A FRUITLESS PURSUIT.
For a few seconds the other boys did not know whether Jerry was joking
or in earnest. But when he did not return in a little while they knew he
must have meant what he said.
"I don't see anything of Noddy," spoke Ned, looking out of the window
whence Jerry had spied their enemy.
"It's getting too dark to see anything," said Bob.
"Well, I guess if Jerry said he saw Noddy he meant it," put in Andy. "I
hope he catches him and gives him a good thrashing!"
"Well, boys," exclaimed Mr. Wakefield at that instant, entering their
room, "are you all ready for supper?"
"We are," answered Ned.
"Where is Jerry?" asked the athletic instructor, looking around.
"He went out for a little while," replied Ned, quickly, not wishing to
state Jerry's real errand. "I guess he'll be back in a short time."
"He doesn't know his way around New York; I hope he will not get lost,"
spoke Mr. Wakefield.
"Trust Jerry to find his way back," said Ned.
Then the party went down to supper without waiting for the missing
member. Meanwhile, Jerry was in hot pursuit of Noddy.
"I wonder what he is doing in New York?" thought Jerry, as he jumped
into an elevator that was just going down, and got out on the ground
floor.
The boy ran out into the street and glanced in the direction he had
seen Noddy taking. The thoroughfare was not crowded, and, though it was
getting quite dark, Jerry caught a glimpse of Noddy's back.
"I'll catch him and ask him what he meant about that note he wrote,
threatening to get even with us," he thought, as he hurried on.
Noddy had quite a start, and Jerry had some difficulty in getting close
to him. He lost a little time at a street crossing, where there were a
number of vehicles, and Noddy got farther ahead. Jerry broke into a run
when he saw a passage, and hurried on.
Noddy happened to glance back just as Jerry passed beneath an electric
light, and seeing he was pursued, started forward at a rapid rate.
The pursuit was getting hot. They had passed from a busy part of the
city and were on a street containing only old buildings. There were
less people, too, and Jerry had a good view of Noddy.
Suddenly Noddy turned, shook his fist, and disappeared into a
dilapidated tenement house, which he was in front of at the time. With
a cry, Jerry bounded forward. As he entered the hallway he bumped into
a roughly dressed man, as he could see by the dim light of a lamp
suspended at the rear end of the passage.
"Now, then, wot's all this rush about?" demanded the man.
"I beg your pardon," said Jerry, halting.
"Be you the doctor?" asked the man.
"The doctor? No. Why?"
"'Cause he's took bad, an' we've sent fer the doctor. I t'ought you was
him."
"Who's sick?" inquired the boy, forgetting for the moment what had
brought him to the place.
"He's an old miner. I don't know him, but he come to me, sick an' dead
broke, an' I let him sleep in my room. He's off his trolley, I guess,
but he says his name is Jim Nestor."
"Jim Nestor!" exclaimed Jerry. He remembered that was the name of the
miner in the hut, whom Pender had robbed.
"That's the name he gave."
"Off his trolley?" went on the youth, wondering what form of disease
that was.
"Yep. Nutty, you know; bug-house, wheels, crazy, if that suits you
better."
"Oh!" replied Jerry, understanding.
"If you ain't the doc. no use of me wastin' my time on you," the man
went on. "I'll have to chase out after one."
"I saw the sign of a doctor's office a little way back on this street as
I came along," volunteered the boy. "I'll go and stay with the man while
you run there."
"Bully for you!" said the man. "Some of the people in this house is
afraid of him 'cause he talks in his sleep. You'll find him on the
second floor front."
Jerry went up. In a dimly lighted room he saw an old man lying on a bed,
covered with ragged quilts. One glance showed Jerry that the man was the
miner who had mysteriously disappeared from the hut when they sought to
aid him.
Suddenly the sick man opened his eyes. He looked sharply at Jerry and
exclaimed:
"Oh, you've come back, have you? Where is the boy who took my gold?"
"He got away," explained Jerry, realizing that the sick man was in his
right senses, for a time at least.
"I remember you," went on the miner. "You and some other boys helped me
after I was struck. You left me alone in the cabin. I was afraid the
one who took my gold would come back, so I crawled out. The air made me
feel better. I walked to the railroad, got on a freight train, and came
here. Then I got sick again.
"Gold! gold! gold!" exclaimed the miner, suddenly. "I see it all around.
Millions and millions of it! There is gold for all of us! Do not rob me!"
Jerry knew the man was wandering again. Just then the doctor came in and
Jerry, after promising to come back, hurried around to the hotel, where
he found his friends worried over his absence. He explained about his
chase and the finding of the mysterious miner.
"Did you catch Noddy?" asked Andy.
"I forgot all about him when I saw Nestor," replied Jerry. "I guess
Noddy got away, all right, probably out of a back door."
"What are you going to do about the miner?" asked Mr. Wakefield, after
supper.
"I'd like to befriend him if we could," said Jerry. "He seems like an
honest man."
"I'll go around and see him," remarked the athletic instructor. "Perhaps
we can arrange to do something for him."
It was quite late that night when Mr. Wakefield returned from his visit
to Jim Nestor. He found the boys up waiting for him.
"It's a queer story," said Mr. Wakefield. "Part of it I want you to
hear for yourselves from him, part I will tell you. It seems that James
Nestor, which is his name, found quite a rich claim out in Arizona. He
staked it out and, with some of the gold in his possession, came East
to see if he could find a former partner he wanted to share in his good
luck.
"He reached Cresville and there he was taken sick. He went to the old
hut, where you found him, and there, while he was helpless, some one,
whom you boys know to be Jack Pender, came along and robbed him.
"Nestor made his way to New York, after his mysterious disappearance
from the hut, and he found poor but faithful friends in the tenement
house."
"What part of the story do you want him to tell us himself?" asked Ned.
"About his claim--his gold mine," said Mr. Wakefield. "I would rather
you get that from him direct."
"Is he very sick?" asked Jerry.
"The doctor thinks he will be around in a few days."
"And what do you propose?" asked Bob, who could see that Mr. Wakefield
had something on his mind.
"I think if you boys are going to make a western trip you cannot do
better than take this miner along with you," answered the gentleman.
"I talked to him about it, after the doctor had given him some quieting
medicine, and he said he would be glad of a chance to get out West."
"Shall we wait here until he gets well?" asked Jerry.
"My plan would be for you boys to make up his fare to Chicago," said Mr.
Wakefield, "and let him join you there, say in a week. You can go by
auto and he can go by train."
This plan met with the approval of the three chums. They made up a purse
for Jim Nestor and arranged for Mr. Wakefield to take it to the miner.
The latter did so, and planned for the miner to come on to Chicago when
he was well and strong.
"The boys will put up at the Grand Hotel," said Mr. Wakefield, passing
over the money, which was to be Nestor's fare to Chicago.
"And I'll meet 'em there an' put 'em up against the greatest proposition
they ever heard of," promised the miner.