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diff --git a/old/55947-0.txt b/old/55947-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 636e6f5..0000000 --- a/old/55947-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9181 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Dean Dunham, by Horatio Alger - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Dean Dunham - Or, the Waterford Mystery - - -Author: Horatio Alger - - - -Release Date: November 12, 2017 [eBook #55947] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEAN DUNHAM*** - - -E-text prepared by David Edwards, Larry B. Harrison, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images -generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 55947-h.htm or 55947-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/55947/55947-h/55947-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/55947/55947-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/deandunhamorwate00alge - - - - - -DEAN DUNHAM - - -[Illustration: DEAN HAS AN INTERVIEW WITH SQUIRE BATES.] - - -[Illustration: DEAN FINDS A CLEW.] - - -DEAN DUNHAM - -Or - -The Waterford Mystery - -by - -HORATIO ALGER, JR. - -Author of -"The Young Acrobat," "The Erie Train Boy," -"Adventures of a Telegraph Boy," etc. - - - - - - -Philadelphia -David Mckay, Publisher -610 South Washington Square - -Copyright, 1888 -By Frank A. Munsey - -Copyright, 1891 -By United States Book Co. - -Copyright, 1900 -By Street and Smith - -Dean Dunham - - - - -DEAN DUNHAM; -OR, -THE WATERFORD MYSTERY. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -ADIN DUNHAM SURPRISES HIS WIFE. - - -"I've been looking forward to this day for weeks, Sarah," said Adin -Dunham, as he rose from the breakfast-table on a certain Wednesday -morning in the early part of June. - -"Why, father, what do you mean?" asked Mrs. Dunham curiously. - -"Because to-day I am to receive a thousand dollars—a thousand dollars -in hard cash," answered her husband in a tone of exultation. - -"Well, I declare!" ejaculated his wife in amazement. "Who on earth is -going to give you a thousand dollars?" - -"No one is going to give it to me; it's my own." - -"How strangely you do talk, Adin Dunham! You ain't out of your mind, -be you?" - -"Not as I know of," answered her husband with an amused smile. - -"Is it really true that somebody is going to pay you a thousand -dollars?" - -"Yes, it is." - -"And you say it is your own?" - -"Yes." - -"I don't understand it," said Mrs. Dunham, with the air of one to whom -a puzzle is propounded and who gives it up. - -"Then I'll explain. You know when Uncle Dan died he left me a piece of -stony pasture land in Rockmount?" - -"Yes, I know. You never could sell it, I've heard you say ag'in and -ag'in." - -"Well, I've sold it at last. There's a company goin' to put up a big -hotel just on that spot, and they've offered me a thousand dollars for -the land." - -"Couldn't they find a better buildin' lot than that?" - -"Well, you see it's located near the lake, and though it's barren enough -it's well situated, and there's five acres of it, plenty of room for all -the buildin's required. They offered me first seven hundred, then eight -hundred, and finally when they got up to a thousand I caved in----" - -"You what?" - -"Well, I agreed to let 'em have it. I'm going over to-day to get the -money." - -"Why, it'll make us rich, Adin. I never expected you'd be wuth a -thousand dollars." - -"I wonder what Uncle Dan would have said if he'd thought I would have -got so much for the land. He never cared much for me, and he only left -me that because he thought it wasn't wuth anything. He did better by me -than he expected." - -"What are you going to do with the money, Adin?" - -"I don't know yet. I'll keep it by me till I've decided. Perhaps I'll -invest in gov'ment bonds. I guess they're about as safe as anything." - -"So I've heard, Adin. I suppose the gov'ment ain't likely to fail." - -"If it is, I guess all the banks will fail too." - -"How are you goin' over to Rockmount?" - -"I'll borrow neighbor Gould's horse and buggy. That horse is pretty -strong, and he won't mind the twenty miles—ten there and ten back." - -"I don't like to have you travelin' so far with all that money. S'pose -you should meet with robbers." - -"There ain't any robbers round here, Sarah. This is a respectable -community." - -"You might meet a tramp." - -"Well, the chances are that he'd be more afraid of me than I would be -of him. I ain't a child, Sarah. I can lift a barrel of potatoes and put -it in a wagon as easy as most men." - -"Well, Adin, you know best. Hadn't you better take Dean with you?" - -"Why should I take Dean?" - -"It would be safer for two than for one." - -"You don't mean to say that I need a boy of sixteen to protect me? If I -thought I did, I'd stay at home and send Dean by himself." - -"Well, Adin, I don't want to interfere. It wouldn't be much use, -either, for you generally have your own way. Have you told any of the -neighbors that you are goin' for some money?" - -"No except Lawyer Bates." - -"What made you tell him?" - -"Well, I was in his office the other evenin', and somehow I was led -into tellin' it. I gave a sort of hint, and the lawyer he drew it out -of me. Them lawyers are great on cross-examinin', you know." - -"What did Squire Bates say?" - -"He told me I'd better not tell anybody else. He talked for all the -world just like you did, Sarah. You haven't been chatterin' with the -squire, have you?" - -"No, Adin, I don't like him well enough for that. I never fancied the -squire. He's always showin' those long front teeth of his, like a wild -beast." - -"They ain't very handsome teeth, I'm bound to admit, Sarah, but the -poor man can't help himself. He's as God made him." - -"He gave you good advice at any rate, Adin. There's so many dishonest -people in the world that it's best to be careful. Did you tell him when -you were goin' for the money?" - -"I don't exactly remember. I guess I did." - -"Do you think Squire Bates is a rich man, Adin?" - -"I don't know. He's a lawyer, and keeps his affairs mighty close." - -"That boy of his—Brandon—is his very image, even to the teeth." - -"Well, he does favor his father considerable." - -"Dean doesn't like him. He's a very big feeling boy. He looks down on -Dean because he is the nephew of a poor man." - -"O, he'll get wiser in time. We mustn't mind them young folks so much. -Boys will be boys." - -"So they will, but there's different kinds of boys." - -"I guess there's room enough in the world for both of them. If they -don't like each other they can keep apart." - -"Dean is an excellent boy. I don't know how we should get along without -him." - -"I indorse all that, wife," said Adin Dunham heartily. - -"He's always cheerful and willin'—always ready to do chores and give -up his own pleasure. I remember last winter he'd set his heart on going -with a skatin' party, but when I was taken sick, he stayed at home and -tended me, without a word of complaint. He couldn't have done no more -if he'd been a son instead of a nephew." - -"Just so, wife! Just so! He's a likely boy, and if he keeps on as he's -begun he's sure to do well." - -"He deserves to prosper, and I hope he will. I wish we could do more -for him." - -"So do I, but a carpenter that gets work only about half the time can't -do what he'd like to." - -Just then Dean came into the house—a broad-shouldered, strongly built -boy, with a frank, open countenance and red cheeks. - -"Dean," said his uncle, "won't you go over to neighbor Gould, and ask -if he will lend his horse and buggy for the day? I'm goin' over to -Rockmount." - -"Going to Rockmount?" repeated Dean eagerly. "Will you take me, uncle?" - -"Not to-day, Dean. It's a long ride, and it'll be easier on the horse -to carry one than two." - -Dean looked disappointed. A ride to Rockmount, which was a considerably -larger place than Waterford, would have been to him a very agreeable -recreation, but he was not a boy to complain or tease when a favor had -been refused. So he indulged in no remonstrance, but went over to Mr. -Gould's dwelling, only twenty rods away, and preferred the request. - -"Certainly," said Mr. Gould pleasantly. "So your uncle has business in -Rockmount, has he?" - -"Yes sir, I suppose so, but he didn't tell me what it is." - -"Well, tell him not to over drive the Captain." (This was the rather -peculiar name of Mr. Gould's horse.) - -"I don't think there's any danger," said Dean smiling, for he knew that -Adin Dunham was one of the most deliberate of men, and permitted a -horse to select his own pace. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -SQUIRE RENWICK BATES. - - -Adin Dunham got into the buggy, took the reins from Dean, and drove -away. - -The pretentious house of Squire Bates stood a little way back from the -road a quarter of a mile further on. The lawyer stood in front of his -gate. He smiled as Adin Dunham drove by. - -"Well, Dunham," he said, "so you are on your way to Rockmount?" - -"Yes, squire." - -"And bound on a pleasant errand, too," continued Bates, with a second -smile. - -"Yes, squire. I can't believe it hardly. It's a new experience for me. -I never thought I should be worth a thousand dollars." - -"Yes, it's quite a sum. What do you propose to do with it?" - -"I may pay up the mortgage on my place." - -"But suppose I don't want to receive it?" - -"But why wouldn't you want to receive it?" - -"Oh, it's paying me fairish interest, and I should have to look up -another investment." - -"But you could do that better than I." - -"Come and see me when you get back, and I'll give you advice. I -wouldn't trouble myself for every one, but you are a friend and -neighbor," said Squire Bates, smiling and showing the long white tusks -that gave him so peculiar an appearance. - -"Your advice ought to be good, squire. You are used to investin' money." - -"Yes, I have a good deal to invest," said Bates. "Which way shall you -return?" asked the squire carelessly. - -"I thought I might take the creek road, squire." - -"If it were my case, I would come through the woods. It's half a mile -shorter." - -"That's so, and I did think of it, but you and my wife talked to me -about robbers, till I began to think the creek road would be safer." - -Squire Bates laughed in an amused way. - -"I rather think your wife and I talked like old women," he said. "It -seems rather ridiculous to think of robbers in this neighborhood." - -"So it does!" said Adin Dunham eagerly. "I told Sarah so. - -"Then you'll come through the woods?" - -"Yes." - -"About what time?" - -"Oh, I shan't stay very long after my business is done." - -"You'll probably pass through about three o'clock?" - -"Well, say four. I've got a cousin in Rockmount that I shall take dinner -with, and that'll take up part of my time. Then I've got one or two -errands to do at the stores there. I'm to buy my wife a pair of shoes at -Ingals's store. He knows just what she wants, and always fits her." - -"There's one thing I would advise you not to do, neighbor Dunham." - -"What is that?" - -"Don't invite any one to ride home with you." - -"Why not?" - -"Well, you'll have considerable money with you and it might prove a -temptation even to a respectable man. You see to most people it is a -large sum—not to me, for I am better off than the average, but I've -read in my law books of a good many crimes that were the result of a -sudden impulse. There's no reason to be nervous, but it's well to be -prudent, neighbor." - -"That's good sense, squire. Thank you for your caution. Well, I must be -getting on." - -"Good luck to you," said Bates, as he turned and went into the house. - -Squire Bates had been for three years a resident of Waterford. He -appeared to have plenty of money, though it was a mystery where it -came from. He professed to be a lawyer, and had an office, but beyond -writing a will or a lease, or some such matter, had no practice to -speak of. This, however, did not seem to trouble him. It was a popular -belief that the care of his property gave him considerable to do. He -had no investments in Waterford except the house he lived in, and a -mortgage on the house and small landed property of Adin Dunham. The -assessors got very little satisfaction out of him when they questioned -him about his taxable property. - -"I am taxed elsewhere," he said briefly. - -"But you have some personal property?" - -"Oh well, you may put me down for a thousand dollars." - -"It is generally supposed that you have a much larger personal property -than that." - -"I have, gentleman," answered Bates frankly, "but you know that -government bonds are not taxable." - -That explained it. The board of assessors jumped to the conclusion that -Squire Bates had a large sum in government bonds, and did not pursue -their inquiries further. - -There was one thing that puzzled Waterford people about the lawyer. -He often absented himself in a mysterious way, sometimes for weeks at -a time. He never told where he went, nor did his wife and son when -questioned appear to know. At any rate they never gave any information. -He would reappear, as suddenly as he had disappeared, and always -explain briefly that he had been away on business. What the nature of -the business was he did not state, a sensible thing probably, but his -reticence excited considerable remark among his fellow-townsmen, who -did not approve of it. - -When Squire Bates re-entered the house he went up to his room—his -library was on the second floor—and locked the door. He sat down in a -rocking-chair, and seemed plunged in thought. - -"A thousand dollars!" he soliloquized. "It is a good sum of money. -It would be a great lift to Adin Dunham. It would enable him to pay -off the mortgage on his place, and that would not suit me. I prefer -to foreclose by and by. Upon the whole the money will be better in my -hands than in his. It was well I suggested to him not to come home by -the creek road. That is too open, and would not suit my plans." - -Lawyer Bates rose, and, taking a key from his pocket, opened the door -of a small closet. It was a clothes closet evidently, but its contents -were of a curious character. There was one suit that a fastidious -tramp would have scorned to wear. There were several masks. There were -disguises of different kinds, three wigs, one red, and false beards. -Of what earthly use could these articles be to a respectable country -lawyer? - -Not even Mrs. Bates had seen the inside of this closet. Once she -suggested cleaning it, but the curt refusal with which her proposal was -received prevented her making it again. - -"I keep my papers in there," said her husband, "and I am not willing -that they should be disturbed." - -"I would be very careful, Renwick," said Mrs. Bates. "I would attend to -it myself." - -"You will offend me if you say more, Mrs. Bates," said her husband, -looking displeased, and she took the hint. - -Mrs. Bates was a pleasant, gentle woman who did not put on airs, -and she was much more popular in the village than her husband, whose -face had a singularly disagreeable expression, especially when he -smiled, for then he showed his long white teeth, which, as Mrs. Dunham -expressed it, were like the fangs of a wild beast. - -His son Brandon was like his father, even to the teeth. He was a boy of -cruel instincts, haughty and imperious, and disposed to lord it over -his schoolmates and companions. He was heartily tired of Waterford, and -had more than once suggested to his father that it would be wise to -leave it. - -"When I want your advice, Brandon, I will ask for it," said Squire -Bates briefly. - -Brandon did not press the matter. He knew his father too well, but he -complained to his mother. - -"What on earth can father be thinking of to stay in such a quiet hole -as Waterford?" - -"It is a pleasant village, Brandon," said his mother gently. - -"What is there pleasant about it?" - -"The people are pleasant." - -"I have no fit associates." - -"There is Dean Dunham, who is about your age." - -"I _hate_ him!" said Brandon passionately. - -"Why do you hate him, my son? Mrs. Dunham tells me he is a great -comfort to her." - -"I don't know anything about that. He is very impudent to me. He seems -to think he is my equal." - -"I am afraid you are too proud, Brandon." - -"Isn't father the richest man in Waterford, I'd like to know? Dean -Dunham is the nephew of a poor carpenter, who keeps him out of charity." - -"Ah, Brandon, you shouldn't value people for their money." - -"Dean Dunham is no fit companion for me. If I were in the city, I -should find plenty of associates." - -Gentle Mrs Bates sighed. She could not approve of her son's pride. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -BRANDON'S JOKE. - - -About quarter of a mile from the village was a pond of small size, not -over a third of a mile across, but it provided the boys of the village -a great deal of amusement. In the summer it afforded chances for -bathing and boating, in the winter for skating. - -Among the boys who had boats on the pond were Dean Dunham and Brandon -Bates, but there was a considerable difference between them. Dean's was -an old flat-bottomed boat, which he had bought for a dollar from a man -who had used it for half a dozen years, while Brandon's was spick and -span new, a very handsome craft, and by all odds the finest on the pond. - -Brandon was not, however, the best rower, though he considered himself -such. That distinction belonged to Dean, whose arms were strengthened -by labor, and whose constant practice gave him unusual skill. - -Directly in the middle of the pond was a small island, not over half an -acre in extent, which naturally enough was often visited by the boys of -Waterford. - -On the day of Adin Dunham's journey to Rockmount, Brandon, having -nothing else to do, for there was a vacation in the village school, -sauntered down to the place where he kept his boat. He had had a small -boat-house constructed, where he kept his boat under cover. It had been -built by Adin Dunham, the village carpenter, and excited the admiration -of the other village boys, who did not aspire to such a luxury. - -"Why don't you get your uncle to build you a boat-house, Dean?" asked -Brandon, satirically. - -Dean laughed good-naturedly. - -"My old boat isn't likely to be injured by exposure to the weather," he -answered. - -"That's true. How would you like to have a boat like mine?" - -"I should be delighted; so if you are thinking of giving me one, I hope -you will go ahead and do it." - -Brandon shrugged his shoulders. - -"It is too expensive for a working boy," he said. - -"I know of one working boy who would appreciate it. I suppose _you_ -don't call yourself a working boy." - -"I am a gentleman's son," said Brandon, haughtily. - -"And gentlemen's sons don't work, I presume." - -"They don't work for a living." - -"There are different ways of working; working with the brains, for -instance." - -"Of course I do that." - -"And I, too." - -"I don't approve of a superior education for the lower classes," -remarked Brandon. - -"Whom do you mean by the lower classes?" asked Dean, his face flushing. - -"Oh, working boys and working men, and so on." - -"Some of our most successful men used to be working boys." - -"A few," Brandon admitted reluctantly. - -"I mean to become one of those few." - -Brandon laughed sarcastically. - -"You'd better be contented with your station in life," he said. - -"Thank you for the advice, but I shan't follow it." - -"It won't make much difference, I fancy." - -This conversation took place three months before, soon after Brandon's -boat-house was completed. - -When on this June day Brandon loosened his rope, and prepared for a -row, he was alone. But just as he was pushing off he caught sight of a -small boy, ten years old, the son of a poor Irish widow in the village, -who regarded him and his boat wistfully. - -"Give me a ride, Brandon?" he asked. - -Ordinarily Brandon would have answered in the negative, and indeed he -was on the point of doing so, when a sudden idea entered his mind. - -"Well, jump in, you little brat!" he said. - -Tommy Boyle was only too glad to do so, and he did not trouble himself -to resent the rough form of invitation. - -"Thank you, Brandon," he said. - -"Look here, youngster, don't call me Brandon." - -"Why, isn't that your name?" asked Tommy, in wonder. - -"It is not respectful. You must call me Mr. Bates." - -"But Mr. Bates is your father," objected Tommy. - -"That is my name, too. My father is Squire Bates." - -Tommy did not pay much attention to this explanation, for he was -paddling his hands in the water. - -"Lemme row," said Tommy, suddenly. - -"Let you row? You can't row." - -"Yes I can. Dean lets me row." - -"It doesn't make much difference about his old tub," said Brandon, -scornfully; "you can't row in this boat." - -"Why not, Brandon?" - -"Didn't I tell you not to call me Brandon?" - -"Mr. Bates, then." - -"Perhaps I'll let you row when we come back. Did you ever go to the -island?" - -"Yes, Dean took me there one day." - -"We are going there now." - -"Are we? Cricky, ain't that fun!" - -Brandon smiled unpleasantly, showing his teeth after his father's -fashion. - -"He'll be singing a different tune before long," he said to himself. - -"When I'm a big boy I'm going to have a boat, too," said Tommy. - -"Perhaps Dean will sell you his, then," suggested Brandon, amused. - -"He says he'll give it to me." - -"It'll be a splendid craft, then. Is he going to do without one?" - -"He says he'll have a boat some time that'll beat yours, Brandon—I -mean Mr. Bates." - -"Oh, he says that, does he?" asked Brandon, showing his teeth again, -but in a less good-natured manner. "I should like to know where he's -going to get it from. Do you know how much this boat cost?" - -"No." - -"It cost fifty dollars," said Brandon, in an important tone. - -"Is that a good deal of money?" - -"I should say it was. It'll be years before Dean Dunham sees as much -money as that." - -"Dean is a nice boy!" said Tommy, surmising that his favorite was -spoken of slightingly. - -"Oh, he's well enough in his place, but he's a poor working boy." - -"My mother says he's awful good to work," asserted Tommy. - -"Well, that's what he's made for. But here we are at the island. -Wouldn't you like to land, Tommy?" - -"Oh, yes—Mr. Bates." - -"All right, then! Jump out." - -Tommy jumped out, and scrambled up the bank. Then he turned round, -expecting Brandon to follow. - -But Brandon instead pushed off from shore till his boat rode twenty -feet away. Then he turned a laughing face towards his young passenger. - -"Ain't you comin' too, Brandon?" asked the little boy, in surprise. - -"What did I tell you?" - -"Mr. Bates." - -"No, I'm going back." - -"Wait for me." - -"No, I'm going to leave you here a little while. You'll have fine -sport," and Brandon burst into a fit of laughter. - -"Oh, take me off!" exclaimed Tommy, in dire alarm. "I don't want to -stay here." - -"You'll be like Robinson Crusoe. You'll have a fine time." - -"I don't know Crusoe—I want to go home." - -"It's the best joke I ever heard of," said Brandon, laughing heartily. -"You will be king of the island, Tommy—King Tommy the First." - -But Tommy did not enjoy the joke. He begged and entreated Brandon to -take him away, but the hard-hearted boy, by way of answer, impelled his -boat vigorously, and poor Tommy, sitting down on the bank, and digging -his fists into his tear-stained eyes, felt that he was without a friend -in the world. - -"How the little chap roars!" said Brandon, turning with a smile to -watch the forlorn cast-away. - -It did not take him long to reach the boat-house, where he coolly -proceeded to put up his boat. He was just hauling it on shore when -Dean Dunham made his appearance. - -"What are you laughing at?" he asked. - -Brandon pointed over to the island, where poor Tommy was still mourning -his captivity. - -"Look there!" he said. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -TOMMY BOYLE IS RESCUED. - - -"Who is that?" asked Dean, quickly. - -"It is Tommy Boyle." - -"How did he get there?" - -"I carried him in my boat." - -"And left him there?" - -"Yes," answered Brandon, with an amused laugh. - -"Didn't he want to come back?" - -"Of course he did. He's awfully frightened to be left there alone. I -told him he would make a good Robinson Crusoe, but the little beggar -never heard of him." - -"Why did you do such a mean thing, Brandon Bates?" demanded Dean. - -"That's my business, Dean Dunham," answered Brandon, in an offended -tone. - -"Then I'll make it my business," said Dean, sternly. "Get right into -your boat and go after Tommy." - -"Why, you impudent beggar!" exclaimed Brandon, almost foaming at the -mouth with rage, "how dare you say that to me?" - -"There's no courage needed," said Dean, dryly. "Are you going to do as -I ask you?" - -"No, I'm not," said Brandon, shortly. "Be off with you, if you know -what's best for yourself, or I may take it into my head to thrash you." - -"I am ready—any time, except now. I have something else to do." - -Brandon Bates was standing with the boat rope in his hands, preparing -to draw it into the boat-house. He was by no means prepared for what -was coming. Dean with a quick movement snatched the rope from him, -jumped into the boat, seized the oars, and before the owner had -recovered from his astonishment, was two lengths away, rowing in the -direction of the island. - -"Come back here, you rascal!" exclaimed Brandon, almost purple with -rage, and stamping in his fury. - -"I have no time," answered Dean, coolly. - -"What do you mean by stealing my boat?" - -"Your boat is safe, I have only borrowed it." - -"I never saw such impudence! I will have you arrested!" - -"Do so if you want to. I am going to rescue the poor little fellow you -have left on the island." - -"Then take your own boat." - -"Tommy went over on your boat, and he's going back on the same." - -Brandon called out again, but Dean was now too far away to hear him. - -The temper of Brandon Bates was not the sweetest, but it is doubtful -whether he had ever been more angry than at the present moment. He felt -that his dignity had been outraged, and himself insulted, and that, -too, by a working boy. - -"I'd like to shoot him!" he vociferated, shaking his fist in impotent -rage at the rapidly-receding boat. - -Tommy meanwhile had seen what was going on, the distance being -inconsiderable. - -As soon as he saw that his situation was known to Dean, the little -fellow's excitement and alarm subsided. - -"Dean will come for me, and take me home," he said to himself. - -When he saw Dean's bold seizure of the boat, he clapped his hands in joy. - -"Dean's a good deal better boy than Brandon," he said. He rose from his -place, and stood watching eagerly for the coming of his deliverer. - -"Hallo, Tommy!" called out Dean, when he was within hearing distance. - -"Hallo, Dean!" - -"Were you very much frightened?" - -"Yes; I thought I'd have to stay here all night." - -Swiftly the boat sped through the water till it grazed the pebbly shore. - -"Jump in, Tommy!" - -Tommy needed no second bidding. - -"Oh, Dean, I'm so glad you came for me." - -"And I'm glad I saw you. What made Brandon play such a trick on you?" - -"I don't know. When I begged him to take me back he only laughed." - -"He doesn't look much like laughing now," said Dean, smiling, as he -saw Brandon still standing at the boat wharf, shaking his fist angrily. - -"I hope he won't fight you, Dean," said Tommy, rather troubled. - -"He may if he wants to. I think he will get the worst of it." - -Meanwhile Brandon caught sight of the village constable, walking along -the road a few rods from the shore of the pond. - -He ran to the road and intercepted him. - -"Mr. Pray," he said. - -"Well, Brandon?" - -"I want you to arrest Dean Dunham." - -"What am I to arrest Dean Dunham for?" asked the constable in surprise. - -"He took my boat from me by force, like an impudent young loafer as he -is, and is out in the boat rowing." - -"Yes, I see him. Tommy Boyle is with him. How does that happen?" - -"He went over to the island and took him off." - -"I don't understand. How came Tommy on the island?" - -"I took him there." - -"You took him there? Did he want to stay?" - -"No, I left him there—as a joke." - -"You left the poor little boy there to get off as he could!" said the -constable, indignantly. - -"It didn't do him any harm," said Brandon, sullenly. "There are no wild -animals there that I ever heard," he added sarcastically. - -"And Dean Dunham took your boat to go after him?" - -"Yes, he did. He took it away from me without asking my permission." - -"He did perfectly right. Would you have had him leave poor Tommy there?" - -"Why didn't he take his own boat, then?" said Brandon in a sullen tone. - -"Because he didn't want to leave Tommy there any longer than was -necessary. He has only done what you ought to have done." - -"He had no business to steal my boat. I want him arrested." - -"I am more likely to arrest you for kidnapping the boy." - -"You don't seem to know who I am, Mr. Pray," said Brandon angrily. - -"Oh yes, I do. You are Brandon Bates, but you are not so important a -person as you suppose." - -"If I am not, my father is, and he'll have you turned out of your -office." - -He expected the constable to show dismay at this threat, but Mr. Pray, -who was very independent, only laughed. - -"All right," he answered. "I am glad you let me know what's going to -happen. I'll see what else I can find to do. How soon do you think I -shall lose my place?" - -Brandon turned from the constable in disgust. Everybody seemed to be in -a conspiracy to insult him. - -Dean was now very near shore, and Brandon's attention was called -elsewhere. The constable remained, a little curious to witness the -interview between the two boys. Perhaps because he could not find words -to express his feelings, Brandon did not say a word while Dean was -landing his young passenger. As he jumped out himself he held out the -rope to the angry owner. - -"I have brought back your boat safe," he said. - -"You'll pay for this, Dean Dunham," said Brandon, as he took the rope -with a red face. - -"Can I help you put the boat into the boat-house?" asked Dean calmly. - -"I want none of your help. Never dare to touch my boat again!" - -"Then don't play any more such dirty tricks on my friend Tommy! Tommy, -I wouldn't advise you to go out rowing with Brandon again." - -"I won't," said Tommy, fervently. - -"You won't get a chance, you dirty little brat!" snarled Brandon. - -"Come away, Tommy. When you want a boat ride come to me. I'll give you -a ride any time." - -"It's a great privilege riding in your old scow," sneered Brandon. - -"I don't think much of the boat myself," said Dean, smiling. "I've seen -those I liked better." - -Dean went home, and attended to various chores. About four o'clock that -afternoon Mrs. Dunham began to look for her husband. - -"It's time your Uncle Adin was at home," she said. "I suppose his -business kept him longer than he expected." - -Just then Mr. Gould entered the yard. He looked excited and anxious. - -"Dean," he said, "something's happened to your uncle. My horse just ran -into my yard with the empty buggy." - -Dean turned pale. - -"What shall we do? he asked. - -"Come with me. We'll go back over the road, and see if we can find him. -Not a word to your aunt! We don't want to make her anxious." - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -ADIN DUNHAM RECEIVES HIS MONEY. - - -Adin Dunham's ride to Rockmount had been uneventful. He went at once to -the real estate office of Thomas Marks, the agent through whom the sale -had been effected. When he entered the office it was with a light step -and a joyful look, for it was on a very agreeable errand he had come. - -Mr. Marks was seated at his desk, and looked up as Dunham entered. - -"I thought you wouldn't fail to come, Mr. Dunham," he said with a -smile. "If it were to pay money, there might have been some question -of it, but a man doesn't generally miss an appointment to receive a -payment of a thousand dollars." - -"That's so, Mr. Marks, I've been looking forward to this day." - -"I've no doubt of it. I suppose such occasions are rare with you." - -"This is the first time I was ever lucky enough to receive a large sum -of money. I can hardly believe I am so rich. You, see, Mr. Marks, I am -a poor man, and always have been. I inherited the place where I live -from my father, but no money to speak of." - -"Is the place clear?" - -"No; it is mortgaged for eight hundred dollars." - -"Who holds the mortgage?" - -"Squire Bates, of our village." - -"I know him. He is the man with very prominent teeth." - -"Yes." - -"Is he a rich man?" - -"We all think so, but he keeps his affairs very close." - -"Don't the assessors know?" - -"He says most of his property is in government bonds, and these are not -taxable, you know." - -"To be sure." - -"I don't know how it is," said the agent, thoughtfully, "but I don't -like that man." - -"He is always obligin' enough to me. Last time I made him wait a week -for the interest, but he did not complain." - -"I suppose he felt sure of getting it. How much interest do you pay?" - -"Seven per cent." - -"You ought only to pay six. You will find it hard to get more than that -for your money. Shall you pay the mortgage with the money I am to pay -you?" - -"I did think of it, but the squire doesn't seem to care for me to do -it. He says he can find a good investment for me." - -"At what price do you value your house and land?" - -"I don't suppose I could get over two thousand dollars for it." - -"That would leave you twelve hundred after the mortgage is paid." - -"Yes. If I pay it off with this thousand, there would be two hundred -dollars left over." - -"Exactly." - -"To tell the truth, I think myself in great good luck to get so much -for my land here. When Uncle Dan left it to me I didn't suppose it was -worth over two hundred dollars altogether, and I don't believe I could -have got any more. You see it is very poor land to cultivate." - -"True enough, but the site was commanding. For the hotel company it is -a good purchase." - -"I suppose it is, but nobody thought of a hotel being built at the time -I inherited the land from my uncle. Probably he thought it worth little -or nothing, for he didn't like me overmuch, and didn't care to do much -for me." - -"Then it is better for you that he couldn't foresee the prospective -value of his bequest. It might have led to an alteration in his will." - -"No doubt it would. When are the hotel folks goin' to build?" - -"They have got the cellar dug and the frame up already. Didn't you know -that?" - -"No; I haven't been up that way." - -"Better go by it on your return. They would like to have had it ready -for occupation this season, but they have begun too late for that. I -understand that it may be thrown open for fall boarders if it should -be completed by the middle of August." - -"What would Uncle Dan say if he were alive to see it?" - -"It would make the old man open his eyes, beyond a doubt. Now, Mr. -Dunham, how will you receive this money? Shall I give you a check?" - -"No; I shouldn't know what to do with a check. I never received a check -in my life," said Adin Dunham, shaking his head. - -All bank matters were unknown to the carpenter, except that he had once -a small deposit in a savings bank, but he never could get rid of the -fear that the bank would break, and he finally drew it out to get his -mind at rest. - -"A check would be safer, I think," said the agent. - -"How can it be safer? The bank might break before I got the money." - -Thomas Marks smiled. - -"From what I know of the bank this is hardly likely, I think," he made -answer. "However, I don't presume to advise. I mean that if you should -lose the check, or have it stolen, it would not be a serious loss." - -"Why not?" - -"Because it will be made payable to your order, and unless indorsed by -you, that is, with your signature written on the back, it would do the -finder, or thief, no good." - -"I don't mean to lose it, and I am not likely to meet any robbers, -though my wife and Squire Bates told me I must be careful." - -"Squire Bates told you that, did he?" - -"Yes." - -"He knows, then, that you are to receive this money to-day?" - -"Yes; I told him." - -"Did you tell any one else?" - -"No." - -"That is well. It is always best to be cautious in such cases; though I -can hardly imagine, myself, that there could be any highway robbers in -a quiet farming town like Waterford." - -"Just what I told my wife, Mr. Marks." - -"Then you will take the money in bills?" - -"Yes, sir, if you please." - -The agent went to a safe on the opposite side of the room, and opened it. - -"That's a queer sort of a cupboard, Mr. Marks," said Adin Dunham. - -The agent smiled. - -"Yes," he answered. "If you are going to keep the money in your house, -you may have to buy one." - -"How much does it cost?" - -"I gave a hundred and twenty-five dollars for this," he said. - -Adin Dunham whistled. He had not supposed it would cost over fifteen. - -"I shan't buy one," he said. - -"You had better not. You will soon be investing the money, no doubt, -so that there will be no occasion. I would pay off the mortgage if I -were you." - -"It wouldn't seem as if I had the money at all if I did that. Besides, -the squire says he will find an investment for me." - -"Meanwhile I hope you won't be as foolish as a man I was reading of the -other day, living in Vermont." - -"How was that?" - -"He put a hundred dollars in an air tight stove for safe keeping. He -was afraid his wife would see it and want to spend it if he put it in a -trunk or bureau drawer. As it turned out, he had better have taken his -wife into his confidence. Not knowing that the stove was doing service -as a bank, she kindled a fire in it one damp day, and that was the last -of the hundred dollars." - -"I don't think I shall put the money in the stove, though it is June," -said Adin Dunham. "Besides, my wife knows all about it, and she isn't -one of the spendin' kind." - -"That is lucky for you. Well, here is a pile of fifty-dollar -bills—twenty of them. I will count them before you, so that you may -see they are all right, and then you may give me a receipt." - -So the thousand dollars were counted out, and Adin Dunham put them into -his capacious pocket, which perhaps in its history of five years had -never contained in the aggregate so large a sum of money. - -The carpenter breathed a deep sigh of satisfaction. The moment he -had so long anticipated had arrived, and he carried with him a sum -which seemed to him a fortune, all his, and all to be disposed of as -he willed. He straightened up unconsciously, for he felt that he had -become a person of importance. - -He jumped into his buggy, and when he had finished his errands in -Rockmount, he started in the direction of home. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -DEAN DUNHAM FINDS HIS UNCLE. - - -When Adin Dunham reached the fork in the road from which there were two -different routes to Waterford, he halted his horse in indecision. - -"Seems to me as if I'd rather go over the creek road," he said to -himself. "I don't know why 'tis that I don't fancy goin' through the -woods to-day. It's a silly fancy, no doubt, for I've gone that way -hundreds of times, and I told the squire I'd go that way, and I'll do -it, or he'll think strange of it." - -So he turned to the left instead of the right, and continued his -journey. Is it true that we have presentiments of coming evil? This was -at any rate the case with Adin Dunham. He felt a growing uneasiness, -especially when he drew near the tract of woods through which the road -ran for nearly quarter of a mile. - -"What is the matter with me?" he asked, as he wiped the perspiration -from his brow. "I suppose it must be because I have so much money with -me. I wish I had taken a check." - -Then he tried to laugh it off, but he could not drive away the feeling -of uneasiness. Somehow the thought of robbers would present itself to -his mind. - -"I'd give a five-dollar bill if I was safe at home," he said to himself. - -He had reached the middle point of the woods, and was beginning to -breathe easier. Neither before nor behind was any one in sight. - -"It's all right!" he thought. "As soon as I get through them woods I -shall have nothing to worry about." - -But just then a noise was heard to the right, and a tramp burst out, -his features concealed by a mask, and sprang for the horse's head. - -"Halt there!" he exclaimed in a hoarse voice. - -Adin Dunham's tongue refused service, and with pallid cheeks, -betokening intense fear, he stared at the apparition. - -"What do you want?" he managed to ejaculate at last. - -"Quick! Give me that money," hissed the stranger. - -"What money?" asked Adin Dunham, aghast, though he knew well enough -what money was meant. - -"No trifling, or it will be the worse for you! Give me the thousand -dollars you have in your pocket." - -"Are you a robber?" asked Dunham, with blanched face. - -"Never mind what I am! I want that money. It will be as much as your -life is worth to refuse." - -Adin Dunham was not a brave man, but the prospect of losing his -fortune, for which he had waited so long, made him desperate. He drew -out his whip and lashed the horse. - -"Get up, Captain!" he shouted. - -Then, he hardly knew how it happened, the tramp clambered into the -wagon, and pressed a handkerchief to his mouth. He felt his senses -going, but before he lost consciousness he saw something that startled -him. The tramp opened his mouth, and he caught sight of the long -tusk-like teeth. - -"Why, it's Squire Bates!" he ejaculated, in horror-struck dismay. - -Then he lost all consciousness, and knew not what followed. - -"Confusion!" muttered the tramp. "Why did I open my mouth?" - -He thrust his hand into Adin Dunham's pocket, after stopping the horse. -Then, as it would not be safe to leave the horse under the management -of a man in a faint, he took the passive form of the carpenter from the -wagon, and laid him down under a tree by the roadside. - -"There! It will be supposed that he fell from the wagon in a fit!" he -said to himself, as he left the scene. - -This was what had happened to Adin Dunham. How long he lay in his -senseless condition cannot be told. At length he opened his eyes, and -looked about him in a dazed way. - -"Where is the horse and wagon?" he asked himself. - -The horse and wagon were not to be seen. The Captain had waited -patiently, looking round from time to time, and gazing in evident doubt -at his driver, whinneying a hint that they had been stopping long -enough. Probably he wondered what was the matter with Adin Dunham, who, -though not his master, was well known to him. - -At length the Captain decided that he must settle the matter for -himself. He started for home at an easy pace, and arrived there at -length, as we know, very much to the surprise of Mr. Gould, and the -uneasiness of Dean Dunham. We have already related the sequel—how Mr. -Gould and Dean got into the buggy, and, somewhat to the dissatisfaction -of the horse, started back on the road to Rockmount. - -"I can't see what has happened to uncle," said Dean. - -"Does your uncle ever—drink anything strong?" asked Mr. Gould, -cautiously. - -"No, Mr. Gould, he is very temperate. He has often cautioned me about -drinking." - -"I always thought he was temperate, Dean," said Mr. Gould, "but -I thought it just possible he might have met some old friends in -Rockmount, and ventured upon a social glass." - -"I don't believe he would do it." - -"He might have got off for a minute, and the horse taken advantage and -started without him. But that doesn't seem like the Captain. He is a -very steady, reliable horse, and isn't up to any tricks." - -"I hope uncle wasn't taken sick, and fell from the buggy." - -"Has he ever been taken that way?" asked Mr. Gould quickly. - -"Not that I ever heard. Aunt would know." - -"We will ask her if we don't find him on the road. Do you know whether -your uncle had any particular business in Rockmount to-day?" - -"No; I didn't hear him say why he was going. I asked him to take me, -but he thought two would be too heavy a load for the horse such a long -distance." - -"He is very considerate of the Captain, more so than I am," said Mr. -Gould, laughing. "I drove to Rockmount with Mrs. Gould, who weighs -considerably more than you, only last week, but I couldn't see that -the horse minded it much. There's one thing I'm sure of, your uncle -wouldn't over-drive the horse." - -"No, he doesn't drive fast enough for me. If I had gone, I would have -asked him to let me drive." - -"Then perhaps it's just as well that you didn't go, Dean." - -They reached the point where it was necessary to decide whether to go -by the creek road or through the woods. - -"I declare, Dean, it puzzles me to decide which way to go." - -"If anything happened to uncle on the creek road somebody would be sure -to pass and see him." - -"That's a very sensible suggestion. On the woods road, on the contrary, -there are but few passengers, and he might be overlooked. So be it! -We'll go by the woods road." - -Not far from the place where Adin Dunham was waylaid, Dean pointed -eagerly to an advancing figure. - -"Isn't that Uncle Adin?" he asked eagerly pointing with his whip. - -"Yes, it is, I declare." - -Adin Dunham was walking with his head drooping, and seemed to drag one -leg after the other in a weary way. He did not seem at all like himself. - -"Uncle Adin," called Dean, when they were within hearing, "what's the -matter? What has happened to you?" - -Adin Dunham looked up, and sighed heavily. - -"Dean," he said hoarsely, "I've been robbed!" - -"Robbed, neighbor Dunham?" said Mr. Gould in surprise. "What have you -been robbed of?" - -"A thousand dollars!" answered Dunham in a spiritless way. - -Dean and Mr. Gould looked at each other in amazement. The same thought -came to each. That the carpenter could have had in his possession a -thousand dollars seemed preposterous. His mind must suddenly have gone -astray. - -"Did you say a thousand dollars, neighbor Dunham?" asked Mr. Gould. - -"Yes," said poor Adin, bursting into tears. "A man sprang at me when -I was riding through the woods, jumped into the buggy and searched my -pockets. I think I must have fainted away. When I came to the horse was -gone, and I was lying under a tree by the roadside." - -This story, though strictly correct, seemed a wild dream to Mr. Gould -and Dean. - -"How did you happen to have a thousand dollars with you? Was it yours?" -asked Mr. Gould, almost with a smile. - -"I received it to-day at Rockmount, for the land I sold the hotel -people." - -"Have you any idea who robbed you of the money?" - -"It was Squire Bates. I knew him by his teeth." - -"Dean," said Mr. Gould, in a low voice, "your uncle is as crazy as a -bedbug! What can have put such notions into his head?" - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -DEAN FINDS A CLEW. - - -Dean was inclined to agree with his companion. The story told by his -uncle was so preposterous that it could be explained only on the -hypothesis that the speaker's mind was unbalanced. - -"Did you fall out of the wagon, neighbor Dunham?" asked Mr. Gould. - -"I don't know. I must have fainted." - -"If you had fallen out you would have been hurt. Are you bruised -anywhere?" - -"No, I don't feel hurt." - -"It's queer, Dean," said Mr. Gould, with a puzzled look. "I can't make -it out." - -"I think the robber must have taken me out of the buggy, and set me -down under the tree." - -"After taking your thousand dollars?" - -"Yes, it is hard that I should lose it. I was countin' on what I would -do with it. I thought I would pay off the mortgage on my house." - -"Who holds the mortgage?" - -"Squire Bates." - -Again Dean and Mr. Gould exchanged looks. Neither put any confidence -in the story told by the victim. - -Adin Dunham was invited to take a seat in the buggy, Dean resigning his -place and sitting behind. So they reached home. - -"Go in, Dean, and tell your aunt what has happened, so that she needn't -be frightened when she sees your uncle," said Mr. Gould. - -Dean obeyed instructions. - -"Aunt," said Dean, "you are not to be frightened, but uncle met with an -accident. He isn't hurt!" he added, noticing the quick look of alarm, -"but he says he has been robbed." - -"Robbed! Has he lost the thousand dollars?" exclaimed Mrs. Dunham in a -trembling voice. - -"Did he really have a thousand dollars?" said Dean. "I thought he might -be under a delusion." - -"Then he says he has lost it?" - -"Yes." - -"Heaven help us to bear this terrible blow!" ejaculated Mrs. Dunham, -sinking into a chair. "I wish he had taken you with him." - -"I wish so, too. I don't believe one robber would have been a match for -us both." - -Here Adin Dunham entered the house. He looked ten years older than when -he left it in the morning, and there was a vacant look in the eyes. - -"Wife!" he said feebly, "it's all gone! Some villain has robbed me of -the thousand dollars." - -"But you, Adin, were you hurt? You look sick." - -"My head doesn't feel right. I think it's the shock." - -"I'll get you some hot tea directly. You'll feel better after taking -it." - -"I hope so. Oh, Sarah, I didn't expect such a blow as this." - -"Try not to think of it now. Get well first, and then we'll see what we -can do to find the robber." - -"I know him now!" - -"You know who robbed you!" said his wife, stopping short in her -surprise. - -"Yes." - -"Who was it? Any one livin' round here?" - -"It was Squire Bates." - -A terrible suspicion entered the mind of the poor wife. It was clear to -her that her husband's mind was unhinged. As soon as she had a chance -she went out to where Dean and Mr. Gould were standing in the yard. - -"Did Mr. Dunham tell you who robbed him?" she asked. - -"Yes, aunt," answered Dean. "He said it was Squire Bates." - -"He just told me so. What do you think of it, neighbor Gould?" - -"I think your husband is upset by his accident," answered Gould, -cautiously. "We'll wait and see what he says to-morrow." - -"I guess you're right." - -"You see he fainted away, and it's likely he hasn't fairly come to. At -first I thought it wasn't true about the thousand dollars." - -"That is true. He received it to-day from the new hotel company for -some land he sold them." - -"It's too bad, Mrs. Dunham. I'll do my part towards finding out the -villain that robbed your poor husband." - -"Uncle says he knew the squire by his teeth," said Dean, thoughtfully. - -"They certainly are very peculiar teeth." - -"Did you ever know anyone else having such teeth?" asked Dean. - -"No, except the squire's boy." - -"Yes, Brandon's teeth are just like his father's. But of course the -thief wasn't Brandon." - -"Look here, Dean," said Mr. Gould quickly, "I hope you don't pay -any attention to that foolish story of your uncle. He was thinking -of Squire Bates, as he intended to pay him up the mortgage which he -holds, and he naturally pictured him with the teeth which are his most -prominent feature, so to speak. I don't fancy the squire myself, but I -think he is in better business than disguising himself and robbing his -neighbors." - -"No doubt you are right, Mr. Gould," said Dean; but in spite of his -words, and absurd as he admitted the suspicion to be, he could not help -dwelling upon his uncle's story. - -The next day Adin Dunham kept his bed. The shock to his system was such -that his strength gave away, and the doctor was summoned. - -"Adin," said his wife, anxious to clear up her doubts as to his sanity, -"can you describe the man that robbed you?" - -"Why should I describe him? You know how he looks as well as I do." - -"How should I know, Adin?" - -"It was Squire Bates, I tell you. You know how he looks." - -The poor woman went out of the room, and raised her apron to her eyes. - -"Poor Adin is clean upset!" she murmured. "It isn't enough that he's -lost his money, he must lose his mind too. Misfortunes never come -singly, as my poor old father used to say. - -"Dean," she continued when they were alone, "your uncle still sticks to -his story that Squire Bates robbed him." - -"Aunt Sarah," answered Dean gravely, "a thousand dollars would tempt -almost anybody!" - -"Dean, you don't mean to hint that the squire would rob anybody!" - -"I don't know, aunt. A good many strange things happen in the world." - -"I begin to think you are as crazy as your uncle!" said Mrs. Dunham -almost angrily. - -"Suppose neither of us should be crazy, aunt!" - -Mrs. Dunham shook her head. She was surprised that so sensible a boy as -Dean should give credence to the absurd delusion of her husband. - -Meanwhile Dean had come to a conclusion as to what to do. He would -visit the place where the robbery took place—his uncle had described -it so accurately that there would be no mistaking it—and see whether -there was anything to be learned there. - -He found an opportunity the very next afternoon. He did not say -anything to his aunt, for it would only have excited her unduly. -Besides, he thought it very possible that he would have to return -without any information, and might be laughed at. - -It was a considerable walk to the place indicated, but he reached it in -due time. He was afraid he would meet some one who would ask him his -object, but it was a lonely spot, and only one team passed. He saw it -in time to dodge into the woods, and so avoided questioning. - -When the team had passed on he came out to the road. He could see -the exact position of the buggy at the time it was stopped by the -robber, and he found the tree under which his uncle was placed in an -unconscious condition. - -"I have satisfied my curiosity," he said to himself, "but that is all. -I haven't got any information." - -Just then his sharp eyes fell upon a small bright object on the ground -about three feet from the tree. He pounced upon it eagerly and picked -it up. - -It was a sleeve button, apparently gold. Just in the center was a black -initial letter. This letter was B! - -Dean's eyes lighted up. - -"This may lead to something," he said to himself quietly, as he slipped -the button into his pocket. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -WHAT WAS FOUND IN THE WOOD. - - -"B stands for Bates," said Dean to himself. "Perhaps Uncle Adin may not -be so far wrong after all. But how strange it would be if a rich and -prominent man like Squire Bates should have stooped to such a crime! I -find it very hard to believe." - -Dean's perplexed look gave place to one of firm determination. - -"I mean to look up this matter," he said resolutely, "and if my uncle -has been robbed of his little fortune by this man, I'll bring him to -justice if I can." - -Scarcely had this purpose been formed when he heard the sound of -wheels, and not caring to be found by one who might ask curious -questions, he concealed himself behind a tree. - -What was his surprise when, as the buggy stopped, he found that -its solitary occupant was the man who had been foremost in his -thoughts—Squire Bates himself. - -"What does he want here?" thought Dean. - -From his post behind the tree he glanced curiously at the new arrival, -and watched what he should do. - -Squire Bates descended from the buggy, and then walked to the very tree -under which Adin Dunham had, according to his own account, found himself -lying unconscious. Then he walked in different directions around it, -peering carefully at the ground, as if in search of something. - -"He's looking for the button!" thought Dean in growing excitement. - -Then, as if distrusting his eyes, Squire Bates put on a pair of -glasses, and once more resumed his search. But it proved unavailing. - -"I must have dropped it somewhere else," Dean heard him mutter. - -"That settles it!" thought our hero. "He means the sleeve button -without doubt. My uncle is right after all, but," he added after a -pause, "no one would believe the story, I must wait for additional -proof. I wonder what the squire would say if he should find me here. -Would he look guilty?" - -Upon the impulse of the moment, not stopping to consider whether he -was acting wisely or not, Dean determined to let the squire know that -he was present. He did not care to arouse his suspicion, however, by -letting him think that he had been watched. He therefore glided swiftly -a short distance to the right, and then, showing himself openly, -advanced towards the squire, whistling carelessly. - -Squire Bates turned quickly at the sound, and looked annoyed when he -saw who it was that intruded upon him. - -"You here, Dean Dunham?" he exclaimed. - -"Oh, it's Squire Bates," said Dean, as if surprised. "Yes, it is I." - -"And why do you come? It is a long walk from your house." - -"That's true, but it is the place where Uncle Adin was robbed, and I -thought I would come and see if I could discover anything of the money, -or anything that belonged to him." - -"This is the place, then? I thought it might be," said the squire -composedly. "I am on my way to Rockmount, and the same idea occurred to -me. But it isn't of much use. If your uncle was robbed, the money is -far away by this time." - -"Do you think so?" asked Dean, fixing his eyes attentively on the -squire. - -"Why, it is natural to suppose so. How is your uncle?" - -"I left him in bed. He was upset by the shock." - -"How sad! In what condition was he found?" - -"He seemed bewildered, and hardly conscious where he was." - -"The effect of the chloroform!" thought the squire. - -"I have thought, Dean," he said in a confidential tone, "that perhaps -he fainted away and fell from the buggy." - -"But the money was missing." - -"To be sure! Probably some tramp came along, and finding him -unconscious robbed him as he lay powerless." - -"I thought of that, but if he had fallen from the buggy he would have -been bruised." - -"And he was not?" - -"There was no sign of hurt or violence, only that he seemed upset by -some shock." - -"What account did he give of the robbery—if there was one?" asked -Squire Bates, his face expressing keen interest. - -"He said that a man stopped his horse, climbed into the buggy, -assaulted and robbed him." - -"Humph!" said the squire, with an expression difficult to read. "Did he -describe the person?" - -Dean hesitated. Should he or should he not, let Squire Bates know that -he was suspected! He decided to half reveal the secret. - -"He thought it was some one that he knew," he answered briefly. - -"Any one living around here?" asked Squire Bates, nervously. - -"Excuse me, Squire Bates, but at present I think I would rather not -tell. The party may be perfectly innocent, and my uncle's mind may be -affected." - -"Very true! It would not be at all surprising if that were the case. If -you do care to take any one into your confidence, please remember that -I am your uncle's friend, and might have it in my power to help you in -your search." - -"Yes, sir, I will remember that. I shall probably sometime wish to -consult you about the matter." - -There was a significance in Dean's tone that made the lawyer uneasy, -but he had self-control enough not to show his feeling. - -"As we are on the spot suppose we make a search, as each of us proposed. -Did your uncle lose anything except the money—his watch, for instance?" - -"No, his watch was all right." - -This had not occurred before to Dean as singular. Now it tended to -confirm him in the thought that it might have been Squire Bates, -and not some common thief, that had robbed his uncle. The plain -silver watch, never very valuable, which Adin Dunham had carried for -twenty-five years, might have presented a temptation to an ordinary -tramp. A genteel highwayman would not have thought it worth his while -to take it. - -"Really that is very singular," said the squire. "Thieves generally take -whatever they find, and are not very likely to leave a watch behind." - -"It seems to show that the thief was no ordinary one," said Dean. - -"What do you mean by that?" asked the lawyer suspiciously. - -"It was a high-toned robber who wouldn't care to be burdened with an -old silver watch such as Uncle Adin carried." - -"True! Your remark shows penetration. I shouldn't have thought of that. -Perhaps, however, there was another reason." - -"What?" asked Dean, his curiosity aroused. - -"The watch would easily have been identified, and might have led to the -apprehension of the robber." - -"Yes, there is something in that." - -Meanwhile Dean and the squire continued their investigations. Dean, -however, merely made a show of searching. He felt convinced that the -only thing worth discovering he had already found, but of course he had -no intention of making this known to his companion. - -"It would be refreshing if we could find your uncle's lost wallet—did -he carry his money in a wallet?" - -"Yes, I believe so." - -"But we can hardly expect it." - -"No, there is very little chance of it, I am afraid." - -"Ha, what is this?" exclaimed the squire, who had wandered some little -distance from the tree. - -Dean looked up eagerly. - -"Why, that is Uncle Adin's wallet," he said surprised. - -"Unfortunately it is empty!" said the squire, opening it. - -"Yes, so it seems. Where did you find it?" - -"Just here. It is clear that the thief took the money, and threw it -away." - -"I suppose so," answered Dean, slowly. - -"You had better take charge of it. And now I think I must resume my -journey to Rockmount." - -Dean sat down to think. He was puzzled by the discovery of the wallet, -for he had looked in the very spot where it was found before the -squire's arrival, and seen nothing. It looked as if the squire had -produced it from an inner pocket, and thrown it down before picking it -up, and announced its discovery. - -"There is something very queer about all this!" said Dean to himself, -as he walked slowly homeward. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -THE SQUIRE'S BOLD STROKE. - - -"That boy evidently suspects me," thought Renwick Bates, contracting -his forehead. "He is altogether too smart. With the help of his uncle, -whose suspicions are already excited, he may make me trouble. I must -take a bold course, and make the accusations look ridiculous." - -Squire Bates kept on his way till he reached Rockmount, and drove at -once to the office of Thomas Marks. - -"How do you do, Squire Bates?" asked the agent politely. - -"Very well, thank you. I suppose you have heard of the robbery?" - -"To what do you allude?" - -"Adin Dunham was stopped on his way home yesterday, and robbed of a -thousand dollars!" - -"You don't mean it?" returned the agent. "Why I paid him that money -with my own hands." - -"So I supposed. Why didn't you give him a check?" - -"He preferred the bills. Besides, as you have no bank at Waterford, he -could have done nothing with the check." - -"That is true; I didn't think of that. But it's a pity as it happened." - -"Can you tell me any of the details of the robbery?" - -"I talked with Dean Dunham, the nephew, only this morning. I have not -seen Adin himself." - -"What does the boy say?" - -Squire Bates repeated what he had heard from Dean, though he might have -gone more into details from his own knowledge. This, of course, he -could not venture upon. - -"It seems extraordinary," said Thomas Marks, thoughtfully. "How could -the robber have known that Adin Dunham had received any money?" - -"He might have seen him at your office." - -"I don't pay money to every one that calls upon me," said Marks, -smiling. - -"No, or I should call for my installment," returned the squire -jocosely. "Perhaps it might have been some one connected with the hotel -company. I suppose they knew the money was to be called for to-day?" - -"Yes." - -"By the way, in what shape did you pay the money?" - -"You mean in bills of what denomination?" - -"Yes." - -"In fifty-dollar bills." - -"Twenty fifties then?" - -"Yes." - -"That information may prove important. Were the bills all on one bank?" - -"No, from several. Some, I think, were silver certificates." - -"If this had happened in England the numbers of the notes would have -been noted." - -"Exactly. That is one advantage the English detectives have over ours. -May I ask if you have been retained by Adin Dunham to work out the -case?" - -"No; I haven't even seen him since the robbery, but as he is a neighbor -I naturally take an interest in the affair. If I can do anything to -ferret out the thief, or recover the money, I will do so gladly, and it -shall cost Dunham nothing." - -"Your words do you credit, Squire Bates," said the agent, warmly. - -"I think I have misjudged Bates. He is a better man than I gave him -credit for," reflected Thomas Marks. - -"I sympathize with the poor man heartily," continued the squire, -following up the favorable impression which he could see that he had -made. "A thousand dollars is a fortune to him. To us, Mr. Marks, it -would not be so important." - -"Speak for yourself, squire. I am by no means a millionaire." - -"Nor I," rejoined Squire Bates, laughing. "The assessors of Waterford -would be glad if I were." - -"Still I don't think you are in any danger of going to the poor house," -continued the agent. - -"Well, no, perhaps not. But I must be getting home. I suppose you will -warn the merchants here to look out for any fifty-dollar bills that may -be offered them." - -"Yes; it is a good suggestion. I don't think, however, that the robber -will be apt to spend his money in this neighborhood." - -"I presume not. From all I can gather he is a wandering tramp, who -possibly only expected to get a few dollars, and will probably be quite -bewildered when he finds what a haul he has made." - -"I hope for poor Dunham's sake he will be found out." - -"Amen to that!" said Squire Bates, with a queer smile. - -"What a droll world it is!" soliloquized the lawyer as he turned his -horse's head towards Waterford. "How that worthy Marks would have been -astonished if he had known that the bold and audacious robber had been -holding a conversation with him! I must send away those fifty-dollar -notes. Their use in this neighborhood would be suicidal. - -"I think my call upon this man Marks is a clever stroke!" the squire -complacently continued musing to himself. "I must venture upon a -still bolder, stroke, and call upon Adin Dunham, though under the -circumstances I feel rather nervous about it. If that young Dean were -out of the way I should feel more comfortable. It may be necessary to -get rid of him, but that can wait. I understand from my boy Brandon -that Dean treated him very disrespectfully, not to say insolently, only -yesterday. As Brandon truly remarks, the boy is as proud as he is poor, -and doesn't know his place. A working boy occupies an humble position, -and owes deference to his superiors in station. I might have him -arrested for taking possession of Brandon's boat by violence, but at -present it would not be politic. Our turn will come after a while, and -then Dean Dunham must look out!" - -When Squire Bates reached Waterford he drove to the house of Adin -Dunham. Dean was standing in the yard. - -"Please hold my horse, Dean," said the squire pleasantly, "I am going -to call upon your uncle." - -"I don't know whether he can see you, sir," said Dean, doubtfully. - -"At any rate I can ask. I called on Mr. Marks, from whom your uncle -received the money." - -"Did you learn anything, sir?" - -"Yes, I learned that the money was paid in fifty-dollar bills—just -twenty of them. You can see that this is important. If any one in this -neighborhood offers a fifty-dollar bill in payment for any article it -should be investigated." - -"Yes, sir." - -Dean regarded the squire with a puzzled expression. He seemed to take -so much interest in the matter of the robbery, to be so desirous of -throwing obstacles in the way of the thief, that Dean began to think -his suspicions unwarranted. Yet there was his uncle's description of -the robber, and again there was the tell-tale sleeve button in his -pocket. - -"It beats me!" was Dean's conclusion. "Things may clear up, but at -present it seems particularly foggy." - -"Please ask your aunt if I may see Mr. Dunham," said the squire. "I -will tie the horse." - -Dean went in and proffered the request, adding, "Squire Bates has just -returned from Rockmount, where he had an interview with the man who -gave uncle the money. He says it was all in fifty-dollar bills." - -"I don't know," said Mrs. Dunham, doubtfully. "Perhaps it may be as -well to let the squire go in. We ought to be doin' somethin' to catch -the thief, and the squire's a lawyer." - -So it happened that without notification to Dunham she entered the sick -room followed by the squire. - -"Adin, I've brought Squire Bates to see you," she said soothingly. - -Instantly Dunham became excited and manifested alarm. - -"Take him away!" he cried, apparently warding off an attack with his -hands. "He is the man that robbed me!" - -The squire was prepared for this, and he had decided what to do. - -"What!" he exclaimed in a tone of concern, "is poor Dunham's mind -affected?" - -"Yes, I fear the shock was too much for him," said Mrs. Dunham, -sorrowfully. "What in the world should have put such an idea into his -head?" - -"I tell you he is the man that robbed me!" exclaimed Adin Dunham. "I -know him by those long teeth. Give me back my thousand dollars, Squire -Bates!" he continued piteously. "They were all I had." - -"Poor man! I am inexpressibly shocked. I see that my presence excites -him, and I will go." - -"I hope you will excuse his words, squire. He doesn't know what he -says." - -"Yes, he does, and he means it too. That man knew I was to bring back a -large sum of money, and he lay in wait for me." - -"I had better go, I think," said the squire nervously. - -Mrs. Dunham followed him from the room, continuing her apologies. - -"Don't say a word, my dear madam," said the squire in a sympathetic -tone. "I feel for you, indeed I do. To prove it, I will head a -subscription to make up to your husband a part of his loss. I will put -down fifty dollars." - -"You are very kind, Squire Bates. How can I thank you?" - -"Don't thank me at all, but rest assured that I will do all I can for -Mr. Dunham, notwithstanding his strange delusion respecting myself." - -"That's clever stroke number two," thought the squire, as he rode -homeward. "I think I have thoroughly disarmed suspicion now." - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -THE MISSING SLEEVE BUTTON. - - -Squire Bates was as good as his word. He drew up a subscription paper, -and headed it with a subscription of fifty dollars, and went through -the village with it. At the end of three days he came again to Adin -Dunham's plain home, and handed Mrs. Dunham a hundred and fifty dollars. - -"It won't make up your husband's loss," he said, "but it is better than -nothing. I wish I could afford to give more myself." - -"How kind you are, Squire Bates!" said Mrs. Dunham, weeping softly. -"God has indeed raised up a friend for us in our time of trouble." - -"Don't make too much of my poor service, Mrs. Dunham," said the squire -modestly. "It is a great deal easier for me to give fifty dollars than -for your husband to lose a thousand." - -"True; but you are very kind, all the same." - -When Mrs. Dunham told Adin what the squire had done, he kept silence -for a moment, and was obviously perplexed. - -"I don't understand it," he murmured. - -"I hope, now, Adin, you will give up the ridiculous idea that the -squire robbed you," said his wife. - -"I can't," said Adin. "I saw him with these very eyes. I saw those long -teeth of his just as plain as I see you this minute. It's very queer. I -can't understand it." - -"Oh, Adin! I did hope you would get this out of your head. It almost -seems as if your mind was upset." - -"Perhaps it is, but I can't give up the idea that the squire took my -thousand dollars." - -"It stands to reason, Adin, that if he had, he wouldn't have taken all -this trouble to raise money for you. Why, he gave fifty dollars out of -his own pocket." - -"Did fifty dollars of this money come from the squire?" - -"Yes. Just look at his name on the paper. His name is the very first -one on it." - -"Then," said Adin Dunham, carefully counting out fifty dollars from the -roll of bills which had been placed in his hand, "I'll give back the -money to you to do what you like with. The other money came from my -friends and neighbors, and I'll keep it. But the squire's money I don't -want." - -"I'm afraid you are very obstinate, Adin. Why shouldn't the squire's -money be as good as anybody's?" - -"I don't want to put myself under any obligations to him," said Adin, -stiffly. - -"You are willin' I should keep the money?" - -"Do as you please, Sarah. Only don't let me hear any more of it." - -Sarah Dunham put the fifty dollars carefully aside. It seemed strange -to her to have so much money in her individual possession. She felt -grateful to the squire, if Adin did not. - -Weeks passed, and Adin Dunham was able to go about his work. But he -seemed a changed man. All his ambition and energy seemed to be gone. -He was no longer able to do as much work as formerly, and he went -about the place in a listless manner, which made Dean and his aunt -feel anxious. Whenever he caught sight of the squire he hurried away, -apparently anxious to avoid him. - -Renwick Bates did not appear to take any notice of this silence, but it -disturbed him. - -"He hasn't got over the thought that I robbed him," he said to himself. -"Why was I furnished with these wretched tusks? If I had teeth like -other people, I should not have been identified. There's one good -thing, nobody is likely to share his suspicion. That subscription paper -and my large contribution have completely blinded the eyes of people. -If he persists in his charge, he will only convince his neighbors that -he is a fit subject for an insane asylum." - -There was one, however, who fully believed his uncle's story, and that -was Dean, who also avoided the squire when it was in his power to do -so. He still had in his possession the sleeve button that he had found -in the wood, but he had not yet shown it to any one. He was considering -what to do about it. He had no doubt about its being the property of -Squire Bates, and finally he determined to put it to the proof by -letting Brandon see it accidentally. - -He waited for a favorable opportunity. One day when the boys were at -recess, and Brandon standing only three feet distant, he plunged his -hand into his pocket, and drew out three pennies and the tell-tale -sleeve button, showing it so plainly that Brandon couldn't help seeing -it. - -"Where did you get that button?" asked Brandon sharply. - -"What button?" - -"The sleeve button marked 'B.'" - -"I found it," answered Dean composedly. - -"Where did you find it?" - -"Why do you feel so much interest in it?" demanded Dean. "I don't know -that I am called upon to tell you where I found it." - -"I believe you stole it!" said Brandon. - -"Say that again, Brandon Bates, and I'll knock you over!" retorted Dean -with spirit. "Do you mean to insult me?" - -"I have a right to say what I did. That sleeve button belongs to my -father." - -"Are you sure of that?" asked Dean, his face lighting up, for he had -made the discovery he desired. - -"Yes, I am sure of it. I have seen the button plenty of times. Besides, -you know B stands for Bates." - -"It also stands for Bunting," answered Dean. "How do I know but it was -lost by Sam Bunting?" - -Sam Bunting was a poor, ragged, half-witted fellow, who was the -good-natured butt of the village people. - -"There's nothing to joke about, Dean Dunham," said Brandon angrily. "I -tell you the sleeve button belongs to my father. Give it to me right -away!" - -"Hold on a minute! Don't be so impatient. Has your father mentioned -losing a sleeve button?" - -"No," Brandon was compelled to admit. - -"Then you may be mistaken." - -"I know I can't be mistaken. Haven't I seen the sleeve button plenty of -times?" - -"Very likely, but it may belong to some one else, after all." - -"Did you pick up the other also?" asked Brandon. - -"No." - -"Where did you pick it up?" - -"I don't think it necessary to tell you." - -"You will have to tell my father." - -"That is just what I am willing to do. If you will find out whether -your father has lost such a button, and will let me know, I will go and -see him about it, and answer any questions he may choose to ask about -where I found it." - -"It will be just the same if you give it to me." - -"Excuse me, Brandon, but I prefer to surrender it to your father." - -"That's fair enough, Brandon," said a boy who had listened to this -conversation. - -"I suppose Dean wants to sell it for old gold," said Brandon insolently. - -"You needn't trouble yourself about supposing," said Dean coolly. "If -I find the sleeve button belongs to your father, I shall be perfectly -willing to give it up to him." - -"Because you will have to." - -"Put it that way if you want to. I don't care to keep what doesn't -belong to me." - -"How long have you had the sleeve button?" - -"About a week." - -When Brandon went home from school he lost no time in reporting the -matter to his father. - -"Papa," he said, "Dean Dunham's got a sleeve button of yours." - -"What!" exclaimed Squire Bates nervously. - -"One of the sleeve buttons marked 'B.' Did you know you had lost one of -them?" - -"No. So—the Dunham boy has got it?" - -"Yes; he showed it to me at recess." - -"Where did he say he got it?" asked Squire Bates, with a disturbed look. - -"He wouldn't tell me. I asked him, but he said he wouldn't tell any one -but you; and, though I told him I knew it was yours, he wouldn't give -it to me." - -"The boy did right," said Squire Bates, recovering his self-possession. -"Perhaps it isn't mine." - -"But I know it is yours, papa!" persisted Brandon. - -"Very well! You may ask Dean Dunham to bring it to me. I can soon -decide that point." - -"This is awkward!" said the squire to himself, as he paced the room -after Brandon had left his presence. "I can guess where the boy found -the button. I must put him off the track by as plausible an explanation -as I can devise." - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -DEAN RECEIVES A GIFT. - - -My father says you are to call with the sleeve button, Dean Dunham, -said Brandon Bates, in an imperious tone. - -"Very well; I shall be happy to oblige him," answered Dean, with a -smile. "I will call this evening if you think he will be at home." - -"Yes, he will be at home. And, I say, you'd better tell him the truth." - -"I always do. I judge from your caution that you don't." - -"If you're going to talk to me, Dean Dunham," said Brandon, scowling, -"you'd better be respectful." - -"Then you must deserve my respect." - -The colloquy was interrupted by the ringing of the school bell. - -That evening Brandon Bates watched for the coming of Dean, being -curious to learn where it was that he had found the sleeve button. He -accompanied Dean into his father's private room, where Squire Bates was -sitting at a writing-desk. - -"Here's Dean Dunham, papa!" he said. - -"Very well, Brandon, you may withdraw, and leave Dean alone with me." - -"Mayn't I stay, papa?" asked Brandon, his face elongating with the -disappointment he felt at the unexpected exclusion. - -"No, it is not necessary, my son." - -Brandon went out sulkily, and installed himself at the door with his -ear at the keyhole. But he was decidedly nonplussed when Squire Bates, -moving softly to the door, opened it unexpectedly, and he nearly -tumbled in. - -"Didn't I tell you to leave?" demanded his father, sternly. - -"I'm going," answered Brandon, in a shamefaced manner. - -"How is your uncle, Dean?" asked Squire Bates, resuming his seat at the -desk. - -"Not very well, Squire Bates. He hasn't been himself since the robbery." - -"Oh, ah! Yes. It was, no doubt, quite a shock to him. Let us hope he -will soon be himself again." - -"I don't think he will be himself till he recovers the money." - -"I suppose you have not learned anything about it as yet." - -"Well, we have a clew," said Dean, slowly. - -"What sort of a clew?" asked the squire, nervously. - -"Well, not enough to speak of yet." - -"By the way," continued the squire, carelessly, "Brandon tells me you -have found a sleeve button which he thinks belongs to me." - -"Yes, sir, would you like to see it?" - -"Certainly, if you have it with you." - -Dean produced from his vest pocket the button already referred to. - -"Is it yours?" he inquired. - -"It looks very much like one I once owned," said the squire, taking it -in his hand. "Did you find the mate to it?" - -"No," answered Dean, in surprise. "Is the other button lost also?" - -"Yes," said Squire Bates. "By the by, where did you find it?" - -"Only a few feet from the spot where my uncle was robbed—in the -woods," answered Dean, scrutinizing the face of the lawyer closely -as he spoke. But Squire Bates was prepared for this disclosure, and -betrayed neither surprise nor confusion. - -"Indeed!" he said. "This is most interesting. When did you find it?" - -"On the day afterwards." - -"It must have been dropped by the person who robbed your uncle, then?" - -"That is just what I thought," said Dean, much surprised by this -apparent confession on the part of the squire. - -"I must now tell you that the sleeve buttons, with a small sum of -money, mysteriously disappeared about that time," the squire continued, -in a confidential manner. "I am inclined to attribute their loss to a -tramp who was seen prowling round my house the day before your uncle's -misfortune. It looks as if both robberies were by the same person." - -Dean stared at the squire in amazement. He had not foreseen this crafty -explanation, and though he utterly disbelieved in its truth, he saw -no way of discrediting it. The bomb which he anticipated exploding to -the squire's utter confusion in the light of this statement appeared a -very innocent and harmless one indeed. He kept silent, but the cunning -squire with pleasure noted his discomfiture. - -Dean was almost inclined to ask himself if this could be the real -explanation when the thought of his uncle's description of the robber -occurred to him. But on this point he did not think it would do any -good at present to speak. - -"I wish," added the squire with a smile, "you had found both the sleeve -buttons, as I would in that case have asked your acceptance of them." - -"They are marked B," objected Dean. - -"True; I did not think of that. Let me then ask your acceptance of a -small reward," and Squire Bates drew from his pocket a silver dollar. - -But Dean shrank back. He was convinced in spite of all that Squire -Bates was the robber of Adin Dunham, and he didn't feel willing to -accept any favor at his hands. - -"Thank you," he answered, "but I don't care to make money." - -"Perhaps you have all the money you want," said the squire, with a -sneer which he did not quite succeed in repressing. - -"Money is very scarce with all of us, Squire Bates," said Dean, -gravely, "but I would rather earn what I get. If you will give me the -button I will accept it." - -"What good will it do you?" demanded the Squire, suspiciously. - -"Probably none at all. But if this tramp should be found, and proved to -have the other button, it would be good evidence against him, wouldn't -it?" - -"Just so!" said the squire, after a pause. "Well, you may keep it." - -"Thank you, sir." - -"I won't detain you any longer, if you wish to go," continued the -squire, politely. "Perhaps you would like to remain awhile with -Brandon." - -"If Brandon invites me to stay I will do so," answered Dean. - -"Very well." - -Dean left the room, and out in the yard he found Brandon, awaiting his -appearance with evident curiosity. - -"Well," he said, "did pa haul you over the coals?" - -"Why should he? I did him a favor, didn't I, in finding his sleeve -button?" - -"Then he said it was his?" - -"Yes." - -"Did he ask you why you didn't bring it to him before?" - -"No, he treated me with great politeness, and asked me to accept the -sleeve button." - -"What?" - -Dean repeated his statement. - -"But if you keep this the other won't be any good to him." - -"He says both sleeve buttons were stolen from him the day before my -uncle's robbery by a tramp—that is, he thinks it was a tramp." - -"Jehu! That's the first I ever heard of it," said Brandon, in great -surprise. - -"Just as I thought," said Dean to himself. "Your father can probably -give you all the particulars," he added aloud. - -"But you haven't told me where you found it, Dean." - -"Your father can tell you that too." - -"What a stiff, disobliging boy you are!" exclaimed Brandon, angrily. -"Why can't you tell me yourself?" - -"I think your father would prefer to tell you himself." - -"Dean you can't want that button. I'll give you twenty-five cents -for it." - -"I never give away gifts," returned Dean. - -When Brandon later on plied his father with questions the latter -declined to gratify his curiosity. - -"But why did you give Dean the sleeve button, papa?" - -"As a reward for his honesty. There, I'm tired of the whole subject, -and prefer to drop it." - -"I wish you had given me the sleeve button." - -"I'll buy you a new pair when I go to Philadelphia. Will that do?" - -Brandon was very well pleased with this promise, and dropped the -subject. - -When all the family had retired, Squire Bates took from a secret drawer -in his desk the mate of the missing sleeve button—its counterpart in -every particular. - -"I must get rid of this," he said. "In connection with that boy's story -its discovery in my possession would be a damaging piece of evidence." - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -DEAN'S NEW PLANS. - - -The next morning Squire Bates rose half an hour before breakfast, and -took a walk in the garden behind the house. He had his cane with him, -which was unusual, as he was not leaving his own grounds. He proceeded -to the lower end of the garden, and then, thrusting the point of the -cane into the soft loam, made in this way a round hole, perhaps eight -inches deep, into which he carefully dropped the solitary sleeve -button, and then filled up the hole again. - -"There," said he to himself in a tone of satisfaction, "that disposes -of the button. Now Dean Dunham can say what he likes, he can't throw -suspicion on me." - -As he re-entered the house he met Brandon just coming downstairs. - -"You're up early, papa," he said. - -"Yes, I was tired of the bed and got up a few minutes earlier than -usual." - -"Have you been out?" - -"Only walking in the garden a few minutes." - -"Haven't you got a mortgage on Adin Dunham's place?" - -"Yes." - -"Suppose he doesn't pay up?" - -"I don't think he is able to pay up." - -"Can't you foreclose the mortgage?" - -"Yes, but I shouldn't like to worry the old man—at present." - -"I was thinking of Dean. He don't treat me with any respect. He doesn't -seem to know that you could turn the whole family out of doors." - -"You don't like Dean, I infer." - -"No, I don't," said Brandon, bluntly. - -"He is rather independent for a boy in his circumstances," said the -squire, slowly. "Sometime he may regret it." - -Squire Bates raised his eyebrows slightly, and his words conveyed a -vague threat. - -"However," he added, "he may become more sensible, and understand his -position better. Let us hope he will." - -Brandon was not slow in communicating what had been said to Dean. -The next time they had a difference he said: "You'd better keep good -friends with me, Dean Dunham." - -"Why," asked Dean, struck by his tone. - -"Because my father's got a mortgage on your uncle's place, and I may -get him to turn you all out into the street." - -"Has he any idea of doing it?" asked Dean, quickly. - -"Not if you behave yourself—that is, not at present." - -"Thank you! You are very kind to give me warning." - -In the evening Dean spoke to his uncle about the matter. - -"Uncle Adin," he said, "Squire Bates holds a mortgage on this place, -doesn't he?" - -"Yes, Dean," answered his uncle, sadly. - -"For how much?" - -"Eight hundred dollars. I meant to pay off the mortgage with the -thousand dollars that I was robbed of. I always feel uneasy when I -think of our home being at the mercy of any one, no matter who it is." - -"Do you think the squire wants you to pay up the mortgage?" - -"No; he said he was satisfied to have it remain, as it paid fair -interest." - -"Brandon Bates let drop a hint that his father might call it in, if I -didn't treat him with more respect." - -"Is there any quarrel between you two boys?" asked Adin, somewhat -anxiously. - -"Well, we don't agree very well. He wants me to bow down before him, -and I don't mean to do it." - -"I hope you won't quarrel seriously, Dean. His father holds me in his -power, and it's best to keep on good terms with him." - -"Uncle Adin, I wish you had been able to pay up that mortgage," said -Dean, earnestly. "I don't like the squire much better than his son." - -[Illustration: DEAN SPRANG INTO THE BOAT AND PUSHED OFF FROM THE -SHORE.] - -"I am afraid there is no hope of it now, Dean," said Adin Dunham, -sighing, "unless I can get my lost money back." - -"Uncle Adin, I want to help you pay the mortgage, and for that reason I -want you to let me leave home." - -"What have you got in your head, Dean? What good will it do to leave -home?" - -"I can earn some money. Here in Waterford there is no chance for a boy -like me to get hold of any." - -"It's a risky thing for a boy as young as you to start for himself, -Dean. Besides there's John Roberts, the shoemaker, will take you into -his shop and teach you the business. He told me last week he'd give you -three dollars a week." - -"I want to earn money faster than that, uncle. It would take all that -to pay my expenses." - -"What do you want me to do, Dean?" - -"To let me leave home if a good chance offers." - -"I'll see about it, Dean; but I'm afraid you're miscalculatin' your -strength." - -"Thank you, uncle, other boys have succeeded, and I think I can." - -A day or two afterwards, Brandon said to his father, "What do you think -Dean Dunham says?" - -"I am sure I can't imagine," answered the squire, with a shade of -uneasiness. He feared that Dean might have been speaking out his -suspicions in relation to the robbery of his uncle. - -"He says his uncle has consented to let him leave home if a good job -offers. He wants to go out into the world to seek his fortune." - -"It might not be a bad idea," said Bates. - -"I don't think he'd meet with any success," said Brandon, sharply. "He -thinks he is awful smart, and would come home with a fortune in six -months." - -"Boys are apt to be sanguine," said his father, smiling. - -"Would you be willing to have me leave home to seek my fortune?" - -"No; but your case is different. Dean's uncle is a poor man." - -"I suppose he could black boots for a living in some large place." - -"Well, bootblacks sometimes make very good pay." - -"You seem to be in favor of Dean's going away, papa?" - -"I feel no particular interest in the matter. I confess I don't like -the boy, but for his uncle's sake I hope he may do well. And, now, -Brandon, I must ask you to leave me, as I have some letters to write." - -"That will be a good solution of the difficulty," soliloquized Renwick -Bates, when he found himself alone. "The boy evidently suspects me, and -I should like to get him out of the way. Some accident might happen to -him, or he might get into some scrape. At any rate, his plan chimes in -with my own wishes, and if I have an opportunity I will help him to -leave Waterford." - -Two days later, as Dean was walking home from the village store with a -small basket of groceries, he met a stranger—a man with very dark hair -and a sallow complexion. He was of medium size, and had a cast in one -eye which gave a sinister expression to his face. - -"I suppose you live in the village, boy?" he said. - -"Yes, sir." - -"Then perhaps you can direct me to the house of Renwick Bates." - -"Squire Bates?" - -"Is that what you call him?" asked the stranger, with an amused smile. - -"Yes, sir." - -"Do you know him?" - -"Yes, sir. I will conduct you to his house, if you wish." - -"Thank you; I wish you would." - -Dean had to go out of his way a short distance, but, being of an -obliging disposition, he did so willingly. - -"That is the house, sir." - -"Thank you; I haven't any change, or I would pay you for your trouble." - -"It is quite unnecessary," said Dean, hastily. "I don't care for any -pay." - -"Well, thank you, then." - -"I wonder who that is," thought Dean. "I don't like his looks much, and -I wish he hadn't offered me pay for guiding him. He doesn't seem to -have been here before." - -As the stranger turned into the front yard, he saw Brandon, sitting on -the bank, whistling. - -"I don't need to ask whose son you are," said the stranger, smiling. - -"Why not?" demanded Brandon, haughtily. - -"Those teeth are unmistakable, my young friend." - -"Do you mean to insult me? Who are you, any way?" asked Brandon, -imperiously. - -"A friend of your father's who won't stand any impudence!" said the -stranger, sharply. "Go into the house and tell him that Peter Kirby -wishes to see him." - -Cowed by the stranger's manner, Brandon sulkily obeyed. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -PETER KIRBY. - - -If Brandon had supposed the stranger would prove an unwelcome visitor -to his father, he would have been undeceived if he could have been -present at the interview between them. - -"What, Kirby!" said the squire, as the new arrival entered his study. - -"Yes, it is I, captain," answered Peter Kirby, sinking into an -arm-chair. "You seem comfortably fixed here." - -"Yes; I have tried to make myself comfortable." - -"And I understand you go by the name of squire?" - -"How did you learn that?" - -"From a boy who guided me here." - -"I hope you did not express any surprise." - -"Oh, no! I did nothing to arouse suspicion. Are you a justice of the -peace?" - -"Yes." - -"And perhaps preside over trials?" - -"Well, yes, sometimes." - -"Ha, ha!" - -"What are you laughing at?" demanded the squire irritably. - -"It is a good joke. Suppose the good people here were acquainted with -your real character?" - -"Hush; this is no time for jesting. You might be overheard. Now, what -news?" - -"Well, there isn't much. Things have been pretty quiet. You haven't -been at any of our meetings lately?" - -"No; I did not care to excite suspicion. I've been engaged in a little -enterprise on my own account." - -"What, here?" - -"Yes." - -"What was it?" asked Kirby with interest. - -"I learned that one of my neighbors—a simple minded carpenter—was to -receive a considerable sum of money, which I had reason to think he -would bring home in person. I disguised myself, lay in wait for him, -and took the whole." - -"How much was there?" - -"A thousand dollars!" - -"Excellent! And you have it here?" - -"Yes. It happened to be in fifty-dollar bills, and I have not dared to -use any of it lest it should be traced to me. Besides, there is one who -suspects me of having been implicated in the affair?" - -"Is it a person likely to prove dangerous?" - -"I don't know. It is a boy." - -"A boy! How should a boy be likely to suspect you?" - -"I will tell you. It is a nephew of the man who lost the money. Near -the scene of the robbery he found a sleeve button marked with my -initial, which I had the ill luck to drop." - -"Does he know it is yours?" - -"Yes, my son recognized it in his possession, and unfortunately let out -that it was mine. I at once sent for the boy, asked to see the button, -and admitted it was mine." - -"How then did you explain?" - -"I am coming to that. I told him that both buttons had been stolen from -me, probably by a tramp who had been seen prowling round my house, and -that I presumed the same man had robbed his uncle." - -"Very ingenious, upon my word! You always were a man of ideas, captain. -I suppose this allayed his suspicions." - -"Not wholly, though it puzzled him. I must tell you that while I -was relieving the uncle of his money, though otherwise disguised I -unfortunately opened my mouth." - -"And showed your teeth?" - -"Precisely. I have often had occasion to regret that Nature supplied -me with such ugly looking tusks, for they are a dangerous means of -identification. I understand the carpenter—one Adin Dunham—has spoken -of this, but it seemed absurd to those who heard him that a man in my -position should be a robber, and it was taken as a proof that he was -out of his head. I strengthened this impression by taking a foremost -part in raising a subscription for the carpenter to compensate him -partially for his loss, and myself contributed fifty dollars." - -"Out of the man's own money?" asked Kirby laughing. - -"No, I didn't venture to use one of the fifty dollars. I used other -money which I had." - -"Then you have the money by you still?" - -"Yes." - -Squire Bates rose from his seat, locked the door, and then opening a -small cabinet drew out a roll of bills—which he counted before his -visitor. - -"See," he said, "Here are twenty bills, amounting in all to a thousand -dollars." - -Peter Kirby's eyes brightened covetously as he eyed this large sum of -money. - -"It was a good haul for one man to make, in a quiet place like this," -he said. - -"So I flatter myself," said Squire Bates complacently. - -"But I can't help expressing my surprise at your burying yourself in -such a small, out of the way place. If you were in one of our large -cities, for instance, it would be much more convenient, and the rest of -the band could communicate with you better." - -Squire Bates rose and paced the room thoughtfully. - -"That is true," he said, after a pause, "but you must remember also that -I should stand a better chance of being recognized in a large and -important place, where there is a well disciplined and efficient police -force and an organized body of detectives. No one would think of looking -for me in a small, unimportant village like Waterford, where I pass as -the village lawyer, and have a commission as justice of the peace." - -"How do you sustain the part of a lawyer?" - -"I have a few law books, and there was a time in earlier years—I think -I was nineteen—when I passed six months in the office of a lawyer, -where I picked up some of the rudiments of practical jurisprudence." - -"Where was that?" - -"In a Western town, not far from Chicago. Here no very complicated -matters come before me. I am perfectly competent to draft a will, to -write out a deed, make out a lease, and so on—that is all that is -required of me." - -"You must find it very dull living here. I couldn't stand it." - -"I must live somewhere, and you must remember that I have a wife and -son who are entirely ignorant of my real character." - -"They suppose you to be a lawyer?" - -"Yes." - -"I saw your son outside. It was easy to recognize him as your son." - -"Why?" - -Peter Kirby touched his teeth with a significant gesture. - -"He has your teeth," he said. "They are a perfect _facsimile_." - -"Yes," said the squire soberly. "He too is cursed with this deformity." - -"Still, as teeth, I have no doubt they are strong and—durable." - -"Yes, they will last me all my life. I have no excuse for having them -extracted, and procuring an artificial set. Yet I want to do it, if I -were not a coward as regards dentists. But, to come back to business. I -shall hand you these bills, and ask you to exchange them for bills of -other denominations. You can send them to me in an express package." - -"There will be some risk about this, won't there, as it is known that -the stolen money was in fifty-dollar bills?" - -"Not if you go far enough away. I shall want you to go to Chicago on -other business which I will communicate to you. There you will have no -difficulty in effecting the change." - -"I suppose I am to have a commission?" - -"Yes; you can retain fifty dollars." - -"That is small, captain," said Kirby, in a tone of discontent. - -"It may be, but I have other work for you to do which will increase -your remunerations." - -"What sort of work?" - -"I have already told you of a boy in the village who suspects me of -being implicated in the robbery." - -"Yes." - -"I mean you to take him with you." - -"What, and to abduct him? That will be difficult and dangerous." - -"No, you are to offer him lucrative employment, and he will go with -you willingly. Then you are to get him into trouble, involve him in -a crime perhaps, and he won't dare to come back. I learn from Brandon -that he is anxious to obtain a position. However, I will give you -detailed instructions how to proceed." - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -DEAN IS ENGAGED AS PRIVATE SECRETARY. - - -"Brandon," said his father, "I would like to have you call at Adin -Dunham's with a note." - -Brandon frowned. He did not fancy being employed as an errand boy. - -"Can't you get somebody else?" he asked. "I wouldn't mind going to any -other place, but I don't like to go there on an errand." - -"Perhaps that will overcome your objections," said his father, -producing a silver dollar. - -"Thank you, papa, I'll go," said Brandon with alacrity, for he was -always in want of money. "Who is the note for?" - -"For the boy—Dean." - -"Oh!" - -Brandon's face changed. - -"Seems to me Dean Dunham is getting to be a person of a good deal of -importance," he said. "What is the note about? If you are going to haul -him over the coals I won't mind taking it." - -"On the contrary, Mr. Kirby, our guest, is going to offer him a -position as his clerk and private secretary." - -"And did you recommend him to Mr. Kirby?" asked Brandon, considerably -disgusted. - -Squire Bates was sharp enough to understand the cause of Brandon's -dissatisfaction. - -"I don't mind telling you confidentially," he said with a smile, "that -I don't envy the boy who works for Peter Kirby." - -"Then it isn't such a great chance after all?" - -"I suspect that Dean will be sorry he engaged to work for him within -a week. But of course you won't let drop a word to prejudice the boy -against accepting Mr. Kirby's offer." - -"You may rely upon me, papa," said Brandon with a chuckle. - -Dean was reading aloud to his uncle when there was a knock at the door, -which was answered by Mrs. Dunham. - -"Brandon Bates!" she said in surprise. - -"Yes, Mrs. Dunham. Is Dean at home?" - -"Won't you come in? Yes, he's at home." - -"I won't stop. I should like to see him a minute." - -"Dean, here's Brandon Bates wants to see you a minute," said his aunt. - -Dean shared in Mrs. Dunham's surprise. He laid down the paper from -which he was reading, and went to the door. - -"Good-evening, Brandon!" he said politely, "do you wish to see me?" - -"Yes. I've got a note for you. I happened to be coming this way, and -I told my father I'd take it," continued Brandon, anxious to have it -understood that he was not specially sent to the cottage. - -"Thank you, Brandon. Won't you come in while I am reading it?" - -"No, but I'll wait. I think it's short." Dean tore open the envelope, -and read as follows in the handwriting of Squire Bates: - - - "DEAN DUNHAM: - -"I understand from my son Brandon that you are seeking employment, and -have no objection to leave home. A gentleman at present visiting me is -in want of a clerk and secretary, and he would like to have an interview -with you. As he leaves town to-morrow, I send for you this evening. - - "RENWICK BATES." - - -Dean felt that nothing would suit him better. - -He felt grateful to Squire Bates for what he regarded as a piece of -unexpected kindness. - -"Your father is very kind, Brandon," he said as he folded up the note. -"He offers me a position with a friend of his." - -"He just mentioned the matter to me," Brandon said indifferently. - -"I wonder if the gentleman is one to whom I showed the way to your -father's house this afternoon?" - -"Like as not. I don't know him; I never saw him before." - -"Then you don't know whether he lives far from here or not?" - -"No." - -"I wonder whether I shall suit him," queried Dean anxiously. - -"My father seems to think you will," answered Brandon. "Of course I -don't know anything about it." - -"I will try to suit him at any rate," said Dean earnestly. - -"Do you think your uncle will let you go?" - -"Yes, it is a fair chance. I've talked over the matter with him and he -sees that there isn't anything for me to do in Waterford, and that I -shall have to leave town to get a place that is worth having." - -"I shall envy you for one thing," said Brandon. - -"What is that?" - -"Because you will be leaving Waterford." - -"It is a pretty village." - -"I am sick and tired of it. There is nothing going on here. I don't see -why a gentleman of my father's wealth should bury himself in such a -one-horse place." - -"It isn't very lively," Dean admitted. - -"I should say not. Why even the circus doesn't come any nearer than ten -miles. I shall tease papa to go to New York to live. I should like to -live on Madison or Fifth Avenue." - -Dean knew very little about either of the avenues referred to, -though he had heard of them as tenanted by rich families. He rather -congratulated himself that Brandon had not sought the place which was -to be offered to him. - -By this time they had reached the home of Squire Bates, and Dean -followed Brandon into the house. He soon found himself in the presence -of the squire and of Peter Kirby. - -"Good-evening, Dean," said the squire pleasantly. "This is my friend, -Mr. Kirby. - -"I have seen the young man before," said Kirby, opening his mouth in -what he tried to make a pleasant smile. - -"Yes, sir. I remember you." - -Looking at Kirby as his future employer, Dean was not prepossessed in -his favor. He was certainly far from an agreeable looking man, but -Dean was disposed to judge him without prejudice. He knew that a fair -outside sometimes accompanies very undesirable traits, and the reverse -might also be the case. - -"If you read my note, you understand that Mr. Kirby is in want of a -young man, or boy, to assist him in the capacity of clerk or private -secretary," the squire put in. - -"I hope I may suit you, sir," said Dean earnestly, addressing himself -to Peter Kirby. - -"Oh, I am not very hard to suit. If a boy does his duty, and studies my -interests, he won't find me a hard master." - -"I think I can promise that I will serve you faithfully, sir." - -"Is your uncle willing to have you leave home?" asked the squire. - -Dean made the same answer as he had done to Brandon. - -"Then there will be no difficulty there." - -"How soon would you like to have me begin, sir; that is, if you are -willing to engage me?" - -"Well, you can report at French's Hotel on Saturday—day after -to-morrow. I suppose you can find your way to New York alone?" - -"Oh, yes, sir. I have never been there, but I am sure I shall have no -difficulty." - -"I will give the boy the necessary directions, Kirby," said Squire -Bates. "He has a tongue in his head, and can ask questions." - -"What salary do you expect, Master Dunham?" asked Kirby. - -"I will leave that to you, sir." - -"I am willing to pay a fair salary, say twenty-five dollars a month and -your board and lodging thrown in. Will that be satisfactory?" - -"It is more than I anticipated," said Dean, quite dazzled by the offer. -He reckoned that he would be able to send some money home to his uncle -and aunt every month—and thus have the pleasure of making up to some -extent for the expense which they had incurred on his account. - -"Then that matter is settled. Here is a card with my address on it. You -will find me at French's Hotel at one o'clock in the day. If anything -occurs to detain me, you can wait in the office till I return. My -friend Bates here will supply money for your journey." - -Dean understood that there was nothing more to be said, and he rose and -took his leave. He went home in a fever of excitement, for he felt that -he was about to enter the great world of which he had heard so much, -and which he so earnestly longed to see. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -DEAN MEETS AN ADVENTUROUS YOUNG MAN. - - -Adin Dunham and his wife were surprised and dazzled by the brilliant -prospects of their nephew. - -"Did this Mr. Kirby really agree to pay you twenty-five dollars a -month, Dean?" asked the carpenter. - -"Yes, uncle, and he asked if it would be satisfactory." - -"It seems strange," mused Adin. "Why, when I was your age I was workin' -for fifty cents a week and my board." - -"I get board, too, Uncle Adin." - -"It's a great offer. And you're a stranger to him too." - -"Yes; he took me on Squire Bates's recommendation." - -"I should have thought he'd have wanted the place for his own boy." - -"Brandon would like to leave Waterford, but I don't believe he wants to -work. It is all the better for me." - -"I don't believe in boys being idle, but there's no call for Brandon -Bates to work if he don't want to. The squire's rich enough." - -And then the carpenter's brow contracted in perplexity. He couldn't -understand why a rich man should take what did not belong to him, and -he had never got over the impression made on him on the day of the -robbery by the long tusk-like teeth of the masked figure. - -"Father," said Mrs. Dunham anxiously, "do you think it's safe for a boy -as young as Dean to go out into the world alone? He's only a child." - -"I'm almost sixteen, aunt," said Dean mortified. - -"But you don't know nothin' of the world." - -"Neither do you or I, wife, though we're both risin' sixty. Dean has -got to take his chances. I hope this Kirby's a likely man. What does he -look like, Dean?" - -"Well, I don't fancy his appearance much," Dean admitted. "He is very -dark and sallow, and there's something queer about the eyes. But I -suppose he can't help his looks." - -"Handsome is that handsome does," replied Mrs. Dunham. "I've heard tell -that villains is sometimes very scrumptious in appearance." - -"I guess he's all right, aunt. He didn't make himself, you know." - -"I wish you hadn't got to go to New York alone, Dean. Don't you think -Mr. Kirby'd wait a day, and then you could go with him?" - -"I want to go alone, aunt. I hope I'm smart enough to find my way." - -"We'll trust him, wife," said Adin Dunham. "He means we'll, and if he's -keerful he'll come out all right." - -At length the morning came for Dean's departure. He bade good-bye to -the old folks, and walked proudly to the railroad station with a bundle -of clothing under his arm. - -Rather to his surprise he found Squire Bates at the little depot, -walking up and down on the platform. - -"So you're starting, are you, Dean?" said the squire. - -"Yes, sir." - -"I hope you'll do your duty by your employer." - -"I shall try to do so, sir." - -"I have indorsed you, and he has taken you on my recommendation." - -"I ought to thank you for that, sir." - -"I take it for granted that you will verify the good things I have said -of you. If you don't—if you throw discredit on me and on your worthy -uncle and aunt, why then—" and he paused. - -Dean listened to hear how he would end the sentence. - -"Then," resumed the squire, "I honestly advise you to stay away, and -not return to Waterford." - -"I won't come back unless I can come back with a good record," said -Dean impetuously. - -"A good resolution! Stick to it, my lad." - -The train came up with a rush, and Dean got on board He was a little -disturbed by the squire's parting words. Why should he harp so much on -Dean's acting discreditably? - -"It almost seems as if he expected I would," soliloquized Dean. "If I -know myself, I know that I am honest, industrious and faithful. Mr. -Kirby won't be disappointed in me, unless he is an unreasonable man." - -Waterford was about fifty miles from New York, and the journey consumed -two hours. Dean was considerably interested in looking out of the -window at the towns along the railroad. But besides this, he scanned -the faces of the passengers around him. - -Just behind him was a boy about his own age, who after a while leaned -over and said, "Come back here and sit with me." - -Dean was of a social disposition, and needed no second invitation. - -His new acquaintance was a pleasant-looking boy of sixteen, with dark -hair and dark eyes, and a bright, alert look. - -"Where are you going?" he asked. - -"To New York." - -"Do you expect to stay there?" - -"No, I am going to work for a gentleman whom I am to find at French's -Hotel." - -"Yes, I know where that is." - -"Do you? Then you have the advantage of me. I was never in New York -since I was a very little boy." - -"Oh, it's easy enough to find it. We shall land at the Grand Central -Depot. You can take a Fourth Avenue car in front of it, and it'll carry -you right by French's Hotel." - -"Is it far?" - -"About three miles, I guess." - -"That's a good distance." - -"It isn't much in the city. I didn't know you had a place. I was going -to ask you to join me." - -"Why what are you going to do?" Dean asked in some curiosity. - -"You won't give me away, will you?" - -"What's that?" - -"I mean you won't tell my plans to any one?" - -"Not if you don't want me to." - -"Then I'm going out West," said the boy, nodding impressively. - -"You are! Have you got friends there?" - -"No, I'm going in for a little excitement. I'm going out West to hunt -Indians!" and the speaker eyed Dean to see how he was impressed by the -declaration. - -"But what good is that going to do you?" asked Dean, perplexed. - -"Oh, there'll be no end of excitement. It'll show what I am made -of. I shouldn't wonder if some writer would make a story out of my -adventures." - -"But suppose the Indians should hunt you?" suggested Dean. - -"I must take my chance of that," answered the boy loftily. "If there -wasn't any risk, there wouldn't be any excitement or glory." - -"Are your folks willing you should go?" queried Dean. - -"No; they don't know where I am. I left home on the sly." - -"Won't they worry about you?" - -"Just at first, but I shall write to them when I am far enough away. -They'll be proud enough of me, when they read about my exploits. Maybe -there'll be a play written about me. When I get home I shouldn't mind -going round, playing in it myself. Have you got any money?" - -"No, only my fare to New York and a quarter over." - -"Then it would be no use for you to go with me. It'll take money to -get out West, and to pay for a gun and ammunition. I shall get them at -Chicago, I think." - -"Have you considerable money with you?" Dean ventured to inquire. - -"A little over a hundred dollars. You see I had that much in the -Savings Bank. It's presents I've got from different persons in the last -five years. I drew it all out a day or two since, and decided to start -out in search of glory." - -"I don't think you ought to go without letting your folks know about -it," said Dean. - -"Oh, they would oppose it, of course. They think I'm a baby, but I'm a -year older than Daredevil Dick, the Young Hunter of the Rio Grande. I -suppose you've read about him?" - -"No, I never heard of him." - -"I thought everybody had heard of him. I think I'm smart enough to do -as much as he did." - -Dean learned that his young companion's name was Guy Gladstone, and -that his father was born in England, but had come to America at an -early age, and was a successful manufacturer. Guy would not tell him -where his parents lived. - -As their train ran into the depot, Guy said, "I guess I'll go to -French's with you and stay one night. I shan't remain in the city any -longer for fear my friends will track me." - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -DEAN TAKES MR. KIRBY BY SURPRISE. - - -Dean found it to his advantage to have in his company one who was -familiar with the city. Together he and Guy boarded a Fourth Avenue -car and rode through Fourth Avenue into the Bowery, and later through -Center Street. - -Guy pointed out prominent buildings as they rode along, among them the -Cooper Institute and Tombs Prison. Dean's interest was strongly excited. - -"I should think you'd rather live here than go out West," he said. - -"I'm sick of civilization," answered Guy rather grandly. "Give me the -wild untrammeled life of the plains." - -"But I don't see what it's going to lead to," objected Dean. "You can't -make money out there." - -"I'm not after money; I want glory," answered Guy. - -"I prefer money," said Dean, "just at present." - -They reached French's hotel, and entered. This was some years since, -before the temporary closing of this old established house for -travelers. - -"You'd better go up to the register and see whether your friend has a -room here," suggested Guy. - -Dean adopted the suggestion, and looking over the record found this -entry: - -PETER KIRBY, Chicago. Room 197. - -"Yes, he's here," he said in a tone of relief. "Is Mr. Kirby at home?" -he inquired. - -"I will send up and see," said the clerk. "Do you wish to go up at the -same time?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"I'll wait down here," said Guy. "If Mr. Kirby doesn't expect you to -room with him, we can take a room together." - -"Yes, I should like that." - -Dean followed the bell boy upstairs to one of the upper floors. He -had never been in a large hotel before, and as saw door after door -opening on the corridor he thought the hotel must be one of the largest -buildings in New York. In this, of course, he was very much mistaken. - -"That's Mr. Kirby's room," said the bellboy, pointing to 197. "Shall I -knock, or will you?" - -"I'll go in; he expects me," answered Dean; and, with a want of -ceremony which was the result of his inexperience, he did not stop to -knock, but opened the door. - -Sitting at a table was his employer, with a number of bank bills spread -out before him, which he appeared to be engaged in counting. Naturally -Dean glanced at them, and his surprise was great when he recognized the -denomination of the bills. - -They were all fifties! What could it mean? Was this man Kirby the one -who had robbed his uncle? But his intimate relations with Squire Bates -presented another explanation. The bills might have been received from -the squire. - -Dean's reflections were cut short by his employer. - -With a look of alarm and annoyance he swept the bills together, and -turning to Dean, said, harshly, "Why did you come in without knocking?" - -"Excuse me!" said Dean, in a tone of apology, "I didn't think." - -"It was positively rude," said Kirby in an excited tone. "One would -know that you had been brought up in the country." - -"I haven't been round much," said Dean, "but I hope to improve, -especially if I travel about with you." - -"There's no harm done," said Peter Kirby, cooling down rapidly, -concluding that Dean had seen nothing to excite his suspicions; "but -I was a little startled when you opened the door. It's dangerous for -a man to be seen with money in a large city like this, for there are -plenty of designing persons who might seek to relieve him of it." - -"I hope you don't suspect me, Mr. Kirby." - -"Certainly not. Well, you left Waterford this morning?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"Where is your luggage?" - -"Here, sir," answered Dean, showing his bundle. - -Kirby frowned. - -"It will never do to travel with a bundle like that. You must have a -valise. I haven't time to go round with you. Do you think you can be -trusted to find a place where they are sold?" - -"I have a friend who will go with me." - -"What friend?" asked Kirby sharply. - -"It's a boy I got acquainted with on the train—a boy about my own age, -named Guy Gladstone." - -"Oh, a boy!" repeated Peter Kirby, evidently relieved. - -"He would like to have me occupy a room with him, unless you wish me to -be with you." - -"I have no objection; but mind, I shan't allow him to join our party -and travel with us," said Kirby suspiciously. - -"No; he would not care to. He is going out West at once." - -"Alone?" - -"Yes; he will only stay here one night." - -"Here is a five-dollar bill. You can take it and look up a valise. -Three or four dollars ought to buy one. A small one will answer, -judging from the size of your bundle. I suppose you have had nothing to -eat since you left Waterford?" - -"No, sir." - -"You can go to a restaurant and get some dinner. The other boy will -show you where to find one. I am obliged to go out on business. This -hotel is on the European system, and doesn't provide regular board." - -"Shall I take my bundle with me, sir?" - -"Yes; you can transfer the contents to the valise when you have bought -one. When you return you can put your name on the hotel book, taking a -room with this Guy Gladstone." - -"Thank you, sir." - -Dean descended to the office and communicated to Guy what his employer -had told him. - -"I have put my valise in the baggage-room," said Guy, and got a check -for it. "I am glad you are going to take a room with me. I wish you -would join me altogether." - -"Then you'd have to pay expenses for both, as I have no money." - -"That would be an objection, as I have only about enough money for my -own use." - -The two boys went out together, but, both being hungry, decided to -postpone purchasing the valise until after dinner. They went into a -restaurant on Fulton Street, and ordered a dinner at moderate cost, -which they enjoyed with great relish. They were of an age to have a -hearty appetite. - -"It seems strange to me to be eating here," said Dean. "I never before -ate at a hotel or restaurant." - -"Your life must have been very quiet," said Guy. - -"Yes; but I expect to have some excitement now." - -"In what business is your employer?" - -"I don't know," answered Dean. - -Guy regarded him with surprise. - -"You are going to work for him, are you not?" - -"Yes." - -"And yet you don't know what business he is in?" - -"No." - -"What are you to do? Have you any idea?" - -"I am to be private secretary, or clerk, I believe." - -"Are you to get good pay?" - -"Twenty-five dollars a month and my board," answered Dean proudly. - -Guy looked amazed. - -"That's a pretty steep salary to pay a green boy from the country. No -offense, Dean. You are green, you know." - -"Yes, I know I am, but I don't mean to stay so." - -"I don't believe you will. You look as if you'd learn fast." - -"I'll try to, at any rate." - -After dinner they found a place near the corner of Wall Street and -Broadway, where Dean bought a valise of neat appearance and good -quality for three dollars. He adopted Mr. Kirby's suggestion, and, -opening his bundle, put the contents into his new purchase. - -"Now you don't look so countrified," said Guy. - -They turned down Wall Street, looking curiously into the windows -as they passed. At one—a broker's office—Dean found something to -surprise him. - -At a large counter stood Mr. Kirby with a roll of bills before him—the -same, no doubt, that Dean had seen him counting at the hotel. He -appeared to be purchasing government bonds, for a clerk passed him -several, and gathered up the bills in exchange. - -"What do you see that's so interesting?" asked Guy. - -"That man at the counter is my employer." - -"Humph! I don't like his looks. He seems to have plenty of money, -though." - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -AN EVENING AT NIBLO'S. - - -"I wish I knew whether that money I saw Mr. Kirby counting belonged to -my poor uncle," thought Dean. - -He didn't venture to take his boy friend into his confidence, for -his suspicions, strong as they were, might prove to do his employer -injustice. At any rate he resolved to keep on the lookout for additional -evidence which might tend either to confirm or to disprove them. - -If he had been present in the broker's office, he would have heard -something to confirm the distrust he felt. When Peter Kirby was asked -by the broker's clerk, as usual, his name, he hesitated for a second, -then answered boldly "Renwick Bates." So in the broker's book the sale -of bonds was recorded as having been made to Renwick Bates. Had the -squire known this, he would have felt very angry with his confederate, -as, in case the fifty-dollar notes were traced, his name would be -involved. - -Guy and Dean were taking supper at a restaurant not far from the hotel -when Mr. Kirby came in and sat down at a table near them. Guy was the -first to notice him. - -"There's your respected employer, Dean," he said in a low voice. - -"So he is. I wonder whether I ought to speak to him." - -"Wait till you get through supper." - -Presently another man came in and took a seat at the same table. He -seemed to have been expected. - -"You're late, Pringle," said Kirby. - -"Yes, I was detained. I went to Jersey City to see my wife." - -"You are better provided than I. I have never found time to get -married." - -"Well, it's awkward sometimes in our business to have such an -incumbrance." - -"Does your wife know what business you are in?" - -"Scarcely. She's a good church woman, and would be horrified. She -thinks I am a traveling salesman." - -Kirby laughed. - -"I have no wife to deceive," he said. "That is where I have the -advantage of you. However, you are no worse off than the captain. I've -been up to see him." - -"Where?" - -"In the country," answered Kirby evasively. "He's a big gun out there. -They call him squire." - -Both laughed. - -"So he is married?" - -"Yes, and has a son who is his very image, even to the long, tusk-like -teeth. If ever he gets into trouble it's because they will give him -away." - -"They certainly are very peculiar." - -"They are dangerous," responded Kirby with emphasis. "If I had them I -would get rid of them in short order, but the captain owned to me that -he was afraid of the dentist." - -"I suppose his family are in the dark as to his position?" - -"Undoubtedly. His son is an impudent young cub. It would have given -me pleasure to box his ears. He evidently thinks his father a man of -great importance, and is inflated by his own estimate of his social -consequence." - -"What makes the captain stay in such an obscure place?" - -"He tells me it is on account of his family, and also because it adds -to his safety." - -"When are we to see him?" - -"He will be in Chicago next month, and lay out work for us to do. One -thing I will say for him, he has good executive talent, but he ought -not to keep out of the way so much of the time." - -Then the talk drifted into other channels. - -To this conversation Dean listened with the utmost attention. He felt -interested and excited. He could not fail to understand that Kirby was -referring to Squire Bates. The mystery was deepening. Who and what was -this man who in Oakford posed as a lawyer, a reputable citizen, and a -Justice of the Peace? It was clear that he was allied to some outside -organization in which he wished to conceal his membership. - -This man Kirby who was now Dean's employer, was a friend and associate. -Why under the circumstances should Squire Bates have been willing to -send him off as Kirby's clerk or secretary? If there was anything to -conceal, it was only giving him an opportunity to find it out. - -"I must keep my eyes open," thought Dean. "I mean to find out who -robbed my uncle, and whether Squire Bates had anything to do with it. -If I could only recover the money I should be happy." - -"What are you thinking about so intently?" asked Guy. - -"I want to get out of the restaurant without my employer seeing me," -answered Dean in a low voice. - -"Why? Would he object to your coming here!" - -"Wait till we get into the street." - -The boys managed to effect their retreat without attracting the notice -of Kirby or Pringle. - -"Now what's it all about?" asked Guy. - -"They were talking confidentially, and Mr. Kirby would be angry if he -thought I had heard them." - -"Oh, that's it," said Guy carelessly. He was not a boy of much -curiosity, and felt much less interest in Dean's concerns than his own. -"Well, what shall we do this evening?" - -"Go to bed, I suppose." - -"But why not go to some theater?" - -"I should like to go," said Dean, "but I don't know that I ought to -use the money Mr. Kirby gave me for such a purpose." - -"You needn't mind that. Didn't you tell me you were to receive -twenty-five dollars a month?" - -"Yes." - -"Then if he makes any fuss, tell him to charge the expense of the -theatre to your salary." - -"I might do that. How much will it cost to go to the theater?" - -"We can get a fair seat for fifty cents." - -"Then I think I'll go," said Dean after some hesitation. - -"Have you any choice as to theatres?" - -"No, I don't know anything about them. I never went to a theatre in my -life." - -"Well, you are a fresh young countryman, and no mistake. Here, I'll get -an evening paper, and see what's playing at the different theaters." - -The result was that Niblo's was selected. It is not necessary to -mention the name of the play, which was at that time a popular -favorite, but is now forgotten. The two boys obtained seats in the -balcony, rather far off from the stage, but both were possessed of good -eyes, and had no difficulty in seeing what was passing on the boards. - -Dean was enchanted. He had had but vague ideas of what a theater was -like, and to him everything seemed real. There was one place where the -villain of the piece throws the heroine from a bridge into the water. -Dean uttered a little exclamation. - -Guy turned to him with a smile. - -"What's the matter?" he asked. - -"I—I almost thought it was real," said Dean. "I was afraid she would -drown." - -"And I dare say you wanted to punish the brutal ruffian?" - -"Yes, I did," admitted Dean. - -"Probably he and the girl are excellent friends in real life. Why, they -are husband and wife," he added, referring to the play bill. - -"It doesn't seem possible." - -"I envy you, Dean. You enjoy the play much better than I do, for you -believe in it while I know it for a sham—that is, I know it's merely -play-acting. Look in the next row—you see there is some one who -believes in it as much as you do." - -Guy pointed to a lady in plain, old-fashioned attire who was wiping her -eyes. - -"She takes it worse than you do," whispered Guy. - -The play continued, and ended at last to the satisfaction of Dean, who -saw all the bad characters visited with retribution, while oppressed -innocence and virtue through much tribulation attained happiness and -peace. - -When the play was over, they joined the throng and passed out through -the lobby. Suddenly a cry was heard from a little distance in front. - -"I've been robbed! I've lost my pocket-book," and a small man with a -red and excited face began to feel wildly in his pockets for his lost -treasure. - -At a little distance pushing their way out, were two tall men, whom -Dean recognized as Peter Kirby and his friend Pringle. While others in -the immediate neighborhood of the victim were regarding him with looks -of curiosity or sympathy these two seemed to feel no interest, and to -be only intent on getting out into the street. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -ON THE FALL RIVER BOAT. - - -Dean didn't see his employer till the next morning. Mr. Kirby did not -ask him where he had spent the evening previous, as Dean thought it -possible he might do. Indeed he seemed in unusual good spirits, and -handed his new clerk a couple of dollars to defray any expenses he -might incur. - -"Are we going to stay long in New York?" Dean ventured to ask. - -"No, we go to Boston this afternoon by the Fall River line." - -This was a surprise to Dean, who fancied they were bound west. - -When he suggested this, Mr. Kirby said, "I have a little business to -transact in Boston first. We can go West from there as well as from New -York." - -Dean was not upon the whole sorry that he should have an opportunity -of seeing a city so famous as Boston. "I shall feel that I am quite a -traveler," he said to himself. - -During the forenoon he was called upon to bid good-bye to Guy -Gladstone. That young man had concluded his arrangements for a visit to -his Indian hunting grounds, and was in a hurry to leave New York, as he -was liable at any moment to meet some friend of his father's who might -detain him, or ask him questions which it would embarrass him to answer. - -At about fifteen minutes to five o'clock Dean and his employer went -down to the foot of Murray Street, and went on board the steamer -Pilgrim of the famous Fall River line. Mr. Kirby succeeded in obtaining -a stateroom, with two berths, and allowed Dean to occupy the upper one. - -Our young hero surveyed with admiration the palatial accommodations -of the great steamer; the grand saloon, the showy chandeliers, the -handsome furniture and costly mirrors. - -"You can amuse yourself as you please," said Kirby. "I shall be -occupied till about ten o'clock, when I shall be ready to go to bed." - -He showed Dean the way to the supper room, and told him he could take -supper whenever he pleased. Dean availed himself of this permission, -and after supper stopped at the book table in the main saloon, which -was under the charge of a boy rather older than himself, arrayed in a -blue uniform. This boy he found very social and agreeable. He learned -that he was called Dan, but did not inquire his last name. - -"Don't you get tired of traveling on the boat?" asked Dean. - -"No." - -"But it's the same thing every night." - -"I have my business to attend to. That prevents it becoming monotonous." - -"Are you ever sea-sick?" - -"No," answered Dan with a smile. "It would take a good deal to upset me -now, I'm so used to it." - -"Do you expect to follow the business when you're a man?" - -"No, I think I shall look for a place in a wholesale store in Boston -next fall. It won't pay as well at first, but it will lead to a good -salary in time. I suppose you are going to Boston?" - -"Yes, but not to stay." - -"How long do you stay there?" - -"I don't know yet. That depends upon my employer." - -"The man you are traveling with?" - -"Yes." - -"I noticed him. He is a tall, sallow man, isn't he?" - -"Yes." - -"Have you been working for him long?" - -"No, I've only just started." - -"What do you do?" - -"I am his private secretary—that's what he calls me, but I don't know -yet what my duties will be." - -"He don't look like a man likely to employ a private secretary," said -Dan shrewdly. - -"I don't know what sort of men do have secretaries," Dean said in a -perplexed tone. - -"Oh, governors, members of Congress, and sometimes authors. I don't -suppose he's either of those three." - -"I think not," answered Dean smiling. - -"Well, he has a right to have one, at any rate. Do you like him?" - -"I can't say I do, though I have nothing to complain of. He seems to be -liberal." - -"How much does he pay you, if you don't mind telling me?" - -"Twenty-five dollars a month." - -"And your expenses besides?" - -Dean nodded. - -"My, that's fine pay. I'd be a private secretary myself for that." - -"If he wants two, I'll recommend you." - -"You can tell all you know about me," said Dan laughing. - -"That wouldn't be much, but I can judge of you by your looks." - -"Thank you. I couldn't recommend your employer very highly on that -ground." - -Here two or three customers came up and inquired of the young -news-agent about some of the latest novels. Dean, seeing that his -friend was occupied, went to the after part of the boat, and seating -himself on a camp stool watched with interest the progress of the -vessel and the shores so far as they were visible. It was now dusk, and -shadows played over the surface of the water. - -Meanwhile where was Mr. Kirby? - -After a hearty supper in the dining saloon he smoked a cigar on the -lower deck, and then began to wander about the steamer, choosing -especially the walk that ran between the outside staterooms and the -side railing. - -As he stood beside the railing a stout man looking like a prosperous -merchant came out of his stateroom, and locked the door behind him. -Then he passed through the nearest passage way into the saloon. - -"He looks as if he might carry something of value," thought Kirby. -"I'll venture to examine." - -Waiting till the coast was clear he produced a pass key, of which -he had managed to gain possession, and inserted it in the lock of -stateroom No. 157, as we will venture to designate it. - -The door opened, and Kirby entered the room. - -He drew a match from his pocket, and lighting it looked swiftly and -searchingly about him. - -There was a small hand-bag on the lower berth. - -"I'd take the bag if I dared, but it is too large to put in my pocket," -thought Kirby. "Perhaps I can open it." - -He drew from his pocket a bunch of keys of various sizes, and tried one -after another. The fourth proved to fit. - -The bag, when opened, displayed a variety of contents in which Kirby -was not interested. But one article attracted his attention. This was a -square pasteboard box with the name of Tiffany upon it. - -"I'll take that at a venture," soliloquized Kirby. "Since it bears -Tiffany's name the contents must be of value. I won't stay any longer, -for it might prove dangerous." - -He relocked the bag, opened the door of the stateroom, and locking it -again securely prepared to leave the spot. - -He was only just in time, for the occupant of the stateroom appeared a -minute later, accompanied by a younger man. - -"Yes," Kirby heard him say. "I bought a watch for my daughter from -Tiffany. I'll show it to you." - -"A narrow escape!" murmured Kirby. "If he had found me in his -stateroom, there would have been no end of a disturbance. I got through -just in time." - -Kirby went into the saloon, and taking out an evening paper began to -read it attentively, or rather he appeared to, but out of the corner of -his eyes he was watching for the return of the gentleman he had robbed. - -He did not have long to wait. The two gentlemen came into the saloon, -and one, the elder, seemed much excited. - -"I tell you, Johnson," he said, "there are thieves on board. I left -the watch in a pasteboard box in my hand bag less than half an -hour since—indeed I think it is only fifteen minutes, and it has -disappeared." - -"Are you absolutely sure, Mr. Margrave?" - -"Yes, for when I went to my stateroom, after coming up from the supper -room, I opened the bag and saw that the box was there." - -"And now it is gone?" - -"Yes, you saw that yourself." - -"But I don't see how, in the short time you were absent, any one could -have got in and effected the robbery." - -"Nor do I, but it was done." - -"What shall you do about it?" - -"Notify the officers of the boat, but I fear that won't do any good." - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -DEAN BECOMES SUSPICIOUS. - - -Of course great excitement followed among the passengers. The two -gentlemen went below, and soon returned with a quiet-looking man, not -particularly noticeable except for a pair of keen, sharp eyes. - -"That's the detective," whispered a traveling man whose business -required him to make the journey between New York and Boston twice a -week. - -The two gentlemen and the detective went outside, and made an -examination of the stateroom, but didn't find any traces of the lost -watch. - -"I'd like to be sure the article is really lost," said the detective. -"On several occasions I have found that it was only mislaid. In the -present instance there seems really to have been a robbery." - -"There is no doubt of that," said Margrave ruefully. - -"Did you notice any one loitering near the stateroom when you left it?" - -"Yes, sir; I observed that a man was leaning over the rail." - -"Ha! we are coming to something. Can you describe him?" - -"I am afraid I cannot. You see I had no suspicion that any one was -likely to rob me." - -"Very natural, but rather disappointing! You didn't casually notice -whether the man was short or tall, or how he was dressed?" - -"I think he was tall, and dressed in dark clothing." - -"I fear this is too general to afford much satisfaction. You see most -of the men on board wear dark clothes." - -"I see, Mr. Lynx, that I am not likely to recover the watch." - -"Well, it is doubtful. Still, if you will give me a description of it I -can quietly put it into the hands of the Boston police." - -Mr. Margrave, at the suggestion of the detective, wrote out a -description before he left the boat, and put it into his hands. - -"I will keep my eyes open, Mr. Margrave," continued the detective, "and -notice whether I recognize any professional thief among the passengers. -I know many of those who operate in New York and Boston, and if I meet -one of my old acquaintances shall take the liberty of examining him." - -Fortunately for Peter Kirby the scene of his operations had been at the -West, and though the detective regarded him with some suspicion, for -criminals carry about with them a certain tell-tale look, he did not -feel justified in arresting him. If Margrave had been able to identify -him as the man who had been loitering near the stateroom, of course -that would have simplified matters. - -It was not for some time that Dean heard what had happened. On -re-entering the saloon, Dan, the young news agent, said to him: - -"Where have you been?" - -"Outside." - -"Very suspicious. A gentleman occupying an outside stateroom has had -his room entered and robbed." - -"Is that true?" asked Dean in excitement. - -"Yes, he made a great fuss about it I saw him going out with the boat -detective, but I don't think they found out anything." - -Instantly Dean's mind reverted to the scene at the theater, and the -loss of a pocket-book by one of the patrons of Niblo's. Was it possible -that Mr. Kirby could be connected with both robberies? It really seemed -that thefts took place wherever he went. - -"What was taken?" he asked earnestly. - -"A gold watch. The gentleman meant it for his daughter. I think it was -bought at Tiffany's in New York." - -"I was at a theater last evening," said Dean, "and as we were coming -out a man ahead of us called out that he had been robbed of his -pocket-book." - -"Who do you mean by _us_—yourself and your employer?" - -"No. A boy was with me—Guy Gladstone." - -"Is he with you here?" - -"No, he has gone out West to hunt Indians." - -Dan, the news-agent, laughed. - -"He'll be coming back soon without having seen an Indian, I have no -doubt. I say, Dean, isn't it rather remarkable that there are robberies -wherever you go?" - -"Yes, it is singular," said Dean in a musing tone. - -"It really looks suspicious," continued Dan. "However, you are my -friend and I won't give you away." - -"No, don't!" said Dean, accepting the joke in good humor. - -Dean walked away, plunged in thought. Again he went outside, and walked -round to an unfrequented part of the steamer. Suddenly he saw a man in -front of him draw something from his pocket, and with a quick movement -throw it far out upon the water. It was light enough to see that it was -a white pasteboard box of small size. - -Rather surprised, Dean scanned the person who had done this, and to his -further astonishment recognized him as Mr. Kirby, his employer. - -Turning quickly, Peter Kirby in his turn saw Dean's eyes fixed upon -him, and he became irritated and alarmed. - -"What are you out here for?" he demanded harshly. - -"Why, is there any harm in being out here?" asked Dean surprised. - -Kirby saw that he had made a false move, and that this unreasonable -taking to task of Dean was likely to excite the boy's suspicions. - -"No," he answered, calming down, "I don't know that there is any harm -in being out here, but you might be imprudent and endanger your safety." - -"How, Mr. Kirby?" - -"I was once on board a steamer like this, when a boy about your age -came out, got up on the rail, and by a sudden movement of the steamer -was thrown into the water. The poor fellow was drowned." - -"I shan't imitate his example," said Dean. "I think he was very -foolish." - -"Well, I haven't found out yet whether you are prudent or imprudent. I -haven't known you long enough. I thought it best to warn you, however." - -"Thank you, sir." - -"I am going into the saloon, but if you care to remain outside I -have no objection as long as you are careful. I feel a certain -responsibility about you, as you are not used to traveling." - -"Thank you, sir." - -Dean would have been more grateful if he had believed what Mr. Kirby -was saying, but, young and inexperienced though he was, he did not take -much stock in the sudden interest shown in him. He had not noticed that -Mr. Kirby felt any particular solicitude about him in New York, though -there were plenty of scrapes that he might have got into there. - -Peter Kirby went back into the saloon, and soon after Dean followed. -He again sought the book table. - -"Well," said Dan, pleasantly, "have you found out the robber?" - -Dean shook his head. - -"Do you know, or did you hear, whether the stolen watch was in a box?" -he asked. - -"Yes, I heard Mr. Margrave say that it was in a white pasteboard box. -Have you found the box?" - -"No," answered Dean. He did not feel at liberty to tell what he had -seen, but it confirmed him in the idea that his employer, Peter Kirby, -was the robber of the stateroom. - -At ten o'clock Mr. Kirby came up to him. - -"It is ten o'clock," he said. "I think you had better go to bed." - -"All right, sir." - -Kirby led the way into the stateroom. - -"I shall give you the top berth," he said. "You are younger, and can -climb up there more easily than I." - -"I shall be satisfied with either," said Dean. - -Both went to bed and Dean was soon asleep. - -Towards morning he thought it must be when he woke up. The light was -burning, and peeping out from behind the curtains he saw that Kirby -was standing in the stateroom with something in his hand which he -was examining with evident satisfaction. Dean's heart gave a sudden -bound, when he recognized this object as a beautiful gold watch of -small pattern. He laid back his head on the pillow, but the slight -noise attracted the attention of Kirby, who looked up to where his boy -companion was lying. - -"Pshaw! he's fast asleep!" he heard Kirby mutter, "but I must be -cautious, as, if he saw this watch, he might suspect something." - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -MR. KIRBY WRITES A LETTER FOR EFFECT. - - -Any lingering doubts Dean might have were of course dissipated by the -sight of the watch. It was evident that his employer was a professional -thief and pickpocket. The question arose, ought he or ought he not to -expose and denounce him? - -Should he do so he would find himself adrift, without money or -situation. Moreover, he would lose the chance of proving Kirby the -accomplice of Squire Bates in the robbery of his uncle. On the whole, -he decided to wait, and conceal from Kirby the knowledge that he had -acquired concerning him. - -Kirby remained but a day in Boston. What business he attended to Dean -didn't know. He was left to his own devices, and managed to see Boston -Common, Bunker Hill Monument, and to ride out on a Washington Street -line of cars to Roxbury. Late in the evening he started for Chicago -with Mr. Kirby, and two days later the two registered at the Commercial -Hotel, corner of Lake and Dearborn Streets. Dean enjoyed the journey. -He caught sight of the famous falls of Niagara, and would like to have -stopped for a few hours there to see the cataract at his leisure, but -of course didn't venture to make such a request of Mr. Kirby, who, as -he knew, was traveling for his own purposes, not for the gratification -of his private secretary. - -They reached Chicago in the morning and took breakfast at the hotel. - -After breakfast Kirby said, "Come out with me, Dean; I will show you a -little of the city." - -Dean accepted the invitation with alacrity. - -The two walked through some of the principal thoroughfares. Dean was -impressed by the large and handsome buildings everywhere to be seen in -the business portions of the city. Finally they turned into a minor -street, lined with smaller and less pretentious structures. - -Peter Kirby halted at last before a pawnbroker's office, with the three -golden balls displayed above the entrance. - -"Oh, by the way, Dean," said Kirby, suddenly, "I am a little short of -money, and must borrow some on an article I don't need at present." - -"Yes, sir?" said Dean, inquiringly. - -"This is a pawnbroker's office. Take this watch, and ask the pawnbroker -to lend you twenty-five dollars on it. You can give him your own name, -and for address you may say Buffalo." - -"But I don't live in Buffalo." - -"That doesn't matter. He will be more apt to let you have the money if -he thinks you came from a distance. It isn't necessary to give the -correct address." - -Mr. Kirby drew from his pocket the gold watch which Dean had seen in -the stateroom of the Pilgrim, and which he was sure had been stolen -from the elderly gentleman who had complained of being robbed. - -Dean started and flushed, as Kirby held the watch in his hand. - -"Is that your watch?" he asked. - -"No; it belongs to my wife. I shall redeem it before I return East. If -the pawnbroker won't give you twenty-five dollars, get as much as you -can. You look like a boy sharp at a bargain. Say that it belonged to -your uncle." - -"Mr. Kirby," said Dean, "I would rather not do what you ask me." - -"What do you mean?" demanded Kirby, angrily. - -"What I say. I would rather not pawn that watch for you." - -"Look here, boy," said Kirby, roughly, "are you aware that you are -behaving in a very foolish, not to say impudent manner?" - -"I have my reasons for declining," said Dean. - -"Why do you think I pay you wages?" asked Kirby, frowning. - -"I understood that I was to be your private secretary." - -"And a mighty easy place you have had so far!" - -"That is true, sir." - -"This is almost the first thing I have asked you to do, and you refuse." - -"I told you that I had my reasons for it," said Dean, resolutely, -though his look was troubled. - -"The boy suspects me," thought Kirby. "It is time I got rid of him." - -"We will discuss this matter hereafter," he said quietly. "We shall -have to come to an understanding. Stay here till I come out." - -He went into the pawnbroker's, and in less than five minutes returned -with a roll of bills. - -"It appears that I have to do my own work, though you are in my -employ," he said with a sneer. - -Dean didn't reply. He began to suspect that he would not long retain -the place which he at present filled. He resolved to look about him, -and if he saw anywhere a chance to get into the employ of some one else -to take advantage of it. In a money way he might not do so well, but he -did not wish to remain connected any longer than he could help with a -man of Mr. Kirby's character. - -At the Commercial Hotel, Dean and his employer occupied the same room. -They remained in the Lake City for a week. - -Dean's labors were very light, being confined to the writing of four -letters, one of which is subjoined as a specimen. It was addressed to a -certain John Carver, of San Francisco. It ran thus: - - - DEAR SIR: - -You may sell out the two hundred shares of mining stock which you hold -of mine as soon as a satisfactory price can be obtained. I think I -ought to get twenty dollars per share, but will accept eighteen if you -think it best. The amount you can deposit to my credit in the Bank of -Nevada. - - Yours truly, - PETER KIRBY. - - -Kirby watched Dean's face when he was writing this letter. It was -intended for effect simply, and to dispel the suspicions of his young -secretary. But Dean had been gaining rapidly in knowledge of the world, -and especially in the knowledge of his employer, and he had little -belief in his mining property. - -"How much do you think that mining stock cost me, Dean?" said Kirby, in -a confidential tone. - -"I couldn't guess, sir." - -"Four dollars and a quarter per share. How much would that be on two -hundred shares?" - -"Eight hundred and fifty dollars." - -"Correct! I see you are quick at figures. Now, even if I sell at -eighteen, and I am certain to get that, I shall make a very tidy -profit. Let me see, it would foot up thirty-six hundred dollars—a -profit of twenty seven hundred, allowing the extra fifty for broker's -commission." - -"Are you going to San Francisco, Mr. Kirby?" asked Dean. - -"I may; I am not quite sure. It is a lucky city for me. Whenever I go -there I make money." - -Dean could not help wondering whether he made it in the same way as on -the Fall River boat. - -"I have been rather short of money lately," continued Mr. Kirby, -"because I was not willing to sell out my shares except at the top of -the market. However I think I may venture to sell now." - -Dean made no comment He did not believe that Kirby owned any mining -shares at all. - -"Shall I mail the letter for you, Mr. Kirby?" asked the young secretary. - -"No; I shall be going out myself," answered his employer. "You may hand -me the letter when you have put it in the envelope." - -Kirby carelessly dropped the letter into his pocket, and when Dean was -out of the way he destroyed it. It was never intended to be mailed. - -"The boy looks skeptical," said Kirby to himself, as he sent Dean to -the office to buy a postage stamp. "It isn't easy to pull the wool over -his eyes. I must get rid of him, and that soon." - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -DEAN BECOMES HIS OWN MASTER. - - -Two days later Dean and his employer reached a small town in Iowa which -we will call Clifton. They passed the night at the American Hotel, and -occupied a room with two beds. Kirby rose first in the morning, and -went out, leaving Dean asleep. - -When the boy awoke he rose and dressed himself. He was putting on -his coat when he noticed an open letter addressed to Kirby which had -fallen on the floor. Dean picked it up, and was about to put it away to -return to Kirby, when his eye caught the postmark "Waterford" and the -signature Renwick Bates. - -Though under ordinary circumstances Dean would not have felt -justified in reading a letter not addressed to himself, the peculiar -circumstances, and the suspicion he entertained relative to the share -these two men probably had in the robbery of his uncle, decided him -to take advantage of the opportunity which presented itself to him of -acquiring some information on the subject. - -This was the letter which Dean read with an interest that may be -imagined: - - - FRIEND KIRBY: - -I have not received the government bonds which you purchased with -the bills I gave you to dispose of. How did you send them? I cannot -understand how such a package could have miscarried if properly -addressed and forwarded with suitable precautions. I shall hold you -responsible for them, and say emphatically that I regard the failure to -reach me as something strange and mysterious. I do not like to express -distrust, but I require you to send me the receipt of the express -company to whom you committed the package. - -In regard to the boy Dean you understand my wishes. I don't wish him to -return to Waterford. It will be easy to get him into trouble at such a -distance from home that he will find it hard to get back. You can write -me a letter which I can show at my discretion to his friends, which -will discredit any stories he may invent about you or myself. - - RENWICK BATES. - - -Dean read this letter with eager interest. He felt that it would be a -formidable proof against Squire Bates, and he carefully concealed it in -his inside vest pocket. - -"So Mr. Kirby means to get me into trouble," he soliloquized. "I shall -have to be on my guard." - -Dean went below and took breakfast, not being in the habit of waiting -for his employer. Mr. Kirby entered the breakfast-room as he was -leaving it. - -"We take the ten o'clock train," he said briefly. "Don't leave the -hotel." - -"All right, sir, I'll stay in the office." - -At ten o'clock they stepped on board a Western bound train. Dean feared -that Kirby would miss his letter, and make inquiries about it, but its -loss appeared not to have been discovered. They took seats, and the -train started. Dean caught Kirby regarding him with a peculiar gaze, -and it made him uneasy. Was he devising some plot, of which Dean was to -be the victim? - -Two hours later the train had traversed fifty miles. The train boy came -through the car, carrying a supply of the latest novels. Kirby was not -in general much of a reader, but on this occasion he stopped the boy -and looked over his books. - -"I think I will take this book," he said, selecting a Pinkerton -detective story. - -"I sell a good many of that series," said the boy glibly. - -Kirby put his hand into his pocket, and withdrew it with a startled -expression. - -"I can't find my pocket-book," he said. - -Several of the passengers looked round, and apprehensively felt for -their own wallets. - -"When did you have it last, sir?" asked an old gentleman in the next -seat. - -"At the Clifton railroad station, sir. I bought tickets there." - -"Are you sure you put back the wallet into your pocket?" - -"Yes, I am positive." - -"There must be a pickpocket on the train then." - -"But I haven't exposed myself," said Kirby puzzled. "I took my seat -here, with my boy, and have not stirred since." - -"Your son, I suppose?" - -"No; he is a boy in my employ." - -"Humph!" said the old man, eying Dean dubiously. - -"You don't mean that you suspect him of taking it?" said Kirby in a low -tone. - -Dean heard these words, and he exclaimed indignantly. "I am not a -thief, if that is what the gentleman means." - -"Of course not," said Kirby soothingly—"Still, just to convince him -now, you may as well search your pockets." - -Dean thrust his hand into his right pocket (he wore a sack coat) and -it came in contact with something unexpected. He drew it out, with the -lost pocket-book in it. - -"Is it possible?" ejaculated Kirby. - -"Just what I thought!" said the old man, nodding emphatically. - -"I wouldn't have believed it," said Kirby. - -"Mr. Kirby," said Dean, his face flaming with indignation, "do you mean -to charge me with taking that pocket-book?" - -"What else can I think? Oh, Dean, I am grieved to find you dishonest." - -"I know nothing of how it came into my pocket," said Dean hotly, "but I -suspect." - -"What do you suspect?" - -"That you put it there to get me into trouble." - -"You hear him!" said Kirby, turning to the old man. - -"What shameless effrontery!" exclaimed the old gentleman. "I don't know -what the world is coming to. Have you ever missed anything before, sir?" - -"Two or three articles of jewelry," answered Kirby, "but it never -occurred to me to suspect the boy." - -"It seems pretty clear now." - -"Yes, I should say so." - -Meanwhile Dean, with flushed and angry countenance, looked from one -face to another, but everywhere he met looks of distrust. It was clear -that the majority of the passengers believed him guilty. He understood -now the nature of the plot against him, and the letter in his pocket -would be a sufficient proof of it. But he did not wish to produce -it. He chose rather to keep it on account of the evidence which it -contained against Squire Bates. - -"What shall you do about it?" asked the old gentleman, who seemed to -feel particularly hostile against Dean. - -"I don't know," answered Kirby hesitating. - -"The boy ought to be punished. If it were _my_ case, I would have him -arrested." - -"No, I don't care to do that. He belongs to a respectable family." - -"Surely you won't keep him in your employ?" - -"No, I shall feel compelled to discharge him. Dean, you can leave the -car at the next station. You are no longer in my employ. For the sake -of your uncle and aunt, I shall not have you arrested, but I must -decline to employ you any longer." - -"Very well, sir!" answered Dean. "If you will pay me what you owe me -for services, I will leave you." - -"Pay you what I owe you!" replied Kirby, as if surprised. - -"Yes, sir; you promised me twenty-five dollars per month, and I have -been with you three weeks." - -"You have received money from me at different times, and I owe you -nothing. Besides, the jewelry which you have taken will amount to more -than your wages." - -"Mr. Kirby, I have taken no jewelry, and you know it." - -"How can you tolerate the boy's impudence?" said the old man. - -Kirby shrugged his shoulders. - -"I have been very much deceived in him," he answered, "but I cherish -no revengeful feelings. I hope he may see the error of his ways, and -resolve to lead an honest life." - -"You are too merciful, sir." - -"It may be so, but he is young, and there is hope of his repentance." - -"Mr. Kirby, do I understand that you wish me to leave you?" asked Dean. - -"Yes. You had better get out at the next station. Here is a dollar. I -don't want to leave you altogether penniless. Of course I must report -what has happened to Squire Bates, who stood sponsor to you." - -The train began to slow up, for the next station was near at hand. - -"I don't want the dollar," said Dean. "I understand your object in -accusing me of theft. I could clear myself now if I chose, but I am -willing to wait." - -Dean rose from his seat, and with flushed cheeks and head erect walked -to the end of the car, and stepped out on the platform. He stood there, -and watched the departure of the train, bearing his late employer -farther West. He did not even know the name of the station at which he -had disembarked. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -A FRIEND—IN NEED. - - -The suddenness with which Dean found himself cast adrift, and thrown -upon his own resources, was enough to take away his breath. As -merchants from time to time take account of stock, he felt that it -would be wise now that he was about to set up for himself to ascertain -the extent of his means. - -He thrust his hand into his pocket, and drew out a small collection -of silver coins and pennies. All told he found he had but sixty-seven -cents, and he was probably twelve hundred miles from home. The chances -were that it would cost him at least three cents a mile, or thirty-six -dollars, to get back to Waterford. He would have been glad to have the -thirty-six dollars, but he had no intention of going back until he -could carry something with him. He did not want to acknowledge that he -had made a failure. - -Dean ascertained that the town in which he was stranded (for he hadn't -money enough to get out of it) was Granville. The village appeared to -be half a mile away, and might at a rough guess contain a thousand -inhabitants. Like most small Western towns, it consisted of one main -street, with short side streets opening out of it. For a place of the -size it seemed to be wide awake, and enterprising, more so than a -village of corresponding population at the East. - -After spending a few minutes at the depot Dean took his valise, and -trudged on in the direction of the town. What he should do when he got -there he hardly knew. He was ready for anything that might turn up, and -he did not worry as much as he would if he had been twice as old. - -Dean had accomplished about half the distance when a voice hailed him, -"Halloa, youngster!" - -Dean turned in the direction of the voice and his glance fell on a man -of perhaps twenty-five, who was stretched comfortably under a tree by -the roadside. He had a knapsack and wore a velveteen suit. Something in -his appearance gave Dean the impression that he was an actor. - -Responding to his greeting, which was accompanied by a pleasant smile, -Dean answered "Good day!" - -"Where are you traveling, young chap?" - -"I don't know," responded Dean. "I suppose I am on my way to the -village." - -"Do you live about here?" - -"No, I live in New York State." - -"So do I, when I'm at home, but I'm not often at home." - -"Are you an actor?" - -"That's what I call myself. That's what I am styled by admiring -friends, though some of the critics are unkind enough to express -doubts. At present I am in hard luck. I came West with a dramatic -company which has gone to pieces. I am traveling homeward on my uppers. -Permit me to introduce myself," and he doffed a soft hat which he wore, -"as Cecil Montgomery, not wholly unknown to the metropolitan stage." - -There was something attractive in his good-humored recklessness that -impressed Dean favorably. - -"My name is Dean Dunham," he responded, "not known on any stage." - -"Excuse the impertinence, but are you a young man of fortune?" - -"Yes, if you call sixty-seven cents a fortune." - -"Dean, my boy, you have ten cents the advantage of me. If you have any -plans that with our united capital we may be able to carry out, my -wealth is at your service." - -"I have no plans except to get something to eat," said Dean. - -"I am with you there," said the actor, rising with alacrity from his -recumbent position. "Know you of a hostelry?" - -"If that means a restaurant, I think we may find one in the village." - -"Wisely guessed. If you have no objection to my company, we will walk -together." - -"I shall be glad of your company, Mr. Montgomery." - -"You do me proud, Mr. Dunham," and the actor once more doffed his hat, -and bowed low. "If you don't mind, my boy, suppose you tell me what -brings you out here, so far from home? I came with a combination, as I -have explained." - -"I came as private secretary with a gentleman—no, a man named Kirby. -He chose to charge me with stealing his pocket-book, and discharged me -on the train, refusing to pay me back wages." - -"Steal—with that honest face! Why, I'd trust you with my entire -wealth—fifty-seven cents—and wouldn't lose a minute's sleep." - -"Thank you," said Dean, smiling. "I hope I deserve your confidence." - -"So it seems that we are both in very much the same plight. We must -hustle for a living. I wish you were an actor." - -"Why?" - -"We might give a joint performance, and so pick up a few pennies. Can -you play on any instrument?" - -Dean drew a harmonica from his pocket and displayed it. - -"I can play a little on this," he said. - -"Give us a taste of your quality." - -Dean put the harmonica in his mouth and played several popular airs in -very creditable style. He had practiced considerably in Waterford, and -when he left home chanced to bring his favorite instrument with him. - -Mr. Montgomery applauded vociferously. - -"That's capital!" he said. "I have an idea. Our fortune is made." - -"Is it? I'm very glad to hear it." - -"Let me explain. I am a dramatic Jack of all trades. I can sing, -dance, recite, and give imitations. Why shouldn't we give a joint -exhibition? I venture to say we can charm and astonish the good people -of Granville, and gather in golden shekels for ourselves." - -"But what am I to do?" - -"Listen. You are the world-renowned Dean Dunham, the champion player -on the harmonica, who have charmed tens of thousands, and whose name is -a household word from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Do you understand?" - -"I shall begin to think I am a humbug." - -"So be it! Humbug makes money and rides at ease, while modest merit -goes barefoot and tramps over dusty roads." - -"That is complimentary to us, for it happens to be our condition just -at present." - -"Then let us abandon it! It doesn't pay. Will you join me, and try your -luck with the good people of Granville?" - -Dean hesitated a moment, but only a moment. He must do something, and -nothing else seemed to present itself. If any one chose to pay for the -privilege of hearing him play on the harmonica, he had no objection to -receiving the money. Besides, he would be at no trouble in the matter. -Mr. Montgomery would make all arrangements, and he would only have to -take the part that might be assigned him. - -"I am at your service, Mr. Montgomery." - -"Your hand on it! We will, we must be successful. In after years, when -fame and money are yours, think that it was I, Cecil Montgomery, who -assisted you to make your début." - -"I certainly will, Mr. Montgomery," said Dean, falling into his -companion's humor. - -By this time they had reached the village. A sign over a small -one-story building attracted their attention. - - RESTAURANT - AND - COFFEE HOUSE. - -"Let us enter," said the actor. "It is astonishing what an appetite I -have. If we are to give an entertainment we must be fed." - -Fortunately the prices at the restaurant and coffee house were very -moderate, and the two travelers were able to make a plentiful meal, -though it reduced their stock of money almost to nothing. After dinner -Mr. Montgomery indulged in a five cent-cigar, but Dean declined to -smoke. - -"Stay here, Dean," said his companion. "I hear there is a weekly paper -published in Granville. I will see the editor, and ask him to join us -in the speculation, sharing the profits. The paper appears to-morrow. -He can give us a big puff that will insure our success." - -"Suppose he won't do it?" - -"Leave it to me! I have a most persuasive tongue. Granville must not -let such an opportunity slip. It must hear me act and listen to your -melodious strains." - -Nearly an hour passed. Then Montgomery came back radiant. "It's all -fixed," he said. "You make your début to-morrow evening. I have engaged -board at the hotel for us both." - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -DEAN'S DEBUT. - - -The next morning the _Granville Weekly Palladium_ appeared, containing -a flaming notice of the forthcoming entertainment, in which the merits -of the two performers were extolled in the highest terms. Dean opened -his eyes in amazement when he read the following tribute to himself: - -At immense expenses the service of - - DEAN DUNHAM - -the Champion Harmonica player of America have been secured. This young -performer, still only a boy in years, will spend the next season in -Europe, having been offered engagements in London, Paris and Vienna, -and he is now playing a farewell series of engagements in his native -land. Probably the citizens of Granville may never again have the -opportunity of hearing him. - -"What do you say to that, Dean, my boy?" asked Montgomery, nudging him -in the side. - -"It makes me feel foolish, Mr. Montgomery," said Dean, blushing. "If it -should be read in Waterford the people would never get through laughing -at me." - -"They won't read it, my boy, unless it turns out true." - -"Turns out true?" - -"Yes. I believe you can win popularity by your playing. We can tell -better this time to-morrow. If you do, how can we tell but the rest may -also come true?" - -"If it were the violin or the banjo! But a little cheap harmonica!" - -"Never mind what the instrument is if you know how to handle it. Now -let me tell you one thing that will encourage you: I think we are going -to have a big house." - -"What makes you think so?" - -"There hasn't been an entertainment in Granville for several weeks. The -people are hungry to be amused. They patronize performances like ours -much better in the West than at the East. There the people are more -humdrum and steady going. Here they are more excitable. Now I am going -to give you a hint. Take a walk out into the woods, or anywhere where -you will be alone, and practice popular songs. I want you to make a -sensation this evening." - -"It seems ridiculous, my playing for money!" - -"How much money have you in your pocket?" - -"Five cents." - -"Then it strikes me it would be more ridiculous _not_ playing for -money. Whatever talents we possess our Creator meant us to exercise for -our benefit and the pleasure of the community." - -"At any rate I'll do my best." - -"Then you'll do all I ask. By the way, I am going to have you take the -tickets this evening, up to the time of the performance. It will save -money, and draw public attention." - -"I can do that, at any rate." - -During the forenoon Dean went to a secluded place a mile from the -village, and began to practice on the harmonica. He had a quick ear, -and was really an excellent performer. He was unaware that he had an -audience till a boy attracted his attention peeping from behind a tree -at a little distance. - -Dean nodded and smiled, and the boy was encouraged to come forward. - -"Are you Dean Dunham, the boy that's going to be at the concert?" asked -the young auditor, bashfully. - -"Yes." - -"How long have you played?" - -"Four or five years." - -"How old are you?" - -"Almost sixteen." - -"What lots of money you must have made!" - -Dean smiled. He thought it most prudent not to speak definitely on -this point. He was rather curious to know what the boy thought of his -playing. - -"Can you play on the harmonica?" he asked. - -"Only a little. Of course I can't play like you." - -"Do you like my playing, then?" - -"You play bully." - -Dean was gratified, not so much out of vanity, as because it encouraged -him to think that others also might regard his performance with favor. - -"I am glad you like it," he said. "Are you going to the entertainment -this evening?" - -"I should like to," said the boy, wistfully, "but I don't have much -money to spend. I have to work for a living." - -"He little thinks that I am worse off than he," thought Dean. "He has -a home, while I am over a thousand miles from mine, and with only five -cents in my pocket." - -"It won't cost you anything to come in," he said in a friendly manner. -"I shall be at the door, and I will let you in free." - -"Will you, really?" queried the boy, overjoyed. - -"Certainly I will. I shall remember your face. If I don't, just remind -me of my promise." - -As a matter of business, Dean's offer of a free ticket proved a stroke -of policy. The boy spread among his comrades a highly colored report -of Dean's wonderful performance on the harmonica, and the result was a -large attendance of young people in the evening. - -When Dean took his place at the door he found himself the object of -many wondering and curious glances, and he was at first abashed; -but finally, reminding himself that he was among strangers who were -disposed to look upon him as a genius, he accommodated himself to the -position, and applied himself assiduously to his duties. - -The hall in which the entertainment was to take place contained -about four hundred people. When eight o'clock struck it was packed, -many having come from neighboring towns. The price of admission was -thirty-five cents for adults, and twenty-five for children. It was -clear, therefore, that the receipts must be considerably over a hundred -dollars. The rent of the hall being but ten dollars, this allowed a -large margin for profit. - -Punctually at eight o'clock the entertainment commenced with a brief -introductory speech from Mr. Montgomery. - -"Gentlemen and ladies," he said, "it has long been the desire of Mr. -Dunham and myself to appear in your beautiful village, and at length -our wishes are to be gratified. We shall do our utmost to please you, -and if we fail, think that it is our ability and not our will that is -lacking. I will commence with a humorous recitation, in the character -of an old darky." - -He disappeared behind the screen, and emerged in a very short time -disguised as a Southern negro. - -This impersonation hit the popular taste. It was followed by a song, -and then Mr. Montgomery introduced Dean in a highly flattering manner. - -Dean appeared with a flushed face, and a momentary feeling of -trepidation. Making a bow to the audience, he struck up the favorite -melody of the day. He really played very well, the excitement of -playing before an audience helping rather than interfering with -him, and his performance was greeted with hearty and long continued -applause. At Mr. Montgomery's suggestion he gratified the audience with -an encore. Among those who applauded loudest was the boy to whom he had -given free admission. - -"You have done yourself proud, Dean, my boy," said Montgomery, when -Dean retired behind the screen. "Our entertainment is a success. Our -audience is good-natured." - -"I can't help thinking how the folks at home would be surprised if they -knew I was performing in public," said Dean, smiling. - -"And making money out of it. That's where the best part comes in. -Follow up your success, my boy. I shall go out twice and then call on -you again." - -The next time Dean appeared with confidence, being satisfied that the -audience were friendly. His second appearance was equally satisfactory, -and he was compelled to blush when he overheard one school-girl on the -front row of benches whisper to another, "Isn't he sweet?" - -"It seems to me I am learning a good deal about myself," thought Dean. -"I must take care not to get conceited." - -The dual entertainment lasted about an hour and a half, Mr. Montgomery -of course using up the lion's share of the time. At last it concluded, -and Dean and his companion gathered up the money and went home. The -profits over and above expenses amounted to eighty dollars, of which -the editor, according to the agreement, received forty per cent, or -thirty-two dollars. The remainder, forty-eight dollars, was divided -equally between Dean and Mr. Montgomery. As the hotel charge was but -a dollar a day for each, they felt handsomely compensated for their -exertions. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -DEAN LOSES HIS PARTNER. - - -When the two partners returned to the hotel with the proceeds of the -entertainment in their pockets, they were in high spirits. - -"I feel as rich as Vanderbilt," said Montgomery in exultation. - -"And I feel like an Astor or a Gould," chimed in Dean. "Peter Kirby did -me a good turn when he discharged me." - -"Dean, you are star! I had no idea of your talent." - -"Don't flatter me, Mr. Montgomery," said Dean blushing. "You will make -me self-conceited. I was lucky in falling in with you." - -"Well said, my boy! I see you don't grudge me my share of the credit. -We will keep on, will we not?" - -"As long as there is any money in it." - -"Precisely. Your hand on that." - -In pursuance of this agreement, three evenings later they gave an -entertainment in the town of Cameron, twenty miles away. Circumstances -were not as favorable, but they divided twenty dollars net profits. - -"We mustn't complain of that, Dean," said his companion. "It isn't as -much, to be sure, as we made at Granville." - -"But it seems to me ridiculously large for the little I did, Mr. -Montgomery." - -"You are modest, Dean. That is not artistic. You must set a proper -value on your talent." - -"I think I do," said Dean, smiling. "I feel very much like a humbug, -Mr. Montgomery. A young lady came up to me last evening and asked me if -I had played before any of the crowned heads of Europe, and if I were -personally acquainted with Queen Victoria." - -"I hope you told her you were." - -"No, Mr. Montgomery, I shouldn't be willing to tell such a falsehood." - -"All business, my dear boy, all business! We must blow our own trumpets -if we want to be appreciated. By the way, what did you tell her?" - -"That I had not yet played before the queen, but should I go to -England, and could arrange to do so, I would." - -"Very good! You kept up appearances. What did she say?" - -"She asked me if I would get her Queen Victoria's autograph, in that -case. She also asked me for my own. I promised her the queen's if I -were able to obtain it." - -"Didn't she ask for _my_ autograph?" asked Mr. Montgomery, with a -twinge of professional jealousy. - -"She said she was going to ask you for it." - -"I shall be glad to gratify her," said Montgomery, condescendingly. "I -am often asked for an autograph." - -"That was my first application," said Dean smiling. - -"You are not as old as I. Long before you are, your autograph will be -in demand." - -For three weeks the combination continued to give entertainments, -arranging from two to three a week. They did not again meet with the -success which had greeted them at Granville, but in almost every case -they made expenses, and a fair sum besides. At the end of this time, -each of the partners found himself possessed of about forty dollars. - -At the close of a concert at a small town in Missouri, on returning to -the hotel, Mr. Montgomery chanced to take up a copy of the New York -_Herald_ in the office. He ran over the advertisements on the first -page, including the "Personals," when all at once his color changed, -and he looked agitated. - -"What's the matter, Mr. Montgomery?" asked Dean. - -"Bad news, my boy!" said the actor sadly. "Look at that!" - -Dean read the following among the personals: - - - CECIL MONTGOMERY, JR. Come home at once! Your mother is very sick. - - -"My poor old mother!" said the actor feelingly. "She may be dead by -this time. Why couldn't I have seen this notice before?" - -"What is the date of the paper?" asked Dean. - -"It is five days old." - -"I suppose you will go at once." - -"Yes, I must. I never would forgive myself if I did not hurry home on -the chance of seeing the dear old mother once more." - -"You are right, Mr. Montgomery. I would do the same if I were fortunate -enough to have a mother living." - -"Of course that ends our partnership for the present. Will you go home -with me, Dean?" - -Dean shook his head. - -"No, I have nothing to go home to. It would take all my money, and -there would be nothing for me to do in Waterford." - -"But you can't give entertainments alone." - -"I can make my living somehow. I have forty dollars, and that would -last me some time even if I got nothing to do." - -When Dean bade his companion good-bye at the station the next morning, -and turned away, a forlorn feeling came over him, and he felt tempted -to take the next train East himself. But the thought of going back to -Waterford as poor as he started, and with no prospect of employment, -braced him up, and he resolved to push on westward and take his -chances. He returned to the hotel, and sat down to consider his plans. - -There a pleasant surprise awaited him. - -"There's a gentleman to see you, Mr. Dunham," said the clerk. - -"Where is he?" asked Dean. - -"He went out to make a call in the village but will be back in fifteen -minutes. This is his card." - -Dean took the card in his hand, and read the name - - SAMUEL GUNNISON. - -"Any acquaintance of yours?" asked the clerk. - -"No; I never heard the name." - -"I think he wants you to play to-morrow evening. He lives in the next -town, Carterville." - -"Mr. Montgomery has been called East. I am afraid this will stop our -entertainments." - -"He did not ask for Mr. Montgomery, only for you." - -Mr. Gunnison soon came in. He was a slender, dark complexioned man, -with a pleasant face. - -"I know you are Dean Dunham," he said, extending his hand, "for I heard -you play last evening. Are you engaged for to-morrow?" - -"No, sir." - -"Then I should like to engage your services. An entertainment is to be -given in our town hall for the benefit of our town library. For the -most part local talent is employed. We are to have a short play, and -a few songs. I, as manager, have thought it would help us if we could -advertise you in connection with the home attractions." - -"I shall be glad to make an engagement," said Dean pleasantly. - -"What would be your terms?" asked Mr. Gunnison a little anxiously. - -"How much can you afford to pay me?" asked Dean. - -"We would not think of offering a player of your reputation less than -ten dollars if it were not desirable to make expenses as small as -possible, but----" - -"Under the circumstances," said Dean, interrupting him, "I will be -willing to come for five." - -"Thank you, Mr. Dunham. You are very kind," said Mr. Gunnison, warmly, -grasping our hero by the hand. "I will try to make it up to you. -Instead of going to the hotel you shall be my guest, and your expenses -will be nothing. If you are ready I will take you over at once. I have -a buggy at the door." - -"Thank you, sir, I will accept your kind invitation." - -So Dean, feeling less lonesome than he did, secured his valise, -and taking a seat beside his new friend, rode in the direction of -Carterville. He was destined to meet an old acquaintance there. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -AN UNEXPECTED MEETING. - - -Mr. Gunnison had several children, including one boy of about Dean's -age, who was disposed at first to regard our hero with distant respect -as a professional star, but soon became intimate with him on finding -that Dean had the same tastes as himself. This appeared to surprise him. - -"I say," he remarked, "I thought you wouldn't have anything to say to a -fellow like me." - -"Why not?" asked Dean, innocently. - -"Oh, because you're a big gun." - -"How's that?" - -"You give concerts, and have your name in the papers." - -"Oh!" said Dean smiling, "I have to do that for a living, you know. I'm -only a boy after all." - -"And do you like to play baseball?" - -"I only wish I had a chance." - -"Do you?" said Gus Gunnison, brightening up. "Well, our club is going -to play the Resolutes from the next town this afternoon. We are one man -short. Will you take his place?" - -"Yes, I shall be glad to." - -"What place do you prefer?" - -"I'll take any you choose to give me." - -"Can you catch?" - -"I like it better than anything else." - -"Then that's settled. Come over and I'll show you the ground, and -introduce you to some of the fellows." - -When the members of the Carterville club learned that the famous young -musician, Dean Dunham, had agreed to play on their side, they were very -much elated. There was, however, a slight uneasiness lest he should not -prove a skillful player, as they were eager to beat their visitors. A -little practice playing, however, showed them that Dean was quite equal -to any one in their club, and they became eager for the fray. - -Dean did not disappoint them. He entered into the game with enthusiasm, -and played with unusual skill, so that the Resolutes were beaten by a -score of 18 to 8, and the victory was largely attributed to the good -playing of the new catcher, who proved equally good in batting. - -The members of the club came up and tendered their thanks to Dean. - -"If you can play on the harmonica as well as you can play ball," said -Gus Gunnison, "you'll do. Our club will attend the entertainment in a -body, and hear you." - -"I hope you won't be disappointed," said Dean smiling. - -Evening came, and Dean was called upon to play at four different -points in the entertainment. On the front seats just facing him were -the members of the Active Baseball Club. Dean nodded to them from the -platform, and they felt proud of such a public recognition. - -Dean was stimulated to do his best, as he did not wish his new friends -to be disappointed. During the day he practiced "Home, Sweet Home" with -variations, partly original, partly remembered from a performance to -which he had listened at a public entertainment a year or two previous. -His efforts were crowned with success. The applause, led by the members -of the Active club, was tumultuous, and Dean was compelled to repeat -his performance. - -He did so, but towards the close he nearly broke down in consequence of -a surprising discovery that he made. In looking round the audience, not -far from the center aisle his glance chanced to fall upon a face which -he had the best cause to remember. - -It was no other than Mr. Peter Kirby, whose presence will be afterwards -explained. - -Mr. Kirby on his part was even more amazed to find the country boy -whom he had left to his own resources emerging in such a conspicuous -manner into public notice. He had thought of Dean as wandering about -the country a forlorn and penniless tramp, begging for charity. How -on earth he had managed to achieve the position of a musical star -performer he could not imagine. - -"That boy is getting dangerous," thought he. "If the captain knew of -his success he would feel very nervous." - -Mr. Kirby was in Carterville as the guest of Dr. Sidney Thorp, a -wealthy gentleman, into whose good graces he had ingratiated himself -at a hotel where they chanced to meet. He had accepted Dr. Thorp's -invitation to spend a couple of days at his house, with the intention -of robbing his hospitable entertainer if he should have the opportunity. - -"A remarkable young performer!" said Dr. Thorp, as Dean closed his -playing. - -"Yes," assented Kirby absently. "How does he happen to be here?" - -"He had been giving an entertainment in a town near by, in connection -with a variety actor. Our committee, finding that he gave -satisfaction, invited him to play here this evening." - -"Do you pay him anything?" - -"Certainly," answered Dr. Thorp, with surprise. "We couldn't expect to -obtain a performer of so much talent gratuitously." - -Kirby opened his eyes in surprise at hearing his quondam secretary -spoken of in such terms. - -"Do you know how much he is to be paid?" - -"I believe he agreed to come for five dollars, considering that the -entertainment was for a charitable purpose." - -Kirby could scarcely refrain from whistling, so great was his surprise. - -He recognized Dean some time before his former secretary's glance fell -upon him. Dean's start showed that the recognition was mutual. - -"I am going to speak to this boy—Dean Dunham," said he to Dr. Thorp, -when the entertainment was at an end. - -"Mr. Gunnison will introduce you. Shall I ask him?" - -"I need no introduction. The boy and I have met." - -Dean was standing on the platform watching the departing audience, when -he saw Mr. Kirby approaching. He felt a little nervous, not knowing -what the intentions of his old employer might be. - -Kirby paused a moment, and a peculiar smile overspread his countenance. - -"I presume you remember me?" he said. - -"Yes," answered Dean, coldly. - -"I am rather surprised to meet you again under such circumstances." - -"I am rather surprised myself—at the circumstances." - -"You have become quite a star!" said Kirby with a sneer. - -Dean answered gravely, "I had to make a living in some way. It was an -accident, my trying this way." - -"Would you like to return to me—as my secretary?" - -"Thank you, Mr. Kirby, I prefer to travel independently." - -"Suppose I should tell why I discharged you? That might prove -inconvenient to you." - -"Then I should have a story to tell that might prove inconvenient to -you, Mr. Kirby." - -Dean looked Kirby straight in the face, and the latter saw that he no -longer had an inexperienced country boy to deal with, but one who might -prove dangerous to his plans. - -"On the whole," he said, after a pause, "suppose we both keep silence -as to the past." - -"I will do so, unless I should have occasion to speak." - -No one was near enough to listen to this conversation. Now Dr. Thorp -came up, and Kirby said with an abrupt turn of the conversation, "I am -glad to have met you again, my young friend. I wish you success." - -Dean bowed gravely, but didn't speak. He was not prepared to wish -success to Peter Kirby, knowing what he did of him. - -During the evening Dr. Thorp called at the house of Mr. Gunnison, but -unaccompanied by his guest. Dean had heard meanwhile at whose house -Kirby was staying, and he felt that he ought to drop a hint that would -put the unsuspecting host on his guard. He finally decided that it was -his duty to do so. - -"May I speak with you a moment in private, Dr. Thorp?" he asked, as the -guest arose to go. - -"Certainly," answered the doctor, in some surprise. - -Dean accompanied him into the hall. - -"Do you know much of the gentleman who is staying at your house?" asked -Dean. - -"No; why do you ask?" - -"Because I have reason to think that he is a professional thief." - -"Good Heavens! What do you mean!" - -Dean briefly recounted the robberies of which he was himself cognizant, -adding that he gave this information in strict confidence. "I thought I -ought to put you on your guard," he concluded. - -"Thank you, Mr. Dunham," said Dr. Thorp, warmly. "You have done me a -great service. I happen to have a considerable sum in money and bonds at -my house. I shall look out for Mr. Kirby," he added, with a grim nod. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -DR. THORP'S CABINET. - - -Dr. Thorp had been pleased with Peter Kirby, who had laid himself -out to be agreeable, and the doctor was far from suspecting his real -character. When this was revealed to him by Dean, he quickly decided to -test it for himself. - -Some men, inclined to be nervous and timid, would have had their -apprehensions excited, and dreaded an encounter with a professional -criminal. But Dr. Thorp was cool, resolute and determined. He proposed -to facilitate Kirby's designs, and catch him in a trap. - -When he reached home he found Kirby smoking on the piazza. - -"Have you been taking a walk, Doctor?" he asked. - -"Yes," answered Dr. Thorp. "I made a call on a neighbor. I hope you -have not been lonesome." - -"Oh, no! Your daughter has enabled me to pass the time pleasantly. But -I am glad to see you back." - -Had Kirby known that Dr. Thorp had had an interview with Dean Dunham, -his anxiety would have been excited. - -"By the way, Doctor," said Kirby with apparent carelessness, "I have a -little money to invest. Can you recommend any form of investment?" - -"You might buy a house in the village and settle down. I believe the -next estate is for sale." - -"It would certainly be an inducement to become your neighbor," said -Kirby politely, "but I am a rolling stone. I am always traveling. I -couldn't content myself in any one place, not even in a large city." - -"I suspect your mode of life makes frequent removals necessary," -thought Dr. Thorp, though he did not say so. - -"Well, if you don't care to invest in real estate," he said a moment -later, "you might purchase government bonds or railroad securities." - -"To which do you give the preference?" asked Kirby. - -The doctor smiled inwardly. He saw that Kirby was trying to ascertain -whether he had any negotiable securities in his possession, but he was -ready to play into his hands. - -"Well," he said, "I think well of both." - -"I had some government bonds at one time," said Kirby, "but they were -stolen. That has made me cautious." - -"Perhaps you were careless." - -"No doubt I was. I kept them in a trunk at my boarding-house. I presume -you wouldn't venture, even in a quiet village like this, to keep bonds -in your house?" - -"Oh, yes, we never receive visits from thieves or burglars. I don't -consider trunks so safe as—that cabinet." - -He pointed to a black walnut cabinet with several drawers standing in -one corner of the room. - -Kirby's face lighted up. He had got the information he desired, but he -resumed his indifferent manner. - -"I think you are right," he said. "Besides, in a town like Carterville, -as you say, thieves are hardly likely to be found." - -"Oh, dear, no!" said Dr. Thorp yawning. "I have no occasion to borrow -trouble on that score." - -"Living as I generally do in large cities where members of the criminal -class abound," said Kirby, "I am naturally more suspicious than you. I -confess I wish I lived in a place of Arcadian innocence like this." - -Dr. Thorp smiled. He was amused to hear one whom he believed to be a -professional thief discourse in this manner. - -"You might find it dull," he said, a little satirically, "It would lack -the spice and excitement of wickedness." - -At a little after eleven Kirby signified that he was tired and was -conducted to his bed-chamber. Dr. Thorp remained behind, and opening -the lower drawer of his cabinet removed therefrom a roll of bank bills -and a five hundred dollar government bond. - -"I think these will be safe in my trunk to-night," he said to himself. -"Now, Mr. Kirby, you can explore the cabinet at your leisure. I doubt -if you will find enough to repay you for your trouble." - -Kirby occupied a chamber just over the sitting-room. He didn't undress -himself, but threw himself on the bed to snatch a little rest. - -"I found out very cleverly where the doctor kept his bonds," he -soliloquized. "He is an innocent, unsuspicious man, luckily for me. -So no thieves or burglars ever visit Carterville," he repeated with a -soft laugh. "The good doctor would have been mightily surprised had he -known the character of the man with whom he was talking. It is hardly -a credit to take in a simple-minded man like the doctor. I very much -regret the necessity of repaying his hospitality as I shall, but I -need the bonds more than he does." - -Kirby did not allow himself to sleep. There was important work to be -done, and he must not run the risk of oversleeping himself. - -He waited impatiently till he heard the public clock strike midnight, -then taking off his shoes descended in his stocking feet to the -sitting-room. There stood the cabinet plainly visible in the glorious -moonlight that flooded the room, making artificial light unnecessary. - -"It's an easy job for a man of my experience to open it," thought -Kirby. "I hope the doctor is sound asleep. He looks like a man who is -safe to sleep all night." - -From his pocket he produced a bunch of skeleton keys, which he at once -set himself to use. The lock on the drawer of the cabinet was a simple -one, presenting no difficulty, and in less than five minutes he opened -the upper drawer. A glance satisfied him that it contained nothing that -he could make available. In turn he opened the other drawers, with -equal ill success. - -"The doctor must have fooled me!" he muttered impatiently, "or is there -some secret drawer that I have overlooked?" - -This question he asked himself, but he was far from expecting an answer. - -"You have examined the cabinet pretty thoroughly Mr. Kirby," said a -cool, calm voice. - -Kirby sprang to his feet in wild dismay. There, looking at him from the -doorway, was Dr. Thorp, his host, whom he was conspiring to rob. - -"You are an early riser, are you not, Mr. Kirby?" said the doctor -composedly. - -Kirby quickly decided upon his course. - -"Where am I?" he asked, passing his hand over his face in a bewildered -way. - -"Where are you? Don't you recognize the room? A more pertinent query -would be, 'What are you doing?'" - -"Good Heavens!" ejaculated Kirby—"I—I see it now. That unfortunate -habit of walking in my sleep! What can you think of me?" - -"Do you generally carry skeleton keys about with you when you walk in -your sleep, Mr. Kirby?" asked the doctor pointedly. - -"I—I really don't know how to explain," stammered Kirby. "These keys -I found in my room on the morning after I was robbed. I took them with -me, thinking they might be of use if I should lose my regular keys." - -"Very ingeniously explained, upon my word!" - -"It isn't possible, Dr. Thorp, that you really take me for a thief! I -hope you have more confidence in me." - -"Well, it really did occur to me that you were a professional burglar. -Your last words which I overheard before intruding upon you seem to -bear out that supposition." - -"What were they?" - -"'_Is there some secret drawer that I have overlooked?_' Perhaps you -will do me the favor to explain them." - -"I can't. They were spoken unconsciously, I assure you. This habit of -walking in my sleep has got me into trouble several times before." - -"Then take my advice and discontinue it." - -"I will. I should have asked you to lock me in my chamber if I could -have foreseen what has happened." - -"Mr. Kirby," said Dr. Thorp sternly, "you must think I am a simpleton -to be taken in by such a transparent falsehood. I was deceived in you, -I admit, but now I understand your real character. I won't have you -arrested, though I ought, but I require you to leave my house at once." - -"In the middle of the night?" said Kirby in dismay. - -"Yes. I cannot agree to shelter you even for the balance of the night." - -"Tell me one thing," said Kirby, changing his tone; "did any one put -you on your guard against me?" - -"Yes." - -"It was Dean Dunham." - -"You can form your own conclusions." - -"That is all you need tell me. I understand it all. I will go to my -room and secure my luggage, and then bid you good-bye." - -"I will wait for you." - -"I owe you another debt, Dean Dunham!" said Kirby, as he left the house -with the pleasant prospect of a sleepless night. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -THE LONELY CABIN. - - -Dean had left the breakfast-table the next morning, and was considering -what would be the next stage of his journey when Dr. Thorp was -announced. - -"Mr. Dunham," he said, "I have come to thank you for your warning of -last evening." - -"I hope it was of service to you, sir." - -"It was of essential service. Your old acquaintance had planned to rob -me of a sum of money and a quantity of government bonds, but being on -my guard I was able to frustrate his designs." - -"How did it happen?" asked Mr. Gunnison, his curiosity excited. - -"In the middle of the night, or rather a little after midnight, I heard -some one going downstairs softly. I followed unobserved, and caught my -guest opening the drawers in my cabinet." - -"Where is he now?" - -"I ordered him out of the house. He stood not upon the order of his -going, but went at once. Where he is now I cannot inform you, but -presume he has placed several miles between himself and Carterville. -Fortunately he went empty-handed, and my money and bonds are still in -my possession. But for our young friend here I should hardly be able to -say that." - -"You are indebted to me for bringing him to Carterville, Dr. Thorp," -said Mr. Gunnison in a jocular tone. "How much are you going to allow -me?" - -"You are amply repaid by his services," said the doctor, "judging from -the comments I have heard upon his performance. I am under obligations -to him, however, which I ought to acknowledge. Mr. Dunham," he -continued, taking from his pocket a small gold watch and chain, "I see -you have no watch. Please accept this with my best wishes." - -It was an Elgin gold watch of neat pattern which he offered to Dean. - -"It is not quite new," proceeded the doctor. "I bought it of a young -man in need of money, and having paid him its full value I have no -scruple in giving it away." - -"Thank you very much," said Dean, his face showing the satisfaction he -felt. "I have felt the need of a watch ever since I began to travel, -but never dreamed of anything better than a silver one. I shall be -very proud of this one." - -"And I am very glad to give it to you. In what direction do you propose -to journey!" - -"Westward, sir. I haven't any very clear ideas further than that." - -"Shall you go as far as Colorado?" - -"Yes, sir; I think so." - -"I have a nephew out there somewhere—Henry Thorp—a young man of -twenty-five. He is probably mining, but I don't know his location. -Should you run across him, ask him to communicate with me. His aunt and -myself will be glad to hear from him." - -"I will not forget it, sir," said Dean, though he thought it quite -improbable that he and the nephew referred to would ever meet. - -Dr. Thorp took his leave, and Dean soon after took leave of the -Gunnison family. He was pressed to remain and play another game of -baseball, but felt that he could not spare the time. - -A week later found Dean only a hundred miles farther on his way. He -might have accomplished this distance on the cars in a few hours, but -he preferred to make a leisurely trip, looking out for a chance to -earn money on the way. But after a season of prosperity a dull time -had come to him. During the week he did not make a single dollar. He -encountered several fair-sized towns, but did not feel able to give an -entire entertainment himself. His stock of money dwindled, and he began -to feel anxious. - -Towards nightfall he found himself apparently at a distance from any -town, and began to feel some solicitude as to where he could pass the -night. It was a mountain region, and the day seemed to be shorter than -on the plains. The air was chilly, and Dean felt that it would be -dangerous to spend the night out of doors. - -In this emergency he was pleased to descry a rough cabin a hundred feet -from the road. - -"There is shelter at any rate if they will take me In," thought Dean. -"I will take care not to wander into such a wild region again." - -He went up to the door, and knocked with his bare knuckles. - -He heard a shuffling noise inside, and an old woman, with gray hair, -unconfined and hanging loose like a horse's mane, faced him. - -"Who are you?" she inquired abruptly. - -"A traveler," answered Dean. - -"What do you want?" - -"I have lost my way. Can you let me stay here all night?" - -"This isn't a tavern," she responded in a surly tone. - -"I suppose not, but I am willing to pay for supper and a lodging. I -don't see any other house near by, or I would not trouble you." - -The old woman eyed him with a curious scrutiny which made him vaguely -uncomfortable, so weird and uncanny was her look. - -"Have you got any money?" she asked at last. - -"A little," answered Dean, growing suddenly cautious. - -"Well, you can come in," she said after a pause. - -Dean entered, and cast a glance about him. - -The cabin was certainly a primitive one. What furniture it contained -seemed home made, put together awkwardly with such material as came to -hand. In place of chairs were two boxes such as are used to contain -shoes, placed bottom up. There was a small stove, the heat of which -seemed grateful to the chilly young traveler. - -"It is cold," remarked Dean, by way of opening the conversation. - -"Humph!" answered the woman. "Have you come all the way to tell me -that?" - -"Evidently the old woman isn't sociable," thought Dean. - -"Where do you live when you're to home?" asked the woman after a pause. - -"In New York State." - -"What did you come out here for?" - -"I had my living to make," answered Dean, feeling uncomfortable. - -"I haven't found any, and I've lived here goin' on ten years. I suppose -you want some supper," she continued ungraciously. - -"Yes, I am very hungry. I am sorry to put you to any trouble." - -The woman did not answer, but going to a rude pantry took out a plate -of meat, and some dry bread. The former she put in the oven, and -proceeded to brew some tea. - -Dean watched her preparations with eager interest. It seemed to him -that he had never been so hungry. He had probably walked ten miles -over a rough path, and the exercise had tired him as much as twice the -distance on the plain. Besides he had his valise with him, and had -found it decidedly an incumbrance. - -From time to time the old woman paused in her preparations and eyed him -searchingly. What it was that attracted her attention Dean could not -guess till she suddenly pointed to his chain, and asked, "Is there a -watch at the end of that?" - -"Yes," answered Dean with a sudden feeling of apprehension. - -"Let me look at it." - -Reluctantly he drew out the watch, and into the woman's eyes crept a -covetous gleam, as she advanced and took it in her hand. - -"It's pretty," she said. "What's it worth?" - -"I don't know," answered Dean. "I didn't buy it. It was a present to -me." - -"It ought to be worth a good sum." - -"I value it because it was given me by a friend," said Dean hurriedly. - -"We've got nothing to tell time by," said the woman, slowly, still -eying the watch with a fixed look, "except the sun." - -Dean did not reply. - -"How do you wind it up?" asked the woman after a pause. "Do you have a -key?" - -"No; it's a stem-winder." - -"What's that?" - -"I will show you," and Dean wound the watch as far as it would go. - -"I never saw the like of that," said his hostess with a look of mingled -curiosity and surprise. - -She released her hold upon the watch, and Dean put it back in his -pocket, rather relieved to have recovered possession of it again. - -Five minutes later the meal was ready, such as it was. - -"Set up," said the woman. - -Dean obeyed with alacrity. - -He tasted the meat. It was not unpleasant, but the taste was peculiar. - -"What kind of meat is it?" he asked. - -"B'ar meat." - -"Are there bears in these mountains?" - -"Yes; my son killed this one. He's killed many a b'ar, Dan has. He's a -master hand with the rifle. There's none that can beat him." - -"Isn't it dangerous to tackle a bear?" - -"No; the b'ars a nat'rally timorous animal. I've killed more'n one -myself." - -As Dean surveyed his hostess, he thought her quite capable of -encountering a bear. Her walk and air were masculine, and there seemed -nothing feminine about her. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -DAN. - - -Dean did not allow his speculations as to his hostess to interfere with -his appetite, but he ate with an enjoyment which he had seldom before -felt the food set before him. - -"'Pears to me you've got a right smart appetite," said the woman. - -"Yes, I have," said Dean, frankly. "I don't know when I have been so -hungry. I am ashamed of my appetite, but I can't help it." - -"Young folks is mostly hungry," said the woman. - -"Especially when they have such nice things set before them." - -The woman, rough as she was, seemed pleased by this tribute to her -culinary skill. - -"Well, you needn't be afraid to eat all you want to," she said -encouragingly. - -Dean took her at her word, and when he rose from the table, he had -made way with a large share of the repast provided. - -It had grown quite dark in the deepening shadows of the hills, but it -was a twilight darkness, not the darkness of midnight. - -"I think I will go out and take a walk," said Dean, turning to his -hostess. - -"You'll come back?" she asked with apparent anxiety. - -"Yes, for I don't want to sleep out of doors. I can settle for my -supper now if you wish." - -"No, you can wait till morning." - -"Very well!" - -Dean left the house, and walked some distance over the mountain road. -Finally, being a little fatigued from his day's travel and the hearty -supper he had eaten, he lay down under a tree, and enjoyed the luxury -of rest on a full stomach. - -In the stillness of the woods it was possible to hear even a sound -ordinarily indistinct. Gradually Dean became sensible of a peculiar -noise which seemed like the distant murmur of voices. He looked about -him in all directions, but failed to understand from what the voices -proceeded. It seemed almost as if the sounds came from below. Yet this -seemed absurd. - -"There can't be any mine about here," reflected Dean. "If there were, -I could understand a little better about the sounds." - -Certainly it was not a very likely place for a mine. - -"I wonder if I am dreaming," thought Dean. - -He rubbed his eyes, and satisfied himself that he was as much awake as -he ever was in his life. - -He got up and walked around, looking inquisitively about him, in the -hope of localizing the sound. Suddenly it stopped, and all was complete -silence. Then he was quite at a loss. - -"I don't know what it means. I may as well lie down and rest again. I -imagine my landlady won't care about seeing me before it is time to go -to bed." - -With this thought Dean dismissed his conjectures, and gave himself -up to a pleasant reverie. He didn't worry, though his prospects were -not of the best. He was nearly out of money, and there appeared no -immediate prospect of earning more. Where he was he did not know, -except that he was somewhere among the mountains of Colorado. - -"I wish I could come across some mining settlement," thought Dean. "I -couldn't buy a claim, but I could perhaps hire out to some miner, and -after a while get rich enough to own one myself." - -Suddenly his reflections were broken in upon by a discordant voice. - -"Who are you, youngster, and where did you drop from?" - -Looking up quickly, Dean's glance fell upon a rough-looking man, in -hunting costume considerably the worse for wear, with a slouched hat -on his head, and a rifle in his hand. The man's face was far from -prepossessing, and his manner did not strike Dean as friendly. - -"My name is Dean Dunham," he said in answer to the first question, then -paused. - -"How came you here?" - -"I am traveling." - -"Where from?" - -"New York State." - -"What brings a boy like you so far from home? Is there anyone with -you?" demanded the man suspiciously. - -"No; I wish there was. I had a companion, but he got a call to go home -on account of his mother's sickness." - -"And you pushed on?" - -"Yes." - -"What are you after—it isn't game, for you've got no gun." - -"No; I'm after a chance to make a living, as much as anything." - -"Couldn't you make a living at home?" - -"Not one that satisfied me." - -"Can you do any better here?" - -"I can't tell yet," answered Dean, while an expression of genuine -perplexity overspread his face. It was a question which he had often -asked himself. "I think if I could come across some mining settlement I -could work for myself or somebody else." - -"Are you goin' to stay out all night? There ain't many hotels round -here." - -"I have had supper, and am going to spend the night at a cabin about a -mile from here." - -"You are!" exclaimed the hunter in a tone of profound astonishment. -"How did you get in?" - -"I asked a woman who lives there if she would let me stop over night, -and she was kind enough to say yes." - -"Then you have had your supper?" - -"Yes." - -"And are you goin' to sleep in the cabin?" - -"Yes. Do you live anywhere near it?" - -"Well, I should smile! Youngster, that's where I live, and the woman -who gave you your supper is my mother." - -"Then you are Dan," said Dean, eagerly. - -"How do you know my name?" - -"Your mother told me you killed the bear whose meat I ate for supper." - -"That's correct, youngster. I killed him, but it's nothing to kill a -b'ar. I've killed hundreds of 'em." - -"I should be proud if I could say I had killed one," said Dean, his -eyes sparkling with excitement. - -"If you stay round here long enough, you may have a chance. But I'm -goin' home. It's growin' dark and you may as well go with me." - -Dean rose from his recumbent position, and drew his watch from his -pocket. - -"Yes," he said, "it's past eight o'clock." - -"Let me look at that watch. Is it gold?" asked his companion, and his -eyes showed the same covetous gleam which Dean had noticed in the -mother. - -"I wish I had hidden the watch in an inside pocket," he thought, too -late. "I am afraid it will be taken from me before I get away from -these mountains." - -"What might it be worth?" demanded the other, after fingering it -curiously with his clumsy hands. - -"I don't know," answered Dean, guardedly. "I did not buy it. It was -given to me." - -"Is it worth a hundred dollars?" - -"I don't think it is. It may be worth fifty." - -"Humph! are you rich?" - -"No; far from it! I am a poor boy." - -"That doesn't look like it." - -"The watch was given to me by a rich man to whom I had done a service." - -The man handed it back, but it seemed with reluctance. - -"Youngster, what do you think of my mother?" he asked, abruptly. - -"She treated me kindly," answered Dean, rather embarrassed. - -"Did you agree to pay her for your lodging?" - -"Yes." - -"I thought so. Mother ain't one of the soft kind. Did she strike you as -an agreeable old lady?" - -"I only saw her for a few minutes," said Dean, evasively. - -His companion laughed, and surveyed Dean quizzically. - -"You must stretch your legs, youngster, or mother'll get tired waiting -for me. She might take a notion not to give me any supper." - -It was not long before they came in sight of the cabin. Here a -surprise, and by no means an agreeable one, awaited Dean. On a bench in -front of the cabin sat a man whom he had good reason to remember, and -equal reason to fear—Peter Kirby. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. - -"SHOULD OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT?" - - -If Dean was surprised to see his old enemy in such an out of the -way place, Kirby was no less surprised to see his former traveling -companion. There was this difference: the encounter brought him -pleasure, while to Dean it carried dismay. Neither could understand -where on earth the other had sprung from. - -"Oho!" laughed Kirby, "so we meet again." - -Dan looked surprised, thinking the words were addressed to him, but -following the direction of Kirby's eyes, he saw that he was mistaken. - -"Do you know this boy?" he asked. - -"Do I know him? Why, we started from the East together." - -"How is that?" - -"It was at the request of a friend of ours." - -"The captain?" - -"Yes." - -"And why did you separate?" - -"Well, I mustn't tell tales out of school. I am very glad to meet you -again, youngster. Is the pleasure mutual?" - -"No, it isn't," said Dean, bluntly. - -"So I should judge, after the trick you played upon me at our last -meeting." - -"What do you refer to?" - -"You know well enough. You cautioned Dr. Thorp against me. Don't deny -it, for I know it is true." - -"I don't deny it. What happened that night showed that I had good -reason." - -"Be that as it may," said Kirby with an ugly scowl, "you did a bad -thing for yourself. You probably thought you would never meet me again." - -Dean was silent, but Dan, whose curiosity was aroused, interposed with -an inquiry. - -"What are you two talkin' about," he said. "Is this boy a friend or an -enemy?" - -"He is an enemy of our association," replied Kirby. "I am glad to have -him in my power." - -"So there is an association?" thought Dean. "These two men belong to -it, and Squire Bates is the captain. I shall soon know all about it." - -But in the meanwhile the evident hostility of Kirby, reflected in the -face of his new acquaintance Dan, was ominous of danger. Dean felt that -he would gladly pass the night out in the woods exposed to the night -air if he could only get away. But he saw clearly that escape was not -at present practicable. - -"Have you seen the old woman?" asked Dan, meaning his mother. - -"Yes, she told me that she had taken in a kid for the night, but I had -no idea it was any one I knew. The old lady wears well, Dan." - -"Yes, she's tough," said the affectionate son carelessly. "I'll go in -and see whether she's got supper ready." - -He entered the house, leaving Dean and his old employer together. - -"Come here, boy, and sit down," said Kirby smiling, and eying Dean very -much as a cat eyes the mouse whom she proposes soon to devour. "You -must be tired." - -"Thank you," said Dean calmly, as he went forward and seated himself on -the settee beside Peter Kirby. - -"What brought you so far West as Colorado?" proceeded Kirby, giving -vent to his curiosity. - -"I kept coming West. Besides I heard there were mines in Colorado, and -I thought I might find profitable work." - -"So you gave up playing on that harmonica of yours?" - -"Yes." - -"Couldn't you make it pay?" - -"I needed a partner like the one I started with—Mr. Montgomery. I -couldn't give an entertainment alone." - -"Then you haven't been making any money lately?" - -"No." - -"Where did you get that watch?" - -"From Dr. Thorp." - -"When did he give it to you?" - -"Just before I left town." - -"It was a present to you for informing on me, I suppose?" said Kirby, -his face again assuming an ugly frown. - -"I believe it was for saving him from being robbed." - -"Then he had considerable money and bonds in the house?" - -"Yes." - -"Were they in the cabinet?" - -"He removed them." - -"After I went to bed?" - -"I believe so." - -"It seems then that I am indebted to you for foiling my little scheme." - -Kirby looked dangerous, and Dean was alive to the peril incurred, but -he was obliged in the interests of truth to answer in the affirmative. - -Here Dan appeared at the door. - -"Come in, Kirby," he said. "Supper's ready." - -"I am ready for it. I am about famished. Come in, boy." - -"Thank you; I have supped already." - -"All the same you must come in, for I don't propose to lose sight of -you. Hand over that watch, please." - -"Why do you want it?" asked Dean apprehensively. - -"I have more claim to it than you. It was the price of treachery." - -"I hope, Mr. Kirby, you will let me keep it." - -"Hand it over without any more words!" said Kirby, roughly, "unless you -want me to take it from you." - -It would have been idle to resist, but Dean was not willing to hand it -over, since that would have indicated his consent to the surrender. - -"You can take it if you choose," he said. - -"It will do after supper. Come in!" - -Dean preceded Kirby into the cabin, and sat down on a stool while the -two men were eating. Gradually they dropped into conversation, and Dean -listened with curious interest. - -"So you saw the captain, Kirby?" asked Dan. - -"Yes." - -"Where?" - -"He lives in an obscure country place, buried alive, as I call it. It -is for the sake of his family, he says." - -"What family has he?" - -"A wife and son—the last as like his father as two peas—the same ugly -tusks, and long, oval face. Between the two I prefer the captain. The -boy puts on no end of airs." - -"Does he know----" - -"Not a word. He thinks his father a gentleman of wealth and high birth, -and holds his head high, I can tell you." - -"Does that boy know him?" asked Dan, with a jerk of the head towards -Dean. - -"You know Brandon Bates, don't you, Dean?" said Kirby. - -"Yes, sir." - -"Do you like him?" - -"I don't think any one in the village likes him." - -"How about his father? is he popular?" - -"He is better liked than his son." - -"The fact is," resumed Kirby, "the captain's boy is an impudent cub. He -was insolent to me. I could have tweaked his nose with pleasure." - -"There seems to be one point on which Mr. Kirby and I agree," thought -Dean. But upon the whole it did not seem to him that he liked Kirby any -better than Brandon Bates. Brandon had unpleasant manners, but it was -clear that Kirby was a professional thief. - -"When is the captain coming West?" asked Dan. - -"Soon, I think. He may be needed for some work in Denver. I shall make -a report to him when I have gathered the information we need, and urge -him to come. He has brains, the captain has, and he must give us the -advantage of them." - -"What plan are you thinkin' of Kirby?" - -"Hush!" said Kirby, glancing toward Dean. "I will speak with you about -that later." - -After supper they went out again, and sat on the settee, both smoking -pipes provided by Dan. Dean was invited to come out also, but he felt -very much fatigued, and asked if he might go to bed. - -"Mother," said Dan, "can the kid go up to bed?" - -"Yes, if he wants to." - -"I'll go up with him." - -Dan led the way up a narrow staircase to the second floor. There were -two rooms, each with a sloping roof. On the floor was spread a sacking -filled with hay, one end raised above the general level. - -"You can sleep there, youngster," said Dan. "There's no use in -undressin'. Lay down as you are." - -Dean was quite ready to do so. Though he was apprehensive about the -future, fatigue asserted its claim, and in less than five minutes he -was sound asleep. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX. - -DEAN FINDS HIMSELF IN A HOLE. - - -Dean seemed to himself to have slept not more than an hour, though in -reality several hours passed, when he was aroused by being shaken not -over gently. - -"Time to get up?" he asked drowsily. - -"Yes, it's time to get up," answered a rough voice. - -Now he opened his eyes wide, and he saw Kirby looking down on him. At a -flash all came back to him, and he realized his position. - -He rose from his pallet and asked, "Can I wash my face and hands?" - -"No; there is no time for it. Follow me!" - -Rightly concluding that it would be useless to question Kirby, Dean -followed him to the lower floor, where Dan had already seated himself -at the breakfast-table. In obedience to a signal Dean sat down also, -and ate with what appetite he could the repast spread before him. In -addition to cold meat and bread there was what passed for coffee, -though it probably was not even distantly related to the fragrant -beverage which we know by that name. Dean drank it, however, not -without relish, for it was at least hot. - -Fifteen minutes sufficed for breakfast, and then Dan and Kirby left the -cabin, motioning to Dean to follow. - -Outside the cabin Kirby said, "Have you a handkerchief?" - -"Yes," answered Dean, wondering why such a question should be asked. - -"Give it to me!" - -Dean mechanically obeyed. - -Kirby took it, and, folding it, tied it over Dean's eyes. - -"Are we going to play blind man's buff?" asked Dean. - -"Yes," answered Kirby grimly, "and you are the blind man." - -"I should like to know what you have done this for," said Dean, more -seriously. - -"I can't answer your question, but no harm will come to you if you keep -quiet. You are going to take a walk with us." - -"And you don't want me to know where you are taking me." - -"You've hit it right the first time, youngster," said Dan. - -"I suppose it's no use to resist," said Dean firmly, "but I must say -that you have no right to take away my freedom." - -"You can say it if you want to, but it won't make any difference." - -"What are you going to do with me?" - -"You'll know in time." - -Dan and Kirby ranged themselves one on each side of Dean, and he -was walked off between them. He asked one or two questions, but was -admonished to keep silence. So they walked for twenty minutes, or -perhaps half an hour, when Dan left his side, and Dean was compelled to -halt in the custody of Kirby. - -"It's all ready!" said Dan, reappearing. Again he took Dean by the arm, -and they walked forward perhaps a dozen paces. - -Then Kirby said, "Here are some steps." - -Dean found himself descending a flight of steps—ten in number, for he -took the trouble to count them. He was getting more and more mystified, -and would have given a good deal to remove the handkerchief that -bandaged his eyes, but it was impossible to do it even surreptitiously, -for both arms were pinioned by his guides. At the end of the flight of -steps they came again to level ground, and walked forward perhaps a -hundred feet. Dean suspected from the earthy odor that they were under -the ground. He soon learned that his supposition was correct, for his -guides halted, and loosened their hold upon his arms. - -"You can remove the handkerchief now," said Kirby. - -Dean lost no time in availing himself of this permission. - -He looked around him eagerly. - -He found himself in what appeared to be not a natural, but an -artificial cave—dark, save for the light of a kerosene lamp, which -was placed on a little rocky shelf, and diffused a sickly light about -the cellar. At the end of the room there was a passage leading, as it -seemed, to some inner apartment. - -Dean looked about in surprise. - -"What place is this?" he asked. - -"You may call it a cave if you like." - -"How long are you going to stay here?" - -"About five minutes." - -"That will be enough for me," said Dean shrugging his shoulders. - -"Hardly. You are to stay longer." - -"Are you going to leave me here—under the earth?" asked Dean, in -alarm. - -"Don't you be scared, youngster—you will be safe. You won't be alone. -Here, Pompey." - -Through the inner passage came a stunted negro, with a preternaturally -large head, around which was pinned a cotton cloth in the shape of a -turban. He bowed obsequiously, and eyed Dean with evident curiosity -mingled with surprise. - -"This boy has come to visit you, Pompey," said Kirby, with grim -pleasantry. - -"Yah, yah, massa!" chuckled Pompey, showing the whites of his eyes. - -"You must take good care of him. Give him something to eat when he is -hungry, but don't let him escape." - -"Yah, massa!" - -"He will ask you questions, but you must be careful what you tell him. -Remember, he is not one of us, and he mustn't learn too much." - -"Yah, massa! I understand. What's his name?" - -"Dean." - -"Dat's a funny name. I never heard the like." - -"Yes, you have. Dan's like it." - -"So it am, massa! Dat's a fac'." - -"Now, youngster, I am going to leave you in the company of Pompey here, -who will do his best to make you comfortable and happy." - -"When are you coming back for me?" asked Dean, apprehensively. - -"Well, that depends upon circumstances. You'd better not trouble -yourself about that. Perhaps in a week, perhaps in a month. In the -meantime you will have free board, and won't have to work for a living. -There are a good many who would like to change places with you." - -"If you meet any such, send them along," said Dean, with a jocoseness -that thinly veiled a feeling bordering upon despair. - -"Ha, ha! That's a good one. Dan, our young friend is becoming a -practical joker. That's right, young one. Keep up good courage. I must -bid you good-bye now. Come along, Dan." - -The two turned away, and Dean with despairing eyes saw them going back -to freedom and the light of day, while he was left in the company of an -ignorant black in a subterranean dungeon. - -"Law, honey, don't take on!" said Pompey, good-naturedly. "There ain't -no harm comin' to you." - -"I should think harm had come to me. Here am I shut up in this black -hole!" - -"'Taint so bad, honey, when you're used to it. I didn't like it first -myself." - -"How long have you lived down here?" - -"I can't justly say." - -"Is it a year, or a month?" - -"I can't say, young massa," answered Pompey, who was evidently bent -on carrying out Kirby's admonitions not to tell too much to his young -guest. - -"When did you come hyah?" asked Pompey, thinking it only fair that he -should ask a question. - -"Into this neighborhood? I only came yesterday." - -"And where did you meet Massa Kirby?" - -"At the cabin of the other man—Dan. But I had seen him before. I met -him first at the East, in New York State." - -"In York State!" repeated Pompey. - -"Yes. We traveled together for a while." - -Pompey nodded his head slowly, but evidently he had no very clear idea -of what it all meant. - -"Are you hungry, young massa?" he asked, after a pause. - -"No; I have had my breakfast." - -"I must go to work," said the negro, turning to go back by the narrow -passage from which he had emerged. - -"May I go with you?" - -"Yes, young massa, if you want to." - -Anything was better than being left alone in the dark, cavernous room, -and Dean followed the negro, who was so short that he could readily -look over his head, till at the end of the passage he emerged into -another apartment, which was fitted up as a kitchen, and contained a -stove. From the stove rose an upright funnel, which pierced the roof, -providing a vent for the smoke when there was a fire, and allowing air -to come in from above. It flashed upon Dean that it was through this -funnel had come the mysterious sounds which puzzled him so much when he -was reclining in the wood. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI. - -THE VALUE OF A HARMONICA. - - -About the middle of the forenoon Pompey curled up on a pallet in one -corner of the room, and went to sleep. There was nothing in particular -to do, and it seemed rather a sensible way of spending the time. Dean, -however, felt too anxious to follow his example. - -It occurred to him that it would be a good time for him to gratify his -curiosity by examining the cavern in which he was immured, and devise, -if possible, some method of escape. First he went up close to Pompey, -and examined him carefully to see whether he was really asleep, or only -shamming. But the negro's deep breathing soon satisfied him that there -was no sham about his slumber. So Dean felt at liberty to begin his -exploration. - -He went back to the entrance, which he knew by the staircase he had -descended with Kirby and Dan. He mounted to the top, and found his way -barred by a trap-door which he tried, but unsuccessfully, to raise. It -appeared to be secured by a lock, and, not having the key, there was no -hope of escape. He gazed ruefully at this door, which shut him out from -liberty. - -"I wonder if there is any other way out of the cave," he asked himself. - -It didn't seem probable, but it was of course possible, and worth while -to investigate. If there were it would be at the other end, no doubt. - -He retraced his steps, and found Pompey still fast asleep, and utterly -unconscious of the movements of the prisoner under his charge. - -Dean took a lamp and went farther into the cave. There seemed to be a -series of excavations, connected by narrow passages. In one of these -was a large box, constructed like a sailor's chest. It occurred to -him that it might belong to Pompey, and be used by him to contain his -clothing. But a little thought suggested that the negro was not likely -to have a large stock of clothes. Probably the suit he had on was about -all he possessed. What, then, did the chest contain? - -At each end was a handle. Dean took hold of one and tried to lift the -chest. But he found it very heavy, much heavier than it would have been -had it contained clothing. - -He rose to his feet and eyed it with curiosity. There was nothing -elaborate about the lock, and it struck Dean that a key which he had in -his pocket might possibly unlock it. Upon the impulse of the moment he -kneeled down and inserted it in the lock. - -Very much to his surprise, and indeed it did seem an extraordinary -chance, for it was the only key he had, it proved to fit the lock. He -turned it, and raised the lid. The sight dazzled him. - -Before him lay piles of gold and silver coins, and a package of bank -bills. This cave was evidently the store house of an organized band of -robbers, and the chest might be considered their treasury. - -"I wonder if this is real," thought Dean. "It seems like a scene in the -Arabian Nights." - -It did indeed seem strange that this far off nook of Colorado should be -the rendezvous and treasure house of a band so widely scattered that -the captain was a quiet citizen of a small town in the State of New -York, nearly two thousand miles away. - -How improbable it would have seemed to the Citizens of Waterford, -among whom Squire Bates moved, living in outward seeming the life of -any other respectable and law abiding citizen! This was the Waterford -mystery, which by a series of remarkable adventures it had fallen to -Dean to solve. - -He locked the chest, fearing that Pompey might suddenly awake, and, -following, discover what he was about. He wanted some time to think -over this strange discovery, and consider what to do. To be sure, there -seemed little chance of his doing anything except to remain where he -was, a subterranean prisoner. - -Dean felt more than ever a desire to leave the cave, but the prospect -was not encouraging. Why he was kept a prisoner he could guess. He -knew too much of the band, and especially of their leader, and he was -considered dangerous. His imprisonment might be a prolonged one, and -Dean felt that this would be intolerable. - -It was in a very sober frame that he returned to the room where Pompey -was still sleeping. An hour later the negro awoke and stretched himself. - -"Have I been asleep long, young massa?" he asked. - -"Two or three hours, I should think, Pompey." - -"Dat's strange! I only just closed my eyes for a minute, and I done -forgot myself." - -"You might as well go to sleep. There's nothing else to do." - -"I must get some dinner, honey. Don't you feel hungry?" - -"I might eat something," said Dean listlessly. - -Pompey bustled round, and prepared a lunch, to which Dean, homesick as -he was, did not fail to do justice. It takes a great deal to spoil the -appetite of a growing boy. - -After the noon repast Dean sat down. He was beginning to find the -monotony intolerable. - -"Have you got any books down here, Pompey?" he asked. - -Pompey shook his head. - -"No use for books, young massa. I can't read." - -"But I can." - -"Perhaps Massa Kirby will bring you some if you ask him." - -Dean did not care to ask any favor of Kirby. Moreover he knew that that -gentleman was not particularly literary, and doubted if he was in a -position to grant the request. - -By way of beguiling the time he took out his harmonica in an absent -mood, and began to play "Old Folks at Home." - -Instantly Pompey was on the alert. His eyes brightened, and he fixed -them in rapture upon the young player. - -"What's dat, young massa?" he asked. - -"That's a harmonica." - -"You do play beau'ful, young massa." - -"Thank you, Pompey, I am glad you like it." - -"Play some more," entreated Pompey. - -Dean complied with the negro's request, partly because he was obliging, -partly because it helped to fill up the time. He could scarcely forbear -laughing to see Pompey rocking to and fro with his mouth open, drinking -in the melodious strains. - -Nature had given Pompey a rapt appreciation of music, and he began to -croon a vocal accompaniment to the instrument. - -"Who learn you to play, young massa?" he asked. - -"I taught myself. It isn't hard." - -"Dat's because your white. A poor nigger like me couldn't learn," said -Pompey half inquiringly. - -"Oh yes, you could. I see you have an ear for music. Would you like to -try?" - -"If you would let me." - -Dean handed the negro the harmonica, and gave him the necessary -directions. In the course of half an hour he was able to play through -"Old Folks at Home," with substantial accuracy. - -"I wish I had a harmonicum," said Pompey wistfully. "It would make old -Pompey happy." - -An idea came into Dean's head—a wild, perhaps an impracticable idea, -but he resolved to carry it out, if possible. - -"Pompey," he said, "I'll give you the harmonica if you'll let me out of -the cave." - -Pompey rolled his eyes in affright. - -"Couldn't do it no how, young massa," he said. "Massa Kirby would kill -me." - -"He'd think I got away when you were asleep, Pompey. Come, I'll show -you two or three more tunes on the instrument, and you can learn others -yourself." - -"I don't dare to, young massa," said Pompey, but there was a suspicion -of indecision in his voice. - -"Very well, then, give me back the harmonica. I will never play any -more upon it." - -"Oh, young massa!" - -"I mean what I say, Pompey"—and Dean put the harmonica in his pocket. - -Pompey eyed him with a troubled look. He was evidently weighing the -matter in his mind. - -"If I thought Massa Kirby wouldn't kill me," he said reflectively. - -Dean upon this redoubled his persuasions. He played another tune on -the harmonica—"Sweet Home"—with variations, and this completed the -conquest of his sable custodian. - -"I'll do it, young massa," said Pompey, hoarsely. "Give me the -harmonicum, and I'll take the risk." - -Dean did not want to give him time for reflection. He seized his hat, -and handed Pompey the instrument. - -The negro guided him, not to the front entrance which he already knew, -but to a back exit which he had overlooked. Here there was a door -skillfully concealed on the outside. Pompey drew out a key, opened it, -and with infinite relief Dean again saw the sunshine and breathed the -air of freedom. - -"Good-bye, Pompey!" he said. "I thank you with all my heart." - -"If Massa Kirby cotch you, don't you tell him I let you go," said -Pompey, hoarsely. - -"No, I won't, Pompey, but I don't mean to let him catch me." - -The door closed behind him, and Dean paused to consider what course to -take. He must at all hazards avoid falling in with Kirby and Dan. - -"That harmonica is worth its weight in gold!" thought Dean, gratefully. -"It is a regular talisman." - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII. - -TWO NEW ACQUAINTANCES. - - -Dean had no particular choice as to the direction he would take. -His principal desire was to get out of the neighborhood, so as to -avoid meeting Kirby or Dan, as this would insure a second term of -imprisonment from which he could not hope to escape so easily. He had -a general idea of the location of the cabin in which he had passed -the previous night, and he shaped his course as far away from it as -possible. He looked at his watch, which Kirby had neglected to take, -and found that it was between four and five in the afternoon. He did -not know how far the wooded district extended, but hoped soon to emerge -from it. - -[Illustration: MR. KIRBY WAS COUNTING A NUMBER OF $50 BILLS.] - -It might have been that he was bewildered, but the farther he traveled -the more he seemed to be surrounded by trees. Moreover the shades -were deepening, and soon the night would settle about him. - -"I wish I had a compass," thought Dean. "That would help me find my way -out of this labyrinth." - -He had met no one as yet, and this was upon the whole a relief, as -the persons most likely to be encountered were Kirby and Dan. But at -length a sound of voices fell upon his ear, and he stayed his steps in -momentary alarm. He listened intently, but was reassured when he found -that the voices were unfamiliar. - -"It may be some one who can show me the way out of these woods," -thought Dean. "At any rate I don't believe they will harm a boy. I will -try to find them." - -Guided by the voices he directed his steps in the direction of the -sound, and found himself at length in an open space. Under a tree -reclined two stalwart men who, from their garb, appeared to be miners. -They were lying in an easy position, and both were smoking pipes. - -"Good-afternoon, gentlemen," said Dean politely. - -The two men looked up in surprise. - -"Why, it's a kid!" ejaculated one. "How came you here, boy?" - -"I'll tell you, if you don't mind my joining you," said Dean. - -"Come and welcome! It's rather refreshing to see a young chap like you. -I've got a boy at home who is within a year or two as old as you." - -"I am sixteen." - -"So I thought. My boy is fourteen. What is your name?" - -"Dean Dunham. I come from Waterford, New York." - -"Then you are from my State. I am from Syracuse. My name is Rawson—Ben -Rawson. My friend here is Ebenezer Jones, commonly called Eben, a -Connecticut Yankee—Eben, shake with our young friend." - -"I am glad to meet you, Mr. Jones," said Dean, extending his hand with -a smile. - -"You must look out for Eben," said Rawson jocosely. "Them Connecticut -Yankees are as sharp as they make 'em." - -"I will risk it," said Dean. "I am very glad to meet you both, for I -was beginning to feel that I was lost." - -"Eben and I are too good mountaineers to be easily lost. How long have -you been in these woods?" - -"Since yesterday noon." - -"Did you sleep out?" - -"No, I found a cabin where I lodged." - -"You were in luck." - -"In bad luck." - -"How is that?" asked Rawson in surprise. "Were you robbed?" - -"No, but I found myself in the company of two men who I am pretty sure -belong to a gang of robbers. One of them I had seen before—at the -East. They blindfolded me, and took me, to a cavern, where they left me -in charge of a negro named Pompey." - -"What could be their object?" asked Rawson. "You are sure you're not -romancing, boy?" - -"I wish I were, but the cave exists, just as certainly as I do." - -"But of what use is it?" - -"I think it is a hiding-place for their booty," answered Dean, and he -gave an account of the chest which he had opened, and the nature of its -contents. - -"Why didn't you take a handful of the gold?" asked Rawson. - -"At the time I didn't know but I should have to remain in the cave, -when of course it would be discovered on me. Besides, though I knew it -to be stolen property I didn't feel like taking it." - -"Eben and I wouldn't be so particular. Whereabouts is this cave?" - -"I think it must be three or four miles away, but I may be mistaken, -for I got turned round, and may have doubled on my tracks. I have been -afraid I might fall in with Kirby and Dan. When I heard your voices I -thought at first it might be them." - -"You're safe now, lad. We would be more than a match for them, even -if they did turn up. I shouldn't mind giving them a lesson. But you -haven't told us what brought you out here, lad." - -"I thought I might make a better living than at home." - -"And have you?" - -"So far I have, but my prospects don't appear to be very bright just -now." - -"Don't be too sure of that. Suppose you join us." - -"I shall be glad to do so, if you will let me." - -"Then we'll shake hands to our better acquaintance. I'd offer you a -pipe if I had an extra one." - -"Thank you; I don't smoke." - -"Well, lad, perhaps you're right. Smoking won't do any good to a boy -like you." - -"If I am to join you would you mind telling me your plans?" - -"Of course I will. We're miners, as you might guess from our looks. -We've been up in Gilpin County, and have done pretty well. We've got -some claims there yet, but we wanted a little change and have been on a -little prospecting tour." - -"Have you had good luck?" - -"In prospecting? No! We are on our way back, and shall settle down to -work again all the better for our holiday." - -"How long have you been out here?" asked Dean. - -"I've been here fourteen months—Eben for a year. We never met before, -but we concluded to join forces, and haven't regretted it, eh—Eben?" - -"Right you are, Rawson." - -"Eben here has a girl at home that's waiting for him. When he has made -his pile, he's going back to her." - -"And how about you, Mr. Rawson?" - -"Never mind about the handle to my name, youngster. Call me Ben." - -"But you are so much older than I," objected Dean. - -"We're free and easy out here—it's the best way. When we get back to -the East you may call me Mr. Rawson if you want to. I say, Eben, if we -take the boy into partnership, he ought to have some capital." - -"I am sorry that I can't put in any capital," said Dean. "Besides this -watch I haven't over five dollars about me." - -"You misunderstand me, lad. I mean that Eben and I should set you up -in business. We've got six claims—between us. What do you say, Eben, -to giving this boy two? Then we shall be equal partners, and share and -share alike." - -"It's just as you say, Ben," answered Eben, who was evidently guided in -all things by his older companion. - -"You are very generous, Ben," said Dean, "but I ought not to accept such -a gift. If you don't mind giving me one, I will take it, and thank you." - -"No, lad," persisted Rawson. "It's share and share alike, as I said." - -"But I ought not to be on equal terms with you two, who have others to -look out for." - -"You won't be, lad—Eben and I have each got a pile salted down in one -of the banks in Denver. It's near five thousand dollars apiece, isn't -it, Eben?" - -"Yes, not far from that, Rawson." - -"We will share alike for the future—that's what I mean. There's more -gold where the other came from, and I hope the claims will pan out well -for your sake." - -Dean felt that he had indeed fallen into good hands. He might -have traveled far enough in the East without meeting strangers so -free-handed. Indeed had he met the same parties at home, he would -scarcely have found them so liberal. The wild, free life of the West -had opened their hearts and made them generous. - -"Hist!" said Rawson suddenly, raising his hand, and assuming an intent -look, "I think I hear voices." - -He was right. Two men, walking slowly, and appearing to be in -earnest conversation, approached. "It's Dan and Kirby!" said Dean in -excitement. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII. - -OUT OF THE ENEMY'S HANDS. - - -"Eben and I will hide and leave you to receive them alone," said -Rawson, rising hastily. - -"But----" expostulated Dean in considerable alarm. - -"Don't be afeared, lad. They shan't do you any harm. We want a little -fun, that's all. We shall be close at hand." - -The two darted behind a tree, leaving Dean reclining on the turf. - -Kirby and Dan approached, engaged apparently in earnest conversation. -They were close upon Dean before they recognized him. It is needless to -say that their amazement was profound. - -"Look there, Dan!" said Kirby, stopping short. - -"There's the kid!" - -"Well, I'm beat!" ejaculated Dan. - -"How on earth can he have escaped? If he got away without Pompey's -knowledge he's about the smartest youngster I ever came across. I will -take care it shan't happen again." - -Striding forward, Kirby confronted Dean with a stern face. - -Dean, by way of carrying out the deception, started and assumed a look -of terror. - -"What does all this mean, boy?" demanded Kirby. - -"What does what mean?" asked Dean in apparent perplexity. - -"How came you here? You know well enough what I mean." - -"I walked," answered Dean demurely. - -"Of course you did! How did you get out of the place where I put you?" - -"I went out at the back door." - -Kirby turned to Dan in alarm. - -"Was it unlocked?" he asked, resuming his examination of the boy. - -"Yes; if it hadn't been I couldn't have got out." - -"Where is Pompey—the negro? What did you do to him?" asked Kirby -suspiciously. - -"He fell asleep after dinner." - -"And I suppose you took the key from him in his sleep," said Kirby, -rather as a statement than an inquiry. - -Dean made no reply, and Peter Kirby took this as an admission that he -was right. - -"That must be the way, Dan," he said, turning to his companion. "It's -lucky we met our young friend here, or we might have been deprived of -his society." - -Dean looked depressed, and Kirby was deceived by his manner. - -"I suppose you know what's going to happen?" he said, addressing -himself to Dean. - -"No." - -"Well, you'll soon know. You're going back to keep company with Pompey. -He is very lonesome there in the cave, and he will be brightened up by -having a boy as company." - -"Oh, Mr. Kirby, please let me go on my way!" pleaded Dean. - -"I am sorry to disappoint you, but it can't be done. Sit down, Dan. -We've got a long walk before us, and we will rest a while." - -The two men seated themselves one on each side of Dean, occupying the -exact places recently vacated by the two miners. Kirby had been angry -at first with Dean, but the exultation he felt at recovering him abated -his wrath and made him good-natured. He felt like the cat who has the -mouse securely in his power. - -"Oho!" he laughed, "this is a good joke! This foolish lad really -supposed that he had bidden us good-by. Didn't you, lad?" - -"Yes; I never expected to see you again." - -Kirby laughed again. - -"My lad," he said, "you are not yet smart enough to circumvent Peter -Kirby. You'll have to be several years older at least." - -"Mr. Kirby," said Dean, earnestly, "will you tell me why you want to -keep me a prisoner?" - -"Suppose I say that I like your society?" - -"I shouldn't believe you." - -"You are a sharp one, youngster. That isn't the only reason." - -"So I thought. What is the reason, then?" - -"You know too much and suspect too much, boy. You're a pesky young spy. -We don't propose to leave you at liberty to injure us." - -"Was that why Squire Bates arranged for you to take me with you?" asked -Dean, with a penetrating look. - -"What motive could he have except to help you to a position?" answered -Kirby, evasively. - -"I don't know," answered Dean, emphasizing the last word. - -"But you suspect something. Is that it?" - -Dean nodded. - -"Boy, you are too candid for your own good. It is clear that you are -too sharp to be kept at liberty." - -"Do you mean to take me back to the cave?" - -"Yes." - -"Why not let me travel with you instead? I should prefer it to such a -gloomy prison." - -"No doubt you would, but, as it happens, I am not bound to respect or -consult your wishes. No doubt you think you would have a better chance -to escape if I let you go with me." - -"Yes," answered Dean demurely. - -"So I thought, and that is the very reason I can't gratify you. I -can't be bothered with a boy I must constantly watch, though, for that -matter, if you played me false again," he added sternly, "I shouldn't -scruple to put a bullet through your head." - -He looked fiercely at Dean as if he meant it. Dean had no doubt that -nothing but a fear of the consequences would deter him from the -desperate act he hinted at, and he rejoiced more than ever that he had -two stalwart friends so near at hand. - -There was a little more conversation between Kirby and Dan, and then -Kirby rose to his feet. - -"Well, boy," he said abruptly, "it is time for us to be going." - -"Go if you like, Mr. Kirby!" said Dean quietly. "I prefer to remain -where I am." - -"What, boy?" exclaimed Kirby angrily, "do you mean to defy us?" - -"I mean, Mr. Kirby, that you have no right to interfere with me, or to -deprive me of my freedom." - -"No right, have I?" inquired Kirby in a sarcastic tone. - -"That is what I said." - -"Then, boy, you'd better not have said it. You won't fare any better -for it, I can tell you that. Come, get up, and at once!" - -He leaned over, and grasping Dean by the collar pulled him roughly to -his feet. - -The next moment, he thought he had been struck by lightning. He -received a blow on the side of his head that stretched him full length -on the ground. - -When he rose, vaguely wondering what had happened, he confronted not -the boy he had assaulted, but a strong, athletic man, with a powerful -frame, and a stern, resolute eye. - -This was Rawson, but he was not alone. Standing between Dean and Dan -was another man, younger, but looking quite as powerful, Eben Jones, of -Connecticut. - -"What do you mean by this outrage?" demanded Kirby, with a baffled -look, gnawing his nether lip in abortive wrath. - -"That's a question for me to ask, stranger," retorted Rawson coolly. -"What do you mean by assaulting this boy?" - -"What do I mean? He is my servant, who has deserted and deceived me." - -"Is this true, lad?" - -"No, it isn't. I came West with this man, as a secretary, not knowing -his character. I found out that he was a thief and then I left him." - -"You shall answer for this, boy!" said Kirby, almost frothing at the -mouth. "How dare you insult me?" - -"The boy is telling the truth. I make no doubt, if you call that -insulting you," said Rawson. "He tells us you shut him up in a cave." - -"Yes, and I'll do it again." - -"Will you indeed? You are at liberty to try." - -"What have you got to do with the boy, any way?" - -"A good deal. We have just admitted him as a partner in our mining -firm. You'll find us in Gilpin County if you want to call, though on -the whole I wouldn't advise it, as we miners make short shrift of such -fellows as you are." - -"The boy must come with us!" said Kirby, doggedly, unwilling to own -himself beaten. - -"I've got something to say to that, stranger, and it's quickly said. -Make yourselves scarce both of you, or you'll never know what hit you." - -He pulled from his girdle a six shooter, and pointed it at Kirby. - -The latter needed no second hint. He and Dan turned and walked away, -muttering some ugly threats to which the two miners paid no heed. - -"Now, lad, we'll have some supper," said Rawson, "and look out for -a good place to pass the night. I can't say much for your friends. -They're about as ugly-looking knaves as I ever saw." - -"I agree with you," said Dean, heartily. "I hope I shall never see them -again." - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV. - -SIX MONTHS AMONG THE MINES. - - -Six months later among the hills in Gilpin County we find three old -acquaintances. They are Ben Rawson, Ebenezer Jones, and Dean Dunham. -Dean has grown taller and there is a healthy brown hue on his cheeks. -His eyes are bright, and his look is cheerful. - -The three are sitting in front of a miner's cabin, resting after the -fatigues of the day. - -"Have a pipe, Dean?" asks Rawson. - -"No, Ben; you know I don't smoke." - -"You're right, lad, no doubt, but I couldn't get along without it. Do -you know, boys, it is just six months to-day since we came here, after -our brief interview with Dean's friends. By the way, what are their -names?" - -"Peter Kirby and Dan—I don't know his last name." - -"I wonder what has become of them. It is easy to tell what will befall -them at last." - -"I hope I shall never set eyes on them again," said Dean, fervently. - -"Well, I won't just say that; I might like to meet them if they were -about to receive their deserts." - -"Do you know how we stand, Rawson?" asked Eben Jones, taking the pipe -from his mouth. - -"I was just figuring up, Eben, this afternoon, since you have made me -treasurer. There's a little over three thousand dollars in the common -fund." - -"A thousand dollars apiece." - -"Precisely. It isn't a bad showing, is it? What do you say to that, -Dean? How old are you?" - -"Sixteen, but I am nearer seventeen." - -"There are not many boys of your age who are worth a thousand dollars." - -"I owe it to your kindness, Ben—yours and Eben's." - -"I don't admit that, Dean. You have worked hard for it." - -"But then I am only a boy, and yet you admit me to an equal -partnership." - -"And we're glad to do it, Dean," said Rawson, warmly. "Isn't that so, -Eben?" - -"You're talkin' for us both, Ben. The kid's been a great deal of -company for us." - -"Besides, Dean, Eben and I have got ten thousand dollars between us in -a bank in Denver, unless the bank's busted, which I haven't heard of. I -say, Eben, old chap, I feel rich!" - -"I feel rich enough to go home," said Eben, after a thoughtful pause. -"Would you mind if I did, Ben?" - -"I should mind so much, Eben, that I should probably go along too." - -"But that would be leaving Dean alone," objected Eben. - -"Perhaps he would like to make a trip East also." - -"Yes, I would," said Dean. "It's a long time since I've heard from my -uncle and aunt. I think my last letter couldn't have reached them." - -"There's one thing in the way," observed Rawson. "Our claims are -valuable—more so than six months ago. If we leave 'em some one will -take possession, and that'll be an end of our ownership." - -"Sell 'em," said Eben, concisely. - -"That will take time." - -"I'll stay till it's done. I'm not going to give 'em away." - -"Trust a Connecticut Yankee for that," said Rawson, laughing. "Well, -to-morrow, then, we'll let our neighbors know that our claims are for -sale." - -Dean and his two friends retired at an early hour. They usually -became fatigued by the labors of the day, and did not require to court -slumber long. They rose early, and took their breakfast at a restaurant -near by. Before this was opened, they took turns at cooking breakfast -themselves, but were glad to delegate that duty to some one else. - -Dean, as the best penman, prepared the sign, - - THESE CLAIMS FOR SALE. - -rather fortunately, as Rawson was weak not only in writing but in -spelling, and would have been very likely to write "Theas clames fer -sail," without a thought that he had committed an error. - -About nine o'clock on the second morning, a small man, dressed in a -drab suit, walked leisurely up to Rawson, and remarked: "I understand -that you wish to sell these claims." - -"Exactly, if we can get a fair price." - -"By we you mean----?" - -"Myself, Mr. Jones, and the boy. We are partners. Where might you be -from, friend?" - -"I have an office in Denver. I am commissioned by a Philadelphia -syndicate to buy some mining property, which will be worked with the -help of improved machinery in a systematic manner." - -"Then you will need more than we have to sell." - -"I have secured the property on each side of you," said the agent -composedly. - -"What figures are you prepared to offer?" asked Rawson, with a look of -business. "I don't want to be extortionate, but the claims are good -ones, and we don't want to sacrifice them." - -Then ensued a few minutes of bargaining, in which Dean took no part. -Eben, though usually the most silent of the three, now developed the -qualities characteristic of the New England Yankee, and it was due to -him that the property was sold for six thousand dollars. - -"I might have got more if I'd stood out a little longer," he said, half -regretfully. - -"We've done pretty well, though," said Rawson, complacently. "It's two -thousand dollars apiece, say three, with what we've taken from it in -the last six months. What do you say to that, lad? You'll go home with -three thousand dollars." - -"It doesn't seem possible, Ben. Why, Uncle Adin has been at work for -forty years, and I don't believe the old place would fetch that." - -"Money's easier to come at than in the old times. You'll astonish the -old folks, lad." - -"There'll be some others that'll be surprised," said Dean, smiling. -"Squire Bates and Brandon among the rest." - -"It's better than going home like a tramp. It's strange how much more -people think of you when you're worth a little property. And I don't -know but they're right. To get money, I mean honestly, a man must have -some brains, and he must be willing to work. How much money do you -think I had when I arrived here?" - -"I don't know." - -"Eighteen dollars. It was grit or brains with me, I can tell you. Eben -here wasn't much better off." - -"Not so well. I only had nine dollars." - -"And now we've got eight thousand apiece. That'll make us comfortable -for a while, eh, Eben?" - -"For life, Rawson. I shall never come back here, but settle down at -home, where people will call me a rich man." - -"I can't answer for myself. How is it with you, Dean?" - -"I shall come back," said Dean, positively. "There's very little chance -for me in Waterford." - -"Well, perhaps you are right. You'll have a fair start, and you're -industrious and enterprising." - -They stopped in Denver on their way home, and called at the office of -the agent through whom their claims had been sold. - -"Gentlemen," said the agent, "may I venture to give you some advice?" - -"Certainly," said Rawson. - -"The best thing you can do with a part of your money is to invest in -real estate in this town." - -Eben Jones shook his head. - -"I'm going to buy a farm at home, and put the rest of the money in the -savings bank," he said. - -"How is it with you, Mr. Rawson?" - -"No doubt your advice is good, but I want to let the folks at home see -what I have brought in solid cash." - -"And you?" continued the agent, turning to Dean. - -"I will invest two thousand dollars in Denver lots," said Dean, -promptly, "and take the rest home as a present to my uncle and aunt." - -"You won't regret it. Denver is growing rapidly. I predict that the -lots will double in your hands in a year." - -Dean took a walk round the embryo city with the agent, and made a -purchase of ten lots on Lawrence street, in accordance with his -judgment. - -"Now," said the agent, smiling, "I shall be sure to see you out here -again." - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV. - -AFFAIRS IN WATERFORD. - - -Leaving Dean in Denver, let us go back to Waterford, and see how -matters stood in that quiet little village. - -With Adin Dunham they did not go well. He had an attack of rheumatism -during the winter which hindered him from working for several weeks, -and so abridged his earnings. Both he and his wife missed Dean, whose -lively and cheerful temperament enlivened the house. They were troubled -too because months had passed since they had heard from him. - -"I don't know what has happened to Dean," said Adin one Saturday -evening, when he sat beside the kitchen fire with his wife. "Seems to -me he'd write if he was in good health. I am afeared something has gone -wrong with the boy." - -"I hope not, father," said Sarah Dunham, pausing in her knitting. - -"So do I, Sarah, but you must agree that it's strange he don't write." - -"That's true, Adin. He was always a thoughtful, considerate boy. The -house seems lonesome without him." - -"So it does, Sarah. But if I only knew he was doin' well I wouldn't -mind that. He may have got sick and----" - -"Don't say such things, father," said Mrs. Dunham in a tremulous voice. -"I can't bear to think anything's happened to the boy." - -"But we must be prepared for the worst, if so be the worst has come." - -"I am sure he is alive and well," said Sarah Dunham, who was of a more -hopeful temperament than her husband. - -"Then why don't he write?" - -"To be sure, Adin. That's something I can't explain. But Dean's -healthy, and he's a good boy, who wouldn't be likely to get into -mischief. Instead of being prepared for the worst, suppose we hope for -the best." - -"Maybe you're right, Sarah. I try to be cheerful, but since I was -robbed of that thousand dollars luck seems to have been against me. -And the worst of it is Sarah, I'm not getting younger. I shall be -sixty-five next month." - -"I'm not much behind you, Adin, as far as years go." - -"I did hope that Dean would be in a position to help me when I got -along in years. I mistrust I made a mistake when I let him go out West. -If he'd stayed here, he might have been a good deal of help to us both." - -"Still there didn't seem to be much of a prospect for the boy." - -"He could have managed the farm when he got a little older." - -"That is true, but it has never given you a living, Adin. You've had to -depend upon your trade." - -"He could have learned the same trade. A trade's a good thing for a boy -to have to fall back upon." - -"He may come back, and realize all your expectations, Adin. We mustn't -despond till we have reason to." - -"There's another thing that's worryin' me, Sarah—it's the mortgage. -Next week six months' interest falls due—twenty-four dollars—and I -haven't the money to meet it." - -"Squire Bates won't push you, surely." - -"I don't know. Once or twice lately when I met the squire he dropped a -hint that he was short of money. I didn't say much, but it struck me -he had an object in sayin' what he did." - -"It's the first time you haven't been ready with the interest, isn't -it, Adin?" - -"Yes, the very first time." - -"Then perhaps he will overlook it this time. You'd better manage to see -him about it." - -"I'll do it the first time I see him." - -That time came sooner than either of them thought. - -Adin Dunham had scarcely completed his sentence when a knock was heard -at the door (Adin had never so far fallen in with city customs as to -introduce a door bell.) - -Mrs. Dunham rose and opened the door. - -"Good-evening, Mrs. Dunham," said the visitor, suavely. - -"Good-evening, Squire Bates," said Sarah in surprise. "Won't you walk -in?" - -"Yes, thank you. Is your husband at home?" - -"Oh, yes, he never goes out in the evening. Adin," she said, preceding -the visitor, "here is Squire Bates, who has called to see you." - -"I am glad to see you, squire," said the carpenter. - -"Take a chair, and excuse my gettin' up. My old enemy, the rheumatism, -has got hold of me, and I'm too stiff to move easy." - -"Oh, you are quite excusable, Mr. Dunham. I am sorry to hear that you -are so afflicted." - -"It isn't altogether comfortable. Besides, it puts me behindhand. I've -lost at least four weeks this winter from these rheumatic pains." - -"Ah, indeed!" - -"Yes, and as you can imagine, that is a serious thing to a poor man." - -"I suppose so," assented the squire, coughing. - -"I am glad you came in, squire, because I wanted to speak to you about -the interest on that mortgage." - -"It falls due next week," said Squire Bates, promptly. - -"Just so, and I am sorry to say that for the first time I shall be -unable to meet it." - -"Indeed!" returned the squire, his voice stiffening. "That is very -unfortunate!" - -"So it is, squire, but I hope, as it is the first time, you will -overlook it," said Adin Dunham, anxiously. - -"My dear sir," said the squire, "it is hardly necessary to say that I -truly sympathize with you. You believe that, I hope?" - -"I thought you would squire. I didn't believe you'd be hard on me." - -"But—you misunderstand me a little, neighbor Dunham—I cannot be as -considerate as I would like to be. The fact is, I am _very_ short of -money, embarrassed in fact, and I depended on that payment. Perhaps you -can borrow it?" - -"There's no one in the village likely to accommodate me with a loan -unless it's you, squire." - -"And I am very short of cash. Indeed it would hardly do for me to lend -you money to pay me, would it now?" - -"I am afraid not," said the carpenter, ruefully. - -"In fact, neighbor Dunham, I came here this evening to ask if you -couldn't arrange to pay the mortgage." - -"_Pay_ the mortgage!" echoed Adin Dunham, with a blank look. - -"Yes; I thought you might raise the money in some way." - -"I wish you'd tell me where, Squire Bates. Eight hundred dollars! Why -it's as big to me as the national debt! I did expect to pay off the -mortgage with that thousand dollars, that I was so wickedly robbed of." - -"Oh, ah, to be sure! It was a great pity that you were prevented from -doing it." - -"That robbery broke me down, Squire Bates. I believe it has made me -five years older, though it happened less than a year ago. It makes me -feel kind of rebellious at times to think that such a villain as the -man that robbed me should go unpunished." - -"It isn't best to cry over spilt milk," said the squire who felt -obviously uncomfortable under these allusions. - -"I can't help thinkin' of it though, squire." - -"To be sure, to be sure!" - -"When it was gone, I hoped that Dean would be able to help me to pay up -the mortgage some time." - -"Have you heard from your nephew lately?" - -"Not for months. Have you heard from the man he went out with?" - -"Yes, I have heard several times." - -"Does he say anything about Dean?" - -"He says—but perhaps I had better not tell you. I don't want to -distress you," and the squire hesitated. - -"Say what you have to say. I can stand it." - -"He says he discharged Dean for dishonesty." - -"Dean dishonest! Why, squire, you must be jokin'." - -"I am sorry to say, neighbor Dunham, that there is no joke about it. -Mr. Kirby is not likely to be mistaken." - -"I tell you, Squire Bates," said Adin Dunham angrily, "that my nephew -Dean is as honest as I am myself. The man that charges him with -dishonesty is a liar! It's a word I don't often use, but I must use it -this time." - -"I agree with my husband," said Sarah Dunham, her mild blue eye -sparkling with indignation. "Nothing would induce Dean to steal." - -"Of course you are prejudiced in your nephew's favor," said the squire -with a slight sneer. "It is very natural, but you can't expect others -to agree with you. However, we will drop this subject. I am afraid Dean -will never be able to help you. I used to think well of him, though my -son Brandon didn't agree with me." - -"What can your son Brandon know of Dean compared with mother and me, -who have known the boy since his birth?" the carpenter rejoined warmly. - -"I won't argue the question, neighbor Dunham. Indeed I feel for you -in your disappointment. But to come back to business. You mustn't -blame me if I foreclose the mortgage, as the law gives me a right to -do. I wouldn't do it, I assure you, if circumstances did not make it -imperative." - -"Foreclose the mortgage!" repeated Adin in consternation. - -"Yes, or I'll give you eight hundred dollars for the place over and -above the mortgage." - -"Only eight hundred dollars! Why, that would be robbery!" - -"Think it over, neighbor Dunham, and don't decide hastily. You'll -think differently, I am sure, when you have had time to consider it. I -must bid you good-evening now, as I am in haste," and the squire rose -quickly, and left the room, followed to the door mechanically and in -silence by Sarah Dunham. - -"Sarah," said the carpenter with grief-stricken countenance, "this is -worse than all. It looks as if we were indeed forsaken by Providence." - -"Hush, Adin! That is wicked. It looks hard, but the Lord may yet give -us deliverance." - -"I am afraid we shall end our days in the poorhouse, Sarah," said the -husband gloomily. - -"It won't be this year or next, Adin. Eight hundred dollars will -support us for two years, and then there is your work besides. Let us -look on the bright side!" - -But that was not easy for either of them. It seemed to Adin Dunham that -his cup of bitterness was full. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVI. - -HOW THE MYSTERY WAS SOLVED. - - -We return to Denver, where business required Dean and Ben Rawson to -remain two or three days. Eben Jones was too impatient to reach home -to bear them company, but started at once for Connecticut. Rawson and -Dean secured a large room in the leading hotel, which they made their -headquarters. - -Denver was at that time far from being the handsome city it has since -become. Society was mixed, and the visitors who were continually -arriving and departing embraced all sorts and conditions of men. There -was no small sprinkling of adventurers, both good and bad, and it was -necessary for the traveler to be wary and prudent, lest he should fall -a prey to those of the latter kind. - -The second night our two friends retired late, having passed a busy and -as it proved profitable day, for it was on that day Dean effected his -purchase of lots already referred to. - -"I feel fagged out, Dean," said Rawson, as he prepared for bed. "I have -been working harder than I did at the mines." - -"I am tired too, but I have passed a pleasant day," said Dean. "I think -I would rather live here than at the mines." - -"You can have your choice when you return, but for my part I like the -mines. I prefer the freedom of the mining camp to the restraints of the -city." - -"There isn't much restraint that I can see." - -"There will be. Five years hence Denver will be a compact city." - -"In that case my lots will have risen in value." - -"No doubt of it. You have made a good purchase. But what I was going -to say is this. I am so dead tired that it would take an earthquake -to wake me. Now, as you know, we have considerable money in the room, -besides what we have outside. Suppose some thief entered our room in -the night!" - -"I wake easily," said Dean. - -"That is lucky. There's a fellow with a hang-dog look rooms just -opposite, whose appearance I don't like. I have caught him spying about -and watching us closely. I think he is after our money." - -"What is his appearance, Ben?" - -"He has red hair and a red beard. There is something in his expression -that looks familiar, but I can't place him. I feel sure at any rate -that he is a dangerous man." - -"I haven't noticed him, Rawson." - -"I have got it into my head somehow that he will try to enter our room -when we are asleep." - -"But the door is locked." - -"If the man is a professional, he will be able to get in in spite of -that. Now Dean, I want you to take my revolver and put it under your -pillow, to use in case it should be necessary. Of course you will wake -me also in case of a visit." - -"Very well, Ben." - -The two undressed and got into bed. There were two beds in the room, -the smaller one being occupied by Dean. This was placed over against -the window, while Rawson's was closer to the door, on the right. - -Dean as well as Rawson, was tired, and soon fell asleep. But for some -reason his sleep was troubled. He tossed about, and dreamed bad dreams. -It might have been the conversation that had taken place between Rawson -and himself, which shaped the dreams that disturbed him. - -It seemed to him that a man had entered the room, and was rifling -Rawson's pockets. The dream excited him so much that it awakened him, -and none too soon, for there, bending over the chair on which Rawson -had thrown his clothes, was the very man whom his companion had -described. The moonlight that flooded the room revealed him clearly, -with his red hair and beard, just as he had presented himself to Dean -in his dreams. - -Dean rose to a sitting posture, and quietly drew out the revolver from -underneath his pillow. - -"What are you doing there?" he demanded. - -The intruder started, and, turning quickly, fixed his eyes upon Dean. -He didn't appear so much alarmed as angry at the interruption. - -"Lie down, and keep still, if you know what's good for yourself, kid!" -he said, in a menacing tone. - -"And let you rob my friend? Not much!" said Dean, boldly. "Lay down -those clothes!" - -"When I get ready." - -"I command you to lay them down!" said Dean, boldly. - -"I'll wring your neck if you don't keep quiet," said the robber, -quietly. - -"Rawson!" cried Dean, raising his voice. - -"Confusion!" muttered the thief, as, dropping his booty, he took a step -towards Dean's bed. - -"Look out for yourself!" said Dean, in a tone of warning. "Come nearer, -and I fire!" - -Then for the first time the intruder noticed that the boy was armed. He -drew back cautiously. - -Just then Rawson asked sleepily, "What's the matter, Dean?" - -"Wake up, Rawson, quick!" said Dean. - -Ben Rawson opened his eyes, and took in the situation at once. He -sprang from the bed, and placed himself between the thief and the door. - -"Let me go!" exclaimed the intruder, as he made a dash forward, only to -be seized by the powerful miner. - -"Now let me know who you are, and whether you have taken anything," he -said, resolutely. "Dean, let us have some light." - -The thief struggled to escape, but in vain. His captor was stronger -than himself. Dean lighted the gas, and both scrutinized the thief -closely. Then a light flashed upon Dean. - -"I know him in spite of his false hair and beard," he said. "It's Peter -Kirby." - -Rawson pulled off the disguise, and Kirby stood revealed. - -"Yes, it's Kirby!" he said, doggedly. "What are you going to do with me?" - -"Put you in the hands of the police," answered Rawson, coolly. - -Kirby remained silent a moment, and then said: "I'll make it worth your -while to let me go." - -"How?" asked Rawson, briefly. - -"That boy's uncle was robbed near a year since of a thousand dollars. I -can tell him the name of the thief." - -"Was it Squire Bates?" asked Dean, eagerly. - -"Till my safety is assured I can tell nothing." - -"Can you enable me to recover the money?" - -"I can. I will be willing to make a statement, and swear to it before a -magistrate." - -"Is not Squire Bates the head of a gang of robbers?" - -"I am not prepared to say. I will do what I agreed." - -Rawson and Dean conferred together briefly, and decided to release -Kirby on the terms proposed. But it was necessary to wait till morning, -and they didn't dare to release him. They tied the villain hand and -foot, and kept him in this condition till daylight. Then they took him -before a magistrate, his statement was written out and sworn to, and -they released him. - -"I wouldn't have done this," said Kirby, "if Bates had treated me right; -but he has been working against me, and I have sworn to get even." - -Dean did not trouble himself about Kirby's motives, but he was -overjoyed to think that through his means the mystery at Waterford had -been solved at last, and his uncle would recover his property. - -"Now I shall go home happy," he said to Rawson, "for I shall carry -happiness to my good uncle and aunt." - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVII. - -ADIN DUNHAM'S TROUBLE. - - -Arriving in New York, Dean was tempted to buy a handsome suit of -clothes, being fully able to spare the money. But on second thought -he contented himself with purchasing a cheap, ready-made suit at one -of the large clothing stores on the Bowery. He wanted to surprise his -uncle and aunt. Besides, he wished to see what kind of a reception his -old friends would give him if he appeared in shabby attire and apparent -poverty. He could let them know the truth later on. - -The evening before his arrival in Waterford Adin Dunham had another -call from Squire Bates. - -"Have you got my interest ready, neighbor Dunham?" he inquired. - -"No, squire; I can give you a part of it, as I told you the other day." - -"That will not answer," said Bates in an uncompromising tone. "I need -the money at once. Some of my recent investments have paid me poorly, -and though I would like to be considerate I cannot favor you." - -"I will try to borrow the money. Perhaps Dean can let me have twenty -dollars." - -"Dean!" repeated Squire Bates with a sneer. "Do you think I can wait -till you hear from him?" - -"I have heard from him," answered the carpenter. - -"You have heard from your nephew! Where is he?" Squire Bates asked in -surprise. - -"Here is his letter. It came to hand this morning." - -Squire Bates took the proffered letter and read as follows: - - - NEW YORK, July 15. - -DEAR UNCLE AND AUNT:—I have got so far on my way home from the West. -I will remain here a day or two. Perhaps I can hear of a place, as I -suppose there is nothing for me to do in Waterford. I think I shall be -with you on Saturday. - - Your affectionate nephew, - DEAN DUNHAM. - - -"He doesn't appear to have made his fortune," said the squire, handing -back the letter to the carpenter. - -"He doesn't say whether he has prospered or not." - -"If he had he wouldn't be looking for a boy's position in New York." - -"Very likely you're right, Squire Bates. It's something that he has -been able to get home to his friends." - -"Wait till you've seen him," said the Squire, significantly. "He will -probably return home in rags." - -"Even if he does he will be welcome," rejoined the carpenter warmly. -"Even if he comes home without a penny, he won't lack for a welcome, -will he, Sarah?" - -"I should think not, Adin," said his wife in mild indignation. - -"That is all very pretty and sentimental," said the Squire. "Perhaps -you have a fatted calf to kill for the returning prodigal." - -"Dean never was a prodigal," answered Adin Dunham. "If your friend had -treated him well he might have had some money to return with. It wasn't -a very creditable thing to throw the poor boy upon his own resources so -far away from home." - -"We spoke on that subject yesterday, and I distinctly told you that -Mr. Kirby had a very good reason to discharge Dean. You didn't agree -with me. I suppose it is natural to stand up for your own. However, I -will give you three days to make up the interest. That will carry us -to Monday. But I shall also require you to pay the mortgage, or else -accept my offer for the place. I will give you another week to do that." - -Squire Bates went out of the room, leaving Adin and Sarah Dunham in -some trouble of mind. There seemed to be no help for it. They must be -dispossessed of what had been their home for many years. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVIII. - -THE CLOUDS ROLL BY. - - -Just before leaving Denver, Dean, in passing through Lawrence Street, -came upon a boy, miserably clad, who held in his hand a few daily -papers which he was trying to sell. There was something in the boy's -face that looked familiar. - -"Guy Gladstone!" he exclaimed in great surprise. - -"Dean Dunham!" replied Guy, looking both pleased and ashamed. - -"How came you here? I thought you were hunting Indians on the prairies." - -Guy blushed scarlet. - -"Don't say a word about it!" he replied. "I was a fool and I have -suffered for my folly." - -"Tell me about it." - -"I got out of money and have nearly starved. I have done anything I -could to make a little money. I have blacked boots, set up pins in a -bowling alley, and now I am selling papers." - -"Why don't you go home?" - -"I would if I had the money." - -"Then you shall have the money. I start East to-morrow, and will take -you along with me." - -"Then you have prospered?" asked the wondering Guy. - -"Yes, but not all the time. I have seen hard times, too. Mr. Kirby -discharged me, and I lived some time by giving concerts on the -harmonica." - -"Really and truly!" - -"Yes," answered Dean, laughing. "I don't wonder you are surprised. But -here, give away your papers to that newsboy across the street and come -to my hotel." - -"But I haven't any money." - -"I have enough for both." - -Dean had the pleasure of restoring Guy to his family, who received him -kindly. It is safe to say that he will never again go West in quest of -Indians. - -A little before noon on Saturday Dean reached Waterford, and walked -home. On the way he met Brandon Bates. - -"Halloa, so you're back!" said Brandon, eying him curiously. - -"Yes, Brandon. Thank you for your warm welcome." - -"I didn't mean to give you a warm welcome," said Brandon, ungraciously. - -"I beg your pardon; I made a mistake." - -"I suppose you came home without a cent." - -"You're mistaken. I've got over a dollar in my pocket." - -"What's a dollar?" sneered Brandon. - -"It isn't much, to be sure." - -"You won't hear very good news at your uncle's." - -"Why? Is he sick—or my aunt?" asked Dean uneasily. - -"No, but he can't pay the mortgage, and my father's going to take -possession of the place." - -"Oh, is that all?" said Dean, relieved. - -"I should think it was enough." - -"Oh, perhaps your father will think better of it, as I am at home now -and can help Uncle Adin pay it off." - -"What can you do?" asked Brandon, mockingly. - -"That's the great question. However, I'm in a hurry to get home, and -must leave you. You are kind to be so much interested in me, Brandon." - -"I'm not interested in you at all," returned Brandon, tartly. - -Dean laughed and passed on. - -"That boy's as impudent as ever," soliloquized Brandon. "He'll feel -differently on Monday." - -In the joy of seeing Dean again his uncle and aunt lost sight for a -time of their troubles, but after a while Adin Dunham said gravely, -"It's well you came home as you did, Dean, for the old home is about to -pass from me." - -"How is that, Uncle Adin?" - -"Squire Bates is going to foreclose the mortgage. He offers to buy the -place and give me eight hundred dollars over and above what I owe him." - -"Of course you declined?" - -"It will do no good. I must yield to necessity." - -"Squire Bates shall never have the place," said Dean, resolutely. - -"Who will prevent it?" - -"I will." - -"But, Dean, what power have you? The squire is firmly resolved." - -"So am I." - -"But----" - -"Uncle Adin, ask me no questions, but rest easy in the thought that you -won't lose your home. Leave the matter in my hands. That is all you -need to do." - -"Sarah, what does the boy mean?" - -"He means something, Adin. We may as well leave it in his hands as he -asks." - -"Very well, I don't know as he can do any harm—or good." - -"That remains to be seen, uncle." - -Dean went to church on Sunday, and received a warm welcome from nearly -all the congregation, for he was popular with those of all ages. He -wore a smiling, untroubled look which puzzled Squire Bates and Brandon. - -"Does he know that I am going to foreclose the mortgage?" asked the -squire of Brandon. - -"Yes, for I told him." - -"It seems strange that he should be so cheerful." - -"He won't be—to-morrow." - -"No, I apprehend not." - - -When Squire Bates called at the carpenter's modest home Dean opened -the door, and invited him into the sitting-room, where the two found -themselves alone. - -"I want to see your uncle," said the squire. - -"If it's about the mortgage, I will attend to that matter." - -"You—a boy?" - -"Yes, I feel competent to settle the matter." - -"There is only one way of settling it, by paying the money." - -"I propose to pay it as soon as----" - -"Well, as soon as what?" - -"As soon as you restore to my uncle, with interest, the thousand -dollars you stole from him nearly a year since." - -"What do you mean by this insolence?" demanded Squire Bates, springing -to his feet and glaring at Dean. - -"I mean," answered Dean, slowly, "that I have the sworn testimony of -Peter Kirby, given me at Denver, implicating you in that robbery." - -"Show it to me," said the squire, turning livid. - -"Here is a copy. The original is in the hands of a New York lawyer." - -Squire Bates took the paper in his trembling fingers, and read it -deliberately. - -"This is a lie!" he exclaimed hoarsely. - -"The matter can come before the courts if you wish it. My uncle -recognized you at the time of the robbery, but no one would believe his -testimony. Fortunately, it will be substantiated now." - -"But this is the most utter absurdity. Does anybody believe that a man -of my reputation would be implicated in a highway robbery?" - -"They will find it equally hard to believe that you are the captain -of a band of robbers with headquarters in Colorado. I have been in the -cave where your booty is congealed, and know what I am talking about." - -After fifteen minutes more the squire capitulated, only making it a -condition that Dean would keep secret the serious discoveries which he -had made. - -"I will do so, unless I am summoned to testify in court," said Dean. - -"Leave me to explain matters to your uncle," said the squire. - -Dean called the carpenter into the room. - -"Mr. Dunham," said Squire Bates with his old suavity, "I have arranged -matters satisfactorily with your nephew. He has recovered the large -sum of which you were robbed a year ago, and paid the mortgage, or is -prepared to do so. Dean, if you will accompany me to my office we will -arrange this affair." - -"But, who stole the money?" asked Adin Dunham, bewildered. - -"I promised not to tell," said Dean. "Was I right?" - -"Yes, yes, as long as you got the money back." - -Dean received the mortgage back canceled, and something over two -hundred dollars besides, which he placed in his uncle's hands. Adin -Dunham looked ten years younger, and his face was radiant. His joy was -increased when Dean told him how he had prospered out West, and gave -his aunt five hundred dollars, reserving for himself the remainder of -the thousand which he had brought home. - -Two months later Dean returned to Denver to find that his lots had -considerably increased in value. Gradually he sold them off for twice -what he paid, and entered business in the Queen City of Colorado. - -Squire Bates soon removed from Waterford, and the villagers have heard -nothing of him since. But Dean could tell them that his connection with -the band of robbers was discovered, and that he is upon conviction -serving a protracted term in a Western prison. What has become of -Brandon or his mother is not known to the general public, but it is -less than a year since Dean, while leaving the Denver post-office, was -accosted by a shabbily dressed young man who asked for assistance. - -"Are you not Brandon Bates?" asked Dean after a brief glance. - -Brandon was about to hurry away, but Dean detained him. "Don't go," he -said. "I am glad to help you," and he placed two gold eagles in the -hands of the astonished Brandon. - -"Come to me again if you are in need," said Dean in a friendly manner. - -"Thank you! I didn't expect this from you," said Brandon. "I thought -you would triumph over me." - -"If I did I should show myself unworthy of the good fortune that has -come to me. I wish you good luck." - -That was the last Dean has seen of Brandon. Let us hope that he will -deserve good luck, and attain it. - -Adin Dunham still lives, happy in the companionship of his good wife, -and the prosperity of his nephew. But there is one thing that puzzles -him. He has never been able to solve THE WATERFORD MYSTERY. - - - THE END. - - - - -THE CREAM OF JUVENILE FICTION - - THE BOYS' OWN - LIBRARY - - A Selection of the Best Books for Boys by the - Most Popular Authors - -The titles in this splendid juvenile series have been selected with -care, and as a result all the stories can be relied upon for their -excellence. They are bright and sparkling; not over-burdened with -lengthy descriptions, but brimful of adventure from the first page to -the last—in fact they are just the kind of yarns that appeal strongly -to the healthy boy who is fond of thrilling exploits and deeds of -heroism. Among the authors whose names are included in the Boys' Own -Library are Horatio Alger, Jr., Edward S. Ellis, James Otis, Capt. -Ralph Bonehill, Burt L. Standish, Gilbert Patten and Frank H. Converse. - - - SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE - BOYS' OWN LIBRARY - -All the books in this series are copyrighted, printed on good paper, -large type, illustrated, printed wrappers, handsome cloth covers -stamped in inks and gold—fifteen special cover designs. - - 146 Titles—Price, per Volume, 75 cents - -For sale by all booksellers, or sent, postpaid, on receipt of price by -the publisher, - - - DAVID McKAY, - 610 SO. WASHINGTON SQUARE, PHILADELPHIA, PA. - - -HORATIO ALGER, Jr. - -One of the best known and most popular writers. Good, clean, healthy -stories for the American Boy. - - Adventures of a Telegraph Boy - Dean Dunham - Erie Train Boy, The - Five Hundred Dollar Check - From Canal Boy to President - From Farm Boy to Senator - Backwoods Boy, The - Mark Stanton - Ned Newton - New York Boy - Tom Brace - Tom Tracy - Walter Griffith - Young Acrobat - - -C. B. ASHLEY. - -One of the best stories ever written on hunting, trapping and adventure -in the West, after the Custer Massacre. - - Gilbert, the Boy Trapper - - -ANNIE ASHMORE. - -A splendid story, recording the adventures of a boy with smugglers. - - Smuggler's Cave, The - - -CAPT. RALPH BONEHILL. - -Capt. Bonehill is in the very rank as an author of boys' stories. These -are two of his best works. - - Neka, the Boy Conjurer - Tour of the Zero Club - - -WALTER F. BRUNS. - -An excellent story of adventure in the celebrated Sunk Lands of -Missouri and Kansas. - - In the Sunk Lands - - -FRANK H. CONVERSE. - -This writer has established a splendid reputation as a boys' author, -and although his books usually command $1.25 per volume, we offer the -following at a more popular price. - - Gold of Flat Top Mountain - Happy-Go-Lucky Jack - Heir to a Million - In Search of An Unknown Race - In Southern Seas - Mystery of a Diamond - That Treasure - Voyage to the Gold Coast - - -HARRY COLLINGWOOD. - -One of England's most successful writers of stories for boys. His best -story is - - Pirate Island - - -GEORGE H. COOMER. - -Two books we highly recommend. One is a splendid story of adventure at -sea, when American ships were in every port in the world, and the other -tells of adventures while the first railway in the Andes Mountains was -being built. - - Boys in the Forecastle - Old Man of the Mountain - - -WILLIAM DALTON. - -Three stories by one of the very greatest writers for boys. The stories -deal with boys' adventures in India, China and Abyssinia. These books -are strongly recommended for boys' reading, as they contain a large -amount of historical information. - - Tiger Prince - War Tiger - White Elephant - - -EDWARD S. ELLIS. - -These books are considered the best works this well-known writer ever -produced. No better reading for bright young Americans. - - Arthur Helmuth - Check No. 2134 - From Tent to White House - Perils of the Jungle - On the Trail of Geronimo - White Mustang - - -GEORGE MANVILLE FENN. - -For the past fifty years Mr. Fenn has been writing books for boys -and popular fiction. His books are justly popular throughout the -English-speaking world. We publish the following select list of his -boys' books, which we consider the best he ever wrote. - - Commodore Junk - Dingo Boys - Golden Magnet - Grand Chaco - Weathercock - - -ENSIGN CLARKE FITCH, U. S. N. - -A graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, and thoroughly -familiar with all naval matters. Mr. Fitch has devoted himself to -literature, and has written a series of books for boys that every -young American should read. His stories are full of very interesting -information about the navy, training ships, etc. - - Bound for Annapolis - Clif, the Naval Cadet - Cruise of the Training Ship - From Port to Port - Strange Cruise, A - - -WILLIAM MURRAY GRAYDON. - -An author of world-wide popularity. Mr. Graydon is essentially a friend -of young people, and we offer herewith ten of his best works, wherein -he relates a great diversity of interesting adventures in various parts -of the world, combined with accurate historical data. - - Butcher of Cawnpore, The - Camp in the Snow, The - Campaigning with Braddock - Cryptogram, The - From Lake to Wilderness - In Barracks and Wigwam - In Fort and Prison - Jungles and Traitors - Rajah's Fortress, The - White King of Africa, The - - -LIEUT. FREDERICK GARRISON, U. S. A. - -Every American boy takes a keen interest in the affairs of West Point. -No more capable writer on this popular subject could be found than -Lieut. Garrison, who vividly describes the life, adventures and unique -incidents that have occurred in that great institution—in these famous -West Point stories. - - Off for West Point - Cadet's Honor, A - On Guard - West Point Treasure, The - West Point Rivals, The - - -HEADON HILL. - -The hunt for gold has always been a popular subject for consideration, -and Mr. Hill has added a splendid story on the subject in this romance -of the Klondyke. - - Spectre Gold - - -HENRY HARRISON LEWIS. - -Mr. Lewis is a graduate of the Naval Academy at Annapolis, and has -written a great many books for boys. Among his best works are the -following titles—the subjects include a vast series of adventures in -all parts of the world. The historical data is correct, and they should -be read by all boys, for the excellent information they contain. - - Centreboard Jim - King of the Island - Midshipman Merrill - Ensign Merrill - Sword and Pen - Valley of Mystery, The - Yankee Boys in Japan - - -LIEUT. LIONEL LOUNSBERRY. - -A series of books embracing many adventures under our famous naval -commanders, and with our army during the War of 1812 and the Civil War. -Founded on sound history, these books are written for boys, with the -idea of combining pleasure with profit; to cultivate a fondness for -study—especially of what has been accomplished by our army and navy. - - Cadet Kit Carey - Captain Carey - Kit Carey's Protegé - Lieut. Carey's Luck - Out With Commodore Decatur - Randy, the Pilot - Tom Truxton's School Days - Tom Truxton's Ocean Trip - Treasure of the Golden Crater - Won at West Point - - -BROOKS McCORMICK. - -Four splendid books of adventure on sea and land, by this well-known -writer for boys. - - Giant Islanders, The - How He Won - Nature's Young Nobleman - Rival Battalions - - -WALTER MORRIS. - -This charming story contains thirty-two chapters of just the sort of -school life that charms the boy readers. - - Bob Porter at Lakeview Academy - - -STANLEY NORRIS. - -Mr. Norris is without a rival as a writer of "Circus Stories" for boys. -These four books are full of thrilling adventures, but good, wholesome -reading for young Americans. - - Phil, the Showman - Young Showman's Rivals, The - Young Showman's Pluck, The - Young Showman's Triumph - - -LIEUT. JAMES K. ORTON. - -When a boy has read one of Lieut. Orton's books, it requires no urging -to induce him to read the others. Not a dull page in any of them. - - Beach Boy Joe - Last Chance Mine - Secret Chart, The - Tom Havens with the White Squadron - - -JAMES OTIS. - -Mr. Otis is known by nearly every American boy, and needs no -introduction here. The following copyrights are among his best: - - Chased Through Norway - Inland Waterways - Unprovoked Mutiny - Wheeling for Fortune - Reuben Green's Adventures at Yale - - -GILBERT PATTEN. - -Mr. Patten has had the distinction of having his books adopted by the -U. S. Government for all naval libraries on board our war ships. While -aiming to avoid the extravagant and sensational, the stories contain -enough thrilling incidents to please the lad who loves action and -adventure. In the Rockspur stories the description of their Baseball -and Football Games and other contests with rival clubs and teams make -very exciting and absorbing reading; and few boys with warm blood in -their veins, having once begun the perusal of one of these books, will -willingly lay it down till it is finished. - - Boy Boomers - Boy Cattle King - Boy from the West - Don Kirke's Mine - Jud and Joe - Rockspur Nine, The - Rockspur Eleven, The - Rockspur Rivals, The - - -ST. GEORGE RATHBORNE. - -Mr. Rathborne's stories for boys have the peculiar charm of dealing -with localities and conditions with which he is thoroughly familiar. -The scenes of these excellent stories are along the Florida coast and -on the western prairies. - - Canoe and Camp Fire - Paddling Under Palmettos - Rival Canoe Boys - Sunset Ranch - Chums of the Prairie - Young Range Riders - Gulf Cruisers - Shifting Winds - - -ARTHUR SEWELL. - -An American story by an American author. It relates how a Yankee boy -overcame many obstacles in school and out. Thoroughly interesting from -start to finish. - - Gay Dashleigh's Academy Days - - -CAPT. DAVID SOUTHWICK. - -An exceptionally good story of frontier life among the Indians in the -far West, daring the early settlement period. - - Jack Wheeler - - -The Famous Frank Merriwell Stories. - -BURT L. STANDISH. - -No modern series of tales for boys and youths has met with anything -like the cordial reception and popularity accorded to the Frank -Merriwell Stories. There must be a reason for this and there is. Frank -Merriwell, as portrayed by the author, is a jolly whole-souled, honest, -courageous American lad, who appeals to the hearts of the boys. He -has no bad habits, and his manliness inculcates the idea that it is -not necessary for a boy to indulge in petty vices to be a hero. Frank -Merriwell's example is a shining light for every ambitious lad to -follow. Six volumes now ready: - - Frank Merriwell's School Days - Frank Merriwell's Chums - Frank Merriwell's Foes - Frank Merriwell's Trip West - Frank Merriwell Down South - Frank Merriwell's Bravery - Frank Merriwell's Hunting Tour - Frank Merriwell's Races - Frank Merriwell's Sports Afield - Frank Merriwell at Yale - - -VICTOR ST. CLAIR. - -These books are full of good, clean adventure, thrilling enough to -please the full-blooded wide-awake boy, yet containing nothing to which -there can be any objection from those who are careful as to the kind of -books they put into the hands of the young. - - Cast Away in the Jungle - Comrades Under Castro - For Home and Honor - From Switch to Lever - Little Snap, the Post Boy - Zig-Zag, the Boy Conjurer - Zip, the Acrobat - - -MATTHEW WHITE, JR. - -Good, healthy, strong books for the American lad. No more interesting -books for the young appear on our lists. - - Adventures of a Young Athlete - Eric Dane - Guy Hammersley - My Mysterious Fortune - Tour of a Private Car - Young Editor, The - - -ARTHUR M. WINFIELD. - -One of the most popular authors of boys' books. Here are three of his -best. - - Mark Dale's Stage Venture - Young Bank Clerk, The - Young Bridge Tender, The - - -GAYLE WINTERTON. - -This very interesting story relates the trials and triumphs of a Young -American Actor, including the solution of a very puzzling mystery. - - Young Actor, The - - -ERNEST A. YOUNG. - -This book is not a treatise on sports, as the title would indicate, but -relates a series of thrilling adventures among boy campers in the woods -of Maine. - - Boats, Bats and Bicycles - - - DAVID McKAY, Publisher, Philadelphia. - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - - Obvious punctuation and spelling errors have been corrected. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEAN DUNHAM*** - - -******* This file should be named 55947-0.txt or 55947-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/5/9/4/55947 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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