ters with
their bags took them to the proper car, and they soon found themselves
settled. A few minutes later they were off.

The trip during the night was uneventful, and, strange as it may seem,
all of the boys slept soundly. But they were up early and ready for
their breakfast just as soon as that meal was announced from the diner.

"I'm afraid we're going to have a rainy day of it," said Dick Rover, as
the four boys sat down to a large table while he took his place at a
smaller one opposite. "But as we'll be on board all day, it won't
matter."

During the meal Jack noticed that his father was reading a letter very
attentively, and when the party walked back to their Pullman he
mentioned this fact.

"This is a letter from an oil well promoter," said Dick Rover. "I don't
exactly know what to make of it. He makes a proposition which on the
face of it looks rather good, but somehow or other I have got it in my
head that he is a crook."

"In that case, Dad, I'm sure you won't want to have anything to do with
him."

"Is he a New York man or one from down in Texas?" questioned Fred, who
overheard this conversation.

"He operates mostly in Texas, although he has some connection in New
York. He is very anxious to form a new company, and, of course, sell the
stock. Well, I am willing to go into a new thing and take stock for
myself and try to dispose of some to others, provided the company is
really a good one. But I don't want to get mixed up in any shady
transaction."

"I should say not!" cried Jack. "The Rover name has always been a clean
one."

"What is the name of this promoter?" questioned Fred.

"Carson Davenport."

"What's that?" exclaimed Jack, somewhat startled.

"Carson Davenport. Did you ever hear that name before?"

"I certainly did, Dad. This Carson Davenport has a son Perry, and this
Perry Davenport and Nappy Martell were great chums, and unless I am
mistaken, Mr. Martell and Carson Davenport were once partners in some
mining scheme. I heard Perry and Nappy talking about it several times."

"Humph! if this Carson Davenport was a partner of Nelson Martell, I
don't know as I want anything to do with him. That whole bunch is tarred
with the same stick. Not one of them is honest," declared Dick Rover
bluntly.

CHAPTER XIX

IN THE LAND OF LUCK

"Well, here we are in Texas at last."

"And what immense stretches of country there seem to be, Jack. Miles and
miles without a house or any