University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER VII.
A FRUITLESS PURSUIT.

FOR a few seconds the other boys did not know whether Jerry was joking or in earnest. But when he did not return in a little while they knew he must have meant what he said.

"I don't see anything of Noddy," spoke Ned, looking out of the window whence Jerry had spied their enemy.

"It's getting too dark to see anything," said Bob.

"Well, I guess if Jerry said he saw Noddy he meant it," put in Andy. "I hope he catches him and gives him a good thrashing!"

"Well, boys," exclaimed Mr. Wakefield at that instant, entering their room, "are you all ready for supper?"

"We are," answered Ned.

"Where is Jerry?" asked the athletic instructor, looking around.

"He went out for a little while," replied Ned, quickly, not wishing to state Jerry's real errand. "I guess he'll be back in a short time."

"He doesn't know his way around New York;

I hope he will not get lost," spoke Mr. Wakefield.

"Trust Jerry to find his way back," said Ned. Then the party went down to supper without waiting for the missing member. Meanwhile, Jerry was in hot pursuit of Noddy.

"I wonder what he is doing in New York?" thought Jerry, as he jumped into an elevator that was just going down, and got out on the ground floor.

The boy ran out into the street and glanced in the direction he had seen Noddy taking. The thoroughfare was not crowded, and, though it was getting quite dark, Jerry caught a glimpse of Noddy's back.

"I'll catch him and ask him what he meant about that note he wrote, threatening to get even with us," he thought, as he hurried on.

Noddy had quite a start, and Jerry had some difficulty in getting close to him. He lost a little time at a street crossing, where there were a number of vehicles, and Noddy got farther ahead. Jerry broke into a run when he saw a passage, and hurried on.

Noddy happened to glance back just as Jerry passed beneath an electric light, and seeing he was pursued, started forward at a rapid rate.

The pursuit was getting hot. They had passed from a busy part of the city and were on a street

containing only old buildings. There were less people, too, and Jerry had a good view of Noddy.

Suddenly Noddy turned, shook his fist, and disappeared into a dilapidated tenement house, which he was in front of at the time. With a cry, Jerry bounded forward. As he entered the hallway he bumped into a roughly dressed man, as he could see by the dim light of a lamp suspended at the rear end of the passage.

"Now, then, wot's all this rush about?" demanded the man.

"I beg your pardon," said Jerry, halting.

"Be you the doctor?" asked the man.

"The doctor? No. Why?"

"'Cause he's took bad, an' we've sent fer the doctor. I t'ought you was him."

"Who's sick?" inquired the boy, forgetting for the moment what had brought him to the place.

"He's an old miner. I don't know him, but he come to me, sick an' dead broke, an' I let him sleep in my room. He's off his trolley, I guess, but he says his name is Jim Nestor."

"Jim Nestor!" exclaimed Jerry. He remembered that was the name of the miner in the hut, whom Pender had robbed.

"That's the name he gave."

"Off his trolley?" went on the youth, wondering what form of disease that was.

"Yep. Nutty, you know; bug-house, wheels, crazy, if that suits you better."

"Oh!" replied Jerry, understanding.

"If you ain't the doc. no use of me wastin' my time on you," the man went on. "I'll have to chase out after one."

"I saw the sign of a doctor's office a little way back on this street as I came along," volunteered the boy. "I'll go and stay with the man while you run there."

"Bully for you!" said the man. "Some of the people in this house is afraid of him 'cause he talks in his sleep. You'll find him on the second floor front."

Jerry went up. In a dimly lighted room he saw an old man lying on a bed, covered with ragged quilts. One glance showed Jerry that the man was the miner who had mysteriously disappeared from the hut when they sought to aid him.

Suddenly the sick man opened his eyes. He looked, sharply at Jerry and exclaimed:

"Oh, you've come back, have you? Where is the boy who took my gold?"

"He got away," explained Jerry, realizing that the sick man was in his right senses, for a time at least.

"I remember you," went on the miner. "You and some other boys helped me after I was struck. You left me alone in the cabin. I was afraid the

one who took my gold would come back, so I crawled out. The air made me feel better. I walked to the railroad, got on a freight train, and came here. Then I got sick again.

"Gold! gold! gold!" exclaimed the miner, suddenly. "I see it all around. Millions and millions of it! There is gold for all of us! Do not rob me!"

Jerry knew the man was wandering again. Just then the doctor came in and Jerry, after promising to come back, hurried around to the hotel, where he found his friends worried over his absence. He explained about his chase and the finding of the mysterious miner.

"Did you catch Noddy?" asked Andy.

"I forgot all about him when I saw Nestor," replied Jerry. "I guess Noddy got away, all right, probably out of a back door."

"What are you going to do about the miner?" asked Mr. Wakefield, after supper.

"I'd like to befriend him if we could," said Jerry. "He seems like an honest man."

"I'll go around and see him," remarked the athletic instructor. "Perhaps we can arrange to do something for him."

It was quite late that night when Mr. Wakefield returned from his visit to Jim Nestor. He found the boys up waiting for him.

"It's a queer story," said Mr. Wakefield. "Part

of it I want you to hear for yourselves from him, part I will tell you. It seems that James Nestor, which is his name, found quite a rich claim out in Arizona. He staked it out and, with some of the gold in his possession, came East to see if he could find a former partner he wanted to share in his good luck.

"He reached Cresville and there he was taken sick. He went to the old hut, where you found him, and there, while he was helpless, some one, whom you boys know to be Jack Pender, came along and robbed him.

"Nestor made his way to New York, after his mysterious disappearance from the hut, and he found poor but faithful friends in the tenement house."

"What part of the story do you want him to tell us himself?" asked Ned.

"About his claim--his gold mine," said Mr. Wakefield. "I would rather you get that from him direct."

"Is he very sick?" asked Jerry.

"The doctor thinks he will be around in a few days."

"And what do you propose?" asked Bob, who could see that Mr. Wakefield had something on his mind.

"I think if you boys are going to make a western trip you cannot do better than take this miner

along with you," answered the gentleman. "I talked to him about it, after the doctor had given him some quieting medicine, and he said he would be glad of a chance to get out West."

"Shall we wait here until he gets well?" asked Jerry.

"My plan would be for you boys to make up his fare to Chicago," said Mr. Wakefield, "and let him join you there, say in a week. You can go by auto and he can go by train."

This plan met with the approval of the three chums. They made up a purse for Jim Nestor and arranged for Mr. Wakefield to take it to the miner. The latter did so, and planned for the miner to come on to Chicago when he was well and strong. "The boys will put up at the Grand Hotel," said Mr. Wakefield, passing over the money, which was to be Nestor's fare to Chicago.

"And I'll meet 'em there an' put 'em up against the greatest proposition they ever heard of," promised the miner.