Dave Porter and His Double Part 23

"That's the talk!" exclaimed Roger. "Say! but this is the worst yet, isn't it?" He turned to the lady of the house. "I am awfully sorry for you, Mrs. Ba.s.swood."

"I guess we are all sorry," broke in our hero, quickly.

"Oh, I hope they catch that Porton and put him in prison!" cried Jessie.

"That is where he belongs," answered Dave, soberly.

CHAPTER XVII

A VAIN SEARCH

To find out what Mr. Wadsworth, as well as Dave's father and his uncle, had done, Ben accompanied the other young folks to the jewelry manufacturer's mansion. They found that Mr. Wadsworth had gone to business, but the other men were present and were much interested in what Dave and his chums had to relate.

"We've done all we could to get the authorities on the trail of Ward Porton," announced Dave's father; "but we have been much hindered on account of this awful blizzard. The telegraph and telephone wires are down in all directions, so it has been practically impossible to send word any great distance."

"With such a storm it may be possible that Porton and his confederate are still in Crumville," suggested Roger.

"I hardly think that," said Dunston Porter. "More than likely they did everything they could to put distance between themselves and this town after they got their hands on the miniatures."

"I suppose you know we found out that Porton's confederate managed to get a horse and cutter from Bryson's livery stable," said Dave's father.

"No, we didn't know that!" cried Ben.

"Well, it's true. The confederate, who gave his name as Frank Carson, said he wanted the turnout to go for a doctor. He said he had been sent by Mr. Jamison, the minister. Of course, it was all a trick and Mr. Jamison knew absolutely nothing about it."

"Did they return the horse and cutter?"

"They did not. And Bryson is mourning the loss of a good horse. The cutter he says did not amount to so much. He would not have let the animal go out, only the fellow begged so hard, stating that it was practically a case of life or death--and he offered to pay double money for the horse's use."

"Were they seen at all?" questioned Ben.

"Oh, yes! A number of people who were stormbound saw them pa.s.s down the street and stop at your house. Then others saw the cutter turn in the direction of Hacklebury."

"Of course you tried to follow?" queried Dave.

"I did that," answered Dunston Porter. "It was tough work getting through as far as the mill town. But I managed it, and made all sorts of inquiries. Two people had seen the cutter pa.s.s the mills, but no one could give me any definite information as to which way it headed after that. You see, it was growing dark by that time, and the snow was coming down so thickly that it was next to impossible to see any great distance in any direction."

"Well, we know they went as far as Hacklebury, and that's something,"

returned Phil hopefully.

"Yes, but it isn't much," came in a rather hopeless tone from Ben.

"I'm afraid they've got away and we'll never see them again, or the miniatures either."

"Oh, don't say that, Ben!" cried Laura, sympathetically. "Pictures, you know, are not like money. Porton and that rascal with him will have no easy time disposing of the miniatures."

"I'll tell you what they may do!" burst out Jessie, suddenly. "They may go to some big city and then send you word that they will return the miniatures provided you will pay them a certain amount of money for so doing."

"Say! I believe that's just what they will do!" cried Dave. "Jessie, I think you've struck the nail right on the head!" and he looked at the girl admiringly.

"I hope they do that--if we don't catch them," returned Ben. "If those miniatures are worth anything like a hundred thousand dollars, I guess my dad would be glad enough to give five or ten thousand dollars to get them back."

"I wouldn't give up the hunt yet, Ben," urged Roger. "Just as soon as this awful storm is over I'd let the authorities in all the big cities, as well as the little ones, know about the theft, and then they can be on the watch for Porton and his confederate. By the way, I wonder who the confederate can be."

"I'm sure I haven't the least idea," answered the real estate dealer's son.

With the disappearance of the Ba.s.swood fortune in their minds, neither the young folks nor the grown folks could talk about much else. Laura and Jessie told the latter's mother how they had fallen in with Dr.

Renwick and his wife, and how the pair had looked after the girls during their stay at the Lamont Hotel.

"It was nice of Mrs. Renwick to do that," said the lady of the mansion; "but it is no more than I would expect from her. She is a very estimable woman."

It was rather hard for Dave and Roger to settle down to their studies on the following morning, but there was nothing they could do to help along the search for those who had taken the miniatures, and, as both youths were anxious to make up for lost time, they applied themselves as diligently as possible.

Mr. Ramsdell had been away, but the tutor came back that afternoon, and the two students put in a full day over their books, leaving Laura, Jessie and Phil to look after the visitors from the West.

The blizzard had now ceased entirely, and by the end of the week all the roads in the vicinity of Crumville were fairly well broken and some of the telegraph and telephone lines had been repaired. The newspapers came in from the larger cities, and it was found that the blizzard had covered a wide area of the country, extending practically from the Mississippi River to the Atlantic seaboard.

"It's given Ward Porton and his confederate a dandy chance to get away," was Roger's comment.

"You're right, Roger," answered Dave. "And so far it would seem that they have left no trace behind them."

From Ben it was learned that Mr. Ba.s.swood was slowly improving in health. He had asked about the miniatures, and the art critics who were to have visited Crumville on the invitation of Mr. Wadsworth.

"We couldn't keep the news from him any longer," said Ben. "When he asked about the pictures my mother broke down and had to confess that she had let Porton take them, thinking he was Dave. Of course, father was very much disturbed, and the doctor had to pay an extra visit and give him something to keep him quiet. I told him that all of us were doing everything we possibly could to get on the track of the thieves, and now he is resting in the hope that sooner or later the miniatures will be recovered."

The loss of the miniatures had taken a good deal of the fun out of Ben, and when the young folks stopping at the Wadsworth mansion went out sleighing again, and for some fun skating, he begged to be excused.

"I wouldn't take the loss too hard, Ben," said Dave, quietly.

"Remember, if the worse comes to the worst, you are just as well off as you were before you heard of this Enos fortune."

"That is true, Dave. But it makes me mad to think that we had such a fortune as that right in our hands and then let it get away from us."

"I suppose your mother feels dreadfully about it?"

"She certainly does, Dave. Why, she isn't herself at all. Sometimes I think that her worrying will bring on a regular fit of sickness. She, of course, thinks that it is entirely her fault that the miniatures are gone."

"You'll have to do all you can to cheer her up."

"Oh, I'm doing that! And I do what I can to cheer up my father too.

Just the same, I'm mighty blue myself at times;" and the real estate dealer's son heaved a deep sigh.

At last came the day when Belle and Cora must return to their homes in the West. On the evening before, Jessie and Laura gave a little party in their honor, which was attended by over a score of the boys and girls of Crumville. The young people played games, sang, and danced to their hearts' content, and Mrs. Wadsworth saw to it that ample refreshments were served to all.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE YOUNG PEOPLE PLAYED GAMES, SANG, AND DANCED TO THEIR HEARTS' CONTENT.--_Page 169._]