"I think I can have the mine fairly dry by the time you boys get out
of town and back again!" laughed Canfield.

"Well," Tommy said, "then you'd better got a couple of dry-goods boxes
and fill them full of good things to eat, and drop 'em down to the
first level. Perhaps you know of a cozy little chamber there where we
can set up housekeeping."

"I know just the place," said the caretaker. "To the left of the old
tool house there's a room where odd articles of every description have
been stored for any number of years. The blacksmith and the fire-boss
used to go there to smoke and tell stores, if I remember right."

"Does anyone ever go there now?" asked Will.

"Not that I know of," was the reply.

"Then we'll drop down there some time towards morning," Will decided.
"And in the meantime," he added, with a wink at his chums, "we'll be
looking for a boy tramp out in the railroad yards."

"What do you mean by that"' asked the caretaker.

"Oh, I've just got an idea," replied Will, "that there's a kid hanging
around this part of the country whom we ought to interview."

"But I don't understand."

"You wait until we get hold of him, and you'll understand all right!"
laughed Will. "We just need that boy!"