Retaining
enough to cover the costs of transportation to Kansas City he gave
the widow what remained of his funds, nearly five hundred dollars,
and all the heavy stores remaining in the corral.
At midnight of that day four wide-awake and alert boys, neatly clad
in summer suits, boarded the local train bound east for Albuquerque.
The last hand they shook was that of Mayor Bradley.
"Mr. Mayor," said Ned as he parted from his friend, "I'm sorry I
can't tell you why we were here, or what we were doing. But you
were our friend and we'll never forget you. Some day I'm going to
show you how highly we regard you. And some day I hope I'll be able
to tell you what our mission was."
Three days later the quartette of boys sprang from the Limited in
the Union depot at Kansas City. The parting had come. None of the
boys knew what that meant until the last moment.
"'Ned," said Bob Russell, once again in the field of his profession,
"I've had many a strange assignment in my work and I expect to have
many another, but I'll never have one like this. I've got the story
of my life, but I haven't got yours.
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