Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-07

| Not mucn," replied Nat; although it
didn't cost me anything. I'd give it all for .
Would you! Good! That's bargain.
Carry it back to the kitchen, and pick the
best we have from the bill Of fare
| 'HonestT queried Nat.
| Honest. Go ahead"
| Nat did 90 ahead. He laid in the squarest
surprised to note how refreshed mentally and
physically he felt as he left the restaurant.
Poverty isn't such bugbear after all for
spry, wide-awake boy," he soIloquized, his
eyes Frightening, his step buoyant. See here,
Nat Davis, don't give up beatl There's some
thing to think of and something to do. You
| got here from Newton more easily than you
expected. II you could get to Savannah"
There Mats mind drifted, but with forcible
impetus.
first at Charleston, then at Savannah, and so
down the coast, and that Jo Morris would
leave it at the latter city
Perhaps the steamer would stop a day or
two, maybe a week, at these various points
If he could in any way reach Savannah by
boat or rail, he would certainly run across
! 10 in quest of Mr. Percival perhaps witness
and aid in the boys restoration to the care
| of kind relative. and a downfall OF Cyrus
! Meserves plots, and have an opportunity to
, cast in his lot with the boy he had grown to
regard as warm friend, or 60 on with the
| circus
"That's the program" decided Nat en-
| Enthusiastically; "it's the only thing to do. I'll
| try it. / believe that old scamp Dobbs stole
JOS money. If l had change, I'd hook it
back, and hurry on with it. / wish, though,
| / knew who this old sailor Meserve talks
about is. Jo would want to know if he were
here, for it's certainly something about his
| father; but he'll probably know more than
| do, when he reaches Savannah. / helped him
that far, anyway, and I'm very glad of it."
| At noon Nat left the vicinity of the North
River with rather glum>face. He had gone
on the various wharyes. and made diligent IN.
ouiries about the different railroads Leading
| south from New York.
Numerous crafts piled between the great
metropolis and Southern ports, but none
| boarded by Nat wanted an extra passenger on
a work-your-wfv basis
As To the railroads a ferry fee was lacking,
and. besides, Nat learned that there would
be little chance to steal ride on the closely
guarded freight trains;
"That fellow, Cyrus Meserve, and old Dobbs
made me lose the boat" he muttered, as he
walked along II wish / could get even by
making them help me on my way.
And reckless thought came into Mats
mind of squaring the theft Of joe money by
Dobbe, the gardener. i ne chaneed to ilnd
that individual in a condition where the pecu-
lation would be easy.
10 had reason for his fears that Mats ma
ture would not stand every temptation alone
and unbefriended.
NatS cOQe O1 HOTdlty nSiQ couiC qucCL
| IDEAS of restitution. and he walked toward
the Percival mansion with pretty well de-
| fined purpose of making something out Of
visit thther.
| he was doomed to disappointment, how
ever, for he found the house secured, and
man. mailing up the windows, informed him
that the furniture had been carted away and
stored. and that Dobbs would not return as
the place had changed ownership week
previous. ~. -,
and shrewdly surmised that the discovery of
the escape of 10 Morris had probably caused
change in the plans of the schemers.
He knew it was the intention of Meserye
IN have Dobbs leave the house in a week or
so. The disappearance OF 10 had undoubtedly
FASTENED this arrangement.
Dobbs was gone, and the mansion now
ceased to be a point of interest to Nat.
He recalled what he had overhead of the
last conversation between Meserve and Dobbs,
and trid to analyze its import.
He had clue to the movements of Cyrus
Meserve for that day at least-the Central
Hotel.
r,eet the old sailor who had started Percival
On the crazy quest for John Morris with his
IN Meserye's sneering allusion, thought, clever
Nat proved that he regarded the sailor as a
nuisance and an enemy, and it also proved
the sailor to be an unmistakable friend to 10
Morris father, 49,,
Suppose 10 should in some way miss getting
20 Savannah? Suppose Meserve should get
Pereival and this sailor afoat, as he boasted,
without Percival being warned of his true in
tentions. where would 10 and the boys hopes
Of hearing something about his father be
then? %,
explosiyely. "Never thought of it. WIN. this
sailor. being interested in JOS father, must be
friendly to JOS side of the case. IN try and
zee him-Tn try and tell my story to him.
Il might mean Savannah for me- 1t would
certainly be just what 10 would do if he
were here must see him-but how?
All! he had 1.-THE Central Hotel There,
the schemer, Meserye, had told Dobbs, he
intended to meet the old sailor that day.
After diligent inquiries as TO location, Nat
promptly wended his way there.