Dave Porter in the Gold Fields; Or, The Search for the Landslide Mine — John Shaqi
Dave Porter in the Gold Fields; Or, The Search for the Landslide MineStratemeyer, Edward
General
Dave Porter in the Gold Fields; Or, The Search for the Landslide Mine
Stratemeyer, Edward
Detective and mystery stories; Gold mines and mining -- Juvenile fiction; Miners -- Juvenile fiction; Western stories
The porter was closely questioned, but could give no very good
description of the man who had presented the order for the suit-case.
"I was busy--waitin' on an old lady wot was sick," he explained. "I jess
read that order and got the suit-case, and he went off in a hurry. I'm
mighty sorry I let him have the bag. But he had the order, all signed,"
and the porter rolled his eyes mournfully.
"I can't say that I blame you," answered Roger. "But after this----"
"I won't give away nuffin to nobody," cried the porter, quickly.
The matter was talked over for several minutes, and then it was time for
the train to leave Chicago. The paper looked as if it might be in Link
Merwell's handwriting and the boys concluded that he was the guilty
party. Probably he had come to the train, knowing our friends were away
on the sight-seeing tour, and possibly he had been disguised, maybe with
a false mustache, or wig, or both. The porter was almost certain the man
had worn a heavy black mustache.
"Well, all I lost was one suit of clothes, some shirts and collars, a
few neckties and some underclothes, and a comb and brush, and
toothbrush," remarked Roger, when the train was once more on its way.
"It's a total loss of about sixty dollars."
"Maybe you can make the railroad pay it," suggested Shadow.
"Perhaps. But I am thankful that those rascals didn't get what they were
after. They must have thought I carried those papers in the suit-case."
Such was indeed the truth, and it was Merwell who had forged Roger's
signature and gotten the traveling bag. It may be added here that, later
on, the railroad company offered to pay for the loss of the suit-case
and its contents, doing this very promptly when it was learned that the
loser was the son of a United States senator.
On and on rolled the excursion train, and after the excitement attending
the loss of the suit-case was over, the boys and girls settled down to
enjoy themselves. Dave and the other lads loaned Roger such things as he
needed, until he could get at his trunk in the baggage-car.
The next morning found the train in St. Paul, and there the tourists
spent a day, riding around the city and visiting Minneapolis, which is
but a short distance away. By nightfall they were on board once more and
bound for Livingston, a small place, where a branch-line runs a distance
of about fifty miles southward to Gardiner, the northern entrance to
Yellowstone Park. At Livingston, Dave and his chums were to separate
from the others and keep on westward to Butte, where they hoped to fall
in with Abe Blower, the old miner and prospector.
"Oh, Dave, it won't be long now before we separate!" said Jessie with a
sigh. It was the second day of the trip after leaving St. Paul, and the
two were by themselves on the observation end of the train.
"Well, I don't think it will be for long," he said, as cheerfully as
possible. "We'll soon join you in the Park."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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