Chapter IX. At the Wild West Show - The Rover Boys on the Farm by Edward Stratemeyer
As my old readers know, Putnam Hall was located not far from the village of Cedarville on Cayuga Lake. To get to the school the boys had to take a train to Ithaca and then board a little lake steamer stopping at Cedarville and various other points along the shore.
"It seems a long time since we were at the Hall," observed Dick, as they settled down in the train.
"And what a lot of things have happened since then!" exclaimed Sam. "I can tell you what, we'll have a story to tell to the others, won't we?"
"I guess Songbird, Fred, and Hans Mueller have already told everything," returned Tom. "More than likely Songbird has concocted some verses about it."
The run to Ithaca took several hours, and they lunched at noon in the dining car. It was a beautiful day, and the boys enjoyed the scenery as much as if they had never seen it before.
"I hope we can make a good connection for Cedarville," said Sam as they left the train and started for the dock from which the Golden Star made her trips on the lake. But they were doomed to disappointment, the steamboat had had a break-down and would be delayed two hours or more.
As there was nothing to do but to wait, the boys checked their dress-suit cases and then started for a stroll through the city. They soon learned that a wild west show was giving an exhibition there and consequently the place was crowded with folks from the surrounding districts.
"I shouldn't mind going to the wild west show," observed Tom. "Do you think we have time?"
"We could spend an hour there anyway," answered Sam.
"It depends on where the show is to be held," came from Dick.
They soon ascertained that the show grounds were not far off, and made their way thither. The exhibition had already started, and they got inside the big tent-like enclosure as speedily as possible.
The show was a fairly good one, and the boys thoroughly enjoyed the trick riding by cowboys, and the fancy rifle shooting. Then came some wild riding by real Indians.
"Almost makes a fellow feel as if he'd like to be on a horse himself," said Tom. He liked horseback riding very well.
"Say, I want you to look over there," said Sam, pointing to the seats some distance away. "Do you see that man sitting near the bottom—right beside that boy with the basket of peanuts?"
Tom and Dick looked in the direction pointed out, and the eldest Rover gave a start.
"Sam, do you think it is the fellow called Merrick?" he exclaimed.
"Doesn't he look like it?"
"He certainly does—now you speak of it," came from Tom. "And, by the way, don't you remember about that envelope picked up in the log cabin? It was postmarked Ithaca."
"So it was! Perhaps this Merrick lives here."
"Let us go over and get a closer look at him," said Dick, and left his seat, followed by the others.
There was a large crowd, so they had some difficulty in making their way to where the man was located. In his haste, Dick bumped against a waiter selling lemonade and spilled the contents of two glasses on the ground.
"Excuse me," he said.
"Hi! you've got to pay for the lemonade," roared the waiter, angrily. "You pay up, you clumsy clown!"
"See here, my man, I'll pay you, but I want you to understand you can't call me a clown," said Dick, angrily.
"Ah! go on wid yer! Pay up, see?"
"Here's your money," and Dick held out ten cents. "Now, am I a clown or not?"
"Well, er——"
"Am I or not?" And the eldest Rover boy doubled up his fists. He knew he must "take the bull by the horns" with such an individual as that before him.
"Excuse me," mumbled the fellow and moved away. "I—er—suppose yer couldn't help it."
Sam and Tom had gone ahead and they were now close to the man they took to be Merrick.
"No mistake here!" declared Sam, as he got a good, square look at the fellow's face.
"He sees us!" exclaimed Tom, a second later. "He is trying to get away."
The boy was right, Merrick had seen them. He was greatly amazed, for he had not dreamed of their being in that vicinity. He left his seat in a hurry, and, elbowing his way through the crowd, started for the entrance to the big tent-like enclosure.
By this time Dick was coming up and Sam and Tom quickly acquainted him with what was going on. All three of the Rovers pushed through the big crowd after Merrick, but, before they could draw near, the rascal was outside and running between a number of carriages and wagons standing in that vicinity.
"Come on after him!" cried Tom. "We must capture him if we can!"
They set off on a smart run, but Merrick could run also, and fear now lent speed to his flying feet. On and on went the swindler, with the Rover boys less than a square behind him. Then, as they came to a number of tall buildings, Merrick darted around a corner and out of sight.
When the Rover boys reached the corner they looked in every direction for the man. Only a few people were about, the majority of the town folks being at the show.
"Wonder if he went straight on, or took to some side street?" mused Dick.
"I'll go straight on," said Sam. "Dick, you can take one side street and Tom can take the other," and away went the youngest Rover, at a fresh burst of speed.
Sam's advice was considered good, and soon all of the boys had scattered. The street Tom followed was lined with tall tenements and ended in little more than an alleyway.
Coming to another corner, Tom paused and gazed in all directions. As he turned his head he saw a man look out from a tenement doorway. Then the head was drawn back quickly.
"Merrick!" muttered Tom to himself, and turned back to the tenement, which was a building four stories high. On one side was something of an alleyway and beyond were other tenements, and the rear of a big building used for a factory and offices.
Tom found the front door of the tenement wide open and he did not hesitate to go in. Nobody was in sight, but he heard hasty footsteps on the floor above.
"Merrick! you might as well give up!" he called out. "Come down here!"
"Go on about your business, young fellow!" came the reply. "If you try to follow me you'll get the worst of it."
Undaunted by this threat, Tom mounted the stairs two steps at a time. As he did so he heard Merrick go up a second flight and then a third.
"Must think he can hide on the roof," thought Tom. "Well, I'll corner him if I can."
As Tom ran through the hallway on the third floor a door opened and an old woman confronted him.
"What do yez want here?" she demanded, in strong Irish accents.
"I am after a thief," answered Tom.
"A thafe! Sure an' there's no thafe in this house."
"He just ran in here from the street."
"Bedad, is that true now? Where did he go to?"
"I don't know. How do you get to the roof?"
"Be the laddher at the back av the hall."
The old woman pointed in the direction, and Tom sped on. Soon he reached a common wooden ladder leading to a scuttle, which was wide open. As the youth mounted the ladder the scuttle was banged shut, almost hitting him on the top of the head. Then he heard hasty footsteps across the roof.
"Maybe he thinks he can jump to one of the other buildings," said Tom to himself. "Well, if he can do it, so can I."
He pushed the scuttle up with difficulty, for it was heavy. Then with caution, for he did not want to receive a kick in the head, he gazed around the roof of the tenement. Nobody was in sight.
With caution Tom stepped out on the roof. A number of chimneys were not far off, and he wondered if Merrick was concealed behind them.
"I wish I had a club or something," he thought. "I'd have a tough time of it up here, if it came to a hand-to-hand struggle."
With eyes on the alert, Tom made his way to one chimney and then another. The swindler was not there, nor was he on the adjoining roof. Then the youth got down on his hands and knees and looked over the edge of the tenement, on the alleyway side. Here was an iron fire escape, running from the fourth story to the second. On the fire escape he saw Merrick, descending to the bottom with all possible rapidity.