Joe the Hotel Boy; Or Winning out by Pluck Read online

  CHAPTER II.

  A MYSTERIOUS CONVERSATION.

  The old hunting lodge where the two boys had sought shelter was arambling affair, consisting of a square building built of logs, and halfa dozen wings, running to the rear and to one side. There were also twopiazzas, and a shed, where wood had been kept for winter use.

  "In another year or two this old lodge will fall down," remarked Ned, ashe gazed around him.

  "It must have been a nice place in its day," returned Joe. "What a pityto let it run down in this fashion."

  "The rain is coming around on this side now, Joe; let us shift to theother."

  The hermit's boy was willing, and watching their chance, between thedownpours, they ran around to another portion of the old lodge.

  "It certainly is a little better here," observed Joe, as he dashed thewater from his cap.

  A minute later the rumbling of the thunder ceased for the time being,and they heard a murmur of voices coming from one of the rooms of thelodge.

  "Why, somebody must be here!" ejaculated Ned. "Who can it be?"

  "Two men, by their voices," answered the hermit's boy. "Wait till I takea look at them?"

  "Why not go in?" questioned the rich youth, carelessly.

  "They may not be persons that we would care to meet, Ned. You know thereare some undesirable characters about the lake."

  "That's true."

  Not far off was a narrow window, the panes of glass of which had longsince been broken out. Moving toward this, Joe peered into the apartmentbeyond.

  Close to an old fireplace, in which a few sticks of half-green timberwere burning, sat two men. Both were well dressed, and Joe rightfullysurmised that they were from the city. Each wore a hunting outfit andhad a gun, but neither had any game.

  "We came on a wild-goose chase," grumbled one, as he stirred the fire."Got nothing but a soaking for our pains."

  "Never mind, Malone," returned the other, who was evidently the bettereducated of the two. "As we had to make ourselves scarce in the citythis was as good a place to come to as any."

  "Don't you think they'll look for us here?"

  "Why should they? We were sharp enough not to leave any trail behind--atleast, I was."

  "Reckon I was just as sharp, Caven."

  "You had to be--otherwise you would have been nabbed." Gaff Cavenchuckled to himself. "We outwitted them nicely, I must say. We deservecredit."

  "I've spent more than half of what I got out of the deal," went on PatMalone, for such was the full name of one of the speakers.

  "I've spent more than that. But never mind, my boy, fortune will favorus again in the near future."

  A crash of thunder drowned out the conversation following, and Joehurried back to where he had left Ned.

  "Well, have you found out who they are?" demanded the rich youth,impatiently.

  "No, Ned, but I am sure of one thing."

  "What is that?"

  "They are two bad men."

  "What makes you think that?"

  "They said something about having to get out of the city, and one spokeabout being nabbed. Evidently they went away to avoid arrest."

  At this announcement Ned Talmadge whistled softly to himself.

  "Phew! What shall we do about it?" he asked, with a look of concern onhis usually passive face.

  Joe shrugged his shoulders.

  "I don't know what to do."

  "Let us listen to what they have to say. Maybe we'll strike some clew towhat they have been doing."

  "Would that be fair--to play the eaves-dropper?"

  "Certainly--if they are evildoers. Anybody who has done wrong ought tobe locked up for it," went on Ned boldly.

  With caution the two boys made their way to the narrow window, and Nedlooked in as Joe had done. The backs of the two men were still towardsthe opening, so the lads were not discovered.

  "What is this new game?" they heard the man called Malone ask, after apeal of thunder had rolled away among the mountains.

  "It's the old game of a sick miner with some valuable stocks to sell,"answered Gaff Caven.

  "Have you got the stocks?"

  "To be sure--one thousand shares of the Blue Bell Mine, of Montana, saidto be worth exactly fifty thousand dollars."

  "Phew! You're flying high, Gaff!" laughed Pat Malone.

  "And why not, so long as I sell the stocks?"

  "What did they cost you?"

  "Well, they didn't cost me fifty thousand dollars," and Gaff Cavenclosed one eye suggestively.

  "You bet they didn't! More than likely they didn't cost you fiftydollars."

  "What, such elegantly engraved stocks as those?"

  "Pooh! I can buy a bushel-basket full of worthless stocks for a dollar,"came from Pat Malone. "But that isn't here nor there. I go into the dealif you give me my fair share of the earnings."

  "I'll give you one-third, Pat, and that's a fair share, I think."

  "Why not make it half?"

  "Because I'll do the most of the work. It's no easy matter to find avictim." And Gaff Caven laughed broadly. He had a good-appearing face,but his eyes were small and not to be trusted.

  "All right, I'll go in for a third then. But how soon is the excitementto begin?"

  "Oh, in a week or so. I've got the advertisements in the papersalready."

  "Not in New York?"

  "No, it's Philadelphia this time. Perhaps I'll land one of our Quakerfriends."

  "Don't be so sure. The Quakers may be slow but they generally know whatthey are doing."

  More thunder interrupted the conversation at this point, and when itwas resumed the two men talked in such low tones that only an occasionalword could be caught by the two boys.

  "They surely must be rascals," remarked Ned, in a whisper. "I'm half ofa mind to have them locked up."

  "That's easier said than done," answered Joe. "Besides, we haven't anypositive proofs against them."

  The wind was now rising, and it soon blew so furiously that the two boyswere forced to seek the shelter of the woodshed, since they did notdeem it wise to enter the lodge so long as the two men were inside. Theywaited in the shed for fully half an hour, when, as suddenly as it hadbegun, the storm let up and the sun began to peep forth from between thescattering clouds.

  "Now we can go home if we wish," said Joe. "But for my part, I'd like tostay and see what those men do, and where they go to."

  "Yes, let us stay by all means," answered the rich youth.

  They waited a few minutes longer and then Ned suggested that they lookinto the window of the lodge once more. The hermit's boy was willing,and they approached the larger building with caution.

  Much to their astonishment the two strangers had disappeared.

  "Hullo! what do you make of that?" cried Ned, in amazement.

  "Perhaps they are in one of the other rooms," suggested Joe.

  At the risk of being caught, they entered the lodge and looked into oneroom after another. Every apartment was vacant, and they now saw thatthe fire in the fireplace had been stamped out.

  "They must have left while we were in the woodshed," said Ned.

  "Maybe they are out on the lake," answered the hermit's boy, and he randown to the water's edge, followed by his companion. But though theylooked in every direction, not a craft of any kind was to be seen.

  "Joe, they didn't take to the water, consequently they must have left byone of the mountain paths."

  "That is true, and if they did they'll have no nice time in gettingthrough. All the bushes are sopping wet, and the mud is very slippery inplaces."

  They walked to the rear of the lodge and soon found the footprints ofthe two strangers. They led through the bushes and were lost at a smallbrook that ran into the lake.

  "There is no use of our trying to follow this any further," said Joe."You'll get your clothing covered with water and mud."

  "I don't intend to follow," answered Ned. "Just the same, I should liketo know more about those fellows."

&
nbsp; "I wish I had seen their faces."

  "Yes, it's a pity we didn't get a better look at them. But I'd knowtheir voices."

  By the time they gave up the hunt the sun was shining brightly. Bothwalked to where the boat had been left, and Joe turned the craft overso that the water might run out. Then he mopped off the seats as best hecould.

  Ned wanted to go directly home, and he and Joe rowed the craft in thedirection of Riverside. As they passed along the lake shore the hermit'sboy noted that several trees had been struck by lightning.

  "I'm glad the lightning didn't strike the lodge while we were there,"said he.

  "It was certainly a severe storm while it lasted, Joe. By the way, shallI say anything about those two men?"

  "Perhaps it won't do any harm to tell your father, Ned."

  "Very well, I'll do it."

  Soon Riverside was reached, and having paid for the fish and the outing,Ned Talmadge walked in the direction of his residence. Joe shoved offfrom the tiny dock and struck out for his home. He did not dream of thecalamity that awaited him there.