CHAPTER VIII.
THE MILL MYSTERY.
"Have you heard the news--great excitement--big robbery--everybodytalking about it--hurry up!"
It was thus Andy Rush greeted Ned the next morning as he stopped at thelatter's house on the way down town. Andy's hair was more disarrangedthan ever, and his blue eyes fairly shone.
"What's up?" asked Ned, who had come to the door in answer to Andy'swhistle, having been met with the flow of words that startled him.
"Last night--midnight, I guess--Judson's mill--thousand dollars--greatexcitement--safe blown open--money taken--detectives notified--I'm offto see the fun--hurry up!"
"Hold on!" called Ned. "I saw--I know--" and then he stopped. The memoryof what he had seen in the night; the light in the mill, the actionsof Bill Berry, and his meeting with Noddy Nixon, who carried a squarebox; all this came to Ned in an instant. He was about to tell Andy, buton second thought decided that he had better keep his own counsel, atleast, for a while.
"Coming along?--no time to lose!" cried Andy.
"I'll be down after I have breakfast," replied Ned, waving a farewell toAndy, and returning to the house sorely puzzled.
He ate his breakfast rapidly. He hardly knew what to do in referenceto what he had witnessed during his watch at the mill. After somethought he decided to wait a little while, learn more particulars of therobbery, and then relate everything to his father.
In a little while Mr. Slade left the house and Ned soon followed. Whenthe lad reached the centre of the town it needed no one to tell him thatthere was considerable excitement. In a small place like Cresville newsspreads quickly even without a daily paper.
Ned soon found his chums, Bob and Jerry.
"Have you heard about it?" demanded Ned.
"Yes, Andy Rush told me," said Jerry.
"And he told me, too," put in Bob. "That fellow is as swift as his name."
"Did you hear any particulars?" demanded Ned.
"It was an old-fashioned safe, according to what the policeman toldme," said Jerry, "and the burglars had little trouble in getting itopen."
"Did they blow it apart?"
"No, simply took a chisel and hammer and cut the lock out. The door wasonly soft iron."
By this time the three boys were near the mill. There was quite a crowdabout, and several policemen were on guard, preventing any one, butthose having business, from entering the establishment.
"One side, please," called a man suddenly, coming up behind the threechums. "I'm in a hurry."
The boys turned aside, to give passage to a short, stout fussy man, whoseemed in a tremendous state of excitement.
"That's Sheriff Blackwell," said Jerry. "I suppose he thinks the robbersare here waiting for him to arrest them."
There was really little news of the robbery to be had. Mr. Judsonrelated what particulars he knew to the police.
"I had a little more than one thousand dollars on hand late yesterdayafternoon," he said to the officers. "Several people paid me some bills,and, as it was late, I didn't go to the bank, but locked the money up inthe safe. I seldom do this, as the iron box is no match for burglars.
"As far as I know the only persons who knew the money was in the safewere my son and myself. I am sure neither he nor I told any one."
"We must get right to work looking up clues," said the sheriff.
But there were apparently no clues. As has been said, the door of thesafe was of soft iron. The robber, or robbers, had used a cold chiseland a hammer, and cut out a section of the door around the big clumsylock. Then it was a comparatively easy matter to get at the cash. Thethieves had left nothing behind them that would throw any light on themystery.
Having learned all they could, and seeing that there were likely to beno developments at the mill, the three chums wandered up the street. Allthe while Ned was busy thinking. Finally he said:
"Boys, I've something to tell you. I want to ask your advice. It's aboutthe robbery. Come where we can find a quiet place."
Soon the three chums were sitting comfortably beneath a big oak tree,that cast a pleasant shade from the sun, which was already hot, thoughit was early in the day.
"Now, let's hear the yarn," said Chunky.
Thereupon Ned told what he had seen while watching the mill the previousnight.
"Well, I should say you did know something about the robbery," commentedJerry. "Why didn't you tell this to the police?"
"I did think of it," said Ned. "But I wanted to get some advice first.You see the light may or may not have had a connection with the crime."
"Yes, but it looks suspicious, seeing Bill Berry around," came from Bob.
"Are you sure it was him?" asked Jerry.
"As sure as I am that I'm talking to you now."
"And are you just as positive that it was Noddy?"
"Even more so. Wasn't I talking to him?"
"And he said he had fish bait in the square box?"
"He didn't exactly say so, but he intimated as much."
"If it was fish bait, why should he try to hide it, as you say he did?"asked Jerry.
"That's what puzzles me," replied Ned. "I only wish I had seen what Billsaw in the mill office when the light was burning."
"Maybe Bill is the robber," suggested Bob.
"I hardly think so," was Ned's opinion. "He may have had some connectionwith it, and may even have known about it. But, in my opinion the personwho took the thousand dollars was the person who had the light in theoffice, and that wasn't Bill."
"Do you--do you think Noddy--er--Noddy took the money?" asked Bob in ahesitating tone. He felt rather delicate about accusing an acquaintance,even one so undesirable as Noddy, of a serious crime.
"Well, I hate to think so, but it does look suspicious," said Ned. "Hecertainly acted afraid because he met me."
"Could any one get out of the office any way except going through thefront door?" asked Bob.
"Yes," replied Ned. "There is a back door that goes out into the millyard. From the yard a person could pass onto the road along the river,and then come up along the north side of the mill fence, on Petersonstreet."
"And it was at the corner of Peterson street and Maple alley that youmet Noddy, wasn't it?"
"That's just where it was."
There was silence for a few minutes among the boys. Each one was busywith disagreeable thoughts.
"Did any of you hear how the mill office door was opened?" asked Ned.
"The lock wasn't forced on either the back or front door," answeredJerry. "So I was told. The police think the robber used a skeleton key."
"Then it comes right down to a question. Is Noddy Nixon guilty?" askedBob solemnly.
"It's hard to decide," replied Ned. "I'd hate to accuse any one, evenwhen things look as suspicious as they do now. Do you think I oughtto tell the police? Perhaps they will arrest both Bill and Noddy onsuspicion."
"You'd have to be a witness against them, and that would not be verypleasant," suggested Jerry. "Besides their word would be as good asyours in court, and you have no proof. I think the best thing to do isto wait a while. If suspicion points more strongly to Noddy or Bill,then you can come forward and tell what you know."
"Then I'll wait a while," said Ned. "In the meantime we can, all three,have an eye on Noddy and Bill. They may do something or say somethingthat would give us a clue."
"There's another thing I don't believe any of us have thought of," camefrom Jerry.
"What's that?"
"Why, you know, Mr. Nixon, Noddy's father, owns several shares inJudson's mill."
"Are you sure of that?" asked Ned.
"Positive. I heard mother saying something about it the other day. Itseems the concern was made a stock company not long ago, and Mr. Judsonwanted mother to invest some of her money in it. He remarked at the timethat Mr. Nixon had taken ten shares of the stock, and thought it a goodinvestment."
"That might or might not throw additional suspicion on Noddy," remarkedNed. "If he
knew his father was interested, financially, in the ironmill, he hardly would take money that he knew might cause his father aloss."
"Well, all this talking don't bring matters any nearer a solution," saidJerry, finally. "I think all we can do is to wait and watch."
"And meet every day to compare notes," suggested Ned.