Part 28 (1/2)
”Oh, it doesn't a the co about it,” he added to Roger, in a low tone
”All right, I won't if you want it that way,” answered his chum ”Just the sa once er, would he be fool enough to notify me beforehand?” queried our hero, as the pair walked a little distance away fro what a fellow of Link's sta about what he hoped to do rather than go and do it
It's an outrage that he should call you a 'poorhouse nobody'”
”I'd thrash hiet my hands on him,” returned Dave, quickly, and his face showed deep resentone by, his ene a ”poorhouse nobody,” and how he had had to fight his way through until his identity had been established
”Anyway, Dave, this gives you a chance to be on your guard,” went on Roger ”If I were you I'd keep my eyes wide open for Link Merwell”
”I certainly shall, Roger And if I can lay my hands on him I won't be as considerate as I was on Cave Island,” was the answer ”I'll hold hiht to be keeping co a themselves over the letters they had received, and Shadow and Luke soon joined in As was to be expected, the former story-teller of Oak Hall had his usual anecdote to relate, to which the others listened with interest Phil had drawn apart fro the letter he had received a second time His face indicated unusual concern
”Well, I hope you got good news, Phil,” remarked Dave, as the shi+powner's son caer
”No, it's just the opposite,” was the somewhat doleful reply
”What? Do you er, quickly
”It certainly is! Instead of losing twenty to thirty thousand dollars, my dad stands to lose about fifty thousand dollars on that land deal I o”
”Why, how is that?” queried our hero, curiously ”Has the land gone up in value since then?”
”I don't know about the value of the land itself, but it's this way: Since that railroad e, another railroad has coh that territory, and so they bid against the L A & H Then the L A & H
railroad increased their bid, and the other folks did the saive a clear deed to the land, he could sell it for about fifty thousand dollars”
”And hasn't he been able to get any trace of your Uncle Lester?”
”He has so of a clue, but so far he has been unable to locate e state of affairs”
”Won't the railroad co represented in the deed?” questioned Roger
”I don't think so If they illing to do that h without delay It certainly is too bad!” added Phil, with a sigh
”It seeet on the trail of your Uncle Lester soer's coet away from me I'd hire detectives to scour the whole United States for the er” Phil turned to our hero ”You got a letter, didn't you?”
”Not much of a one, Phil” Dave hesitated for a er But don't say anything to the others about it, especially the girls There is no use in worrying theh from that wild man”
The shi+powner's son read the letter Dave had received with interest
”Sure, that's fro almost as well as I know my own,” he declared ”He always uess that shohat kind of a crook he is,” and Phil grinned at his little joke ”What are you going to do about this, Dave?”
”I don't see that there's anything to do about it As I told Roger, if Link shows himself around here I'll do all I can to place hioes to jail”
”It's a beastly shame that any one should write such a note as that,”
went on the shi+powner's son ”You are not a 'poorhouse nobody,' and everybody knows it”