The Rover Boys in Business; Or, The Search for the Missing Bonds

by Edward Stratemeyer

  CHAPTER XX

  BARTON PELTER AGAIN

  "Well, Dick, any news?"

  "No, Tom. It's the same old story."

  "Haven't the detectives been able to locate that fellow they thoughtmight be guilty?" put in Sam.

  "No, Sam. They told me up at headquarters that all of the three formercriminals one of the detectives mentioned, were nowhere near New York,so far as they could learn."

  "Then if they haven't been near this city, that supposition of theirsfalls through," was Tom's comment. "What do they propose to do next?"

  "I don't think they know. Anyway, they didn't give me anysatisfaction;" and, hanging up his hat, Dick sank into an officechair, looking much downcast.

  Several days had passed, and during that time the Rover boys had donetheir best to get further clews concerning the robbery. From an oldman who kept an apple stand near the entrance of the building, theyhad learned that the strange fellow who had been seen by KittieDonovan was a man of perhaps forty years of age, with a clean-shavenface. But more than that the street merchant was unable to say.

  "And there are thousands of men in New York City who are about thatage and who have clean-shaven faces," had been Sam's comment onlearning this. "That clew won't get us anywhere. Now, if the fellowhad limped, or had a crooked nose----"

  "Sure! And a false tooth with two spots of gold and a diamond in it,and all that sort of thing," Tom had broken in. "Say, Sam, what do youwant, some clews made to order?" and he had laughed grimly.

  "I must confess, I am at my wits' end," said Dick.

  "What did Mr. Powell have to say about it?" questioned Tom, for he andSam had been out hunting for clews when the lawyer had called.

  "What could he say? He wasn't here when the bonds were taken. He askedme about our other investments; and he said if we got into anyfinancial difficulties through this loss, he would aid us all hecould."

  "Bully for Songbird's uncle!" cried Sam. "He's as generous as Songbirdhimself."

  "What's bothering me is this," continued the oldest Rover boy. "Sooneror later, if we don't recover those bonds, we have got to let dad knowabout the loss; and how he is going to take it, I don't know."

  "Oh, let us keep it from him just as long as possible," broke in Sam,entreatingly. "Why, Dick, you haven't any idea how run down he is, andhow nervous!"

  "Oh, yes, I have, Sam. And that is what is worrying me. I don't knowif we are doing right to keep this from him."

  "Before we tell him anything, let us consult Uncle Randolph and AuntMartha," said Tom. "If they know the truth, that will lift a little ofthe responsibility from our shoulders."

  "I am not going to tell any of them--at least, not for a week or solonger," returned Dick. "I am living in hope every day that we'll getsome kind of a clew."

  It had rained hard the day previous, but now the sky was clear. Withbut little to do in the offices that afternoon after three o'clock,the Rover boys took a walk up Broadway from Wall Street to where theOutlook Hotel was located.

  "It certainly is a busy city," was Tom's comment, as they came to atemporary halt in front of the post-office. "Just look at the streamof humanity and the cars and wagons, not to speak of the automobiles."

  "What takes my eye, is the size of so many of these buildings,"declared Sam. "Say, maybe an earthquake around here wouldn't do somedamage!"

  "And to think of the way the people travel!" broke in Dick. "They aredown in the ground, on the street, and up in the air," and he smiled alittle at the thought.

  Walking past the post-office, the three youths entered City Hall Park,crossing the same to look at some of the bulletin boards put out bythe newspapers located on Park Row.

  "Hello!" cried Tom, suddenly; and caught each of his brothers by thearm.

  "What now, Tom?" asked Dick, quickly.

  "See that fellow over there, leaning against the fence, reading anewspaper?"

  "Why, I declare! It is Barton Pelter!" ejaculated Sam.

  "You mean Jesse Pelter's nephew--the chap you hauled out of theriver?" questioned Dick.

  "The same," returned Tom. "Say, I think I'll go over and talk to him,"he added, quickly.

  "He may not want to talk to you, Tom," interposed his younger brother.

  "I'll risk it;" and so speaking, Tom stepped forward and advanced towhere the other youth was busy looking over the sporting edition ofone of the afternoon sheets.

  "What is it? I don't seem to remember you," said Barton Pelter, whenTom touched his arm.

  "I am Tom Rover," was the reply. "This is my brother Sam, and this mybrother Dick;" and Tom pointed to the others, who were coming up.

  "Oh, is that so!" returned Barton Pelter, and put out his hand. "I amglad to see you," he continued, somewhat hesitatingly. "Is this theone who helped to pull me out of the river?" and he nodded towardsSam.

  "Yes."

  "I am certainly very much obliged to both of you," continued the youngman, and his face showed that he meant what he said. "If it hadn'tbeen for you, I might have been drowned. I suppose you--er--you--er--gotmy letter?"

  "Oh, yes, and we understood it, perfectly," returned Tom, hastily."It's all right. We didn't do so much, after all."

  "I think you did a good deal," and Barton Pelter laughed nervously."You--you are now in business where my uncle used to be, are younot?"

  "We are," answered Dick. "By the way,what has become of your uncle?" he questioned, curiously.

  "I don't know, exactly. I think though he is going East. Perhaps toBoston. How is business with you?" the young man continued, hastily,as if he wanted to change the subject.

  "Oh, business is all right enough," answered Dick. And then he lookedmeaningly at his brothers.

  "The trouble with us is, we've been very unfortunate," broke in Tom,before the others could stop him. "We've just suffered a tremendousloss."

  "Is that so? In what way?"

  Before answering, Tom looked at Dick. "Shall I tell him?" hequestioned, in a low tone.

  "You might as well, since you have gone so far," was the reply. "Infact, I don't know that it will do much good to keep still anylonger."

  "We've been robbed."

  "You don't say so! Did you lose much?"

  "We lost sixty-four thousand dollars' worth of bonds," answered Sam.

  "Oh, a bad business deal, I presume." And Barton Pelter smiled grimly."That's the way it is in Wall Street. You are up one day, and down thenext. That's the way it was with my uncle."

  "No, we didn't lose the bonds that way," answered Dick. "They werestolen."

  "Stolen! From where?"

  "From our office."

  "Why, that's the worst I ever heard!" declared Barton Pelter, withinterest. "Who was it? Did some fellow sneak into your offices andtake them?"

  "We don't know how the robbery took place," answered Tom. "My brotherput the bonds in a japanned box that was locked, and put the box inthe once safe one afternoon. The next morning when he opened the safe,the box with the bonds was gone."

  "What's that!" exclaimed the listener, excitedly. "You had them in abox, and put the box in your safe? Do you mean the safe that was inthe offices when my uncle and Mr. Japson had it?"

  "Sure! it's the same safe," answered Dick.

  "Well, what do you know about that!" gasped Barton Pelter. His faceshowed increasing interest. "When was all this?"

  "Just about a week ago."

  "Haven't you any clews to the robbery?"

  "Nothing very much," answered Dick, before either of his brotherscould speak. "A girl saw a man leaving the building the evening of therobbery, but who he was, she did not know."

  "And you say the box was put in the safe my uncle used to own?" wenton the young man. "Of course it was locked?"

  "Yes."

  "Was it--er--er--was it--er--that is, did you have the samecombination on it that the lock used to have?" stammered the other.

  "No. I had the combination changed."

  "And you haven't got the least idea then who took
the bonds?"questioned Barton Pelter.

  "Not so far."

  "It's strange. Say, that's a fierce loss! I couldn't lose that much;"and the young man laughed nervously.

  "Are you working in New York?" asked Tom, following an awkward pause.

  "I haven't anything to do just now, but I am hoping to get a situationsoon," answered Barton Pelter. "I've got to be going now," he added,and after a few words more, he made his way to the elevated station atthe entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge.

  "Evidently a pretty decent sort of a fellow," was Dick's comment, asthe three brothers walked over to look at the newspaper bulletinboards. "It's too bad he has Jesse Pelter for an uncle."

  "That news about our robbery seemed to astonish him," said Sam. "Didyou hear him ask about the combination on the safe? He must have beenwondering whether we suspected his uncle or Japson."

  "That isn't strange," was Tom's comment, "when one knows what kind ofrascals those two men are."

  With the shadow of the loss hanging over them the Rover boys were inno mood to amuse themselves. Had it been otherwise, they might havegone to the theater or some concert, or possibly to some movingpicture show. But, as it was, they spent most of their time at theoffices and the hotel, and in looking around for clews.

  "I received two nice letters to-day," said Dora that evening, when herhusband and the others appeared, and she held up the missives. "One isfrom mamma, and she sends her best love to all of you. The other isfrom your Aunt Martha."

  "And what does she say about dad?" asked Dick, quickly.

  "She says there is no change in his general condition, but that hecontinues to worry about business matters. He wants to make sure thateverything here, in New York City, is going along all right."

  "Poor, old dad!" murmured Tom, and his voice was full of sympathy. "Wecertainly can't let him know the truth."

  "Oh, not for the world, Tom!" cried Dora.

  "But what are we going to do if the bonds are not found?" questionedDick. "He has got to know it some time."

  "Well, put it off as long as you can," returned his wife.

  "Oh, if we could only find those bonds!" exclaimed Sam. "We've justgot to do it! We've got to!"