Ned Wilding's Disappearance Part 18

"Bart has the address; haven't you?"

"Yes, on Forty-fourth street."

"East or west?" asked Frank.

"Neither one, just plain Forty-fourth street."

"I'm sure he said east," Fenn remarked.

"I think it was west," Frank replied.

"Let's flip a coin," said Fenn. "Heads is east and tails is west."

It came down heads, and, following a policeman's directions they started for that section of the city. They reached it, after no little trouble for they took the wrong car once.

"Doesn't look like a very nice neighborhood," said Fenn as they started along East Forty-fourth street. "Still I guess New York is so crowded you can't have much of a choice."

They found the number on East Forty-fourth street, but at the first sight of the big apartment house they knew they had made a mistake, since Ned had told them his aunt lived in a house all to herself, which is quite a distinction in New York.

"Now for the other side of the city," said Frank, as after diligent inquiry, they learned Mrs. Kenfield did not live in the neighborhood they first tried. They boarded a car and were soon at Ned's uncle's home.

"Looks as if it was shut up," remarked Bart.

"I hope we haven't made another mistake," said Fenn.

"It's the right number and it's the right street," replied Bart.

"Yes, and Mrs. Kenfield lives here," put in Frank.

"How can you tell?" asked Bart.

"There's the name on the door plate," Frank answered pointing to the silver plate worked in black letters with the name: "Paul Kenfield."

"Ring the bell harder," suggested Fenn, when no one had answered in response to Bart's first attempt.

"It's an electric bell, and can ring only so hard," Bart answered.

They rang several times and waited.

"The blinds are all closed," spoke Frank, looking up at the windows.

"Folks in New York often do that," replied Bart. "If his aunt wasn't home Ned would have sent us word."

Just then a woman in the next house came to her door.

"Are you looking for Mr. Kenfield?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," replied Bart.

"He sailed for Europe Monday."

"For Europe?" repeated Bart.

"Yes."

"Is Mrs. Kenfield at home?"

"No, I saw her leave the house yesterday just before noon. She told me she had a telegram that some relative was quite ill and she had to go to Chicago. Her servant girl has gone also. The house is shut up."

CHAPTER XVIII

HUNTING FOR NED

For a few seconds the boys did not know what to do. They stood on the steps looking blankly at one another. The woman observed them.

"Were you expecting to call on Mrs. Kenfield?" she asked sympathetically, as she observed they were strangers in New York.

"We came here to visit our chum, Ned Wilding," said Fenn.

"That must have been the boy who went off with Mrs. Kenfield," the woman went on. She described Ned so the chums had no difficulty in knowing it was he whom she had seen.

"You say he went off with Mrs. Kenfield?" asked Bart.

"Yes, just before noon yesterday. He was carrying two valises, one had a red mark on it."

"That's Ned's satchel," said Fenn. "That was some red paint he got on it the day we went over to Jones's Corners to play ball. One of the fellows daubed it on for a joke."

"And he didn't come back?" asked Bart.

"No," replied the woman. "There has been no one at home since Mrs.

Kenfield went away. I understand she is going to stay in Chicago for some time. Her niece is quite ill."

"Well, this is queer," remarked Bart. "I wonder what we had better do."

"If you want to leave a message with me I'll give it to Mrs. Kenfield when she returns," the neighbor went on.

"We're much obliged to you," said Bart, "but I'm afraid that would do little good. Mrs. Kenfield does not know us. Ned is her nephew and when she invited him to stay with her she said he could ask his chums to spend part of the time with him. Well, we're his chums, but where is Ned?"

"I'm sure he didn't come back here," the woman continued. "I have been watching the house pretty constantly ever since Mrs. Kenfield went away, as she asked me to notify any tradesmen, who might call, that she was gone, but that they could send their bills to the house by mail and they would be forwarded to her. I can, however, give you her Chicago address."

"I don't know as that would be of any use, though we're much obliged to you," said Fenn.

"Yes, it would!" exclaimed Bart. "We can wire her and ask where Ned went. She'll probably know."

"Has she got to Chicago yet?" asked Frank.