CHAPTER XIV.
HOW CASPER WAS SERVED.
"Come on, now, and remember what I told you," said Claus, getting onhis feet. "There they go! All we have to do, now, is to go in thereand get the valises. You know where they sat, don't you?"
Casper glanced toward the front end of the car, and saw Julian andJack step down and hurry toward the dining-room. Claus waited untilmost of the passengers got off, and then, with a motion to Casper tofollow him, he went boldly forward and climbed the steps. He openedthe door, and, when Casper went in, he said,
"Now tell me exactly where they sat, so that I can pick up the valiseswithout exciting anybody's suspicions."
"Do you see that red-faced man sitting on the right-hand side?"whispered Casper. "And do you see those valises in the rack directlyin front him? Well, they are the ones you want."
"All right! We will have them out of there in a jiffy."
"I don't like the way that man looks at us," Casper ventured toremark; "perhaps he knows them."
"It don't make any difference to me whether he does or not. If he saysanything to us, we will tell him the valises belong to us, and that wehave come after them."
Calling a smile to his face, Claus went down the passage-way, lookingat the various valises stowed away in the racks. When he arrivedopposite the seat where Julian had sat before he left the train, alook of surprise spread over his countenance, and he stepped in andtook them down, one after the other.
"These are ours, ain't they?" he asked, turning to Casper.
"Yes--they are the ones."
"I don't see what those boys put them in here for. Now we will takecharge of them ourselves."
He passed one valise to Casper, who took it and made his way out ofthe car, while Claus kept close at his heels.
"Now we want to go somewhere and get out of sight as soon as we can,"said Casper, looking around guiltily, and almost expecting a policemanto take him by the collar. "I shall not feel easy until this traingoes."
"Well, we don't want to get out of sight just yet," said Claus. "Thatred-faced man kept his eyes on us, didn't he? Let us see what he willmake of it now."
"Why, Claus, you are not going in there?" queried Casper, when hiscompanion led the way toward the waiting-room. "Julian and Jack wentin there, and they will be certain to discover us."
"No, they won't. You follow me, and do just as I do."
Casper turned his eyes and looked back at the train. There was thered-faced man, sitting by the car window, closely watching all theirmovements, and when he saw them enter the waiting-room into whichJulian and Jack had gone a few moments before, his suspicions, if hehad any, were set at rest, and he settled back in his seat and pickedup a newspaper which he had just purchased. Claus kept on to thewaiting-room, but he did not stop when he got there. He kept right onthrough and went out at the other door, and after walking briskly fora few minutes, and turning several corners until he was sure that thedepot had been left out of sight, he seated himself on the steps of adeserted house, took off his hat, and wiped his forehead.
"It was not such an awful thing to get those valises, after all," saidhe. "When that train goes, we will go and get our breakfast."
"But I would like to know what is in those valises first," saidCasper. "I tell you, you are fooled. I have felt this valise all overon the outside, and there is nothing in it that feels like a box."
"I don't suppose you could feel anything of that kind in it, because Idon't believe the box was put in there," said Claus. "My only hope isthat they took the papers out of the box and put them in here;consequently they left the box at home."
"Good enough!" exclaimed Casper, catching up his valise and feelingthe outside of it, to see if he could feel anything that seemed likepapers that were stowed away on the inside of it; "I never thought ofthat. Now, how shall we go to work to get the valises open? I haven'ta key in my pocket that will fit them."
"I haven't, either; but as soon as we get our breakfast we will go upthe road a little distance and cut them open. These gripsacks willnever be worth anything to anybody after we get done with them."
Even while they were talking in this way they heard the shriek of thewhistle twice, followed by the ringing of the bell, and knew thattheir train was getting ready to start on again; whereupon Claus gotup and said he was as hungry as a wolf, and that he must procure abreakfast somewhere.
"I shall not eat much till I find out what those valises are hidingfrom us," said Casper. "It would be just dreadful if we should fail,after all the trouble we have been to."
By the time they got back to the depot the train was well under way;but Claus went out and looked after it, to satisfy himself that thecoast was clear. Then they placed their valises in charge of the clerkat the desk, enjoyed a good wash, and went in and took their seats atthe table. Their meal was a better one than they had had served up tothem at St. Louis, especially when they were hard up for money; and,after taking their time in eating it, Claus settled the bill, took hisvalise, and started up the railroad track.
"Have you a cigar?" he asked, before they had gone a great ways. "Thatis all right. We will go on until we get into that sagebrush, and thenwe will stop and look into these things. I will take just a hundredthousand dollars for my find."
"I'll bet you will take less than that," said Casper; for, somehow, hecould not get over the idea that the box had been sent by express."There is nothing in them that you want."
It did not take them more than a quarter of an hour to get into thesagebrush; and, after looking all around to make sure that there wasno one in sight, they stepped down from the track and seatedthemselves on the bank beside it. Claus did not waste any time intrying his keys upon the valise, but stretched out his legs and puthis hand into his pocket, and when he pulled it out again he held aknife in it.
"The shortest way is the best," said he, thrusting the blade into thevalise he held in his hand. "Come out here, now, and let us see whatyou have."
His knife made short work of the valise, but nothing in the way ofpapers could be found. It was Jack's valise that he had destroyed, andall he found in it was a brush and comb, and half a dozenhandkerchiefs.
"I just knew how it would be," said Casper, despairingly. "You willfind the same things in here."
He had never seen Claus look so angry and disappointed as he was atthat moment. With a spiteful kick of one foot he sent the valise outof sight in the sagebrush, and was about to send the other things tokeep it company, when he happened to think of something.
"I guess I'll keep the handkerchiefs and brush and comb for the goodthey may do me," said he. "Where's your valise?"
Casper handed it over, and in a moment more that valise was a wreck,also. They found things in it similar to those found in Jack'sgripsack, with the exception of a book which Julian had purchased toread on his journey, the leaves of which were uncut. Casper tookpossession of the handkerchiefs and the brush and comb, while Clausslowly rolled up the book and sat with his eyes fastened on theground. He was mad--Casper could easily see that, and he dared notinterrupt his train of thought. Claus sat for some moments communingwith his own thoughts, then broke into a whistle and got upon hisfeet.
"To say that I am disappointed, and angry, too, would not half expressmy feelings," said he, pulling off his hat with one hand and digginghis fingers into his head with the other. "I did not suppose theywould send those papers by express, for I know it is something that Iwould not have done. I would have kept them by me all the while, sothat I could see that they were safe. Now, the next thing is todetermine upon something else."
"Do you intend to make another effort to get the money?" asked Casper,very much surprised. "Your 'three times and out' did not amount toanything--did it?"
"No, I don't suppose it did," said Claus, who was evidently thinkingabout something else. "I guess you have done about all you can do, andso you had better go back to St. Louis."
This was nothing more than Casper expected. He had his ten doll
arsstowed away somewhere about his clothes, together with small sumswhich he had saved from the amount that Claus had paid him, and so hecould pay his way back to St. Louis easily enough; but what should hedo when he got there? He shuddered when he thought of it. Here waswinter coming on, and unless he should obtain work very soon he wouldhave to go out to where his mother lived, which was all of two hundredand fifty miles from there. And what should he say when he got home?He had gone to St. Louis with big boasts of what he intended to dowhen he got there, and for him to turn up penniless and friendless athis mother's house was rather more than he had bargained for.
"And what will _you_ do?" asked Casper.
"I haven't had time to think the matter over," said Claus, who wasrather surprised that his companion took his discharge, or whateveryou might call it, so easily, "but I think I shall go on to Denver."
"And I can't be of any use to you there?"
"No, I don't think you can. I may not be back to the city before nextspring."
"I wish you would tell me what you are going to do when you get there.You can't get the box; that will be safe in the bank."
"But perhaps I can pass myself off for Mr. Haberstro. I have some ofhis cards in my pocket."
"But you will only get yourself into trouble if you try that game.There are people out there who know Haberstro."
"Well, that is so," said Claus, looking reflectively at the ground. "Ishall have to think up some way to get around that. At any rate, youcannot be of any further use to me, and so you had better start by thenext train."
"Well, you had better give me some money before you turn me off inthis way," said Casper. "How am I going to get back to the citywithout money?"
"Where is that ten dollars you got out of the telegraph office whenyour time was up?" asked Claus, who did not like it whenever thesubject of giving some of his hard earnings was brought up before him."You have not spent all of that, I know."
"Yes, I have. I have just a quarter, and there it is," said Casper,pulling out of his pocket the coin in question.
"I wish to goodness I had never seen you!" said Claus, shoving hishand into the pocket in which he kept his money. Casper heard thejingling of some silver pieces, and thought that perhaps his companionmight be tempted to give him a few dollars. That would be better thannothing, and he would have some money left when he reached St. Louis."If I had never seen you, I would have more dollars left in my pocketthan I have now," said Claus, bringing out a handful of small change.
Casper said nothing in reply. He wanted to see how much Claus wasgoing to give him; and, once he had the money in his hand, he couldtalk to him as he pleased.
"There are five dollars that I will give you, and you need not ask mefor any more," said Claus, counting out the money; "for, if you do,you won't get it."
"I don't know whether five dollars will pay my fare to St. Louis ornot," said Casper. "Give me six."
"No, sir; that's all I have to spare. It will take you so close to thecity that you can easily walk in," said Claus, turning on his heel andstarting toward the town they had just left. "You can walk twenty-fivemiles very easily."
It was right on the point of Casper's tongue to "open out" on Claus,and give him as good as he sent. Wouldn't he have had more dollars in_his_ pocket if he had never met the man who was anxious at all timesto play a game of billiards or pool with him, especially on pay-day,when Casper was known to have money in his pocket? But, on thinkingthe matter over, he decided that he would say nothing about it. Clauswas a pretty big man, and there was no knowing what he would do if theboy made him angrier than he was now.
"He is going to be fooled again," said Casper, as he fell in behindClaus, who walked toward the town as if he were in an awful hurry toget there. "What good will it do him to go on to Denver? He can't getthe box there, neither can he cheat Julian out of his money. Julianwill find any amount of friends there--I never heard of a boy with ahundred thousand dollars in his pocket who could not find somebody tostand by him--and they will tell him what to do. Oh! why did I make sogreat a mistake! I ought to have started for Denver the moment I gotmy hands on that box. Well, I got five dollars out of Claus, anyhow."
Casper sauntered along behind Claus, who was walking rapidly, andwhen he reached the depot he looked all around for his companion, butfailed to see him. Claus had gone off somewhere, and Casper was therealone.