CHAPTER XXXIX.
PURSUED.
Fortune gave the boy the opportunity he desired.
Along the street came two runaway horses, attached to a carriage. Infront of the restaurant they crashed into another team, and there was arush to see how much damage had been done. The attention of every oneseemed diverted toward the front.
Frank had observed an open door at the back of the room, and throughthis he quickly sprang, ran along a narrow passage, and burst into thekitchen.
"Hello, here!" cried the cook, in astonishment. "What's the matter?"
"Terrible smashup, out in front," replied the boy. "Don't know how manyhave been killed. It is awful!"
"That so?" came stupidly from the bewildered man in white. "How didit---- Well, he was in a hurry!"
But Frank had sprung out by an open door and was gone.
The boy reached a side street, sprinted round a corner, doubled andturned at every opportunity, and settled to a swift walk.
He soon discovered which direction he should take without having askedto be directed toward any particular point.
"This is an unpleasant scrape," muttered the boy; "and it came aboutthrough my readiness to exchange my good money for bad. If I remain inthis town I am liable to be arrested at any moment."
He wondered what Bart would say when he was told. What could Bart thinkabout a girl who carried two bright new counterfeit fifty-dollar billsin her purse?
Frank began to doubt. He was forced to confess to himself that such athing was remarkable. If the girl had had but one bad bill in herpossession, it would have seemed that she had obtained it unwittingly;but two--and exactly alike----
"Can it be possible she is, in some way, connected with a gang ofcounterfeiters?" Frank asked himself. "I will not believe it! Her faceis too innocent."
Then he remembered how, in the city of Chicago, he had encountered abeautiful girl who was connected with counterfeiters; but he alsoremembered that she was an unwilling tool, and had embraced the firstopportunity to get clear of the meshes of the net into which she hadfallen.
"If Isa Isban is connected with such a gang, I am certain it is againsther will."
Then he thought how, when she had discovered that he had plenty ofmoney, she had hastened to get him to change two fifty-dollar bills, andhis faith was shaken.
"It looks bad," he confessed.
As he approached the place where he had left Bart on guard over thehouse in which the girl was believed to be, he passed a livery stable.He was hurrying on when some one ran out of the stable and clutched himby the arm.
"Just in time!" palpitated the voice of Bart Hodge.
"Hello!" exclaimed Frank, surprised. "Just in time for what?"
"They're gone!"
"Who?"
"Vida Melburn and that man."
"Gone where?"
"Taken the lake road. Something has caused them to hustle out on thejump. I do not believe they are coming back here."
"Then we must follow."
"Sure."
"How----"
"Here--in the stable. I have ordered a horse. We'll have two. They'llnot slip us easily."
"How did they travel?"
"Horseback."
"How much of a start?"
"Twenty minutes."
Together the boys ran back into the stable, and another horse wasordered saddled.
"Look here," cried Frank, displaying his money. "We wish to overtakesome people who have a start on us. Give us the best animal in thestable."
The proprietor of the stable was on hand, and he looked the boys overdoubtfully.
"How do I know I'll ever see my critters again?" he asked.
"We'll make a deposit," declared Frank. "We'll stick up a hundreddollars apiece on 'em. If they are worth more you can afford to takechances. If we're horse thieves you won't have much trouble in tracingus. Besides that, horse thieves do not work in this way. If they didthey'd get the worst end most of the time, for they'd have to chance iton the horses being worth a hundred each."
The proprietor was rather bewildered. He believed something was wrong,but still he did not wish to refuse to let the boys have the horses.
The money was counted out and thrust into his hands.
"Hustle!" cried Merriwell. "We can't afford to lose a moment."
The stable-keeper roared out an order to his assistants. The horse thatBart had ordered was quickly brought out, ready for mounting, and thenhe was followed by another, onto which a saddle was flung. Frank lookedthe animals over with a critical eye.
"They'll do," he said, approvingly.
In a few seconds the lads were mounted and dashing away from the stable.The proprietor stood looking after them, doubt written on his face.
"Gee whiz!" he muttered. "I never thought of that! Bet I've made aderned fool of myself! Well, I reckon I'll git the critters back."
"What is it you did not think of?" he was asked.
"Why, it's remarkable kids like them should be so flush with money. Andthey looked scared. They're runnin' away. I reckon they've been stealin'an' they wuz hustlin' to get away before they wus arrested."
The boys disappeared down the street.
Frank allowed Bart to take the lead.
"I suppose you know the shortest cut to the lake road?" he asked.
"I do," said Bart. "You follow close, that's all."
As they rode, Frank related his adventure in the bank.
Bart whistled in astonishment.
"Bogus money?" he cried. "And you received it of the girl? That isstrange."
"It looks bad," said Frank.
"I don't understand it. How do you suppose she happened to have it? It'snot at all probable she knew what it was."
"I am not so sure of that."
The dark-eyed boy gave his companion a reproving look.
"She is as innocent as a flower! I will not believe she could do such athing! But she is in trouble."
They were regarded with some surprise as they dashed along the streets.The citizens wondered why two boys were riding at such speed. A sleepypoliceman shouted at them, but they gave him no heed.
Soon they came to the outskirts of the city. Before them lay the lakeroad.
"This is the way they came?" questioned Frank.
"Sure," nodded Bart. "They are somewhere ahead."
"What makes you think they are skipping the city? It strikes me they maybe simply out for a canter. Perhaps they are going to take a look atTahoe up there among the mountains."
"They did not buy horses for a canter of a few hours."
"They bought horses?"
"Yes."
"Then it is pretty certain they have no notion of coming back to Carson.You have a level head, my boy. Forward!"
The road became rugged and steep. They were looking for a mounted manand girl in advance, and they constantly urged forward their sweatinghorses.
"I do not see anything of them."
"The road crooks away up yonder, so they would be hidden. They havequite a start, and they are in a hurry."
A cloud of dust rose behind the galloping horses, drifting away to theleft. The road was rough, but the boys did not mind that.
"Tahoe must be on the top of a mountain," grumbled Bart, after a time.
"It is six thousand, two hundred and eight feet above the level of thesea," said Frank. "That is elevated somewhat."
"I should say so. It must be the highest body of water in this country,if not in the world."
"It is higher than the peaks of many lofty mountains."
"And this so-called 'lake road' is hardly better than an ordinary trail.We are in for a hard pull of it."
"But the ones we are pursuing are in for just as hard a pull."
"That's right, and one of them is a girl."
The mountains loomed formidably before them. The bleak heights seemed toblock their way. But the road wound onward and upward, and they followedit.
"What was that?" questioned Frank
.
"What? I did not hear anything."
"It sounded like a cry. There it is again."
"I heard it that time. It did not seem to be ahead of us, and so it----Great Scott! Look back!"
Frank looked back down the road. Far away, several horsemen were ridingtoward them. They were urging forward their animals, and the sunlightglinted on polished weapons.
"We are pursued, partner!" said Frank, grimly. "We are in for a hotchase."