BOUND WEST
"Well, Sam we have done all we can do for the present."
"That's right, Dick."
"Whether it will do any good or not remains to be seen," and Dick gave
a long-drawn sigh and leaned back in the sleeping car seat he occupied.
It was about three hours later and in that time the Rover boys had been
very busy.
Following the announcement of the ticket seller that Tom had taken a
train for Seattle by way of St. Paul, the Rovers had sent a telegram to
the conductor of the train, asking him to look out for Tom and have him
detained. They had procured accommodations on the train they were now
on, and had so notified the railroad official, so he would know where
to address them, provided the missing one was found. They had also
sent a telegram to the folks at home and another to the girls at Hope.
"Perhaps we'll get word when we reach St. Paul," said Sam. "For all we
know Tom may be there, awaiting our arrival."
"I sincerely hope so, Sam. I'm sure I don't want to go away out to the
Pacific coast for him."
"It's too bad Tom didn't buy one of those railroad tickets that a
fellow has to sign," observed Sam. "If he had done that, it would be
easy to find him."
"That's true."
The train they were on was an express, making but few stops and would
reach St. Paul late in the evening. It was only about three-quarters
filled, so the Rovers had had no difficulty in getting a section of a
sleeper. Whether they would go further than St. Paul was, however, as
yet a problem.
"Next stop Milwaukee!" was the cry, and soon the train rolled into that
city. Anxiously the two brothers looked out and saw one of the
trainmen take several telegrams from a man on the platform. After the
train had started again the trainman came through the train.
"Telegrams for Miss Baker, Mr. Josephs and Mr. Rover!" he called out.
"Here you are!" cried Sam, eagerly. "Rover." And the telegram was
passed over. Hastily the envelope was torn open and the contents
scanned. The boys looked at each other blankly. The telegram read as
follows:
"No young man answering to name Tom Rover on this train. Will watch
passengers closely as instructed.
"FOLSOM, _Conductor_."
"What do you make of this, Dick. Maybe Tom didn't use that ticket
after he bought it," gasped Sam.
"But that ticket seller saw him rush for the gate. He must have gone
on the train, Sam. He probably didn't answer to his name because if he
is out of his mind he has forgotten what his real name is. And so long
as he keeps quiet the trainmen won't suspect anything wrong with him."
"Perhaps we'll get another telegram at St. Paul."
"I hope so."
On and on rolled the train through the afternoon, coming presently to
the shore of the upper Mississippi, with its wide stretches of
marshland and its dead trees. It was not an inviting scene, and the
two Rovers were glad enough, when the time came, to turn from it and go
to the diner for dinner.
There was to be a stop of ten minutes at St. Paul and in that time the
boys must make up their minds whether they were going to continue on
that train or not. If they laid over, several more hours of precious
time would be lost.
It was well towards midnight when the train reached St. Paul and a
number of sleepy passengers got off and others got on. Dick and Sam
waited impatiently for a messenger to appear. The telegram was there,
sure enough, and this time it carried more interesting information.
"Queer-acting young man found, but says his name is Paul Haverlock.
Says he is bound for Alaska. Wire positive instructions, as I can take
no risks.
"FOLSOM, _Conductor_."
"It must be Tom!" cried Sam.
"But that name, Paul Haverlock," mused Dick. "Where did he get that?"
"Why, I remember, Dick! In that moving picture the hero was called
Paul Haverlock. His name was on the letters they showed on the screen.
Tom must have remembered it, just as he remembered the name of the
villain, Bill Stiger!"
"I see. Then this Paul Haverlock must really be Tom," returned Dick.
"Now to have him stopped. I wonder where that other train is now?"
They found out that the other train was then in the vicinity of
Livingston, the junction point for Yellowstone Park. From there it was
bound for Helena, Spokane, and then to Seattle direct.
"We'll telegraph again, and keep right on this train," said Dick, and
this was done.
If the two youths had slept but little the night before, they were even
more restless this night. And yet they realized that Folsom, the
conductor of the other train, would not be likely to arouse Tom if he
had gone to bed.
"He won't take the chance," said Dick. "Remember, he isn't sure of
what he is doing, and all railroad men like to keep out of trouble. If
he made a mistake, the passenger might sue the railroad company for big
damages, and get them."
"If only we could catch up to Tom!" sighed Sam.
"That is impossible, Sam, because he is on an express, just as we are.
As it is, he'll gain on us when he gets to Spokane, for he will go
through without waiting, while we'll either have to lay over or go by
some other route that is much longer."
As there seemed nothing more to do just then they at last went to
sleep, and did not rouse up again until it was broad daylight.
They immediately asked for further news, but were informed that none
had come in. Nor did any word come in all that forenoon.
"This suspense is fierce," was Dick's remark, at last. "That conductor
is either asleep or has given up the search. I wish I knew of some
first-class detective on the other end of the line who could take up
the case for us."
"We'd know somebody if Tom was bound for San Francisco," returned his
brother. "But I don't know a soul in Seattle--oh, yes, I do!" he
suddenly shouted.
"Who, Sam?"
"A fellow named Jim Hendricks. He is a cousin of Stanley Browne, and
also a cousin to Larry Colby, who went to Putnam Hall with us. He was
at Brill once, for a week, and I got pretty well acquainted with him."
"Why, yes, I remember him. He and I used to talk about what Larry and
I did at Putnam Hall. But is he in Seattle now, and have you his
address?"
"I think I have his address. Wait, I'll look," end Sam pulled a little
notebook out of his pocket. "He asked me to write to him some time,
but I never did more than mail him a postal. Yes, here is the address."
"Do you think he would help us, if he was home?"
"Sure I do. He got acquainted with Tom, and he knew what chums Tom and
Larry were at the Hall."
"Then we might telegraph him. It won't do any harm anyway."
A rather long telegram was prepared and sent from the next station at
which the train stopped. There the youths hoped for another message
from Folsom the conductor, but none came.
Slowly the hours dragged by, the express thundering along in the
meanwhile on its journey westward. They stopped at Livingston, and
there many passengers got off, bound for a trip through that great
natural wonderland, Yellowstone Park. At Helena they heard from Folsom
again. This time the message was one full of mystery.
"Cannot find Paul Haverlock anywhere. So far as known, he did not
leave train at any station. We are very much crowded, account special
excursion, and break down of Number 126. Attached two extra cars. He
may be hiding among new passengers. I can do no more."
"I think I can explain this," said the conductor of the train, when
Dick showed him the telegram. "Number 126, the train just ahead of
Number 182, the one your brother is on, broke down. Now, the second
train is carrying two cars of the other train, and most likely all of
the other train's passengers. So Folsom is having his hands full with
his extra duties. In the meantime your brother has disappeared,
probably in the crowd of extra passengers."
"If he didn't jump off the train," sighed Sam.
"Would he do that?" asked the railroad man,
"I don't know. A fellow who is out of his mind is liable to do
anything."
"That is true."
The train was now in the midst of the Rocky Mountains, but the Rovers
had no heart to look at the scenery.
"Oh, if only we get some sort of encouraging word at Spokane!" sighed
Sam.
"We ought to hear from Jim Hendricks," answered Dick. "That is, if he
is home and got our message." They knew that the Hendricks family were
rich and that Jim had a great deal of time to himself.
At Spokane they left the train, for they did not want to go down to
Portland, whither it was bound. They asked at the telegraph office for
a message and one was handed over to them.
"This is something like it!" cried Dick, as he read it aloud. It ran
as follows:
"My sincere sympathy. I remember Tom well and will be on the watch for
him. Will meet you on your arrival.
"JAMES V. HENDRICKS."
"Well, that's one word of encouragement," said Sam. "Good for Jim! I
thought he'd help us."
"If he only got the message in time to catch Tom," returned his
brother. "We were rather late in getting it to him, remember."
"We'll have to hope for the best."
While the boys were waiting around Spokane, for the train to take them
to Seattle, they fell in with a commercial drummer who said he was
waiting for a companion with some sample cases. He was a
kindly-looking man and during the course of his conversation let slip
the news that he had been on the train Tom had taken.
"Perhaps you can give us some information," cried Dick. "We are trying
to catch a young man who was on that train," and he gave a few of the
particulars.
"Well! well!" cried the commercial drummer. "To be sure I met that
fellow. The way I noticed him was because he acted so queer. He
didn't want to sit still, but kept walking up and down the aisle and
from one car to another. I saw the conductor talk to him once or
twice, too."
"Where did he go?" questioned Sam.
"Well, you know the train ahead of ours broke down and we hooked fast
to some of the cars. When this was done a lot of new passengers got in
our cars, and there was something of a mix-up. I saw the fellow go
into one of the cars from the other train, and that's the last I did
see of him."
"And that train went right through to Seattle?" asked Dick.
"Yes. That is, unless they had more trouble on the line. And by the
way, did you hear of what happened on the trip from St. Paul? A lady
lost her handbag containing jewelry to the value of ten thousand
dollars."