The telegram paid for and sent, our hero raced back to the house. His mother had already brought forth a dress-suit case, and into this were packed such articles as he thought that he might need. Then he placed ample funds in his pocket, and kissed his mother and his sister good-by, and shook hands with his father and little Georgie.
“Now, be sure and keep out of danger,” said Mr. Hardy, on parting. “I’d rather have Garrison escape than that you should come to grief.”
“Yes, keep out of all danger,” pleaded his mother.
The train was coming into the station when Frank reached the ticket office once more. He purchased a ticket for Philadelphia, and was the last to get aboard. A moment more and Claster was left behind, and the long journey to South Carolina was begun.
Earlier in the year the journey would have made Frank feel strange, but knocking around as an agent had given him confidence in himself, and he felt quite at home as he settled back in his seat, and reviewed the situation.
“I hope that fellow does prove to be Jabez Garrison and that the other chap is Gabe Flecker,” he said to himself. “It will be killing two birds with one stone.”
It was growing dark when the Quaker City was reached. At the main railroad station on Broad Street, Frank obtained a ticket to Charleston, and also a berth in a sleeping car. He had barely time to get his supper at a nearby lunch room, when his train came in and he got aboard.
It was a misty night, so but little could be seen of the landscape. Frank sat up for a while to read, and then went to bed. He slept soundly, and got up about seven o’clock.
“We must be pretty well south by this time,” he thought. He was tremendously hungry, and after making his toilet, waited impatiently for the dining car to be taken on.
“First call for breakfast!” was the welcome cry a little later, and he made his way towards the dining car, which was at the rear end of the rather long train. To get to it he had to pass through two sleepers. Here some of the folks were not yet up, and he had to take care so as not to disturb them.