CHAPTER XXIII
THE MAN'S STORY
There was a great splash, and the man disappeared under the water. It alloccurred suddenly, and the man must have made up his mind quickly that hehad not a chance to stay on the trestle when the train passed over it.
"He'll be killed!" cried Mollie. "Oh, Betty, what can we do?"
"Nothing, if he really is killed," answered the practical Little Captain."But he jumped like a man who knew how to do it, and how to dive. Thewater is deep there."
"Come on!" cried Amy, for once taking the initiative, and she dartedtoward the bank of the stream.
"There he is!" cried Betty. "He's come up!"
As she spoke, the man's head bobbed into view, and, giving himself ashake to rid his eyes of water, he struck out for the shore.
"Oh, he's swimming! He's swimming!" Mollie exclaimed. "We must get him arope--a plank--anything! We'll help you!" she called, and she ran aboutalmost hysterically.
The man was now swimming with long, even strokes. He seemed at home inthe water, even with his clothes on, and the long jump had evidently notinjured him in the least.
He reached the bank, climbed up, and stood dripping before the four youngtravelers.
"Whew!" he gasped, taking off his coat and wringing some water from it."That was some jump! I had to do it, though!"
"Indeed you were fortunate," said Betty. "Are you hurt?"
"Not a bit--a little shaken up, that's all. I should not have been onthat bridge, as a section hand warned me a train was due, and the trestleis very narrow. But I was taking a short cut. Railroads seem to bring mebad luck. This is the second time, in a little while, that I've hadtrouble on this same line."
Grace was rummaging about in the valise she carried.
"Where's our alcohol stove?" she demanded, of Mollie.
"Why? What do you want of it?"
"I'm going to make him a cup of hot chocolate. He must need it;poor fellow!"
"I'll help you," said Mollie, and the two set up the little heatingapparatus in the lee of a big rock.
"Are you sure you're not hurt?" asked Betty, anxiously.
"Oh, I'm all right," the man assured the girls. "I wish I had some dryclothes. This is about the only suit I have. However, the sun will soondry them, but they'll need pressing."
"We're making you some chocolate," spoke Grace. "It will be ready soon,and keep you from getting cold."
The man--he was young and good-looking--smiled, showing his even,white teeth.
"You seemed prepared for emergencies," he said to Betty. "Are youprofessional travelers?"
"Just on a walking tour. We're from Deepdale. We're going home to-morrow,after stopping over night in Judgeville. We were just going to get ournoon-day lunch when we saw you jump."
"Indeed," remarked the young man, who was now wringing out his vest."From Deepdale; eh? I've been through there on the train. This line runsthere; doesn't it?" and he motioned to the one he had so hastily left.
"Yes," answered Betty. "But we never walk the track--though we did oncefor a short distance."
"And we found a broken rail, and told a flagman and he said the trainmight have been wrecked," remarked Amy.
It was the first she had spoken in some time. The young man looked at hersharply--rather too long a look, Betty thought; but there was nothingimpertinent in it.
"Railroads--or, rather, this one--have been the cause of two unpleasantexperiences to me," the young man went on. "I was nearly injured justnow, and not long ago I lost quite a sum of money on this line."
At the mention of money Betty started. The others looked at her.
"How did it happen?" asked Betty, and then of a sudden she stared at theyoung man. "Excuse me, but, but--haven't we met before?" she stammered.
"Sure!" he answered, readily. "You young ladies were kind enough to shareyour lunch with me one day."
"Oh!" cried Mollie. "But you--you looked different then!"
"You had a mustache and long hair," murmured Amy.
"That's right, so I did. But I had my hair cut day before yesterday andthe mustache taken off. Changes me quite a lot; doesn't it?"
"Yes," replied Betty. "But you were saying something about losing moneyon this line," she added, quickly.
"Well, I was on my way to New York, expecting to complete a businessdeal. I fell asleep in the car, for I was quite tired, and I guess I hadbeen thinking pretty hard on that business matter. You see a fellowoffered me an option on a small, but good, concern, for four hundreddollars. I knew if I could clinch the deal, and get the option, that somefriends of mine would invest in it, and I'd have a good thing for myself.
"Well, as I say, I fell asleep. Then I dreamed someone was trying to getmy pocketbook. It was a sort of nightmare, and I guess I struggled withthe dream-robber. Then, all of a sudden, I woke up, and--"
"Was your pocketbook gone?" asked Mollie.
"No, but my money was. And that was the funny part of it. How anyonecould get the money without taking the pocketbook I couldn't see.And there wasn't anyone in the car with me but a boy--a peddler, Ithink he was."
The girls looked at each other. Matters were beginning to fit togethermost strangely.
"I didn't know what to do," the young man went on. "I didn't want to sayanything that would seem as if I accused the boy, and I felt the sameabout the trainmen. I knew if I said the money had been taken and thepocketbook left they would only laugh at me. I was all knocked out, andhardly knew what I was doing. I jumped off the train, and went back overthe line, thinking the bill might have blown out of the window. But--"
"That is just what did happen!" cried Betty.
"What's that?" the man exclaimed, excitedly.
"I say that is exactly what happened!" went on the Little Captain. "Atleast, that is how I account for it."
"What sort of a bill did you lose?" asked Mollie, trying not toget excited.
"It was one of five hundred dollars, and--"
"Did it have a--anything pinned to it?" exclaimed Betty.
"It did--a note. Wait, I can tell you what it said on it." He hesitated amoment and then repeated word for word the writing on the note pinned tothe bill the girls had picked up. "But I don't see how you know this!" headded, wonderingly.
"We know--because we found your five hundred dollar bill!" exclaimedBetty.