Dave Porter on Cave Island: or, A Schoolboy's Mysterious Mission

“They said Florida. But Florida is pretty big, you know,” and Dave smiled faintly.

“Jessie is awfully downcast over this, and so is Mrs. Wadsworth – in fact, we all are.”

“I know it, Laura.” Dave drew a long breath. “It’s awfully hard to sit still and do nothing. I imagine Mr. Wadsworth can’t sleep for thinking of the affair.”

“I heard Mrs. Wadsworth talking last night to him. I didn’t mean to listen, Dave, but before I could get away I heard her say that if it was necessary she would give up this house to live in and move to a smaller place! Think of it! Why, her very heart is set on this house and these fine grounds! And Jessie thinks the world of them, too!”

“It would be awfully hard if they did have to give them up, Laura.”

“Dave, can’t father or Uncle Dunston help them, if they need help?”

“They have helped Mr. Wadsworth already – loaned him twenty thousand dollars so that he could put that new addition to the works. They also indorsed his note covering the safe return of the jewels. If those jewels aren’t gotten back, and Mr. Wadsworth can’t make good on that note, father and Uncle Dunston will have to pay the money.”

“All of it?”

“As much as Mr. Wadsworth can’t pay. And the worst of the whole matter is, Laura, just at present father and Uncle Dunston have their ready money tied up in such a manner that they can’t get hold of it excepting at a great loss. Oh, it certainly is a terrible state of affairs!” And Dave shook his head, gravely.

During that week Ben had Shadow Hamilton and Buster Beggs visit him. Of course, the new arrivals had to hear all about the robbery, and they came over with Ben to call on the other boys, and on the girls.

“This is fierce!” was Buster’s comment. “And Ben says you rather suspect Merwell and Jasniff,” he added, in a whisper.

“We do, but don’t say anything to any outsiders about it,” answered Dave.

“Say, that puts me in mind of a story,” said Shadow. “A little girl once – ”

“Wow! Cut it out, Shadow!” burst out Phil.

“Stories don’t go with robberies,” supplemented Roger.

“Let him tell it,” put in Dave, with a faint smile. “It will relieve his mind, and I guess I need a little fun to brace me up – I’ve been so depressed lately.”

“This isn’t so very much of a story,” went on Shadow, as all looked at him. “Dave telling Buster not to let outsiders know put me in mind of it. Once the mother of a little girl told her that her uncle had been naughty and had been put in prison for it. Said the mother, ‘Now, Lucy, don’t tell anybody.’ So Lucy went out to play and pretty soon, when she had all her companions around her she said, ‘What do you think my ma said? She said that when anybody has an uncle in prison, like my uncle is, you mustn’t tell anybody. So I’m not going to tell a single person!’”

“Well, I guess the boys know what I mean,” said Dave, after a short laugh. “I want you to keep this to yourselves. Don’t spread it any further. It may be that I am mistaken, and if so, and Merwell and Jasniff heard of what I have said, they would come down on me like a ton of bricks – and I’d not blame them.”

In the afternoon, urged by Mrs. Wadsworth, the boys went skating, taking the girls with them. On the ice they met Nat Poole, but the money-lender’s son did not speak to them, indeed he did his best to keep out of their way.

“He hasn’t forgotten New Year’s Eve,” said Ben. “He had better keep his distance, unless he wants to get into more trouble.”

“Wonder what he thinks of the robbery?” mused Dave.

“We might get Buster to pump him,” suggested Phil. “He is on pretty good terms with Nat, – that is, they are not open enemies.”

Buster was appealed to and he readily agreed to do the “pumping,” provided the money-lender’s son had anything to say. He skated off by himself and then threw himself in Nat’s way, and was gone the best part of half an hour.

“Well, did you learn anything?” queried Roger, when the stout youth returned.

“I guess I did!” cried Buster. “Say, I think Nat Poole is about as mean as they make ’em!” he burst out. “And he hasn’t a grain of good, hard common-sense!”

“What did he say?” demanded Phil.

“Oh, he said a lot of things, about the robbery, and about the Wadsworths and the Porters. First he said he didn’t believe the jewels were nearly as valuable as Mr. Wadsworth represented them to be, and the manufacturer was kicking up a big fuss just as a sort of advertisement. Then he said there was a report that Dave had been seen in front of the works just a few minutes before the explosion, and that that looked mighty suspicious to him.”

“The mean fellow!” muttered Roger.

“I told him that you and Roger were going to the Wadsworth house at the time, and were home when the watchman telephoned, but he only tossed his head as if he didn’t believe a word of it, and said he guessed Dave could tell something if he was of a mind to talk.”

“If that isn’t Poole to a T!” cried Phil.

“If I were you, Dave, I’d punch his head for him,” was Shadow’s advice.

“That wouldn’t do any good,” said Ben. “You can’t stop Nat from talking any more than you can stop water from running out of a sieve.”

“Which puts me in mind of another story,” burst out Shadow, eagerly. “Once two men – ”

“Oh, Shadow, another?” cried Buster, reproachfully.

“I know that story – it’s moss-covered with age,” announced Roger.

“What is it?” demanded the story-teller of Oak Hall.

“Two men – bet – carry water in a sieve – bet taken – water frozen. Ha! ha! Shadow, I got you that time.”

“Well, it’s a good story anyway,” answered Shadow, ruefully.

“I shan’t attempt to stop Nat unless he makes some direct accusation,” said Dave, calmly. “What would be the use? It would only make matters worse.”

“If you took notice of what he says, some folks would begin to think there was something in it,” said Phil. “Yes, better drop Nat. He isn’t worth bothering about, anyway. Just the same, it is mean for him to speak in this fashion.”

“He wouldn’t be Nat Poole if he didn’t,” retorted Roger.

Despite this incident, the boys and girls managed to have a good time on the ice, and for an hour or two Dave forgot his troubles and those of his friends.

“What are you going to do for the rest of the vacation, Dave?” said Roger, that evening. “You know you promised to come to my home.”

“Yes, and you promised to visit me, too,” added Phil. “You haven’t been to our house in a long time.”

“To tell the truth, I haven’t the heart to go anywhere,” answered Dave, soberly. “I guess I had better stay here and see if something doesn’t turn up.”

“Well, I can’t blame you,” said the senator’s son, and Phil said the same.

CHAPTER XIV – OFF FOR THE SOUTH

Two days later, when Roger was packing up, getting ready to return home, he received a letter from Luke Watson that filled him with interest. Luke had gone to St. Augustine, Florida, to join his folks, who were spending the winter there.

“Here’s news!” burst out the senator’s son, as he came rushing to Dave and Phil with the epistle. “This letter is from Luke Watson, you know his folks are in Florida. Well, on his way to St. Augustine, Luke stopped for a day at Jacksonville. Listen to what he says:

“‘I was walking down one of the main streets of Jacksonville, looking into the shop windows, when what do you think? I saw Link Merwell and Nick Jasniff. You could have knocked me over with a feather, for I hadn’t imagined that they were anywhere near. They were nattily dressed and each carried a small valise, and they were buying caps and some other things for a sea voyage. I went into the shop and called to them, and my! both of them jumped as if they were shot, and Merwell got so pale I thought he was going to faint. I said “Hello,” but they didn’t answer to that, and Jasniff at once wanted to know if I was alone. When I told him I was he seemed mightily relieved, and Merwell looked relieved, too. They wanted to know what I was doing there and I told them. Then I asked what they were doing, but I couldn’t get any straight answer. Merwell started to say something about going to sea, but Jasniff stopped him short, and said they guessed they would go back to New York, where they had come from.