CHAPTER VII.
A FRUITLESS PURSUIT.
For a few seconds the other boys did not know whether Jerry was jokingor in earnest. But when he did not return in a little while they knew hemust have meant what he said.
"I don't see anything of Noddy," spoke Ned, looking out of the windowwhence Jerry had spied their enemy.
"It's getting too dark to see anything," said Bob.
"Well, I guess if Jerry said he saw Noddy he meant it," put in Andy. "Ihope he catches him and gives him a good thrashing!"
"Well, boys," exclaimed Mr. Wakefield at that instant, entering theirroom, "are you all ready for supper?"
"We are," answered Ned.
"Where is Jerry?" asked the athletic instructor, looking around.
"He went out for a little while," replied Ned, quickly, not wishing tostate Jerry's real errand. "I guess he'll be back in a short time."
"He doesn't know his way around New York; I hope he will not get lost,"spoke Mr. Wakefield.
"Trust Jerry to find his way back," said Ned.
Then the party went down to supper without waiting for the missingmember. Meanwhile, Jerry was in hot pursuit of Noddy.
"I wonder what he is doing in New York?" thought Jerry, as he jumpedinto an elevator that was just going down, and got out on the groundfloor.
The boy ran out into the street and glanced in the direction he hadseen Noddy taking. The thoroughfare was not crowded, and, though it wasgetting quite dark, Jerry caught a glimpse of Noddy's back.
"I'll catch him and ask him what he meant about that note he wrote,threatening to get even with us," he thought, as he hurried on.
Noddy had quite a start, and Jerry had some difficulty in getting closeto him. He lost a little time at a street crossing, where there were anumber of vehicles, and Noddy got farther ahead. Jerry broke into a runwhen he saw a passage, and hurried on.
Noddy happened to glance back just as Jerry passed beneath an electriclight, and seeing he was pursued, started forward at a rapid rate.
The pursuit was getting hot. They had passed from a busy part of thecity and were on a street containing only old buildings. There wereless people, too, and Jerry had a good view of Noddy.
Suddenly Noddy turned, shook his fist, and disappeared into adilapidated tenement house, which he was in front of at the time. Witha cry, Jerry bounded forward. As he entered the hallway he bumped intoa roughly dressed man, as he could see by the dim light of a lampsuspended at the rear end of the passage.
"Now, then, wot's all this rush about?" demanded the man.
"I beg your pardon," said Jerry, halting.
"Be you the doctor?" asked the man.
"The doctor? No. Why?"
"'Cause he's took bad, an' we've sent fer the doctor. I t'ought you washim."
"Who's sick?" inquired the boy, forgetting for the moment what hadbrought him to the place.
"He's an old miner. I don't know him, but he come to me, sick an' deadbroke, an' I let him sleep in my room. He's off his trolley, I guess,but he says his name is Jim Nestor."
"Jim Nestor!" exclaimed Jerry. He remembered that was the name of theminer in the hut, whom Pender had robbed.
"That's the name he gave."
"Off his trolley?" went on the youth, wondering what form of diseasethat was.
"Yep. Nutty, you know; bug-house, wheels, crazy, if that suits youbetter."
"Oh!" replied Jerry, understanding.
"If you ain't the doc. no use of me wastin' my time on you," the manwent on. "I'll have to chase out after one."
"I saw the sign of a doctor's office a little way back on this street asI came along," volunteered the boy. "I'll go and stay with the man whileyou run there."
"Bully for you!" said the man. "Some of the people in this house isafraid of him 'cause he talks in his sleep. You'll find him on thesecond floor front."
Jerry went up. In a dimly lighted room he saw an old man lying on a bed,covered with ragged quilts. One glance showed Jerry that the man was theminer who had mysteriously disappeared from the hut when they sought toaid him.
Suddenly the sick man opened his eyes. He looked sharply at Jerry andexclaimed:
"Oh, you've come back, have you? Where is the boy who took my gold?"
"He got away," explained Jerry, realizing that the sick man was in hisright senses, for a time at least.
"I remember you," went on the miner. "You and some other boys helped meafter I was struck. You left me alone in the cabin. I was afraid theone who took my gold would come back, so I crawled out. The air made mefeel better. I walked to the railroad, got on a freight train, and camehere. Then I got sick again.
"Gold! gold! gold!" exclaimed the miner, suddenly. "I see it all around.Millions and millions of it! There is gold for all of us! Do not rob me!"
Jerry knew the man was wandering again. Just then the doctor came in andJerry, after promising to come back, hurried around to the hotel, wherehe found his friends worried over his absence. He explained about hischase and the finding of the mysterious miner.
"Did you catch Noddy?" asked Andy.
"I forgot all about him when I saw Nestor," replied Jerry. "I guessNoddy got away, all right, probably out of a back door."
"What are you going to do about the miner?" asked Mr. Wakefield, aftersupper.
"I'd like to befriend him if we could," said Jerry. "He seems like anhonest man."
"I'll go around and see him," remarked the athletic instructor. "Perhapswe can arrange to do something for him."
It was quite late that night when Mr. Wakefield returned from his visitto Jim Nestor. He found the boys up waiting for him.
"It's a queer story," said Mr. Wakefield. "Part of it I want you tohear for yourselves from him, part I will tell you. It seems that JamesNestor, which is his name, found quite a rich claim out in Arizona. Hestaked it out and, with some of the gold in his possession, came Eastto see if he could find a former partner he wanted to share in his goodluck.
"He reached Cresville and there he was taken sick. He went to the oldhut, where you found him, and there, while he was helpless, some one,whom you boys know to be Jack Pender, came along and robbed him.
"Nestor made his way to New York, after his mysterious disappearancefrom the hut, and he found poor but faithful friends in the tenementhouse."
"What part of the story do you want him to tell us himself?" asked Ned.
"About his claim--his gold mine," said Mr. Wakefield. "I would ratheryou get that from him direct."
"Is he very sick?" asked Jerry.
"The doctor thinks he will be around in a few days."
"And what do you propose?" asked Bob, who could see that Mr. Wakefieldhad something on his mind.
"I think if you boys are going to make a western trip you cannot dobetter than take this miner along with you," answered the gentleman."I talked to him about it, after the doctor had given him some quietingmedicine, and he said he would be glad of a chance to get out West."
"Shall we wait here until he gets well?" asked Jerry.
"My plan would be for you boys to make up his fare to Chicago," said Mr.Wakefield, "and let him join you there, say in a week. You can go byauto and he can go by train."
This plan met with the approval of the three chums. They made up a pursefor Jim Nestor and arranged for Mr. Wakefield to take it to the miner.The latter did so, and planned for the miner to come on to Chicago whenhe was well and strong.
"The boys will put up at the Grand Hotel," said Mr. Wakefield, passingover the money, which was to be Nestor's fare to Chicago.
"And I'll meet 'em there an' put 'em up against the greatest propositionthey ever heard of," promised the miner.