“That’s the one. I communicated with Colonel Colby, and when he was in New York last he brought in Mr. Browne whom I had not seen for a long time. Mr. Browne is taking the trip for his health along with his wife and his daughter, and they were very glad that the girls and their mothers should accompany them. They will also take Ruth along if her folks are willing. No one will know the destination of the steam yacht, so I think they will be safe until Davenport is rounded up.”
“Say, this is certainly interesting!” was Andy’s comment. “I don’t like the idea of running away from such a fellow as Davenport. I’d rather go after him.”
“We’d do that in a minute, Andy, if it wasn’t for the girls and your mother and your aunts. But as it is, we feel that we can’t afford to take the chance. Davenport is a dangerous character, and we have learned that he was mixed up in a number of shady transactions in the West before he landed in the oil fields. He isn’t above doing desperate things when forced into a corner. And it’s true that he and Tate and Jackson fixed up their differences before they got out of prison. And while Tate and Jackson may not have the brains that Davenport has, still they are fellows with plenty of backbone to put through any nefarious scheme.”
After this there was a consultation lasting the best part of an hour. The boys could plainly see that their fathers would have gone after Davenport and his pals without hesitation were it not that they were afraid something would be done to injure the other members of the Rover families. They learned that a local detective agency had been engaged to follow up Davenport and his pals, but that so far little headway had been made, showing that the rascal was keeping well under cover.
It was decided the next day that Tom Rover and the four boys should start on their Western trip the following Monday. In the meantime their mothers and the girls, including Ruth, who obtained permission to go along, got ready for the trip on the steam yacht and departed on Wednesday. Without much ado all of the others went down to the steam yacht which lay in the North River and saw them off on the trip.
“Hope you have a good time,” said Jack, “and no mishaps.”
“You take care of yourself,” returned Ruth. Then all in the party waved their hands until the steam yacht was lost to view down the river.
Tom Rover was busy with his brothers fixing up business matters previous to his departure for the West, and he left it to the boys to buy the necessary railroad tickets, including Pullman accommodations. The father of the twins wished to stay in Chicago for two days, and the passage westward was to be arranged accordingly.
Having made so many trips before, the boys knew exactly what they wanted to take along on the present outing, so it did not take them long to get their things together. Then, with little else to do, they all set out that afternoon to purchase the railroad accommodations desired. They left the house in a bunch, going in one of the family automobiles. The ticket office was down on Broadway, and it did not take them long to reach that place.