the big depot. The youths took up
their suitcases and filed out with the other passengers.

"Have you any idea where we ought to look first?" asked Sam.

"I think we may as well leave our bags on check at this depot and look
around here," was the answer. "Tom started from here and maybe we'll
be lucky enough to meet somebody who saw and remembered him."

Having checked the suitcases, the Rovers started in earnest, asking the
men at the news stand and in the smoking room and at the lunch counter
and restaurant. Then they questioned the taxicab drivers, and even
some of the newsboys and bootblacks.

"It looks almost hopeless," said Sam, at last.

"Not yet," returned Dick. "We haven't struck the most important people
yet. Funny we didn't think of them first."

"Whom do you mean?"

"The ticket sellers. Let me have that photo of Tom and we'll see if
any of them remember him."

From one ticket window they went to another, until they reached an
elderly man, who gazed at the photograph with interest.

"Yes, I remember that young man," he said, slowly. "He was here
yesterday afternoon."

"Did he buy a railroad ticket?"

"He did."

"Where to?"

"Seattle."

"Can you remember on what train?" asked Sam.

"Sure. I had to hurry for him, for he took the four-ten train, by way
of St. Paul," was the reply.

CHAPTER XV

BOUND WEST

"Well, Sam we have done all we can do for the present."

"That's right, Dick."

"Whether it will do any good or not remains to be seen," and Dick gave
a long-drawn sigh and leaned back in the sleeping car seat he occupied.

It was about three hours later and in that time the Rover boys had been
very busy.

Following the announcement of the ticket seller that Tom had taken a
train for Seattle by way of St. Paul, the Rovers had sent a telegram to
the conductor of the train, asking him to look out for Tom and have him
detained. They had procured accommodations on the train they were now
on, and had so notified the railroad official, so he would know where
to address them, provided the missing one was found. They had also
sent a telegram to the folks at home and another to the girls at Hope.

"Perhaps we'll get word when we reach St. Paul," said Sam. "For all we
know Tom may be there, awaiting our arrival."

"I sincerely hope so, Sam. I'm sure I don't want to go away out to the
Pacific coast for him."

"It's too bad Tom didn't buy one of those railroad tickets tha