"That's the room right in there," they heard Mr. Snowdon say, directing
some one. The next instant the door opened. In rushed a man and woman.
"Dick!" they exclaimed in a breath, and a moment later Dick was folded
in the arms of his father and mother.
For Dick Box was really Dick Sanden, and the mystery of his identity
was solved.
What a happy time followed, and how fervent were the thanks poured out
on Mr. Crosscrab for his part in the affair I leave my young readers to
imagine.
"I remember it all now," said Dick after he had talked with his parents
and many things had been explained.
"All but how you came to wander off and sleep in that box," said his
mother with a smile.
"I think I can explain that," said Mr. Crosscrab. "I made some
inquiries at the Grand Central Station to-day. It appears that on the
day Dick was to start for Chicago there was an accident. A boy waiting
on the platform to take a train was hit on the head by a trunk which
fell from the top of a pile on a truck. The boy was knocked
unconscious, and an ambulance was summoned to take him to the hospital.
The ambulance doctor temporarily dressed the boy's injury and placed
him in the vehicle, together with a valise the boy had with him.
"The start was made for the hospital. On the way the ambulance had to
stop because of a blockade on account of a fire. The doctor left his
place at the rear of the vehicle to see if there was any need of his
services, for there was a rumor some one had been burned in the blaze,
and when he came back his boy patient was gone. And from that time to
this the authorities never heard anything about him. They concluded he
had not been badly hurt, and had slipped out of the ambulance and run
away, not being noticed in the crowd. The valise was also gone, and
from the fact that Dick did not have it when he awoke in the box, it
was probably stolen."
"And I guess that's what happened," said Dick's father. "The valise
contained Dick's tickets and most of his money. He probably partly
regained his senses in the ambulance, slipped out and wandered around,
half dazed, forgetting all about himself, until he found the box and
went to sleep in it."
"My poor boy!" said his mother, unable to keep back the tears. "What a
terrible time you had! Oh, how worried we were when we got back from
Europe and found your cousin knew nothing about you!"
"Yes, you must have worried, mother," said Dick, "but I got along
pretty well. Jimmy and I have built up a fine business. I'm almost
sorry I can't stay and help him buy that stand."
"Don't let that worry you, my son," said Mr. Sanden with a smile and a
hearty hand-clasp for Jimmy. "I'll see that your partner has the
finest stand in New York."
"Crimps!" exclaimed Jimmy, forgetting himself under the excitement of
the occasion. "Dat'll be bul--I mean that will be fine!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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