Part 26 (1/2)
Now that he was really going to leave home, Mrs. Wadsworth, as well as Laura and Jessie, took it upon their shoulders to see that Dave should be properly taken care of so far as wearing apparel went.
”But oh, Dave! it's awful to think of your going so far away!” said Jessie, one day, when the two were alone in the library. ”The house will be dreadfully lonely after you are gone.”
”It won't be much different from when I was at Oak Hall, Jessie,” he answered.
”Oh, yes, it will be, Dave. Texas is a long way off. And my father says the construction work that the Mentor Company is doing is close to the Mexican border. What if you should have trouble with some of those awful Mexican bandits?” and the girl shuddered.
”I don't expect any trouble of that kind. Practically all the fighting that has been going on has been on Mexican soil on the other side of the Rio Grande. As I understand it, the nearest point that the Mentor Construction Company reaches to Mexico is some miles from the border.”
”Well, that's close enough with so much fighting going on,” Jessie pouted. ”I don't want any of those awful Mexican revolutionists to fire at you.”
”Don't worry, Jessie,” Dave answered; and then caught her by both hands and drew her closer. ”You're going to write to me regularly, aren't you?” he continued, earnestly.
”Of course, Dave! And don't you forget to answer every letter,” she replied quickly.
”Oh, I'll do that, never fear!”
”And do you really think you are going to enjoy becoming a civil engineer?”
”I'm positive of it, Jessie. The more I see of the profession, the more I am in love with it. It's a wonderful thing. Just think of being able to plan out a great big bridge across a broad river, or some wonderful dam, or a tall sky-sc.r.a.per, or an elevated railroad, or a tunnel under a gigantic mountain, or a tube under some river, or--”
”Oh, my gracious me, Dave! are you going to do all those wonderful things?” gasped the girl, her eyes opening widely.
”I don't expect I'll ever have the chance to do all those things, Jessie; but I'm going to try my best to do some of them. Of course, you must remember that at the present time civil engineering is divided into a great many branches. Now, for instance, I didn't mention anything about mining engineering, and that's a wonderful profession in itself.”
”Oh, Dave! it's wonderful--simply wonderful!” cried the girl. ”And you are going to be a wonderful man--I know it!” and she looked earnestly into his eyes.
”If I ever do get to be a wonderful man, it's going to be on your account, Jessie,” he returned in a low voice. ”You have been my inspiration. Don't forget that;” and he drew her closer than before.
”Oh, Dave!”
”It's true, Jessie. And I only hope that I'll make good--and that too before I am very much older. Then I think you already know what I am going to do?”
”What?” she whispered, and dropped her eyes.
”I am going to ask your folks for your hand in marriage,” he continued firmly, reading his answer in her face.
Word had come in from Roger that he too was getting ready to go to Texas, and that both of the youths were to work together, as had been antic.i.p.ated. As the senator's son was in Was.h.i.+ngton, it was arranged that Dave was to join him in the Capitol City, and then the two were to journey to Texas.
Ben had heard about Dave's proposed departure for the South, and he came over several times to see his former Oak Hall chum before the latter left home.
”Any news regarding the miniatures?” questioned Dave, during the last of these visits.
”Not much,” answered the real estate dealer's son. ”The police thought they had one or two clues, but they have all turned out to be false.
They arrested one fellow in Pittsburgh, thinking he was Tim c.r.a.psey, but he turned out to be somebody else.”
”Then they haven't any word at all about Ward Porton?”
”No, that rascal seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth.”