CHAPTER XIII.
GETTING READY FOR WORK.
"I know just what you are going to do," repeated Casper, as he randown the stairs--"you are going to steal the box, and leave me out onthe prairie to get back the best way I can. For two cents I would nothave anything to do with it."
But in spite of this resolution, Casper, as soon as he reached thestreet, turned his gaze in every direction in the hope of findingJulian and Jack; but the boys had disappeared. He walked along thestreets looking everywhere for them, and finally came to a standstillopposite Julian's room.
"They will have to come here some time, and I will just take my standhere in this door and watch for them," said Casper. "They will nottake that box with them, anyhow; it is much too valuable to lug aboutin a valise. They will send it by express."
This was something that had occurred to Casper on the spur of themoment, and he thought seriously of going back to Claus with it; but,on the whole, he decided to keep still about it. He was getting thirtycents a day for doing nothing, and he did not want to bring that to anend too speedily. Claus had plenty of money. Casper had seen theinside of his pocketbook when he took it out to pay him his money, andhe might as well have thirty cents of it as not.
At the end of three hours Casper saw the carriage coming up thestreet. He was certain that he was right in his suspicions, becausecarriages of that description were not often seen in that by-street;and, more than that, there was a trunk perched in front of the driver.He drew up in front of Julian's room, and a moment afterward the boysgot out. Casper saw the driver catch up the trunk and carry itupstairs, and presently he came down again, mounted to his box, anddisappeared up the street.
"They are gentlemen now, and of course they could not carry that trunkupstairs," sneered Casper, coming out of his concealment. "Now, Iwish I knew when they are going to start. If things were all rightbetween Julian and myself I would go upstairs and find out; but as itis, I guess I had better keep away; he would not tell me, anyhow. Istole that box from him once, and that was where I missed it. I oughtto have gone to Denver at once."
After some time spent in rapid walking, Casper once more found himselfin the pool-room, and saw Claus busy with his game. Claus drew off onone side, while Casper whispered the result of his investigations tohim.
"That is all right," said he, and a smile overspread his face. "Youare much better at watching than I thought you were. Wait until I getthrough here and I will give you a cigar."
"But, Claus, though they had a valise apiece in their hands, they haveno idea of carrying the box in them," said Casper; "it is toovaluable."
"That's the very reason they will take it with them," whisperedClaus. "They will not trust it out of their sight."
"I'll bet you that they will send it by express," answered Casper;"that is what I should do with it."
"But all persons are not as careful as you are," said Claus; and heturned to take his shot at the game.
"You need not think you can soft-sawder me in that style," thoughtCasper, as he backed toward a chair and took his seat to see how thegame was coming out. "You have some other little trick that you wantme to play. Well, if it is not too dangerous I'll do it; if it is, Iwon't."
"There is nothing more that we can do to-night, but I shall expect tosee you bright and early to-morrow morning," resumed Claus, as hefinished his game and hung the cue up in its proper place. "Here is adollar. You may get yourself all the cigars you want."
"Thank you for nothing," said Casper to himself, as he turned to leavethe room. "The last game I played with you you got an even fivedollars out of me. This does not make me straight with you by a longway."
Casper did not rise bright and early the next morning, because he didnot think there was any need of it. He spent a quarter of Claus'sdollar for breakfast, smoked a cigar, and strolled leisurely down tothe telegraph office. He was just in time to see Julian and Jackcoming out. The face of the former wore a very sad expression, andthere was a suspicious redness about his eyes, which looked as thoughhe had been crying.
"By gracious! I don't think I would shed tears if I were in yourplace," said Casper, in disgust. "And you are going away with ahundred thousand dollars in your pocket! It beats me, how many peoplego to make up a world! Julian has been bidding them good-bye in there,and so he must be getting ready to go off very soon. Now I will go andsee Claus."
Casper found his companion in guilt at the very place he said he wouldbe; and, for a wonder, he was sitting there alone, in one corner ofthe room. He told what he had seen, adding that Julian could not keepback his tears when he came out.
"We'll give him something to cry for when he goes out of that car,"said Claus, with a wink; "he will be just a fortune out of pocket."
Casper had several times been on the point of asking Claus how he wasgoing to work in order to secure to himself the full possession of allthat property. He thought there would have to be some legal stepstaken before the agent, or whoever had charge of those blocks ofbuildings, would be willing for Claus to call them all his own.Suppose the agent should write to some of the many friends he waspresumed to have in Chicago, and should get no answer from them; whatwould Claus do then? All the friends he had were in St. Louis; he didnot know anybody in Chicago, and consequently he would receive a checkat the very start. If the German thought of this, he did not sayanything about it. He wanted first to get the box, and then he couldsettle these things afterward.
"Well, there is only one thing for you to do now," said Claus, afterthinking the matter over; "you must stay around Julian's room, andwait for them to go to the depot. You will find me right here."
"I shall want a cigar to smoke in the meantime," said Casper.
It was right on the end of Claus's tongue to make a flat refusal, butthere was something in Casper's eye, which he turned full upon him,that made him hesitate. He growled out something about not being madeof money, but finally put his hand into his pocket and producedanother dollar.
"You need not mutter so lustily every time I ask you for money," saidCasper to himself as he left the pool-room. "I will have to give upthis business before long, and I am going to make all I can."
Casper went straight to a restaurant and got his dinner, and with acigar for company took up his usual hiding-place in the doorway andwaited to see what was going to happen. He stayed there until fouro'clock in the afternoon, and then began to grow interested. He sawJulian come out and hasten away, and something told him that he hadgone for a carriage. But why was it that Casper got so mad, and threwhis cigar spitefully down upon the pavement? Julian was dressed in asuit of new clothes, and he looked like a young gentleman in it. Thesuit that Casper wore was the only one he had, and when that was gonehe did not know what he should do to get another.
"That fellow must have received a good many tips while he was in theoffice," muttered Casper, "or else he saved his money. I wish togoodness I had saved mine, instead of giving it all to Claus."
Julian soon came back with a carriage, and it became evident that theywere going to take the train for Denver. Julian and the hackman wentupstairs, and when the boys came down again they each wore atraveling-coat and had a small valise in their hands. They got intothe carriage and were driven away for the depot.
"Now, then, I am going to see if Claus is fooled," thought Casper, ashe hurried off in another direction. "The box is not in thosegripsacks; they are not large enough. Now, you mark what I tell you."
"What's the news?" said Claus, who was loitering at one of the windowsof the pool-room. "Did you see them go?" he asked, in a whisper.
"I did," answered Casper. "We have just time to get down there, andthat is all. You are making a mistake by not taking some baggagealong."
"No, I am not. We shall go as far as the station at which thepassengers take breakfast, and then we will stop and come back. Thatis as far as we want to go."
"And come back as empty-handed as we went," said Casper to himself."I'll bet there won't be anything worth
having in those valises."
It took Claus and Casper a long time to walk to the depot, althoughthey went with all the speed they could command; but when, at last,they got there, they found that the ticket office was not open. It wasno trouble at all for them to find the boys whom they were seeking;they occupied a couple of seats in the gentlemen's waiting-room,sitting pretty close together, too, and were engaged in earnestconversation.
"Those are the ones, are they not?" questioned Claus. "They aredressed up so fine that I would not have known them."
"Yes; they have new clothes on," said Casper. "They are going off asthough they were business men starting out on a vacation."
"That is the way we will travel when we get our money," said Claus,with a wink.
"And when we do get it you may go your way and I will go mine," saidCasper to himself; "I am not going to stay around where you are allthe while bothering me to play a game with you. I am going to save mymoney; that's what I will do."
It was shortly after they reached the depot that the ticket office wasopened, and Julian went to purchase tickets for himself and companion.Casper watched them until they were safe in the train, and then Clausbought two tickets for Casper and himself, and they took seats in thecar behind Julian's. In that way they would keep out of sight. Theydid not intend to show themselves until the train stopped forbreakfast the next morning, and then they would show themselves tosome purpose.
The night was a long and wearisome one to Casper, who did not onceclose his eyes in slumber. He was wondering what was going to be theresult of this new scheme of theirs, and telling himself over and overagain that it would not amount to anything. It did not look reasonablethat the boys should carry their box in a valise, and leave it behindwhen they went to breakfast while there was so much in it that neededtheir constant care.
"And then, after he gets the valises and finds that there is nothingin them, that is the time for me to look out," thought Casper. "Hewon't get away from me if I have to stay awake for two or three nightsto watch him."
Finally, to Casper's immense relief, day began to dawn and some of thewakeful passengers to bestir themselves. He arranged his hair with theaid of a comb which he had in his pocket, and then sat on the seatand waited impatiently for Claus to wake up. All night long the Germanhad slumbered heavily, as though he felt at peace with himself and allthe world. That was something that Casper could not understand. Herehe was, fully intending to steal a fortune from a boy who had comehonestly by it, and yet he could sleep peacefully and quietly over it!
"I wonder if I shall be the way he is?" soliloquized Casper. "I willtry this once, and if we don't get the box I will go back and go towork--that's the best thing I can do."
It was not long before a brakeman came in and told them that they wereapproaching the place where they would be allowed fifteen minutes forbreakfast; whereupon Casper leaned over and shook Claus by theshoulder.
"It was time you were getting up," said he in a whisper; "it is timeto go to work."
"I heard every word that was said," said Claus. "This is the place towhich I bought tickets, and it is as far as we shall go. Go forward,and see if they are in the car ahead of us."
"But suppose they see me?" said Casper.
"You must not let them see you. Keep out of their sight. If they leavetheir valises behind when they go out to breakfast, it is all I want."
Casper went, but he walked slowly, as if he did it under protest. Whenhe arrived at the end of the car he found he could not see anythingfrom there, so he opened the door and went out on the platform. He wasgone a good while, but when he came back his face told Claus all hewished to know.
"They are there," Casper whispered, "and are getting ready to go out.I saw the valises in the rack over their seats."
"That's all right. Now, when we go out you must keep close behind me.I will come in at the front end of the car as if I had a perfect rightthere, and if I say anything to you, you must just nod your head."
"What must I do that for?" asked Casper.
"Because there may be somebody looking. I want to convince everybodythat I have a right to the valises. Now, you go on ahead, and do as Itell you."
Casper did not approve of this plan at all. The understanding betweenhim and the German was that he was to have no hand in stealing thevalises, but this looked as though he was the prime mover in theaffair. Before he could make any further objection the cars stopped,the gong sounded for breakfast, and the passengers began to movetoward the door.