Dave Porter and His Double Part 13

"Very well."

"Glad to hear it. And I suppose Roger has that same old eagle eye of his on your sister Laura?"

"Well, you don't find him talking very much to anybody else when Laura is around," was Dave's dry comment.

"Oh, we had a perfectly splendid journey!" cried Belle Endicott. "And wasn't it the strangest thing that we should run into Phil at the junction where we had to change cars to get here?"

"Must be some sort of mutual attraction," cried Laura, mischievously.

And then to hide any possible confusion she added quickly to Cora Dartmore: "I hope you enjoyed the trip also."

"Yes, I had a splendid time," answered the newcomer, a girl not quite so tall as Belle but almost equally good-looking. "You see, this is my first trip to the East. Oh, I know I am going to have a perfectly lovely time!" she added enthusiastically.

The young folks piled into the sleigh and automobile, and in a very short time arrived at the Wadsworth mansion. Here Mrs. Wadsworth was ready to receive the visitors, and her gracious manner made them feel at home immediately.

Phil, as was his custom, insisted on rooming with Roger and Dave, while Belle Endicott and her chum were made comfortable in a room next to those occupied by Jessie and Laura.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with you boys," said Mrs.

Wadsworth, laughingly. "You always bunk in as thick as fleas."

"We got used to that at Oak Hall," returned Dave. "Besides that, the room is a large one with two single beds in it, and we can easily put in a cot;" and so it was settled.

"My, but I'm mighty glad to be with you two fellows again!" declared the shipowner's son, when the youths were left to themselves. "It seems like a touch of old times."

"So it does," returned Roger, smiling broadly.

"From now on I suppose we won't be able to get together as much as we used to," said Dave; "so while we are together let us make the most of it."

"So say we all of us!" cried Phil and Roger, gaily.

CHAPTER X

THE BIG SLEIGHING-PARTY

Of course, even with so many visitors to entertain, Dave and Roger could not neglect their studies; so it was arranged that every day the pair should apply themselves diligently to their books and to what their tutor had to say from eight o'clock until twelve. Then lunch would be had and the young folks could start out to enjoy themselves in one way or another.

On one occasion the three boys went hunting with Dunston Porter in the woods back of Crumville. They had a most delightful time, and brought back quite a bagful of rabbits, as well as several squirrels, and also a plump partridge, the bird being brought down by Dave.

"And it was a fine shot, Davy," remarked his Uncle Dunston in speaking about the partridge. "As fine a shot on the wing as I ever saw."

Crumville boasted of a good-sized pond; and from this the snow had been cleared, giving the young folks an opportunity for skating, which every one of them enjoyed to the utmost. They also attended a concert given in the church one evening, and even went to a moving-picture show which had recently been opened in the town.

The moving pictures interested the two girls from the Far West more than anything else, for, so far, they had had little opportunity to take in such a form of entertainment.

During those days Dave was continually on the watch for some information concerning Ward Porton, but no word of any kind came in, and he finally concluded that the rascal had left that vicinity.

"Most likely he thought things were growing too hot for him," was Phil's comment, when the boys talked the matter over. "He probably realized that if he continued to go to the stores and get goods the way he did he would be caught sooner or later."

Ben Ba.s.swood often went out with the others, pairing off, as had been expected by Laura, with Cora Dartmore. This left Belle Endicott more or less in Phil's care, for which the shipowner's son was grateful.

"Yes, my father has brought the Enos miniatures here," answered Ben, one day, in reply to a question from Dave. "He had them in a safe deposit vault first, but he concluded that they would probably be just as safe at our place. You know, he has a big safe of his own in which he keeps all his real estate doc.u.ments." Mr. Ba.s.swood's office was in a wing of his house, and all the boys had visited it and knew that it contained a ma.s.sive steel affair about five feet square and probably four feet deep.

"They ought to be safe there, Ben," returned Dave. "I don't see what a thief could do with miniatures, and I don't believe your father's office is liable to catch fire."

"And that safe must be fire-proof," put in Roger.

"I think it is fire-proof," returned the real estate dealer's son.

"And I guess you are right about thieves--they would rather steal money or jewelry or silverware, or something like that, every time."

Used to a life in the open air, and to riding and driving, the sleighing in and around Crumville proved to be a constant delight to Belle and Cora. As a consequence, it was arranged by the boys that the whole crowd should go out in a large sleigh, to be procured from the local livery stable and to be drawn by four reliable horses.

"We'll put a lot of straw in the bottom of the sleigh and make it a sort of straw-ride," declared Dave.

"And just to think! it will be moonlight!" cried his sister. "Won't that be the finest ever!"

"It certainly will be!" came from Jessie, her eyes beaming. But then she turned suddenly to Dave, her face clouding a little. "Who is going to drive--you?"

"No, we're going to have a regular man from the livery stable," he answered. And then as his sister turned away, he added in a low tone: "I didn't want to spend my time on the horses--I wanted to spend it on you."

"Oh, Dave!" murmured the girl, and blushed. Then she gave him a look that meant a great deal.

The sleighing-party was to start off about two o'clock the next afternoon, and did not expect to return to Crumville until well towards midnight. They were to go to the town of Lamont, about seventeen miles away. A new restaurant had been opened in this town, in connection with the hotel, and Mr. and Mrs. Wadsworth had stopped there for a meal and had p.r.o.nounced it excellent, the food being of first-cla.s.s quality and an orchestra being present to liven matters up. Ben had thought at first that he could not accompany the others, his father having been taken sick; but as Mr. Ba.s.swood's illness was not of a serious nature, Mrs. Ba.s.swood, knowing how disappointed the youth would be, urged that he go along anyhow.

"Your father is resting quite comfortably," she told Ben; "and the doctor says he will be around again inside of a week, so you may as well take in this sleighride while you have the chance."

"But there are those miniatures, mother," returned Ben. "Wasn't father going to let Mr. Wadsworth see them?"

"Mr. Wadsworth is going to have several art critics at his home in a day or two, and then your father is to let all of them examine the miniatures carefully to see if he can get an idea of what they are worth. But you need not bother your head about that. If Mr. Wadsworth sends word that the critics have arrived at his house I'll take care of the matter." And so this was arranged, and Ben went off to prepare for the sleigh-ride.

At the appointed hour, the big sleigh came dashing up to the door of the Wadsworth mansion. All of the young folks, including Ben, were on hand and ready for the trip, each bundled up well for protection against the cold. The sun had been shining in the morning, but towards noon it had gone under a heavy bank of clouds.

"Looks a little to me like more snow," observed Dunston Porter, who was present to see them depart. "I shouldn't be surprised to see you coming back in the midst of another fall."

"Oh, Uncle Dunston, don't say that!" cried Laura. "We want the moon to shine this evening."

"Well, it will shine, Laura," returned the uncle, with a wink of the eye. "It always does shine, even when we don't see it," and then he dodged when she laughingly picked up a chunk of snow and threw it at him.

Into the big sleigh piled the girls, and the boys quickly followed.

All the back seats had been removed, and they nestled down in the thick straw and covered themselves with numerous robes.

"Look out that you don't jounce off when you go over a b.u.mp," cried Dunston Porter to Phil and Belle, who sat at the back of the turnout.

"Oh, we'll hold on, don't worry!" cried Phil.

"I'm used to hanging on," came from the western girl, quickly. "Riding in this sleigh won't be half as bad as hanging on to the back of a half-broken broncho."