The Haunted Mine

by Harry Castlemon

  Produced by Melissa McDaniel and the Online DistributedProofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

  Transcriber's Note:

  Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved. Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.

  Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=.

  THE HAUNTED MINE

  BY

  HARRY CASTLEMON

  AUTHOR OF "THE GUNBOAT SERIES," "ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES," "WAR SERIES," ETC.

  THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO.,

  PHILADELPHIA, CHICAGO, TORONTO.

  COPYRIGHT, 1902, BY HENRY T. COATES & CO.

  CONTENTS.

  CHAPTER PAGE

  I. THE SALE OF "OLD HORSE," 1

  II. CASPER IS DISGUSTED, 13

  III. JULIAN IS ASTONISHED, 24

  IV. WHERE THE BOX WAS, 38

  V. CASPER THINKS OF SOMETHING, 52

  VI. A MR. HABERSTRO APPEARS, 65

  VII. A PLAN THAT DIDN'T WORK, 78

  VIII. CLAUS CALLS AGAIN, 91

  IX. THE MASTER MECHANIC, 105

  X. WHERE ARE THE VALISES? 118

  XI. IN DENVER, 132

  XII. CASPER NEVINS, THE SPY, 146

  XIII. GETTING READY FOR WORK, 160

  XIV. HOW CASPER WAS SERVED, 174

  XV. HOW A MINE WAS HAUNTED, 188

  XVI. GOOD NEWS, 201

  XVII. MR. BANTA IS SURPRISED, 215

  XVIII. GRUB-STAKING, 228

  XIX. GOING TO SCHOOL, 243

  XX. WATERSPOUTS AND BLIZZARDS, 256

  XXI. THE CAMP AT DUTCH FLAT, 271

  XXII. THE HAUNTED MINE, 286

  XXIII. HAUNTED NO LONGER, 302

  XXIV. "THAT IS GOLD," 317

  XXV. CLAUS, AGAIN, 332

  XXVI. CLAUS HEARS SOMETHING, 348

  XXVII. BOB TRIES STRATEGY, 365

  XXVIII. AN INHUMAN ACT, 380

  XXIX. A TRAMP WITH THE ROBBERS, 392

  XXX. HOME AGAIN, 406

  XXXI. CONCLUSION, 420

  THE HAUNTED MINE.

  CHAPTER I.

  THE SALE OF "OLD HORSE."

  "Going for twenty-five cents. Going once; going twice; going----"

  "Thirty cents."

  "Thirty cents! Gentlemen, I am really astonished at you. It is adisgrace for me to take notice of that bid. Why, just look at thatbox. A miser may have hidden the secret of a gold-mine in it. Here itis, neatly dovetailed, and put together with screws instead of nails;and who knows but that it contains the treasure of a lifetime hiddenaway under that lid? And I am bid only thirty cents for it. Do I hearany more? Won't somebody give me some more? Going for thirty centsonce; going twice; going three times, and sold to that lucky fellowwho stands there with a uniform on. I don't know what his name is.Step up there and take your purchase, my lad, and when you open thatbox, and see what is in it, just bless your lucky stars that you cameto this office this afternoon to buy yourself rich."

  It happened in the Adams Express office, and among those who alwaysdropped around to see how things were going was the young fellow whohad purchased the box. It was on the afternoon devoted to the sale of"old horse"--packages which had lain there for a long time and nobodyhad ever called for them. When the packages accumulated so rapidlythat the company had about as many on hand as their storeroom couldhold, an auctioneer was ordered to sell them off for whatever he couldget. Of course nobody could tell what was in the packages, andsomebody always bought them by guess. Sometimes he got more than hismoney's worth, and sometimes he did not. That very afternoon a manbought a package so large and heavy that he could scarcely lift itfrom the counter, and so certain was he that he had got somethingworth looking at that he did not take the package home with him, butborrowed a hammer from one of the clerks and opened it on the spot,the customers all gathering around him to see what he had. To thesurprise of everybody, he turned out half a dozen bricks. A partner ofthe man to whom the box was addressed had been off somewhere to buy abrickyard, and, not satisfied with the productions of the yard, hadenclosed the bricks to the man in St. Louis, to see how he liked them.The purchaser gazed in surprise at what he had brought, and then threwdown the hammer and turned away; but by the time he got to the doorthe loud laughter of everybody in the office--and the office wasalways full at the sale of "old horse"--caused him to arrest hissteps. By that time he himself was laughing.

  "I'll tell you what it is, gentlemen," said he; "those bricks, whichare not worth a nickel apiece, cost me just two dollars."

  He was going on to say something more, but the roar that arose causedhim to wait until it was all over. Then he went on:

  "I have spent fifty dollars for 'old horse,' and if anybody ever knowsme to spend another dollar in that way I will give him my head for afootball. A man who comes here to squander his money for anything likethat is a dunce, and ought to have a guardian appointed over him. Iwish you all a very good day."

  But in spite of this man's experience, Julian Gray had invested inthis box because he thought there was something in it. He did not carefor what the auctioneer said to him, for he talked that way toeverybody; but Julian knew there were no bricks in it, for it was doneup too neatly. The box was not more than twelve inches long and halfas wide, and by shaking it up and down the boy became aware that therewere papers of some kind in it. He paid the clerk the amount of hisbid upon it, picked up his purchase, and started for the door, payingno heed to the remarks that were offered for his benefit. There he metanother boy, dressed in a uniform similar to the one he himself wore,and stopped to exchange a few words with him.

  "Well, you got something at last," said the boy. "It is not bricks, Ican swear to that."

  "No, sir, it is not," said Julian. "Lift it. It contains papers ofsome kind."

  "Why don't you open it, and let us see what is in it?"

  "I won't do that, either. I am not going to have the whole partylaughing at me the way they served that man a little while ago. Comeup to my room when Jack comes home, and then I will open it."

  "I would not be in your boots for a good deal when Jack sees thatbox," said the boy, hurrying away. "He says you have no business tospend the small earnings you get on such gimcracks as 'old horse.'"

  "I don't care," said Julian, settling the box under his arm and goingaway in the opposite direction. "I've got the box, and if Jack doesnot want to see what is in it, he need not look."

  Julian broke into a run,--he knew he had no business to spend as muchtime in that express office as he had done,--and in a few minutesreached the headquarters of the Western Union Telegraph Company, inwhose employ he was. He laid down his book of receipts for thedispatches he had delivered, then picked up his box again and stowedit away under the counter, where he was sure it would be out ofeverybody's way.

  "I don't care," Julian repeated to himself, when he recalled what hisolder companion, Jack Shelden, would have to say to him when he foundthat he had been investing in "old horse." "I don't know that I expectto make anything out of it, but somehow or other I can't resist mycuriosity to know what is in those bundles. When you can get thepackages for little or nothing, where's the harm?
But that is no wayto save my money. I will never go near that express office again."

  With this good resolution, Julian took his seat among the other boysand waited in silence for the operator to call upon him to deliver adispatch. It came at last, and during the rest of the afternoon Julianwas kept busy. When six o'clock came he put his box under his arm andstarted for home. His duties were done for that day.

  The place that Julian called home was a long way from the office, for,being a poor boy, he was obliged to room where he could get it ascheaply as possible. He passed along several streets, turned numerouscorners, and finally sprang up the stairs in a sorry-looking housewhich seemed almost ready to tumble down, and when he reached the tophe found the door of his room open. There he met his chum, who hadalready returned from his work, going about his preparations forsupper, and whistling as though he felt at peace with himself and allthe world.

  "Halloo!" he exclaimed, as Julian came in. "What's the news to-day?Well, there. If you haven't been to that old express office again!"

  These two boys were orphans--or at least Jack was. Julian had astepfather who, when his mother died, told the boy that he could notsupport him any longer, and that he must look out for himself. He nodoubt expected that the boy would find himself in the poorhouse beforehe had been long out of his care; but Julian was not that sort of afellow. He wandered aimlessly about the streets, looking for somethingto do, sleeping in dry-goods boxes or on a plank in some lumber-yard;and one morning, while passing along the street, wondering where hewas going to get something to eat, he saw a scene that thrilled himwith excitement. A span of horses was running away, and a telegraphoperator--Julian knew that he was an operator from the uniform hewore--in making an attempt to stop them, lost his footing and fell onthe ground right in front of the frantic team. Julian was nearer tohim than anybody else, and acting upon the impulse of the moment, butscarcely knowing why he did so, he dashed forward, seized the youngman by the shoulders, and pulled him out of the way. It was all donein an instant, and Julian shuddered when he thought of what he haddone.

  "Thank you, my lad," said the man, when he got up, brushed the dustfrom his clothes, and looked after the flying horses. "You saved mylife, but you couldn't save the man in the buggy. Now, what can I giveyou?"

  "I don't want anything, sir," said Julian. The man was neatly dressed,and looked as though he had some money, and Julian had more than halfa mind to ask him for enough with which to get some breakfast. But heconcluded that he would not do it; he would look farther, and he wassure that he could get something to do, such as sweeping out a store,and earn some breakfast in that way.

  "You don't want anything?" exclaimed the man. "Well, you are theluckiest fellow I ever saw!"

  The man now turned and gave Julian a good looking over. It was notnecessary that he should ask any questions, for poverty was writtenall over him.

  "Where's your home?" he asked.

  "I haven't any, sir."

  "Have you had any breakfast?"

  "No, sir."

  "Well, here's enough to enable you to get a good fill-out," said theman, pulling out a dollar. "Get the very best breakfast you can, andthen come down to the Western Union Telegraph office and ask forWiggins. I will see what I can do for you."

  The man hurried away, and Julian looked at the dollar he held in hishand, then gazed in the direction in which his benefactor had gone,and could hardly believe that he was awake. A dollar was a larger sumof money than he had ever had before.

  Of course Julian followed the operator's instructions. When he reachedthe Western Union Telegraph office he was asked several questionsabout his habits, and what he knew about the city, and it finallyended by his being offered employment. Julian jumped at the chance. Hehad no money with which to purchase a uniform, but Wiggins got aroundthat, and he had been there ever since, trying hard to do his duty,except in one particular, and his highest ambition was to become anoperator.

  Long before this time he made the acquaintance of Jack Sheldon, whofinally came to room with him, and they had been fast friends eversince. Jack had formerly gained a good living by shining boots andshoes around the St. Louis foundry-works, until one day the mastermechanic, who had taken a wonderful shine to him, offered to take himaway from his blacking-brush and give him a position where he couldmake a man of himself. Jack was waiting for this, and he promptlyclosed with it. Of course his wages were small now, but he wanted toget away from the bootblacks and mingle with persons more likehimself, and when Julian made him a proposition to take him in as aroommate, Jack was only too glad to agree to it. He was but a yearolder than Julian, but he often took it upon himself to advise him;and one thing he could not stand was Julian's longing to find out whatwas concealed in those packages that every once in a little while weresold in the express office. Being economical himself, and neverspending a cent unless absolutely necessary, he wanted to make hiscompanion so, too.

  "That is no way for you to save money, Julian," said Jack. "To go tothat express office when you ought to be at your work, and spendingmoney for 'old horse' when you don't know what is in the bundle youbid on, is the very way for you to wear a poor man's clothes thelongest day you live. I want to go into business myself some time, andI should think you would, too."

  This was the way he talked to Julian every time he brought home abundle of "old horse," and he was ready to talk to him now in the sameway.