Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-21
10 AND NAT

they're building new houses-we'd have
enough easrv5 to put up shanty on our lot in two
See here, Nat" said Sam the next morn.
ing, half seriously. Il don't know about let
ting you go to the city"
".Hey; why not?" questioned Nat.
lou re satisfied here, and I'm afraid if
You'll get the old tramping fever again, and
Nat smiled confidently.
NOT III II! he cried, gaily I'm reformed,
o "a dheres only, one thing could send me
| nave wondered and wondered what ever
became OF himi but it's no Use. Good-by,
sam! III come back with work contracts
Tor half million, maybe"
toward the city, and then went to work at
competing fence about the office shanty,
task ordered by Mr.. Vesay.
>,l lime mad been, when he first learned all of
Mats story. that he would have hestated
whirlpool of city excitement again. but Nat
weeks. p'''
=, Diligence, patience and ambition had taken
the place of his old-time recklessness he
actually seemed to delight in thinking of the
for "a house, brick by brick nail by nail.
plank by plank. and being the joint possesser
with Sam of the lot promised them by Mr..
He had told Sam of 10 and that bows
strange story, with longing, anxious look in
his face.
Later, be had sent Sam to the vicinity of
tne fercIvai manson to make inquiries con-
corning Dobbs or Mr.. Percival himself, but
no one had seen or heard of either of them,
and Nat, with sigh, decided that all hopes
OF information at the New York end of the
line was closed to him.
He had. however, written and mailed three
letters.
One, was to the postmaster of Newton, and
signed by Sam, asking for information re-
garding boy named 10 Morris.
A. he s reply directed to the general delivery
disappeared from Newton, and his present
whereabouts were unknown.
The other letters were directed to Savan-
nah. One to Mr.; Arnold Percival, telling him
that 10 was seeking for him, and requesting
him, if he received the letter, to write in
reply.
The other was to 10, at Savannah. with a
similar request.
As Nat almost expected when he wrote
these letters, no reply came to either.
His eyes would glow with old-time fire
as he theorized by the hour on the probable
success of Meserve's plots, with 10 Morris,
undaunted, in pursuit of him and his de-
luded uncle, and Sam knew that. if he ever
so affectionately, Nat would not hesitate to
abandon his present life to rejoin and aid the
boy.
Sam had supper ready at six o'clock that
evening; at seven, he began to grow impa-
tient.
Nat had promised that he would surely be
back before dark
Eight o'clock-nine-ten
Sam got weary; and walked outside the
house, scanning the lots in the direction of
the CITY, anxiousiy.
Eleven O'Clock!
"What has happened to Nats He took
some money with him. He can't have PLAN
ned all along to leave me. He certainly
would not be foolish enough to join some
circus or start for the South in quest of 10
Morris?
Sam Taylor tormented himself with a score
of worrying fears. So happy and amicable
had been his experience with Nat, that life
seemed sudden blank at the thought of the
boys leaving him.
"What can have, happened to him? Why
does he not come"
A distant bell rang out twelve clear strokes.
Midnight, but no Nat.
If Sam Taylor had only known!
He had sent Nat to seek work. and work
the boy had found but of very different
kind from any even dreamed of.
For while Sam was Tuning and fretting
over his inexplicable absence Nat was I'M
dergoing a series of adventures as startling
as he had ever known, and destined, it seem.
ed, to once more start him on the trail OF
Meserves evil plottings. and the friend he
SO longed to rejoin and aldo Morris.
TO BE CONTINUED NEXT SUNDAY