Part 34 (1/2)
”What did you hear?” questioned Jake Tate quickly
”We heard what you had to say about the Lorimer Spell claim, if youto report it to my Uncle dick at once,” said Andy
At this the men were evidently much disturbed, and Tate pulled Davenport back and whispered so into his ear Then both conferred with Jackson In the ain with Werner close behind thes to suit yourselves up at Colby Hall,” sneered Slugger ”But you'll find it a different story down here”
”Don't you dare to tell any stories about us,” warned Nappy ”If you do you'll get in bad,to stand fro to earn an honest living, we'll have nothing to say to anybody about your past,” answered Jack ”The war is over, and the question of how you aided those Ger of the past”
”Don't you trust 'eet you in bad I know 'eet at you, Werner, and I'll show you what I'll do,”
retorted Jack, and made a move in the direction of the fellow And at this the bully lost no ti He was evidently afraid that the Rovers would hand him over to the authorities
By this tiain
”See here, boys, we don't want any trouble,” said Carson Davenport oilily ”We were only talking about that Lori to Mr Rover's satisfaction in theI only want to ith hi so ht, then,” answered Jack ”You knohereimpression fros in a rougher way down in this oil country than you do up in New York Davenport will straighten out everything with your father”
After this thetheir best to allay the Rovers' suspicions Nappy and Slugger listened with interest, as did also Werner, who, however, kept out of reach of Jack and his cousins
”We er presently, and turned and hurried up the narrow street, and Gabe Werner went after them Then, a moment later, the un
”I suppose we ht you are!” declared Randy ”The best thing we can do is to let Uncle dick know about this”
They found dick Rover sitting in a corner of the hotel porch talking to an old oil ht a letter of introduction
”This is Mr Nick Ogilvie,” said Jack's father after introducing the boys ”He will take charge of any operations we may commence in this territory He is an old oil hly”
The boys sat down to listen to what the old oil ilvie re that he would be around again the next day As soon as he had departed the boys, , told Jack's father of all they had learned concerning Carson Davenport and the men associated with him dick Rover listened with intense interest, his face clouding as they proceeded
”This is certainly news, and I'll have to investigate it thoroughly,” he declared, when they had finished ”Evidently this Carson Davenport is a worse sharper than I thought”
”He says he can explain everything to your satisfaction,” said Jack
”But I don't see how it can be done”
”Nor I, either,” declared Randy ”My opinion is that they are a bunch of crooks and nothing else”
”Evidently they think they have some sort of claim on the Spell land,”