DAVE IN WASHINGTON
"Ward Porton!" exclaimed the other youths in a chorus.
"Let us go after him," went on Dave. "Shadow, which way did he go?"
"Come on, I'll show you," answered the story-teller, and led the way
through the crowd as well as he could.
As already mentioned, the crowd at this particular spot on the Great
White Way was dense, and the chums had all they could do to force
their way along, often elbowing people in a way that was far from
polite. Presently they gained a street corner where the pedestrians
were being held up by the traffic flowing the other way.
"There he is!" exclaimed Shadow, suddenly, pointing with his hand.
Looking in the direction indicated, Dave saw a well-known form. It was
indeed Ward Porton, still wearing the cap and overcoat he had stolen
from our hero.
"Hi there, Porton! Stop!" cried Dave, and made a dash for the rascal.
As his hand fell on Porton's arm the other swung around in a startled
way. Then, as he caught sight of Dave and his friends, he gave a
sudden duck and crowded in between several ladies standing in front of
him. The next instant he was dashing out into the street in the midst
of a perfect maze of automobiles and wagons.
[Illustration: THE NEXT INSTANT HE WAS DASHING OUT INTO THE
STREET.--_Page 202._]
"I'm going after him!" cried Dave to his chums, and did his best to
follow. But an automobile got in his way, and then a large express
wagon, and before our hero could get around these, Porton had gained
the opposite sidewalk and was darting through the crowd with great
rapidity, paying scant attention to those he met and hurling one
little girl off her feet and into the gutter.
"Stop! What's the matter here?" cried a voice to Dave; and the next
moment a policeman came up beside him.
"That fellow ahead! I want to catch him!" burst out our hero. "He's a
thief!"
"Where?"
"There he goes, straight into the crowd!" answered Dave, and then
hurried on once more, with his chums trailing behind him.
The chase so suddenly taken up did not, however, prove long. By the
time Dave and his friends reached the next corner of the crowded
thoroughfare Ward Porton had disappeared once more and none of the
youths could tell what direction he had taken.
"I don't know what you're going to do, Dave," said Luke, sympathetically.
"He may have gone ahead and then again he may have turned to the right
or to the left."
"I don't believe you'll be able to locate him in such a crowd as
this," put in Buster. "What a shame that you weren't able to get your
hands on him!"
"I did have one hand on him, but he slipped away like a greased pig,"
announced Dave, dolefully.
"Say, speaking about greased pigs puts me in mind of a story," put in
Shadow. "Once there were two boys--" and then, as his chums gave him a
sudden cold look, he continued: "Oh, pshaw! what's the use of trying
to tell a story just now. I know Dave would rather find this fellow
Porton."
"You're right there, Shadow!" answered our hero, quickly. "I'd rather
get my hands on him than listen to a thousand stories."
Dave was unwilling to let the chase end there; so he and his friends
spent the remainder of the evening walking up and down Broadway, and
traversing several blocks of the side streets in the vicinity where
Ward Porton had disappeared. But it was all of no avail. The rascal
had made good his escape. Then all walked around to the nearest
police station, and told the authorities of the affair, so that the
detectives of the city might be on the watch for the criminal.
His chums insisted upon seeing Dave off on his journey to Washington,
and before going to the Pennsylvania Railroad Station on Seventh
Avenue the youths treated themselves to a lunch. During the meal
Shadow was allowed to tell several of his best stories, and Luke was
called on to hum over the song he had composed in honor of their days
at Oak Hall.
"That's a fine song, Luke, and you ought to have it published,"
declared Dave, heartily. "I believe every lad who ever went to Oak
Hall would want a copy of it."
It may be mentioned here that later on Luke Watson did have the
composition brought out by a metropolitan music publisher. He
dedicated it to the senior class of which he had been a member, and
the song sold very well.
Dave had already secured his berth on the train, so that when his
friends left him he lost no time in retiring. But the novelty of the
journey, and his thoughts concerning Ward Porton, kept him awake for
some time. Finally, however, he went sound asleep and did not awaken
until some time after the Capitol City was reached.
Senator Morr and his family were staying at the New Willard Hotel in
Washington, and Dave soon found a street car that passed the door of
that place. When he entered the hotel, he found Roger in the lobby
waiting for him.
"I thought you'd come right up," cried the senator's son. "I told the
folks I'd meet you. Of course, you haven't had any breakfast? The
folks will be down in a little while and then we'll all go to
breakfast together."
Roger was much interested to learn that Dave had met three of their
old chums, and wanted to know all that had been said and done. The
fact that our hero had also seen Ward Porton was a surprise.
"What a shame you didn't capture him, Dave! Maybe you might have got
on the track of that Basswood fortune."
"Just what I was thinking, Roger. I did my best, but you know what a
New York crowd is. Porton slipped through it and disappeared almost
like magic."
Senator Morr and his wife greeted Dave warmly. The four had breakfast
in a private dining-room, and during the course of the meal the
senator had much to say regarding the departure of his son and Dave
for Texas.
"I know one or two of the men connected with the Mentor Construction
Company," said the senator. "They are very fine fellows, and I think
they will see to it that you are treated rightly."
"Dad, of course, has some influence with them," broke in Roger, "being
a senator, you know."
"I don't use my influence that way, Roger," answered the father,
shortly. "You must not expect special favors because I happen to be a
United States senator. I expect you to make your way on your own
merit."
"And that's what I'm going to do," answered the son, promptly.
"I do hope both of you boys keep out of trouble," said Mrs. Morr. "You
are going close to the border of Mexico, and there has been fighting
going on along that border for many months."
"We are not going down there to get into any fights," answered Dave.
"We are going down there to attend strictly to business. If the
Mexicans will only leave us alone, we'll leave them alone."
Dave and Roger had at first thought to go to Texas by the way of New
Orleans and Houston, but after some thought they decided to take the
journey by the way of St. Louis, Kansas City and San Antonio. Their
train was to leave on the following morning, so that the two youths
had a whole day practically to themselves.
"Now I am in Washington I'd like to take a look around," said Dave.
"I knew you'd like to do that, so I got everything ready beforehand,"
announced his chum. "We'll spend to-day in sightseeing."
They visited the Capitol and the White House, and numerous other
buildings, and almost before they were aware it was evening. Then Mrs.
Morr insisted upon it that her son retire early, knowing what a hard
journey was before him.
The senator's son had received word that the Mentor Construction
Company had opened a temporary office at San Antonio, and the two
youths were to report there before proceeding farther. The engineering
corps to which they had been assigned was on the point of moving from
one place to another, and they were to get definite instructions at
San Antonio regarding their further movements.
"Well, good-bye and good luck to you!" said the senator, who came down
to the depot with them to see them off.
"Good-bye, Dad," answered Roger, shaking hands warmly. Dave, too,
shook hands with his chum's father.
Then, in a moment more, the two youths were off on their long journey
to Texas.
"This kind of traveling is rather different from what the pioneers put
up with," remarked Roger, as the two settled themselves in their
comfortable seats, they having a whole section of the sleeper to
themselves. "Think of what it must have been to travel thousands of
miles in a boomer wagon behind a team of mules or oxen!"
"Yes, Roger, and think of being on the lookout constantly for
unfriendly Indians and wild beasts," added Dave. "I'll tell you, when
you come to consider the luxuries we enjoy these days we have much to
be thankful for."
The day's run was a pleasant one, and the youths enjoyed it greatly.
They spent the time in chatting about the prospects and in gazing at
the swiftly-moving panorama to be seen from the car window.
"It's a pity we have to sleep when there is so much to see," was
Dave's comment, as, after having passed through Cincinnati, it grew
time to retire. "I'd like very much to see what this section of the
country looks like."
The following morning found them crossing the Mississippi River. They
passed through St. Louis, and then the train headed for Kansas City,
where they were to change for Fort Worth and San Antonio.
The train for San Antonio proved to be much less crowded than the
other had been. As before, the youths had a section to themselves, and
none of the sections near them was occupied. But when, on the
following day, the train stopped at a way station several passengers
got aboard, including a man who took the section opposite to that
occupied by our friends.
This man was a tall, heavy-set and red-faced individual, having
reddish hair and a heavy reddish mustache. He looked the youths over
rather coldly, and then, throwing himself down in his seat, proceeded
to read a newspaper.
"Doesn't look like a very friendly fellow," whispered Roger to Dave.
"I was hoping we might meet somebody who would warm up a little and
tell us something about this part of the country."
"You've got to go slow in making friends out in a strange place like
this," answered Dave.
"Oh, I don't know about that, Dave," was the quick reply. "My father
tells me that folks in the West and Southwest are usually very
friendly. We found them so on our way to Star Ranch."
The boys continued to talk of the prospects ahead, and during the
conversation the Mentor Construction Company was mentioned several
times. Then Dave noticed that the burly man opposite had dropped his
newspaper and was looking at them curiously. Finally the man arose and
stepped across the aisle.
"Did I hear you young fellows speaking about the Mentor Construction
Company?" he asked, not unpleasantly.
"You did," answered Dave.
"Are you connected with that concern?" went on the man.
"We are going to work for them," answered Roger. "We have just been
appointed to the engineering department."
"You don't say!" cried the man in surprise. "I'm with that company
myself. My name is William Jarvey. What is yours?"
The boys told him, and all shook hands. Then, as Roger crossed over to
sit down beside Dave, the man sank down in the seat opposite.