Ned Wilding's Disappearance; or, The Darewell Chums in the City Read online

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  NED WILDING'S DISAPPEARANCE

  Or

  The Darewell Chums in the City

  BY

  ALLEN CHAPMAN

  AUTHOR OF "BART STIRLING'S ROAD TO SUCCESS," "WORKING HARD TO WIN," "BOUND TO SUCCEED," "THE YOUNG STOREKEEPER," "NAT BORDEN'S FIND," ETC.

  _The_ GOLDSMITH _Publishing Co._ CLEVELAND OHIO

  MADE IN U.S.A.]

  COPYRIGHT, 1908, BY CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER PAGE I. THE NEW GUN 1 II. PREPARING FOR A HUNT 8 III. OFF IN THE WOODS 15 IV. THE FIRST TURKEY 19 V. THE BLIZZARD 23 VI. A LONELY CABIN 30 VII. HOME FOR THANKSGIVING 38 VIII. GETTING SQUARE WITH SANDY 45 IX. SANTA CLAUS IN SCHOOL 52 X. WRECK OF THE TOWER 61 XI. NED GETS A LETTER 69 XII. NED STARTS OFF 77 XIII. STARTLING NEWS 85 XIV. NED'S BUSINESS VENTURE 94 XV. IN TROUBLE 103 XVI. ADRIFT IN NEW YORK 111 XVII. THE CHUMS ARRIVE 120 XVIII. HUNTING FOR NED 125 XIX. DOWN THE ROPE 132 XX. IN THE LODGING HOUSE 143 XXI. NED FLEES AGAIN 149 XXII. OUT IN THE STORM 159 XXIII. NED'S PREDICAMENT 168 XXIV. A QUEER IDENTIFICATION 175 XXV. NED SHOVELS SNOW 187 XXVI. CASSIDY CATCHES NED 197 XXVII. BAFFLED AGAIN 216 XXVIII. NED A PRISONER 222 XXIX. NED IS FOUND--CONCLUSION 229

  NED WILDING'S DISAPPEARANCE

  CHAPTER I

  THE NEW GUN

  The Keene household was suddenly aroused from peacefulness, one quietafternoon, by a loud thud as if something had fallen. It was followed bya report like an explosion. Then, from Bart's room, sounded a series ofyells.

  "Wow! Ouch! Jimminities!"

  "He's hurt!" exclaimed his sister Alice, as she ran toward her brother'sroom. As she entered she saw him running about the apartment, which wasfilled with smoke, holding one hand in the other. Drops of blood werecoming from his fingers.

  "What's the matter? Are you hurt?" asked Alice. "Oh, Bart, are youreally hurt?"

  "Am I hurt? Do you think I'm doing this for fun? Where's mother?"

  "She's gone out. I'm the only one home."

  "Get a rag or something, will you please Alice?" and Bart danced aroundon one leg, holding the other limb out so stiffly that he knocked overseveral chairs.

  "Is your leg hurt too, Bart?"

  "No, it's only my three fingers."

  "But you stuck one leg out so I thought that was injured also."

  "I'd stick 'em both out if it would only ease this pain any! Maybe myfingers will have to come off!"

  "Oh, Bart! What did it?"

  "My new gun. I went to lay it down on the table and it fell to the floorand went off. Did you hear it?"

  "I couldn't very well help it. Did the bullet go through your hand?"

  "It doesn't shoot bullets. It shoots shot, and I guess it only grazed afew fingers. Most of the shot went into the wall," and Bart gazed at adark spot on the wall-paper, and then looked at his injured hand. "Ididn't think it would go off so easily," he added.

  "Oh, those horrid guns!" exclaimed the girl. "I just knew when papa letyou send for it--"

  "Say, Alice, if you ever intend to be a trained nurse you'd better getto work on me before I faint!" cried Bart. "Now don't talk any more,that's a good girl. Get a rag before I bleed to death."

  "Oh, Bart, I'm so sorry! Of course I'll fix you up. Wait until I get mybook," and Alice, whose ambition was to be a nurse and wear a blue andwhite striped uniform, hurried to her room and came back with a littlebook. On the cover was a red cross, and the inscription, "First Aid tothe Injured."

  "What kind of a wound is it, Bart?" Alice asked, rapidly turning theleaves of the volume.

  "How should I know? It's a painful wound, if that's what you mean."

  "Oh, no! Is it incised or lacerated or a contused one? Because you see Ihave to give it different kind of treatment if it's an incised woundthan I would if it's a lacerated one."

  "Oh, give me any kind of treatment!" and Bart began to dance aroundagain. "The shot grazed my fingers, that's all I know!"

  "I guess that's a lacerated wound," Alice replied a little doubtfully,as she took a look at her brother's bleeding hand. Then she turned tothe page of the book that treated of lacerated hurts and read:

  "'These wounds have ragged edges and the skin is torn and bruised.'"

  "That's me all right," interrupted Bart.

  "'They result from force so applied as to tear rather than cut thetissues cleanly,'" the girl read on.

  "Oh, I'm cut all right," put in Bart. "Hurry up Alice, stick some courtplaster on and let it go at that."

  "Why, Bart Keene! I'm ashamed of you! The idea of me putting such acommon remedy as court plaster on a wound! Why, you'd get bloodpoisonand other dreadful things! I must treat this just as I expect to treatother wounds when I get to be a trained nurse."

  "You'll never get to be one at this rate," Bart cut in.

  "'They are caused by railway and machinery accidents,'" Alice read on,"'by falling timbers, stones and brick. Such wounds are frequentlyfollowed by shock.'"

  "Well, this wasn't a railroad accident, nor one caused by falling bricksor timber," Bart retorted. "I guess it will come under the head ofmachinery. A gun's machinery, I s'pose. But I can testify to the shock.Wow!" and, as a sudden spasm of pain seized him, he snatched his handfrom the grasp of his sister and again began dancing around on one leg.

  "Hold still! How can I treat the wound if you jerk around that way?"demanded Alice.

  "Treat the wound! You aren't treating any wound!" retorted Bart. "Icould treat ten wounds in that time! All you're doing is talk! If FennMasterson or Ned Wilding was here they'd have a rag around this longago."

  "Yes, and it would probably be full of germs and other things and you'dbe dead of lock-jaw," said Alice calmly. "Now Bart, come here. I knowwhat kind of a wound it is, and I must see how to fix it," and once moresecuring her brother's hand for examination, she began to leaf over thebook.

  "'Treatment,'" she read. "'Cleanse the wound thoroughly with warm water,lay a wet cloth over it and bandage lightly. If symptoms of shock arepresent they must receive careful attention. See page twenty-two.'"

  "Never mind the shock, just get a rag on these fingers before I lose allthe blood I've got and we'll talk shock afterward," interrupted Bart.

  Then Alice, laying aside her book, brought some warm water in a basin,and some soft cloths, and soon had Bart's hand tied up in a sling.

  "You've got enough rags on here to make my hand look as big as my head,"objected the boy, as he gazed at the bandage his sister had adjusted.

  "You don't want to catch cold in it," she replied. "It is very chillyto-day. I think we're going to have more snow."

  "Ought to have some, with Thanksgiving here in about a week," repliedBart.

  "How did you get hurt?" asked his sister again.

  "I was examining my new shotgun. It just came--Hark! Who's that calling?"

  "Oh, some of the boys I s'pose," and Alice went to the window and lookeddown to the s
treet, whence came a series of shrill whistles.

  "Raise the window and I'll yell to 'em to come up," said Bart.

  "Don't you come near this window," commanded Alice. "You forget you'reunder treatment. If you should catch cold in that hand it might beterrible! I'll call the boys. You go back in that corner."

  Then, as Bart meekly obeyed, Alice raised the sash and called:

  "Come up, boys! Bart is hurt and can't come down!"

  "They'll think I'm in bed," her brother objected.

  A few seconds later there sounded the noise of several feet on thestairs. A moment afterward three lads hurried into the room. They hadjust come from school, but Bart had not attended the afternoon session.

  "Hello Frank!" cried Bart. "Howdy, Stumpy? How are you, Ned?"

  "What's the matter?" asked Ned, noticing the bandage on Bart's hand.

  "Oh, hurt myself with the gun. Went off before I was ready."

  "The gun!" exclaimed Frank.

  "Got a new gun?" asked Fenn.

  "Let's see it," demanded Ned.

  "Here she is," exclaimed Bart, and then, forgetting his sore hand, hetook from the corner a fine shotgun. "It's a beauty," he went on. "It'sgot patent--"

  "Oh! Oh!" screamed Alice. "Your hand!"