“well, fellows, what do you think of dad’s new car?” asked bob of his chums, when they had finished the ride and were sitting idly in the machine before dispersing to their several homes.
“great!” declared ned. “i wouldn’t mind owning it myself.”
“you got something off your chest that time,” chuckled jerry. “those brakes are a whole lot better than i imagined they could be.”
“they’re all right when you get used to ’em,” agreed bob, as he felt in one pocket after another.
“what you looking for?” asked ned. “lose something?”
“i thought i had another doughnut left,” answered the stout lad, with a sigh. “but i guess we ate ’em all up. never mind.”
“you guess we ate ’em all up!” cried jerry. “you mean you did!”
for a moment neither of the others spoke, and then jerry continued:
[32]
“i think we ought to take up with tinny’s offer, if it looks at all encouraging when we get an answer to our telegram. we may not get to be millionaires out of the gold mine, but at least it will give us something to do. and i just can’t settle down to work so soon after the big fight.”
“that’s the way i feel about it,” added ned. “i had a little talk with dad, and while he wants me to come in the store and learn the business, i’m sure he’ll let me have this summer off. we really need it after what we’ve gone through.”
“sure we do!” asserted bob. “i guess dad will listen to reason when i tell him i’ve lost about ten pounds.”
“yes, you have!” scoffed jerry with a laugh.
“sure i have!” declared chunky. “anyhow, let’s see if we can’t plan it to get a western trip.”
“suits me,” said ned. “i wonder if, by any chance, we could have a shot looking for that lost treasure chest of blue rock?” he went on.
“maybe,” said jerry. “but it’s a pretty long chance, seems to me. if what bill cromley says is true there isn’t much hope in trying to locate it after all these years, when so many have failed.”
“well, then, let’s hope that tinny’s mine will pan out better,” remarked bob. “what you fellows going to do to-night?” he asked.
[33]
“there’s going to be a moon,” said jerry. “if you want to take us out in the new car——”
“nothing doing, pos-i-tive-ly!” exclaimed the fat lad. “dad is going to take mother out. but there’s a pretty good movie in town. we might take that in, and then go down to the telegraph office afterward and see if any word has come from tinny.”
“good idea—we’ll do it!” decided jerry, and the rest agreed.
it was rather hard to get interested in even a very good moving picture when the minds of the motor boys were so filled with visions of what might happen if they could make the western trip. of course nothing was definitely settled about this as yet. the matter had been broached to the respective parents soon after jerry had received the letter from the western miner, but at first only indifference was manifested by mrs. hopkins, mr. slade and mr. baker.
so it was with no little impatience that the young men waited for the flashing of the last picture on the screen, after which they hurried down to the telegraph office, where they had telephoned word to hold any message that might come for them from the west.
“nothing doing, boys,” were the words the operator greeted them with as they entered.
[34]
“guess tinny has cold feet,” remarked ned.
“wait a minute; something’s coming in now,” the operator said, holding up his hand for silence. he listened a moment to the clicking of the ticker and then in a low voice said: “yes, this is for you, jerry. i’ll have it ready for you shortly.”
the boys sat down to wait, the silence broken only by the click of the telegraph sounder and the tap of the typewriter keys as the operator transcribed the message. it was a long one, and when jerry read it to his chums they let out whoops of delight.
not only did tinny mallison assert that there was every chance of his gold mine at thunder mountain proving a big winner, but he strongly urged the boys to hasten out to share in the good prospects. he added that he would send letters to their parents giving them every assurance that it would pay the boys financially and in added health to come out to montana.
“this settles it!” declared jerry. “we’ll go!”
“you said it!” chorused ned and bob.
a few days later, following the receipt of other telegrams from mallison, the consent of the parents was won and the motor boys began preparations to leave for thunder mountain.
“i wish we could go all the way by auto,” said jerry, when he and his chums were at his house one afternoon, talking over plans, “but i reckon[35] it’s too much. my old boat wouldn’t stand the strain. but we can go part way by car—i’m going to sell mine, anyhow—and take a train the rest of the way.”
it being out of the question to use mr. baker’s new machine for the trip, a compromise had to be made, and jerry’s old, but still serviceable, auto had been selected. as he said, they could sell it when reaching chicago, or wherever they decided to take the train.
the matter of what they would carry with them was easily settled, as it was not the first trip the lads had made across country, and their experience in france was standing them in good stead.
letters had been sent to tinny, in answer to some received by him, and it only remained now to make the last preparations and then start for thunder mountain.
“and i hope we find it solid gold!” murmured bob.
“you don’t want much!” laughed jerry. “what’s up—see something?” he asked ned, who had suddenly risen from his chair and was gazing from the window.
“yes, i see something, or, rather, somebody,” murmured the department storekeeper’s son. “i wonder if i’m seeing right, though. come here, fellows, and see if you see the same thing i do!”
[36]
he pointed toward the figure of a small man hurrying along past jerry’s house.
“isn’t that professor snodgrass?” demanded ned.
“it sure is!” cried jerry.
“what in the world is he doing here?” bob wanted to know.
“what does he ever do but chase bugs?” inquired jerry. “that’s probably what he’s doing now, and he’s so interested that he forgot to stop here. very likely he started out to pay me a visit and it has slipped his mind.”
“we’d better go after him,” suggested ned, “or he’ll keep on traveling until he wears his shoes out. come on!”
the lads hurried out of jerry’s house, and started after the odd, little scientist who had been their instructor at boxwood hall. but professor snodgrass made such good time that he was around the corner and in a side lane before the boys were within hailing distance.
“there he goes!” cried bob.
“and on the run, too!” added ned. “he must be after a six cylinder june bug.”
indeed, professor snodgrass was fairly running now, and it could not be doubted, from what the boys knew of him, that he was after some creature to add to his collection of strange bugs.
suddenly the little man, as if in pursuit of a[37] flying object, turned quickly to the left, and, as he did so, ned cried:
“he’d better watch out! that path leads to the edge of the cliff where they’ve been taking out gravel above limestone creek. there’s a sharp fall there, and there was a slide there last week. it’s dangerous!”
“we’d better call to him,” suggested jerry. “hi, there, professor snodgrass!” he shouted, making a megaphone of his hands. “come back! don’t go any farther!”
the boys redoubled their speed after ned’s warning and, making a turn in the path, came in view of the little man. all unconscious of his danger, he was running straight ahead, his hat held out as though to catch a butterfly.
“come back! come back!” cried the motor boys.
but the professor, unheeding, ran on, and an instant later had fallen, disappearing over the edge of a cliff.
“he’s gone!” gasped bob.
“come on! maybe we can save him!” shouted jerry.
