"So it is!" came from Shadow. "Hi, Jim!" he called out. "Don't you know
us any more?"

The young man they addressed, a tall fellow of Irish parentage, who
stood on the sidewalk, turned swiftly. Then his face broke into a grin,
and he rushed forward.

"Sure, an' what do you think of this now!" he exclaimed. "Dave Porter,
an' Phil Lawrence, an' Roger Morr, and Shadow Hamilton, an', sure
enough, Ben Basswood! Say, what is this, a tour o' Oak Hall boys!" and
the former monitor of that institution of learning smiled more broadly
than ever.

"We are on an excursion," explained Dave, and gave some details. "What
are you doing in Chicago, Jim?" he went on.

"Sure I got a job here, after I left Oak Hall."

"What are you doing?" questioned Roger.

"I'm one of the gatemen in the train shed. But I expect to get a better
job than that in a week or two--it's promised to me," added the former
monitor. "An', by the way, lots of Oak Hall boys passing through Chicago
now," he continued.

"What do you mean?" asked Phil, quickly. "Whom did you see?"

"Saw Teddy Fells about a week ago, and two days ago I saw Link Merwell."

"Merwell!" came from several of the youths.

"Was he alone?" questioned Dave.

"No, he had Mr. Haskers with him. Haskers lost his job at the Hall,
didn't he?"

"Yes."

"I thought so, for the minute he and Merwell spotted me they got out of
sight in a hurry."

"Where were they going?" asked Phil.

"I'm sure I don't know. They got off the Eastern Express, and left the
depot in a hurry. They acted as if they didn't want anybody to notice
'em."

"All ready!" came the cry of the man in charge of the touring
automobiles, and then one after another the turnouts rolled away from
the depot.

"Shall we stay here and look into this?" asked Dave, of Roger and Phil.

"What's the use?" returned the shipowner's son. "It isn't likely they
are here now." And then the boys waved a good-by to big Jim Murphy, and
the automobile passed out of the former monitor's sight.

Laura and Jessie had heard what was said and they were as much disturbed
as the boys themselves, if not more so.

"Oh, Dave, do you think Haskers and Merwell are following you?" asked
his sister, anxiously.

"They can't be following us if they are ahead of us," he replied, with a
faint smile.

"Well, you know what I mean."

"I don't know what to think, Laura. Merwell may be going West to join
his folks. They are somewhere out there."

"B