The Motor Boys on the Border; Or, Sixty Nuggets of Gold

by Clarence Young

  CHAPTER XII

  THE PROFESSOR IS MISSING

  “What’s the matter?” cried Jerry.

  “Something is wrong!” exclaimed Ned.

  “Are they hurt?” asked Bob.

  The two figures in the station doorway--Mr. Brill and the agent--werestruggling to arise. Jim Nestor, perhaps with a half-formed notion thatsomebody was trying to rob his friend, made a motion toward his hippocket, and then thought better of it.

  The large lady, casting aside her shawl, made a rush for the two on thefloor. Grasping Mr. Hitter by his coattails, she lifted him to his feetwith ease--for he was not a large man. Then she assisted Mr. Brill toarise.

  “Are you hurt, Harvey?” she cried. “Oh, say you’re not hurt! I couldn’tbear to hear that, and me just finding you! Oh, Harvey, have you lostany money? Are you hurt?”

  Mr. Brill pulled himself away. He eyed Mr. Hitter for a moment asthough he thought the agent might be responsible, and then he turnedhis gaze on the large woman.

  “No, I’m not hurt,” he said. “I--I’m all right. When is our train due?”he asked of the boys.

  “Oh, Harvey, you’re not going away again--after I have just found you;are you?” exclaimed the woman. “Aren’t you coming to live with yourdear aunt, and the children and your uncle? Your uncle hasn’t any worknow, and I know he’ll be glad to see you.”

  “I expect he will,” said Mr. Brill, gloomily; “only he isn’t going tosee me. If that train doesn’t come soon, I’m going to walk!” he added,desperately.

  “There’s the whistle!” exclaimed Ned.

  “But what’s it all about?” asked Jerry.

  “Oh, Harvey, don’t leave me!” pleaded the big woman, again making arush for him.

  “Keep her back--somebody!” cried Mr. Brill. “Don’t let her get hold ofme. Hurry out to the train.”

  Once more he made a rush for the door.

  “Look here!” cried Mr. Hitter. “You’re the fellow who found the gold onthe track, and nearly had the railroad torn up in consequence. Are yougoing to do it again? Are you going to look for more gold?”

  “I am not!” fairly yelled Mr. Brill. “Let me get aboard the train!”

  Once more the whistle shrilly sounded.

  “Come on!” cried the Westerner, making a break for the door, andpushing Mr. Hitter aside.

  “Stop! Wait for me, Harvey!” cried the large woman. “I want you to comewith me. We need you--the children need you. Did you bring any goldwith you from the West? Oh! I have had such a time finding you.”

  “Come on!” cried Mr. Brill. “If I don’t get away now I never will!”

  The train pulled into the station, and the Westerner fairly threwhimself aboard. Mr. Hitter rushed off to look after some baggage, andJim Nestor and the boys followed their excited friend.

  “What’s it all about?” asked Bob, much puzzled.

  “Give it up,” replied Jerry. “Maybe that’s one of the poor relations hewas telling about, who want him to support them. He’ll tell us in thetrain, I guess. Come on, Professor!”

  “Wait! Wait!” cried the stout lady; but with a wave of his hand Mr.Brill disappeared into the smoker.

  The motor boys climbed up the steps of the coach. Professor Snodgrass,making a grab for a rare bug he saw at the last moment, followed. Thebig woman attempted to board the train, but it was too late, and as itpulled out of the station she was last seen running after the cars,while, in the smoker, Mr. Brill was heard to say with much fervor:

  “Oh what a lucky escape!”

  “What was it all about?” asked Jerry, when they were all together inthe parlor car where they had seats, Mr. Brill having moved forward.“Was she one of your relations?”

  “She was,” answered the miner, “and one of the worst. She calledherself my aunt, but she was more like a forty-second cousin. For yearsI almost supported her and her family. Her husband won’t work--hethinks he’s got heart disease. I gave her what I could spare, and moretoo, just as I did a whole lot of others who thought because I was agold miner, that I was rich. But I wasn’t.

  “How she found out I was in the East I don’t know, but some of the poorrelations out West must have sent word that I had come on. Then shetraced me--though I don’t know how--and I suppose she came for money.But I got away--thank goodness! I got away. If she had found me earliershe’d have made life miserable for me. I had--well, you know what,” headded, in a whisper, referring to the sixty nuggets of gold. “It hadto be kept quiet, and that’s why I didn’t want to get the sheriff anda posse to recover my stuff. Word would have gotten out that I had itand then--well, I wouldn’t have had it, that’s all.”

  “I guess you’re safe now,” remarked Ned, with a smile, as he recalledthe scene of excitement in the depot.

  “But she was very determined,” added Bob.

  “She was something like you, Chunky--in build,” spoke Jerry, dryly.“Well, we’re off, anyhow.”

  The train sped through familiar scenery and the boys and their friendsgave themselves up to the delights of it. Mr. Snodgrass busied himselfmaking notes of the specimens he had captured.

  A few seats up from where our friends sat, was a man with a very blackmoustache, very “loud” clothing, and a watch chain that looked strongenough to restrain a bulldog. He had cast curious glances at the partyas they boarded the train, and he looked particularly at Mr. Nestor andMr. Brill. Presently he sauntered in their direction, and, pulling outa cigar case, said:

  “I guess I’m right in sizing you folks up for a party of prospectorsand miners; am I not?”

  For a moment there was silence, and then Jerry asked:

  “What makes you think so?” for the lad feared they had by accidentmentioned the hidden gold.

  “Oh, these gentlemen look like grub-stakers who have struck it rich,”and he indicated the two Westerners. “Will you come back and have asmoke with me?” he invited.

  Jim Nestor looked at Jerry, who shook his head slightly.

  “I guess we don’t care to smoke, stranger,” said the mine superintendent.“And, as for sizing us up as prospectors who have struck it rich, you’vegot another guess coming. We’re out with Professor Uriah Snodgrass in asearch for luminous snakes.”

  “Snakes! Huh!” exclaimed the man, who looked like a gambler or “sport.”

  “Exactly!” exclaimed the professor, hearing his favorite topicmentioned. “Snakes of light--_illustris serpensus_--Do you happen toknow anything of them, sir?”

  “Who, me? I should say not!” and the man, evidently much disappointed,moved away.

  “He got his all right!” chuckled Ned.

  “Yes; evidently he thought to scrape an acquaintance and get us totalk,” said Jerry.

  “But he had no use for bug-hunters!” chuckled Mr. Brill. “That’s a goodstunt, boys; to pretend to be scientists. We’ll keep it up. We can’t betoo careful.”

  They traveled all that day and night, little of incident occurring. Theblack-moustached man did not trouble them further. The next day foundthem well on their way to the border.

  The car they were traveling in was a comfortable one, and they wouldnot have to change for some time. There was a dining coach attached tothe train, and Bob rejoiced in looking over the bill of fare when hehad nothing else to do.

  It was on the second day out, and toward evening when they were justbeginning to think about supper that Jerry, who had been walkingthrough the train to “stretch his legs,” came back to his friends.

  “Have any of you seen the professor?” he asked, and his voice was a bittroubled.

  “The professor?” asked Ned. “Why, he was here a while ago, making notesto beat the band.”

  “So I saw,” spoke Jerry. “Then I noticed him get up to go for a drinkof water. He didn’t come back, and I went looking for him. He isn’t onthe train, as far as I can find, and we haven’t made any stops since.”

  “Could he have fallen off?” asked Bob, uneasily.

  “By Jove!” c
ried Ned. “It would be just like him. He may have gone onthe platform, seen a rare bug, and in reaching for it lost his balanceand fallen off. I wonder----”

  But Ned did not continue. At that instant the train came to a suddenstop with a grinding of brakes--such a sudden stop that nearly everyonein the car was thrown from his seat.

  “An accident!” yelled Bob.

  “We’re going to smash!” cried Ned.

  “Something has happened to the professor!” came from Jerry.

  “Maybe it’s a hold-up!” ejaculated Jim Nestor, and this time he drewfrom his hip pocket something shining. Harvey Brill followed hisexample.