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Page 2
"So you have entire charge of the search," said Sandy, tentatively.
"Yes," was the reply, "except for Joe Ventner. He's a detective sent
on from New York by this Burlingame person, the lawyer to whom I
referred a short time ago."
"What part of the world is he searching?" asked Will.
"He seems to think that the boys ran away because of some childish
prank put on by them the night before. They broke some windows in a
couple of shanties down by the tracks, or, at least, the other boys
say they did, and Joe thinks they ran away because of that. He
accounts in that way for them not calling after their pay envelopes."
"So he thinks they've gone out of the country, does he."
"Yes," was the reply. "He comes back here every few days to ask if I
have heard anything regarding the youngsters, and then goes away
again. If you leave it to me, I don't think the fellow is working
very hard in the case. There's a half a dozen saloons in a little
dump of a place about ten miles away, and my idea is that he puts in a
good deal of his time there."
"You don't seem to take to this detective?" asked George.
"Oh, I don't know, as he's so much worse than the average private
detective," replied the caretaker. "He's out for his day's wages, and
the easier he can get them, the better it suits him."
"So you don't know who wants these boys, or what they're wanted for?"
asked Will. "Lawyer Burlingame never took you into his confidence so
far as to post you on the details of the case?"
"He never did!" answered the caretaker.
"Is he liberal with his money?" asked George.
"He pays all the bills I send in," was the answer. "And seems to keep
this bum detective pretty well supplied with ten dollar bills."
"We may have to investigate this investigator!" laughed Sandy.
"Did Mr. Horton say anything to you about your lodgings while here?"
asked the caretaker. "It's getting too cold here for me, and we may
as well be shifting to warmer quarters."
"You said a short time ago," Will began, "that you rather thought we
ought to begin this search in the mine itself."
"That's my idea!" answered the caretaker.
"Do you think the boys are hiding in the mine?"
"Well, there are some things connected with the case which point in
that direction," replied Canfield. "For instance, there's a lot of
queer things going on underground."
"Ghosts?" demanded Tommy.
"You're not steering us up against a haunted mine, are you?" asked
George with a wink at his chum. "That would be too good to be true!"
"I haven't said anything about ghosts or haunted mines," chuckled the
caretaker. "I'm only saying that there are queer things taking place
in the mine. Now there's Tunnel Six," he went on, "I have seen lights
there with my own eyes, when I know there wasn't a person within two
miles of the spot except myself. And I've heard noises, too! These
unaccountable noises which make a man think of graveyards and ghosts."
"But why should two healthy, active boys want to seek such a hiding
place?" asked Will. "It certainly can't be very pleasant in the dark
and damp tunnels! Besides, where would they get their provisions?"
"I'm not arguing the case, lads," the caretaker replied, "I'm placing
the case in your hands without instructions. I only suggest that you
look in the mine first, but you don't have to do that unless you want
to!"
"I don't see how we can find fault with that arrangement!" laughed
Will. "And now," he went on, let's arrange about our lodgings. In the
first place, who knows that we are here on this job?"
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