Chapter XIII Fun at a Railroad Station - The Rover Boys under Canvas by Edward Stratemeyer
"There may be a good deal in this, and there may be nothing at all,"
were Tom Rover's words, after he had listened to the story the boys had to tell. "This may be a perfectly legitimate business transaction, although, as I have said before, Nelson Martell has been known to go into more than one shady transaction here in Wall Street. Generally, however, he just manages to escape falling into the clutches of the law."
"Yes, but Dad! you must remember how Mr. Brown tried to treat old Barney Stevenson," broke in Randy.
"Yes, I remember that," answered his father. "And I have heard that Brown is no more reliable than is Martell. But to know a fact is one thing, to prove it in a court of law is another."
"And those two strangers were certainly Germans," said Andy.
"I'll look into this a little further as soon as I get time," said Tom Rover, after a moment of thought. "And perhaps I'll speak to one of the Secret Service men about it. It certainly will do no harm to have these men watched for a few days."
A little later Tom Rover was through with his labors at his office, and then he and the boys returned to the homes on Riverside Drive. The father of the twins had to go out in the evening, and the boys spent the time at home with their mothers and the girls.
"We can't go straight through to Haven Point this morning," announced Jack, on the following day, when they had arrived at the railroad terminal. "They are shipping some soldiers and some naval supplies, and the road is somewhat balled up. The gateman told me we should have to make two changes."
All of the mothers had come down to see the young folks off. Jack and Fred, as well as their sisters, felt particularly sorry for their parents, now left entirely alone so far as their own families were concerned.
"But never mind, Ma," said Martha. "The term at Clearwater Hall will soon be at an end, and then we'll be home again."
"And don't forget that we are to pay a visit to Camp Huxwell if the authorities will permit it and dad is still there," added Mary to her parent.
"Sure! we'll all go," cried Fred.
Owing to war conditions, there was no parlor car on the train, but the boys and girls managed to get seats together, for which they were thankful. They made themselves as comfortable as possible, and then settled down to read their newspapers and magazines, or gaze out of the window at the scenes which were flashing by.
There was no dining car on this train, but from the conductor the young folks learned that they would have to change at a place called Raymonton, and they would there have half an hour in which to get lunch.
"I can get all I want in less time than that, provided it's to be had," said Fred. "We can go to the lunch room just as soon as the train gets in."
Raymonton was nothing but an overgrown village containing but a handful of stores, a church, a garage, and a canning factory, with the houses occupying half a dozen straggly-looking streets. There was only a small and not an altogether inviting-looking lunch room, and here the bill-of-fare was decidedly meagre.
A tall, angular Irish girl waited on them. She was pleasant enough, and smiled broadly at the twins' jokes. She served them with sandwiches, cake, pie, and hot chocolate, and they also purchased from her a bag of grapes and pears.
"I told you we'd have plenty of time," remarked Fred, looking at a clock on the wall. "We have still ten minutes to spare."
"I think I'll get a shoe-shine," said Jack. "I saw a bootblack outside roaming around doing nothing. If I give him work it may keep him out of mischief."
At the end of the railroad platform was a stand devoted to the sale of newspapers and periodicals, chewing gum and candy. There was also a rack with postcards, and the girls busied themselves at this, picking out such cards as they desired. Not far from where the stand was located stood a long auto-stage, marked "_Raymonton to Clappville.
Fare 10 Cents._" On the seat of the stage sat an elderly driver, smoking, and the bus contained one or two men and several women and children, evidently waiting for the stage to start on its journey.
Jack had just finished having his shoes polished when he and the other boys noticed a man at the newsstand talking to the proprietor. Both men appeared to be out of sorts.
"Sorry, Sir, but you can't have that magazine!" they heard the stand keeper exclaim.
"I'd like to know why not!" demanded the would-be customer. "I am ready to pay for it."
"That's all right--but you can't have it! I get only two copies of that magazine, and one is for the hotel and the other for Doctor Johnson's daughter. They both take it regular."
"Humph! I guess you don't want any customers," growled the other man savagely. "Well, if you don't want to sell me any of your old magazines you can keep them! I guess I can get all the magazines I want elsewhere." And the man stalked off in haughty anger.
The boys had watched this scene and listened to the talk with much interest. They had recognized in the would-be customer Asa Lemm, the professor who previous to his discharge from that institution had made life so miserable for them at Colby Hall.
"I'm glad the fellow didn't let him have the magazine," said Fred.
"Gee, I wish we could put one over on old Lemm!" whispered Andy.
"I wonder what he is doing in this town?" queried Randy.
"I think I can answer that," replied Jack. "I once heard that he had some relative--a brother I think--living at Clappville. Maybe he came from there, or is going over to that town in the stage."
Without allowing themselves to be noticed, Andy and Randy kept their eyes on Asa Lemm and saw him hurry over to one of the stores on the main street of the town, where a number of magazines were displayed in the window. He came out of the place, however, empty-handed, and looking more sour than ever. In the meantime Jack sauntered up to the keeper of the stand at the railroad station.
"Not a very pleasant sort of a fellow, that," he remarked.
"Say, that fellow makes me tired!" growled the newsstand man. "I have a run-in with him nearly every time he comes here. The last time it was over a plugged ten-cent piece he tried to pass on me. When I handed it back to him and told him I wanted a good one, he was as peppery as sin."
A minute or two later the driver of the auto-stage tooted his horn to show that he was about ready to start on the trip. At once several men and women came running from various directions and began to enter the stage. The last man to arrive was Asa Lemm. He had picked up a valise and a bundle from somewhere, and he had to stand in the rear, waiting for those ahead to enter the stage.
"I suppose there won't be any seat for me by the time I get aboard,"
he grumbled to the driver.
"Ain't my fault," answered the stage driver calmly. "If you don't want to stand, you can wait until the next trip."
"I haven't time to wait. I'll crowd in somehow," grumbled Asa Lemm.
While this was going on, Andy and Randy had come up close behind the professor. Both were wondering if they could not play some sort of trick on him before he departed.
The newsstand was similar to many of that kind, and on two sides of it were long rows of periodicals, fastened by clips to a wire held in place by small hooks. Watching his chance, Andy unfastened the end of one of these wires, and motioned to his twin to unhook the other end.
"Now I guess we'll fix Mr. Asa Lemm!" muttered Andy, and with a quick move he came up behind the former teacher of Colby Hall and twisted one end of the wire around a back button of Asa Lemm's cutaway coat.
By this time all of the others had gotten into the stage, and, being somewhat in a hurry, the driver made a move as if to start away.
"Hi there! Wait till I get in!" shouted Asa Lemm and threw his bags and his bundle into the stage. Then he got on to the stage step and the driver started off.
"Hello, look at that!"
"Say, what is that fellow dragging behind him?"
"Hi, Mr. Gasaway! That fellow is running away with your magazines!"
"Talk about the tail of a kite--this beats any kite tail I ever saw!"
Such were some of the cries that rent the air as the stage started away from the depot. On the step, clutching the handrails, was Asa Lemm, and streaming out behind him was the wire, loaded with magazines and picture papers.
"Hi you! Come back here!" roared the stand keeper in bewilderment.
"What do you mean by running off with my stuff? Come back, I say!"
and, throwing up a flap of the counter, he ran out of his stand and after the auto-stage.
Asa Lemm did not know what to make of the hullaballoo. People were rushing toward the stage from all directions, and many were pointing their fingers at him. He felt a tug in the rear, but could not put his hand back to the button on which the wire was fastened for fear of falling from the stage step.
"Stop that stage! Stop that stage, I tell you!" bawled the newsstand keeper. "He's running off with my magazines!"
And then the crowd set up a roar of laughter.
"I ain't got no time to waste. I'm behind time already!" yelled back the auto-stage driver. "What do you want, anyway?"
"Oh, my! did you ever?" screamed Martha, dropping several of the postcards she had purchased.
"Just look at all those magazines dangling after that man!" screamed Mary. And then, as she caught sight of Andy and Randy, both doubled up with laughter, she continued: "I'm sure those twins must have done it!"
Jack and Fred had also come up, and both were on a broad grin. In the meanwhile the stage moved on with Asa Lemm still dragging the wire and the periodicals attached to it behind him.
"Hurrah! he believes in loading up on information!" cried Andy gaily.
"He's what you can call a real live wire!" added his twin.
"Come back with those magazines, I tell you!" bawled the stand keeper, shaking his fist at Asa Lemm. "Come back, I say!" And then he set off on a run after the stage.
He could not catch up to the vehicle, but he did catch up to the end of the wire, and as he stepped on this there was a tearing sound from beyond, and away came the button from Asa Lemm's coat, bringing with it a strip of cloth.
"Hurrah, he's got his magazines back!" exclaimed Randy.
"And a souvenir of Asa Lemm's coat to remember him by!" added his brother.
Just as Andy said this a train came rolling into the station.
"I hope that is our train," cried Fred.
The boys ran around to the other side of the station and found out from the conductor that the train which had come in was that for which they had been waiting. They at once called to the girls; and all lost no time in hurrying on board.
"Wait! I want to see the end of this!" cried Andy, and threw up a window. He stuck out his head, and as the train rolled away from Raymonton he was just in time to see Asa Lemm pulled from the step of the auto-stage by the irate man from the newsstand. Then the former Hall professor was tripped up and sent flat on his back in the dust of the road.