Sends her best regards to both of you," answered Dave, blushing. "She
writes mostly about that proposed trip to Yellowstone Park, and wants to
know if you fellows are going along."

"One of these letters is from Luke Watson and he will be here
to-morrow," said Roger. "And another is from Shadow and he is coming,
too. And this one--well, I declare! Just listen to this! It's from
Buster Beggs." And Roger read as follows:

"I will be along for the Fourth. I've just had a letter from Sid
Lambert, that new fellow from Pittsburg. He says he knows Link
Merwell and met him about a week ago. He says Merwell is very
bitter against you and Porter and Lawrence. Merwell was going West
on some business for his father and then he was coming East. I
would advise you and your chums to keep your eyes peeled for him.
He can't show himself, for fear of arrest, and that has made him
very vindictive. Sid tried to get his address, but Merwell wouldn't
give it, and he left Sid very suddenly, thinking maybe that some
one would put the police on his track."

CHAPTER II

DAVE PORTER'S PAST

"What do you think of that, fellows?" asked Roger, as he concluded the
reading of the letter.

"I am not surprised," answered Dave. "Now that Merwell finds he can't
show himself where he is known, he must be very bitter in mind."

"I thought he might reform, but I guess I was mistaken," said Phil.
"Say, we had better do as Buster suggests,--keep our eyes peeled for
him."

"We are not responsible for his position," retorted Roger. "He got
himself into trouble."

"So he did, Roger. But, just the same, a fellow like Link Merwell is
bound to blame somebody else,--and in this case he blames us. I am
afraid he'll make trouble for us--if he gets the chance," concluded
Dave, seriously.

And now, while the three chums are busy reading their letters again, let
me introduce them more specifically than I have already done.

Dave Porter was a typical American lad, now well grown, and a graduate
of Oak Hall, a high-class preparatory school for boys located in one of
our eastern States.

While a mere child, Dave had been found wandering beside the railroad
tracks near the little village of Crumville. He could not tell who he
was, nor where he had come from, and not being claimed by any one, was
taken to the local poor-house. There a broken-down college professor,
Caspar Potts, had found him and given h