“well, boys, i certainly wish you luck.”

it was john hixon who spoke, as he shook hands with dave and roger at the railroad station on the following morning.

as arranged, the party of three had had an early breakfast and had lost no time in riding over to the railroad station. they had found the train half an hour late, and dave had lost no time in sending a telegram to crumville stating that he and roger were on the way, and asking that if there was anything of importance to communicate, to send them word either at st. paul or chicago.

the two youths had no accommodations on the train, which was made up of sleeping-cars, an observation-car and a diner. they had made up their minds that they would journey on the train even if they had to sit up in a smoking compartment. but the cars proved to be less than three-quarters filled, and they had but little trouble in obtaining a section. then they settled down as best they could for the long journey to chicago, 184where, of course, they would have to change for the train to the east. they paid for their passage only as far as st. paul, so that they might leave the train at that city if a telegram was received assuring them that everything was all right.

“but i’m afraid we won’t have any such luck, roger,” observed dave, in speaking of this possibility.

“you can’t tell,” answered the senator’s son hopefully. “it’s just possible that laura and jessie may have returned home and explained their disappearance.”

“they’d never stay away so long without sending some word, i’m certain of that,” answered our hero emphatically. “they are not that kind of girls.”

“it certainly would seem so, dave. but you must remember they may have sent some kind of word, and it may not have been received. they may have met some friends, sent a message, and gone off on an automobile tour or a motor-boat voyage.”

dave shook his head. “it won’t do, roger. i know laura and jessie too well. they would want to make sure that the folks at home knew where they were. and they would send us word too. besides that, they wouldn’t go off on any extended trip, such as you mention, unless they had permission from my father and mrs. wadsworth.”

185all through the morning the two young civil engineers discussed the situation from every possible angle, but without arriving at any satisfactory conclusion. at noon they partook of lunch in the dining-car, making this repast last as long as possible, “just to kill time,” as roger expressed it.

“it’s going to be a long-winded trip,” sighed the senator’s son, after they had finished their meal and had walked back to the end of the observation car.

“well, we’ve got to make the best of it, roger,” was dave’s reply. “ordinarily such a trip as this would be fine. think of what grand scenery there is to look at!” and he pointed out with a sweep of his hand.

the long train rumbled onward hour after hour, and the two youths passed the time as best they could, talking, looking at the scenery, and reading the various papers and magazines contained in the car library. at seven o’clock they had dinner, and then sat outside once again until it grew so dark that nothing could be seen.

“well, we might as well go to bed,” remarked dave finally. “which berth do you want, roger—the upper or the lower?”

“it is immaterial to me, dave,” was the answer. “to tell the truth, i don’t think i’m going to do much sleeping.”

“we’ll toss up for it,” was the answer. and 186the toss of the coin gave dave the lower berth.

it proved to be a long, wearisome night for both of them. dave tumbled and tossed on his pillow, trying in a hundred ways to account for the mysterious disappearance of his sister and jessie. were they captives of the gypsies? or had some other dreadful fate overtaken them? then, at a sudden thought, dave sat up in his berth so quickly that he hit his head on the bottom of the berth above.

“i wonder if it’s possible,” he murmured to himself.

he had suddenly remembered how he had lost the two letters from home at the time he had been robbed by nick jasniff of the contents of his pocketbook. if jasniff had read those letters he had learned much about the trouble in crumville with the gypsies, and he had also learned from jessie’s letter that she and laura were contemplating a trip to boston.

“jasniff is bitter against mr. wadsworth for having had him sent to prison,” dave reasoned; “and he is equally bitter against me and my family for what i did in capturing him. he took a train for the east. can it be possible that he is mixed up in this affair?”

this thought sent dave off on a new chain of reasoning, and he became so restless that, instead of trying to go to sleep, he pulled up the shade 187of one of the windows, propped his pillow close against the glass, and lay there thinking and looking out on the star-lit landscape. but at last tired nature asserted itself, and he fell into a fitful doze, from which he did not awaken until it was about time to get up.

“i’ve got a new idea,” he announced to his chum, after the two had washed and dressed and were on their way to the dining-car for breakfast. and thereupon he related his suspicions against jasniff.

“it may be so,” mused the senator’s son. “it would be just like that rascal to go in with those gypsies and try to do your folks and the wadsworths harm.”

on the train the two young civil engineers met several very agreeable people, but they were in no frame of mind to make friends just then. though they did their best to be pleasant, they were glad enough when the train, after a stop at minneapolis, finally rolled into the station at st. paul. here, with only a few minutes to spare, they rushed out to the telegraph office. there was a message for them, and dave tore the envelope open eagerly. one glance at the contents, and his face fell.

“no news of importance,” he announced. “come on. we’ll have to go on to chicago.” and then the journey to the great city of the lakes was renewed.

188at chicago another message awaited them. this was a little longer than the other had been, but gave them scant satisfaction, reading as follows:

“strong suspicions against gypsies who have disappeared. demand for fifty thousand dollars.

“dunston porter.”

“that settles one thing. the girls have been kidnapped,” remarked roger.

“yes. and the kidnappers want fifty thousand dollars,” added dave. he drew a long breath. “well, there’s one satisfaction about this, roger. we know the two girls must be alive.”

“yes, dave. but think of them in the hands of those dirty gypsies!”

“i can hardly bear to think of it, roger. i wish i had those rascals by the neck! i think i could willingly shake the life out of them!”

“so could i! but come on, let us see if we can’t get on the next train bound for albany. there is no use of our going down to new york city.”

the chums were fortunate in getting two upper berths on a train to leave in less than an hour. the run to albany would take less than twenty-four hours, and there they would be able to change to a local train running to crumville.

on the train a surprise awaited them. they 189ran into two of their old school chums, buster beggs and sam day. both of these lads were fat and full of fun, and, having been close chums at school, had gone into business together in the city.

“we’re in the book and stationery line,” announced buster beggs, after a cordial handshaking all around. “we’re doing fine, too. aren’t we, sam? but say, i thought you fellows were learning to be civil engineers and were away out west.”

“we have been out west,” answered dave. “but we are going home on a special errand just now.” and then there was nothing to do but to acquaint buster and sam with what had occurred.

“you don’t mean it!” burst out buster in excitement. “why, that reads like a regular old-fashioned novel!”

“i thought kidnappings like that were a thing of the past,” was sam day’s comment. “i certainly hope you round up those gypsies and rescue the girls.”

“we’ll do it or else know the reason why,” answered roger determinedly.

from buster and sam the two young civil engineers learned much concerning a number of their other school chums. in return, they told a great deal about themselves; and thus the hours passed a little more quickly than they would otherwise 190have done. the four former oak hall students dined together, and managed to make an exchange of berths with some others on the train, so that they were all together in opposite sections that night.

“we’re certainly getting some touches of old times,” remarked dave. “first phil, ben, and shadow, and now you two!”

“i’ll tell you what—we ought to organize that oak hall club we once talked about,” said buster beggs. “then we could hold a reunion once a year.”

“it certainly would be fine,” answered roger, his eyes lighting up with pleasure. “we’ll have to remember that, dave.” and to this our hero nodded approval.

buster and sam left the train at utica, while the two young civil engineers continued on their way to albany. here they had a wait of an hour and a half, and during that time they purchased a couple of newspapers.

“hello, here’s an account of the affair now!” cried roger, pointing to the top of one of the pages.

there was an account nearly a column long, telling of how a search was being instituted for the missing girls and how it was supposed that a demand for money had been made upon mr. wadsworth and mr. porter. it was added that neither 191of the gentlemen would affirm or deny the report.

“that looks to me as if they were warned to keep quiet about the demand for money,” announced dave.

“possibly they were told that if they did not keep quiet something would happen to the girls,” added roger. he closed his teeth with a snap. “oh, i just wish i had my hands on those rascals!”

“it’s maddening, isn’t it, roger, to stand around here and not be able to do anything?” groaned dave. in his mind’s eye he could picture the misery endured by jessie and his sister while they were being held captives.

at last the train for crumville came in, and they lost no time in jumping on board.

“thank heaven, we are on the last leg of this journey!” breathed roger, as they settled down in a seat.

“right you are, roger!” answered dave.

but then their faces grew exceedingly thoughtful. what dire news might await them at their journey’s end?