CASPER NEVINS, THE SPY.
"No, sir," said Casper, leaning over and placing his elbows on his
knees, his eyes gazing thoughtfully at the floor; "you don't get any
more five cents out of me, yet awhile, to pay for cigars. I have got
only ten dollars, and I am anxious to make that do. Now, what shall I
go at next?"
Casper Nevins was in a predicament the first thing he knew. He claimed
to be an orphan, the same as Julian was; but those who were well
acquainted with his history knew that he had a mother in a Western
village who was a dressmaker, and who would have been glad to get
every cent he could send her. But Casper never sent her any money. On
the contrary, he often appealed to her to forward him a few dimes, to
pay his debts for pool and cigars. Claus often got into him a dollar
or two on the games he lost, and his mother was the only person he
had to call on. Now he had lost his position, and the next thing was
to find something else to do. He was really afraid he would have to go
to work with his hands. He thought of Jack Sheldon, dirty and begrimed
as he was when he came from the shop, and wondered how he would look
in that fix. And, another thing, he wasn't satisfied that he could get
as good a position as Jack held. Aside from being acquainted with the
city and carrying the telegraphic dispatches, there was nothing else
that he could do.
"I tell you I am up a stump," said Casper to himself; "I shall soon be
sweeping out saloons, as Julian did, to pay for my breakfast. I would
rather die than do that."
When he had reached this point in his meditations the door opened, and
Claus came in with a couple of cigars in his hand. He did not seem to
be at all worried over his failure to get his hands upon that box, but
he was whistling a jig as he closed the door and offered a cigar to
Casper.
"What is the matter with you, any way?" he asked, when he saw the
gloomy look on Casper's face. "You act as though you had lost your
last friend."
"What am I going to do now?" asked Casper. "I have no trade, no
profession, and I must do something to keep myself in grub. There is
no pool or cigars for me from this time on."
"Well, let that thing go until I tell you my story," said Claus, who
did not like to hear a man talk in this way. He knew that he was to
blame for Casper's shortness of funds--a good deal of his hard
earnings was located in Claus's own pockets--and he wanted to make him
look on the bright side of things while he was in his presence. When
he got away where he could not see him, then he could indulge in moody
thoughts as often as he pleased.
"I wish I had not played pool with you as often as I have," said
Casper, showing a little spirit. "Every time I have crossed cues with
you I have always been out three or four dollars. Why don't you play
with somebody else?"
"Well, if you are going to talk that way I'll go on," said Claus,
getting up from his chair. "What I was going to say was that I don't
believe that box is gone yet. I have tried twice to get it and have
failed; but there is a charm in everything. Three times and out is
what I go by; but if you don't want to hear what I have to say, why,
good-night."
"Well, sit down," said Casper, who couldn't bear to let Claus go away
if he had anything to say concerning that box; "but you yourself would
be angry if you were in my fix."
"Oh, I have been that way lots of times. I have been so I didn't know
where my next meal was coming from."
"I have been that way, too," said Casper. "The other night you got ten
cents of me, and it was the last cent I had in the world; I had to get
my next meal at the free-lunch saloons."
"I didn't know you were as hard up as that," said Casper, with
surprise. "Have you money with which to get breakfast to-morrow?"
"Not a cent."
"Then here are twenty cents," said Claus, putting his hand into his
pocket. "Two meals will do you. In the meantime, if you get hard up
for something to eat, go to the saloons; that's the way I do."
"Yes, but you always get something else. If I go in there and dabble
with their lunch, the barkeeper will want to know why I don't get
something to drink."
"Then walk out and go to another saloon. You ain't posted. Now, I want
to tell you my story. It isn't long, and I want to ask you a question
before I get through."
When Claus said this, Casper settled back in his chair and tried to
look interested; but the trouble was, he only succeeded in looking
guilty.
"I have just come from Julian's room," continued Claus, "and I
threatened him with the police. He called me by my own name, or Jack
did, and I want to know who has been telling him that. Did you?"
"I never said a word to him about you or anybody else," said Casper,
looking Claus squarely in the eye.
"Did you say anything to Mr. Wiggins about it?"
"Never a word. There might have been a detective in the office while
you were there."
"A detective? Who was it?"
"I am sure I don't know. But if he knew your name, there was where he
got it. You went up to the pool-room after you got through there?
Well, did anybody follow you up to see what your name was?"
"There was nobody up there that I saw, and I took mighty good care to
watch out. I threatened him with the police for addressing me by that
name, and he just as good as told me to go and get them."
"What made you say police at all? What had he done?"
"I wanted him to get the box and let me read the papers in it, because
I wanted to be sure that they were intended for me; but he would not
do it."
"Of course he would not!" exclaimed Casper, in disgust. "That was a
pretty way to do business, wasn't it?"
"I calculated, if he brought the box in there, to steal it away from
them," said Claus. "If I once got out on the street, I would like to
see anybody catch me. I would have hung around this city for a month
but that I would have got away with it."
"And what would I be doing in the meantime?"
"You would have known where I was," said Claus, bending toward Casper
and speaking in a whisper. "I would have found means to communicate
with you. Of course if I had got that box you would have had a share
of it."
Casper did not know whether to believe this or not. Somehow he had
felt suspicious of Claus ever since the first night he spoke to him
about the box. If the German got it without any of his help, he was
sure that he never would see any of it.
"Well, you failed in that scheme, and I would like to know if you have
some other means of getting hold of it."
"Certainly I have. Three times and out is what I go by. My next scheme
will be to steal the box from them on the train."
"How are you going to do that?"
"We will keep watch of them, and when they are ready to go to Denver,
we will go, too. You know their habits better than I do, and by
keeping your eyes on them--"
"Well, I won't do it," said Casper, emphatically. "They may not go for
a month yet, and I must have something to eat in the meantime."
"I will give you twenty cents a day and enough to pay your rent," said
Claus. "That will keep you going, won't it?"
"You must give me more than that. I shall need a cigar once in a
while, won't I?"
"Then I will give you thirty cents. You don't want to smoke more than
two cigars every day, do you?"
The question where Claus earned the money he had was a mystery to
every one except himself. When the police arrested him for vagrancy
and the justice fined him ten dollars, believing that he was going to
shut him up for two months, Claus pulled out a roll of greenbacks as
large as one's wrist. The justice gazed at him in surprise and said,
"I had no idea that you were so well heeled as that."
"I have a relative in Europe who sends me money once in a while," said
Claus.
"Well, get out of here, and don't come into this station any more."
"I won't," said Claus; "and I wouldn't have come in here this time,
only the police brought me."
"You must go easy on me, because I haven't too many ducats," said
Claus, continuing the conversation which we have broken off. "I think
thirty cents a day will see you through in good fashion."
"Of course that puts a different look on the matter. Begin by giving
me ten cents to get a cigar with to-night. Thank you. Now, what do you
want me to do?"
"You are to begin and keep your eye on Julian, and report to me every
day at the pool-room. Whenever you see preparations made for them to
go out to Denver, you must let me know it; then we will go, too."
"But how are you going to steal their valises, if they have any?"
"They will leave their valises behind them when they go out to get
their meals, and I will slip up and get them. You won't have anything
to do with stealing them at all."
"That is a bargain," said Casper. "I believe that is the best way yet.
But remember--you must keep out of their sight; and I will, too."
A little more conversation was held on the subject, and then Claus
took his leave. When the door closed behind him Casper arose to his
feet, placed his thumb against his nose, and wiggled his fingers. That
was his opinion of Mr. Claus's scheme.
"I know what you mean to do," said he, in a voice that was choked with
passion. "You are going to get me out there on the railroad and leave
me. But I will see that you don't do it; I will stick closer to you
than a brother, and when you get that box I will be close at hand. Now
I will go off to some restaurant and get some supper."
The next morning dawned clear and bright, and when Casper opened his
eyes his first thought was to get up; but remembering that he had not
to go to the office that day, he rolled over and dropped asleep again.
But he had to get up at last; and after a good, hearty breakfast, and
smoking a cigar, he strolled down toward the telegraph office. Julian
was there, sitting in his chair, for he could see him through the
window. He had not made preparations to go to Denver yet. And so it
was during every day that the boys waited for Haberstro to show up.
Julian was as impatient as Casper, and even Claus began to growl for
fear there was being too big a haul made upon his money.
"I am not an Astor, to be giving you thirty cents a day to watch those
fellows," said he. "If they don't begin to make some move very soon I
shall be sorry that I hired you."
"They are going to Denver some time, and if you are bound to have a
hand in the box, the best thing for you to do is to keep on hiring
me," said Casper. "I know what you want," he added to himself. "If you
were to give me every cent of money you have, I would just about get
my own back."
But not long after this, when Casper was strolling by the telegraph
office to see what was going to happen, he saw Julian and Jack go in
there. The two boys were dressed in citizens' clothes, too, and that
proved that there was something up. While he was wondering whether or
not he had better go back and report the matter to Claus, Mr. Wiggins
came out and took his way toward the bank. In a little while he came
back again with the box under his arm. Casper concluded to wait still
longer, and the result proved satisfactory. The two friends came out
of the office, and Julian held the door open long enough to say,
"I haven't gone yet; I will come back and bid you good-bye before I
start."
"By gracious, they are going!" said Casper, so excited that he could
not stand still. "Now, the next thing is to find out _when_ they are
going. I guess I will go and see what Claus has to say about it."
Claus was found in the pool-room, and he was playing a game with
somebody. He drew off on one side, and Casper hurriedly related what
he had to say to him. For a wonder Claus smiled.
"They are going to-morrow night," said he.
"You talk as though you knew all about it. How do you know?" asked
Casper, with the accent on the adverb.
"Because Julian has got his discharge, he is dressed in citizen's
clothes, and they will have to take to-day in order to bid their
friends good-bye and get some things that are necessary for the trip,"
said Claus. "Watch them closely, and when you see a carriage drive up
to their door and a trunk put on, come to me here and I will be ready
for you."
"How are you going to get your own luggage down?" asked Casper.
"I don't want any luggage," replied Claus; "I have more money than
enough to buy--humph!"
He had intended saying that he had money enough to buy all the
clothing he wanted, but seeing Casper's eyes fastened upon him he
caught his breath in time and said,
"I have money enough to pay for a night's lodging, and that is all we
want. Now you go and do just as I tell you."
Claus turned again to his game and Casper went slowly out of the room.
The German watched him, as he opened the door, and said to himself,
"I wonder if that fellow knows what I am up to? He acts like it; but
if he does, I would like to see him help himself."