ur name," insisted Bob, looking at her with his
eyes filled with gratitude. "I'm coming back from the West a rich man,
and I shall want to look you up and repay you for your kindness."

"I hope you strike it fine, kid," laughed the girl, "but I am afraid if
you do, you'll never think of looking up Nellie Porter. Oh, by the way,
do you know to which station to go?"

"No, I don't," admitted Bob.

"Well, if you want to get a plain car, you want to go over to Weehawken
and buy your ticket over the West Shore railroad."

And giving Bob a check for his food, the girl smiled upon him
pleasantly, and hurried away to wait upon some other people who had
entered the restaurant.

CHAPTER VII

GOOD LUCK FROM BAD

By dint of questioning, Bob reached the Weehawken ferry and was soon on
a boat, gliding through the dark waters of the river toward the Jersey
shore.

Never had the boy been on a ferryboat at night, and the spectacle
presented by the brilliantly lighted buildings filled him with wonder.
Fortunate was it for him that he was so enthralled, for the boat had
bumped into her slip and the people were rushing ashore before he had
time to realize that he was leaving behind all he had ever known of a
home.

Indeed, so absorbed was he in gazing about him, that it was not till one
of the crew exclaimed: "Hey, kid, get ashore. You can't beat your way
back on this boat," that he knew they had reached Weehawken.

"I'm not trying to beat my way," rejoined Bob. "I'm not going back to
New York. I'm going to Chicago--and then to Oklahoma," he added in a
boyish attempt to impress the boatman with his importance.

"Well, you'd better hurry if you want to make the train for Chicago,"
returned the other. "This is the last boat before it starts. You'll have
to hustle if you've any baggage, or are you travelling 'light'?"

But Bob had not waited to hear the comment upon his lack of equipment,
and, before the words had left the mouth of the boatman, was running up
the gangway and into the station.

The glare of the lights after the darkness of the river and the many
people scurrying to and fro, together with the porters and trainmen
calling and shouting, bewildered the lad who had never been so far away
from home before, and he stood in the middle of the station as though
dazed.

Noticing the woe-begone figure, the station policeman walked over to
where Bob was standing.

"What's the matter, kid? Looking for some one?"