"Yes, sir," said Jack. "Father and I have suspected what the game was, and that was why I told the cowboy to say nothing."
"Good," said Mr. Temple, approvingly. "Now, Jack, that the mystery of the airplane"s disappearance has been cleared up, we are ready to leave at once. We can get out of New York City on the 6 o"clock train tonight. Look for us Friday. I"ll say good-bye until then, and let the boys speak to you, for I know they are dying to do so."
While the boys and Jack conversed, Mr. Temple sought out his wife.
After explaining the necessity for his abrupt departure with the boys for New Mexico, he said:
"I should worry if I thought you would be subjected to annoyances while we were away. But I believe there will be no more trouble here.
And with the servants in the house and the guests you have invited, you may feel perfectly safe."
"Oh, Dad, I think you"re awfully mean not to take me along," pouted Della, who was present.
"Why, La.s.sie," said her father, "with a bunch of harum scarum boys to look after, my hands will be full enough."
"Yes, you think they"re just boys," flashed his young daughter. "But you wait and see. They"ll be taking care of you. Just you wait and see. Frank is awfully clever."
"Frank?" said Mr. Temple teasingly, with a meaning look.
Della flushed, and made an excuse to leave the room a moment later.
"I wish, George, that you wouldn"t tease her about Frank," said Mrs.
Temple. "She"s such a child."
"Yes," said Mr. Temple, thoughtfully. "I suppose so. But," he added, "I"m glad she likes Frank."
CHAPTER VIII
HELD FOR RANSOM
"Great Scott, Jack, how different you look. What a peach of a get-up."
The Temples, father and son, and Frank Merrick stood on the gravel-bed outside the little wooden box doing duty as station at Ransome, New Mexico. The transcontinental flier which had dropped them, was dwindling in the distance. Jack Hampton, whom the chums and Mr. Temple had crossed the country from New York to join, was in the center of the group. Greetings had been exchanged, they had all slapped each other on the back indiscriminately and enthusiastically, and now Bob Temple stood off at arm"s length to admire his chum.
"Yes, sir. Some get-up," he added.
"Righto," agreed Frank, also gazing at the handsome Jack admiringly.
"Where do you get "em? Lead me to the store right away."
Jack, who was 19 and the oldest of the three chums, was almost as tall as the six-foot Bob, but of more slender build than that gridiron warrior. He had the build of a thoroughbred, long legs, flat hips, trim waist, deep chest and broad shoulders and a flat back. Both at dashes and distance running Jack easily was supreme at Harrington Hall Military Academy, which all three boys attended. Like Bob he was fair and had curling chestnut hair. His eyes were blue and lively, his features not too regular. Altogether, he was a striking figure.
Today he was dressed in khaki shirt and breeches. Instead of puttees he wore high, laced leather boots that reached to his knees. On his head, pushed back so that his wavy hair showed in front, was a wide-brimmed sombrero. By his side, suspended from a cartridge belt, swung an automatic revolver in its holster. This was the outfit so admired by his chums from the East, trim in their light-weight summer suits of the latest cut and wearing low tan shoes more adapted for city streets than for the sands stretching inimitably on every hand.
"We"ve worried considerably while aboard the train, Jack," said Mr.
Temple, "for fear something dire might happen to you these last two or three days. I"m glad to see you are all right. Any word from your father?"
Jack shook his head in negation. "Not a word," said he, "since those two rascals picked him up in your airplane and headed for Old Mexico."
"Well, don"t worry, Jack," said Mr. Temple. "I don"t believe his life is in danger."
"I"m trying not to worry, sir," said Jack. "But now that you and the fellows are here, we shall have to get busy at once. It has been pretty hard to wait for you. I wanted to ride into Old Mexico myself at once."
Bags in hand the group was moving to the rear of the station, and now came in sight of a ramshackle automobile with a Mexican at the wheel, easily distinguished by his swarthy coloring and his ragged mustaches, as well as by his peculiar dress--a steep crowned hat like a sugar loaf, with a very wide brim, a tight bolero jacket that did not reach to the waist and disclosed a dark blue silken shirt beneath and tight-fitting trousers that flared at the bottom.
"That is Remedios and his flivver," explained Jack. "He does odd jobs all through this region. I hired him to take us out to camp. But before we climb aboard, take a look at this view."
Obediently, they paused and gazed at the surrounding country. In the foreground was a wide dirt street at the rear of the station. For the equivalent of the length of a city block it was lined on both sides with wooden structures one-story in height, but with the false fronts of the frontier country pretending to second stories--a front wall sticking above the roof and with the semblance of windows painted on it. A dry goods store, a Chinese laundry, an alleged hotel, several restaurants, several ex-saloons still carrying on some kind of business--these comprised the lot. At one end the street ran abruptly into the desert. At the other was a cl.u.s.ter of old freight cars made into dwellings, with Mexican men, women and children loitering in front in the sun. This was Ransome.
"Not much of a town," said Jack, "just a trading post for a wide stretch of this country around here. But look at the setting, will you?" And he swept a hand in a wide gesture indicating the horizon.
On every hand stretched the desert, broken by clumps of mesquite and cactus with the only trees in the landscape the thick belt of cottonwoods lining the banks of a stream that rose in the mountains to the north and ran by the town. North, east, south and west lofty mountains gleamed on the far horizon, while closer at hand rose the foothills. These latter were of fantastic shapes, like castles, tables or crouching animals, and of the most vivid coloring. Over all was the warm and brilliant sunshine of late afternoon. As for the air, it was clean and despite the warmth of the day already beginning to turn cool as the sun hovered on the rim of the farthest mountains to the west.
"Some country," said Bob emphatically.
"Wait until you have known it day in and day out for months," said Jack. "You will never want to go back to Long Island."
"Is that the way you feel about it, Jack?" asked Frank.
"Oh, well, I suppose I"ll want to go home sometime," said Jack. "But just the same, I"m in love with this country. As for the old-timers off there in the hills, you couldn"t drive them away."
"Say, Jack," said Frank, as they all continued standing and gazing at the surrounding scene, "I thought we"d see some oil derricks around here. But there isn"t one in sight."
"No, Frank," interposed Mr. Temple, in explanation, "you see the Independents are mainly located over in the Panhandle, or upper western portion of Texas and in Oklahoma. That is east from here. But Mr. Hampton had his geologists in through this region, and they reported the prospects for finding oil favorable. Then the Independents came in quietly and took up leases, and Mr. Hampton followed to prepare for development of the field."
"Yes, that"s the way of it," agreed Jack.
"Say, Jack," said Frank, "I"m hungry as a hunter. If we are going to get dinner at your camp, let"s move along. How far is it, by the way?"
"Ten miles," said Jack, leading the way toward the automobile with its dozing Mexican at the wheel. "Come on."
The others followed and were about to climb into the automobile when the rapid hoofbeats of a galloping horse ringing on the sun-baked clay of the street drew their attention, and they paused.
"Why, it"s Gabby Pete," said Jack in surprise, moving forward a step as the rider reined up his horse so sharply that it reared and slid on braced hind legs. The animal came to rest so close to him that Jack was forced to give back a step, and it stood there snorting and blowing.
An oldish man of tremendous girth, but who sat his horse easily despite his size, grinned down at Jack. He was white-haired and under the brim of his sombrero little eyes twinkled genially and shrewdly in a round, fat face.
"What brings you here, Pete?" asked Jack, sharply. "I thought you were at camp, getting dinner for my guests." He indicated the boys and Mr.
Temple, who stood close at hand, looking on. "Who will prepare dinner for them now?"
Gabby Pete, the talkative camp cook, scratched his head under his sombrero, and looked solemn. "Waal, they"ll have ter wait a bit," he said. "But I kin rustle grub in a hurry onct I git back ter camp. An", anyhow, Mr. Jack, a feller came to camp a while ago in one o" them there aeryoplanes. Jest flew up almost to the door an" steps out an"
gin me this yere letter." Here Gabby Pete produced a missive from the front of his shirt, and pa.s.sed it to Jack. "He sez as how it war most partickler that you git it right away. So I rid in with it," said Gabby Pete, adding aggrievedly: "an" now you hop on me fur it."
Jack seized the missive in a sudden fever of anxiety. An airplane? He opened the letter, took in its contents at a glance, and turned excitedly to his chums.
"Father"s held for ransom," he cried. "Here. Read this."