his parentage troubled Dave a great deal, and when
he saw what he thought was a chance to clear up the mystery, he took a
long trip from home, as related in "Dave Porter in the South Seas."
After many adventures he found his uncle, Dunston Porter, and learned
much concerning his father, David Breslow Porter, and his sister, Laura,
then traveling in Europe.

Dave was now no longer a "poorhouse nobody," as some of his enemies had
called him, but a well-to-do youth with considerable money coming to
him when he should be of age. While waiting to hear from his parent he
went back to Oak Hall, as related in "Dave Porter's Return to School."
Here he added to his friends; yet some boys were jealous of his
prosperity and did all they could to injure him. But their plots were
exposed, and in sheer fright one of the lads ran away to Europe.

Much to Dave's disappointment, he did not hear from either his father or
his sister. But he did receive word that the bully who had run away from
Oak Hall had seen them, and so he resolved to go on another hunt for his
relatives. As told in "Dave Porter in the Far North," he crossed the
Atlantic with his chum, Roger, and followed his father to the upper part
of Norway. Here at last the lonely lad met his parent face to face, a
meeting as thrilling as it was interesting. He learned that his sister
had returned to the United States, and with some friends named Endicott
had gone to the latter's ranch in the Far West.

Mr. Oliver Wadsworth's mansion was a large one, and by an arrangement
with him it was settled that, for the present, the Porters should make
the place their home. All in a flutter of excitement, Laura came back
from the West, and the meeting between brother and sister was as
affecting as had been that between father and son. The girl brought
with her some news that interested Dave deeply. It was to the effect
that the ranch next to that of the Endicotts was owned by a Mr. Felix
Merwell, the father of Link Merwell, one of Dave's bitterest enemies at
Oak Hall. Link had met Laura out there and gotten her to correspond with
him.

"It's too bad, Laura; I wish you hadn't done it," Dave had said on
learning the news. "It may make trouble, for Merwell is no gentleman."
And trouble it did make, as the readers of "Dave Porter and His
Classmates" know. The trouble went from bad to worse, and not only were
Laura and Dave involved, but also pretty Jessie Wadsworth and several of
Dave's schoo