BOY SHADOWERS.
And so they took the next train for Carson City.
Isa Isban and her companion of the dark mustache were on the same train,
as they learned without difficulty.
The girl and the man were in the same car with the boys, but neither of
them seemed to pay the least attention to the latter.
"Look here, Frank," said Bart, "tell me how you happened to get
acquainted with her."
Frank did so, and Bart's face clouded as he listened.
"I know you are great at catching on with the girls," Bart observed;
"but I swear I did not believe Vida Melburn was the sort to take up with
a chance acquaintance, under any circumstances."
Frank laughed.
"Now, you are jealous, old man," he said. "It came about naturally
enough, and she acted like a lady."
"But not like the Vida Melburn I know."
"I do not believe she is the Vida Melburn you know. You have been
deceived by a resemblance, my boy."
Bart shook his head.
"Not much! Don't take me for a fool, Frank! I am not such a dunderhead
as that--oh, no!"
"Then she lied to one of us."
Bart's face lighted a bit.
"Possibly she did not care to give you her right name, having made your
acquaintance in such a manner. That must be the real explanation."
"Look here, Bart, that girl is too unsophisticated, too innocent to
work that kind of a game. She has the most innocent face I ever saw."
"You are right," the dark-haired lad confessed, "Vida would not be
likely to do such a thing. She is frank and open as the day."
"Well, what do you make of it?"
"I don't know what to make of it."
"Tell me how you came to know her."
"She was visiting at Fardale, and I became acquainted with her. She
liked me and--I liked her. We were together a great deal. She did not
tell me much about herself, but, still, I learned a few things. Her home
is in Sacramento, but she has relatives in Carson City. I found out that
there had been trouble between her father and mother, and they had
separated. That is how her father happened to send her East. Her
relatives at Fardale did not regard me with favor for some reason, and
they ordered me to have nothing more to say to her. Still, we met
occasionally, and--to tell the truth, old boy--I fell in love with her.
They found out we were seeing each other secretly, and they made a
rumpus about it. Then they wrote to her father, and they sent for her to
return to the West. She was shipped off in a hurry, so we would see no
more of each other; but she wrote me a short note, telling me to address
her at Austin, Nevada. I did so, and, as I happen to have a rich old
uncle in California, I proposed to come out here. She answered, saying
she would be in Reno just three days ago, and for me to meet her at the
railway station, if possible. It looked impossible then, but I was hard
hit, and I made a big hustle to get away from school and come out here.
I worked all kinds of schemes on the governor, and he finally agreed to
let me come West to visit Uncle Hiram. I came, and I was in Reno on the
date set, but she did not appear. I have been there every day since, and
to-day she came. You know the rest."
Frank regarded his friend steadfastly for some moments, smiling
covertly.
"You are a queer fellow, Bart," he said. "You go to extremes in
everything. Now, stop and think of chasing away out here after a girl.
It is----"
Bart interrupted him with a sharp gesture.
"Oh, I know--I don't deny that I am a fool! At the same time I can't
help it. I never saw a girl before this one that I cared a snap for. She
seems to be my affinity."
Frank's laugh rang out merrily.
"Affinity is good!" he exclaimed. "You are hard hit. And the girl threw
you down when you appeared on the scene. What do you make of that?"
Bart scowled.
"I am sure of one thing."
"And that is--what?"
"She is in trouble."
"Who is the man with her?"
"That is what I'd like to know. I am sure she fears him. She must have
seen him, and she must have feared to recognize me. There can be no
other explanation."
"He is not her father, is he?"
"That creature the father of that girl? Well, not much!"
"No, he is not. If I remember right, she called him Paul. Can he be her
brother?"
"Never!"
"Then, what is he?"
"You tell."
"I can't."
"More than ever am I sure she is in trouble--great trouble. I am
determined to know the truth. I will learn it from her own lips."
"How?"
"By following her till I get an opportunity to speak with her."
"Well, Bart, you are so badly struck that all I can do is hang by you
and see you through. We will solve the mystery of this girl, if we are
capable of doing so."
"Right you are, Frank."
Then they spoke of other matters, old friends at Fardale, and how things
were moving there. Bart told all about the events that had taken place
at the academy since Frank left, how they had missed him as a leader in
sports of all kinds, how often he was spoken of with admiration and
affection by his old comrades, and how even the professors held him up
as a model to be emulated.
"They seem to have forgotten the pranks you were up to and the larks you
were in," said Bart; "but they remember that you stood at the head in
everything you undertook."
Then Frank told of his own adventures in knocking about, and Bart
regarded him with still greater admiration.
"You are the luckiest fellow alive!" declared the dark-haired lad. "I
wish I had a rich and eccentric old uncle to kick the bucket and leave
me a big fortune on condition that I would 'travel over the world to
advance my education and broaden my ideas.' Say, that uncle of yours was
a good thing!"
"Uncle Asher was original in everything."
"I should guess yes. When are you going abroad?"
"Very soon. Professor Scotch will make arrangements for such a move
while he is in the East."
"You are the envy of Fardale. Hans Dunnerwust returned with a stock of
tales of astounding adventures, which he managed to bungle badly in the
telling. And now I suppose Barney Mulloy will take his turn. Between
them they will make you out one of the most remarkable heroes of modern
times."
Thus the boys chatted till Carson City was reached.
All the while Bart was watching the girl closely, and he saw that she
really intended to get off at Carson.
The boys slipped out of the car, and were on the platform as soon as the
pair they were following reached it. It happened that the station
platform was crowded, and they were swallowed by the throng, so they
found it easy to keep out of sight of the man and girl.
The man seemed to watch to see if the boys left the car, while the girl
tried to draw him away. After some moments he submitted, and they
entered a closed carriage.
"Here!" exclaimed Frank, catching hold of a sleepy driver and giving him
a whirl; "see that carriage?"
"Yep."
"Don't lose sight of it for a moment, but do not seem to follow it.
Understand?"
"I reckon."
"Good! If you do the trick well, you get a tenner."
"Got it?"
"See."
Frank showed his roll, on the outside of which were the bright new
fifty-dollar bills.
"Get in."
The boys sprang in lively, the door closed on them, the driver leaped to
his seat, the whip cracked, and away they went.
"This is the first time I ever played the detective," said Bart.
"But it is not the first time for me," declared Frank. "I have found it
necessary, several times, in New York, Chicago, New Orleans and
elsewhere."
"I noticed how ready you were to do the proper thing. You did not give
them the start."
"Not a bit of it."
"You are the same old, self-reliant, hustling, go-ahead Frank Merriwell.
The only changes I can see in you are for the better."
"Thank you."
The driver in advance was a hustling fellow, and he had two good horses.
He sent them right along. Now, it was fortunate that, although, the
driver behind was a sleepyhead, he, also, had some fine horses, and he
did not make any great effort to keep them at a clipping pace.
It is probable that the man with the black mustache regarded the boys
with no little contempt, for he surely made no effort to give them the
slip. It is likely he did not fancy they would follow him so hotly.
At length the carriage in advance stopped before a certain house, and
the driver got down to open the door.
The driver who was carrying the boys continued past, turned the first
corner, stopped short, jumped down, opened the door, and said:
"Got 'em? They're just round the corner back yon."
"And you have earned your X," said Frank, springing out.