July, and the boys proceeded to make themselves athome by throwing off their coats and caps.
"Now let us get down to business on this thing," said Dave; whereuponthe senator's son brought forth his papers, and the map of the miningdistrict wherein the Landslide Mine was supposed to be located.
"That lost mine is supposed to be somewhere along this old trail," saidRoger, pointing with his finger. "This trail is known as the RodmanTrail, because a fellow named Billy Rodman discovered it. As near as Ican make out, the papers say the mine was on this Rodman Trail, half amile north of Stony Cut and to the west of the Four Rocks."
"Huh! That ought to be dead easy to locate," was Phil's comment. "All wehave to do is to walk along the trail half a mile beyond Stony Cut andthen to the west of the Four Rocks,--and there you are."
"Exactly, except for two things," replied Roger. "The landslide wipedout Stony Cut and the Four Rocks, too."
"Oh!"
"But some one must have some idea where Stony Cut was located," saidDave.
"My idea is to hunt up that old miner, Abe Blower, and see if he can'tlocate Stony Cut for us, even approximately, and tell us something aboutFour Rocks--how it used to look before the great landslide. Then, afterwe've got that information, we'll start on the hunt."
"Do you think we'll find Abe Blower in Butte, Montana?" asked Phil.
"More than likely. He was there some time ago, mother heard. He andUncle Maurice used to be great chums."
"And are you sure the mine is valuable?" queried Phil, after a pause.
"It must be, otherwise my uncle wouldn't have been so anxious about it."
Again the boys went over the papers and also the map, talking theproposed trip over from various points of view. They all agreed thatlocating the lost mine would be no easy task.
"Supposing somebody else locates it?" said Phil, presently. "Couldn't helay claim to it?"
"I don't know about that--I suppose so, since the mine is now completelylost."
"I hope you can find this Abe Blower and get him to go with us," saidDave. "An old prospector like that ought to know that territory well."
"Blower does know it--so they say."
"Did you ever meet him?" questioned Phil.
"No, I never even heard of him until Uncle Maurice died and left hisproperty to mother."
"Then you don't know what kind of a man he is?"
"Oh, he must be pretty nice, or my uncle wouldn't have had him for afriend. I've no doubt that he is rough--many of that sort are--but Ifeel certain----"
Roger stopped short, as a strange crashing in some bushes back of thesummer-house reached his ears and the ears of the others.
"What's that?" cried Dave. "Some animal?"
"Hi, what are you doing there?" came, in the voice of the Wadsworthgardener. "Come here, I want to talk to you!"
"Somebody is in those bushes!" exclaimed Roger, and ran from thesummer-house, followed by his chums.
They were just in time to find Joseph, the new gardener, running after ayoung fellow who was making his way through an apple orchard on theother side of the brook. Joseph was somewhat stout and not quick offoot, and the young fellow easily outdistanced him, leaped the orchardfence, and hurried down the back road.
"Who was it, Joseph?" demanded Dave, when the gardener came up, all outof breath.
"I--don't--know--sir!" gasped the man, puffing for breath."He--was--hiding--in the bushes back of--the--summer-house."
"Hiding here!" cried Dave. He looked at his chums. "Can it have beenMerwell?" he murmured.
"Would he dare come here?" asked Phil.
"He dared to come to Crumville, after he knew there was a warrant outfor his arrest."
"How did that fellow look?" questioned Roger.
"I didn't see his face, sir," answered the gardener, who had nowrecovered s
omewhat. "He had on a soft hat and a brown, baggy suit."
"That's the way Merwell was togged out, so Laura said!" cried Dave."Fellows, it must have been Link! Now what do you know about that!"
"Do you think he heard what we said?" asked Roger, much disturbed.
"He must have, if he was hiding in those bushes," answered Phil.
"Wonder how long he was there?"
None of the boys could answer that question, nor could the gardenerenlighten them. Joseph had been coming along the side of the orchardwhen he had espied the fellow and had called to him, thinking it wassome boy from Crumville who had sneaked up to steal some of the orchardfruit. He had been surprised when the fellow dashed away so quickly.
"Maybe he wasn't alone," suggested Roger. "Let us take a look around."
This was done, but nobody else seemed to be near. Much disturbed, thethree lads walked all over the place, and even down the back road in thedirection the intruder had fled.
"If it was Merwell he must have heard all that was said," remarked thesenator's son, gravely.
"If he did, it won't do him any good," answered Phil. "I don't thinkhe'll hunt for that mine."
"He may follow us and try to make trouble," returned Dave. "He is verybitter--and so is Job Haskers. They'd put themselves out a whole lot togive us a black eye, so to speak."
"Oh, I know that."
Much disturbed, the three youths returned to the house, where Roger puthis map and papers in a safe place in his trunk--the one he was to takeon the trip West. In the meantime Dave telephoned to the police, tellingthem that Merwell had been seen in the vicinity of the Wadsworthmansion. He was glad of the fact that Mrs. Wadsworth and the girls hadgone out to do some shopping, for he did not wish to alarm them further.
In the meantime, down the hot and dusty road in the rear of the orchardran the young fellow who had leaped the fence. It was indeed LinkMerwell, sour-faced, and with that same cunning look as of old in hiseyes.
He kept on for fully a quarter of a mile, then suddenly plunged into astrip of woodland. There, beside a large stream of water, were the ruinsof an old stone house.
Link Merwell stopped running and after a stealthy look around, emitted aclear, short whistle. This he repeated twice.
From behind the ruins of the stone house a man appeared, with a soft hatdrawn well down over his forehead. The man was Job Haskers.
"Back again, eh?" snapped the former teacher of Oak Hall. "Did you doit?" he questioned, curiously.
"No, I didn't get the chance," answered Link Merwell. He sank on a logand fanned himself with his hat.
"Humph! Better let it go then. If they see you, they'll be after you."
"They are after me, Haskers."
"They are! Then let us get out at once!" And the former teacher plainlyshowed his nervousness.
"I'm willing," returned Link Merwell. "I've changed my mind about doingsomething here," he went on. "We can do something somewhereelse--something that will pay us both big."
"What do you mean?"
"We can go after a fortune that is coming to Roger Morr's mother. It'sthe Landslide Mine, and it's lost. Haskers, if we can locate that mine,our fortunes are made! Come on, and I'll tell you all about it while weare getting away from this place. We must go West just as fast as we canmake it!"