The Haunted Mine

by Harry Castlemon

  CHAPTER XIX.

  GOING TO SCHOOL.

  "Is the boss mechanic anywhere about?" asked Jack, who chanced to bethe first who entered the college when they found it.

  They had opened a door, and found themselves in one of the study-roomsof the school. There were fifty men and women there, all interestedwith their books, and the best of order prevailed. A young man, whoseseat was near the door, on seeing that the boys were strangers, hadarisen and asked them what he could do for them.

  "The boss mechanic?" he repeated, in a surprised tone.

  "He means the man who is at the head of this institution," saidJulian. We want to see him for a few minutes, if you please."

  "Oh, yes," said the young man, as he gave Jack a looking over. "Iguess you have worked at manual labor all your life."

  "Yes, I have," replied Jack; "I have done nothing but lift heavy ironfor a good many years, and now I want to find an easier way of makinga living."

  "You have come to the right place to find it. Step this way."

  The student led the way around the room, passing close to thescholars, some of whom merely glanced up, others paying not the leastattention to them, until he opened a door and ushered them into aprivate office. He introduced the boys as persons who had come thereto see the "boss mechanic," and then went out; while a pleasant-faced,elderly gentleman replied that he was the "boss mechanic" of thatschool, and asked them what they wanted. Jack, who had made a blunderby the first question he asked, remained silent, leaving Julian to doall the talking.

  "We want to get an education," said Julian.

  "Well, that is what this school can give you," said the man. "What doyou want to study?"

  "Stenography and type-writing."

  "And you?" he added, turning to Jack.

  "Bookkeeping and writing; I write a fearful hand."

  The superintendent, having made a start with the boys, invited them tosit down, and in a few minutes he learned something of the boys'history, and what occupation they had been engaged in previous tocoming to Denver. Without telling him anything of their circumstances,they chanced to mention the names of Mr. Fay and Mr. Gibson, and afterthat Julian thought he seemed to take more interest in them. After alittle conversation the boys pulled out their roll of bills and paidfor six months' instruction and the books they would need, and thenarose to go, after telling him they would be on hand in the morning,ready to go to work.

  "I'll tell you what's a fact," said Jack, pausing on the stairs andpulling out his diminished roll of bills; "we will have to go to thebank and get some more money, the first thing you know."

  "That is so," replied Julian. "And I have just thought of anotherthing. Did you see how neatly all those students were dressed? I amgoing to draw two hundred dollars--"

  "Man alive!" said Jack, appalled by the sum mentioned. "Suppose Mr.Haberstro comes up--"

  "I don't bother my head about him. We will go and get some money, andthen we will go to a tailor's and get some clothes worth having. IfMr. Haberstro is going to appear, Mr. Gibson will show us the wayout."

  Jack was not convinced by any means, but he kept close by Julian'sside until he reached the bank. Julian made out the check for him andhe signed his name, and the money was paid to each of them without aword of protest. Jack felt a little uneasy after that. He did not liketo have so much money about him. He carried his left hand in thepocket where he had placed the bills, and looked at everyroughly-dressed man he met, as if he were afraid that somebody wouldrob him.

  "I don't feel exactly right," said he to Julian. "As soon as we gethome I'll put this money in my trunk, and then I know it will besafe."

  "Don't keep your hand on it all the while, or you will lead somebodyto suspect something," said Julian. "Now, here is a tailor shop; letus go in and see what we can do."

  Jack fairly gasped when Julian said he wanted the finest suit ofclothes there was in the store. He wanted two suits--one for every dayand one for Sundays. Of course the merchant was eager to show them tohim, and the result was that he ordered the best suits he had ever hadin his life. Jack did not believe in expensive clothes, but Julianurged it upon him, telling him that he would look as though he camefrom the country among all those nicely-dressed students, and Jackfinally yielded to him.

  "That's the worst expenditure of money that I was ever guilty of,"said he, when they were fairly on the street.

  "Grumbling again, are you?" was Julian's comment. "Never mind; youwill get used to it after a while."

  The next thing the boys had in view was to join the Young Men'sChristian Association, so that they could get some books to take homewith them; and when that was done they considered themselves settledfor the winter. They went to school the next day, and from that timeuntil spring opened they never missed a lesson. Jack was ratherawkward at first. The hands which had been in the habit of liftingheavy bars of iron could not accommodate themselves to a pen veryreadily; and oftentimes, when Julian sat in his room, of nights,reading, Jack was there learning to write. No two boys ever behavedthemselves better than they did, and it was not long before theybecame favorites, both with the boarders and others who came there tovisit. Jack soon got used to his fine clothes, and wore them as if hehad been accustomed to them all his life. They took an evening now andthen to call upon Mr. Banta, and they always found him as talkative asever. Sometimes they became so interested in his tales of life in thegold-camps that it was ten o'clock before they returned home. Mr. Fayand Mr. Gibson also came in for visits occasionally, and once thelatter took out a bundle of papers, which he handed to Julian.

  "What are these?" he asked.

  "They are your property," said the lawyer. "You can keep the papersyourself, or you can let me keep them, and I will put them in my tillin the bank."

  "Do you mean that all comes to us?" inquired Julian, while a thrillshot all through him.

  "Yes, sir; the court decided so a week ago."

  "Jack," said Julian, turning to his companion, "are you sorry, now,that I went to the express office and invested in that 'old horse'?"

  Jack could not say anything. He remembered how he had scolded Julianfor that, and he did not want it thrown up to him so often. Julianthen went on and told Mr. Gibson what had happened in their room thenight he brought the "old horse" home, and the lawyer laughed loudlyat his description of it.

  "Mr. Gibson, we really wish you would take charge of this matter forus," said Julian. "You hope so, too--don't you, Jack?"

  "Of course; we don't know what to do with it."

  And so the matter was settled, and the boys breathed a good dealeasier while they were on their way home. There was one thing thatoften came into their minds, and that was, What had become of Clausand Casper Nevins? Had they given up all hopes of gaining possessionof that hundred thousand dollars? Jack scouted the idea. Casper mighthave given it up, but Claus would stick to his idea until he got intojail by it. He was not a man who gave up so easily. It is true theyhad not seen anything of him since they came to Denver, but Jack wassure they would hear from him at some other time.

  "You will see," exclaimed Jack, when he confided his opinions toJulian. "You want to be on the watch, or the first thing you know hewill jump down on us."

  "I guess Mr. Gibson can shut him up very easily," said Julian.

  "Yes; but it may happen when Mr. Gibson is not around."

  "Eh? Do you mean that he will come down on us while we are up at themine?"

  "Such things as that have happened. When you see a German you want tolook out."

  Things went along in Denver as they usually did, and when winterfairly opened on them the boys thought they had never experienced suchcold weather before. But it did not interfere with their business inany way. It was not long before Mr. Banta began to talk to them aboutthe things that would be necessary for them to have if they were goingto operate their mine successfully, and the boys had a lengthy list ofthings they would have to buy. They thought they could get alongwithout some of them, but
Banta assured them that everything they haddown would be of use to them sooner or later. As time wore on, theprospect of leaving Denver and going off to the mountains alone, wherethey were destined to encounter some risks that they did not knowwhether they could stand up against or not, made the boys silent andthoughtful. In Denver they had friends--they were sure of that; butwhen they got out to their mine they would be left all to themselves,and Julian and Jack did not know what they would make of it. Jack hadless to say about it than his companion, but it was plain enough tosee that he was not going to back out.

  "I tell you I hate to go away and leave all the kind friends we havegathered about us," said Julian, as they left Salisbury's hotel afterMr. Banta had told them that by two weeks from Monday they must be onhand bright and early, all ready to start for the mountains. "I wish Iknew what was in that mine."

  "So do I; and the only way we can find out is to go and see," repliedJack. "I don't believe in ghosts, but I have heard so much about thethings up there in that mine that I am almost ready to give in tothem."

  There was another thing that Jack thought of, although he did notmention it. Julian had always been one of the first to talk aboutgoing to the mine, and he was ready to accuse Jack of cowardice; butwhen the time for their departure drew near, Julian did not open hismouth. Jack thought of that, but said nothing.

  Mr. Banta told them, finally, that they had better go to work and gettheir things ready, and they set about it in earnest. The first thingthey did was to take leave of the students at the college. The boyswere all sorry to see them go, and the superintendent said he hopedJulian and Jack had given up the idea of a gold-mine, for they weregetting on so rapidly in their studies that he trusted to see themcomplete the course. He predicted they would come back poorer thanwhen they went away. He had heard of such things before; and, afterthe young men had eaten up all their provisions, they would be glad tofind somebody to grub-stake them back to Denver.

  "You will see us back here in the fall," said Julian, confidently. "Weare not going to give up our chances of learning something."

  "But you may meet your death up there," said the superintendent. "Ihave often heard of such things."

  "I was awfully afraid you were going to say something about the ghostsin our gold-mine," said Jack, as they went down the stairs. "Youlooked at me several times as though you wanted to say something aboutit."

  "It was right on the end of my tongue," said Julian, "but I thought Ihad better keep still about it. If we should come back here beforefall, they would say right away that we had been frightened out anddared not go back."

  Mr. Banta was busy getting his own things together, but he found timenow and then to overlook the boys' expenditures. Under hisinstructions they bought three horses,--two of them for riding, theother intended as a pack-horse to carry their utensils,--and then heled the boys away to a gun-shop, where they were to purchase rifles.

  "Look here, Mr. Banta," said Julian; "we don't need anything in here.We have got a revolver apiece, and, if the truth must be told, we havespent a good deal of time in practicing with them."

  "What good will a revolver do you?" asked Banta, greatly surprised."If we chance to meet any Indians----"

  "But you told us there were no Indians," said Julian. "We don't wantto shoot at anybody unless they are close at hand. Maybe they willcome in handy on the ghosts, you know."

  "Well, you don't know anything about the plains--I can see that, plainenough. If you think revolvers are going to do you, why, I am donewith you."

  "Then we have purchased everything we want, have we?"

  "I think so. Be on hand on Monday morning, because we shall be offbefore the sun gets an hour high."

  The boys drew a long breath when they heard this. If they had nottalked so much about visiting their mine it is probable that both ofthem would have backed squarely out.