Part 32 (2/2)
After the meal was finished the boys took a walk around the town to see how the place looked at night and thinking they ht possibly run across Gabe Werner
The narrow street with the single boardas croith people, sohest of costu, and h occasionally they would pass a group evidently out of luck and willing to let everybody know it
”No more oil fields for ed past, evidently partly under the influence of liquor ”I've sunk forty-five thousand dollars in wells already, and not a sniff of gas to show for it I'h!”
”That's the other side of the picture,” reot rid of every cent he had, and now he's so downhearted he is taking to drink”
”I don't see where he can get it in these days,” said Fred
”Oh, theypicture theater was open, and a croar inside
The pictures were old and of a wild Western nature, and none of the lads had any desire to see them They passed on and looked into the s of a couple of the general stores, where everything fro seemed to be for sale Then they came to a corner where there was a side street which was littlethis were a dozen or ular row
On the corner was a flaring banner announcing that here was located the Famous California Chop Suey Restaurant Behind the s at half a dozen tables covered with oilcloth
”Look!” exclaih the open door of the restaurant ”There are those sa there--or at least they don't eat there”
”Isn't it queer that they should hang around our hotel and then come down here for ato another man--somebody asn't at our hotel,” said Fred ”Just see how excited they seem to be!” he added quickly, after one of the men drew a paper from his pocket and all of theer of the crowd began to talk to the others very earnestly
”Let us walk down the alleyway, and perhaps we can find out soested Jack ”You say they asked about Lori that ht,” said Fred
The four Rovers turned the corner of the restaurant and walked slowly down the alleyway along a narrow cinder path This path ran close to the side of the building, and here were located several small s, one of them close to where stood the table at which thethat we ran across those Rovers the very day they ca ”If it hadn't been for that they one up to the Lori that would queer the whole thing”
”Oh, I don't think they could do that, Tate,” returned the man whom the lads had not seen before ”You know at the best Spell's claim on the land was not perfectly clear”
”Well, that's how you look at it, Davenport,” said another of the ood hborhood Of course he was a queer dick and all that sort of thing, but in spite of that folks here would want to have Spell's wishes in this matter upheld”
”Oh, I knoe run some risk,” returned the man called Davenport ”But I think the stake is worth it”
”To be sure it is!” came from one of the others
”The question is,” caet at it? Do you think you'll be able to see the documents this et at thee-built man, with coal-black eyes and black hair and his face had a rather cruel expression
”Somebody said that Lorimer Spell placed his valuables in some safe deposit vault,” went on one of the men ”In that case, this Richard Rover wouldn't have them”
”I don't see why not,” said another ”If he beca, and the bank would have to give the documents up”