CHAPTER IX
FINDING THE WALLET
"No luck, eh?" went on Ed as he approached Jack.
"No; that is, Lem and I didn't have any."
"Lem--do you mean to say Lem Gildy?"
"Now, don't get nervous. I didn't tell him it was your pocketbookthat was lost. You see, I had to have some one keep watch on oneside of the road while I looked on the other, and he was the onlyone available."
Then Jack related the details of the search.
"I'm glad Lem doesn't know about it," went on Ed. "I heard to-daythat he and Sid Wilcox have been seen together several times lately,and I'm not quite ready to have my loss made public--especially toSid."
"Maybe Cora and Walter will have better luck," suggested Jackhopefully. "We won't hear from them for some time, though. Did you'phone to the bank in New City?"
"Yes. I told them I couldn't get any trace of the wallet here, and,as you know, I have already notified the Chelton police. They havebeen making a quiet search about town, but I fear it will behopeless."
"The bank people didn't say it had been turned in there, by anychance, did they?"
"No such good fortune," and Ed laughed uneasily. "Well, I'm goinghome now to get a list of the bonds and their numbers, as well asthe numbers of the big bills. The police say they will want themwhen they send out a general alarm."
"But I thought you said you didn't want it generally known."
"I don't, until I have made a thorough search at home. It is barelypossible that I took up the wrong wallet by mistake when I rushedout this morning. I have two that look exactly alike. I may havepicked up the empty one, shoved it into my pocket, and lost thatone. The one containing the bonds and cash may still be at my house.I am hurrying there to see. If I don't find it, the police are tosend out a general alarm."
"I hope you find it."
"So do I. It means a big loss to me--almost my entire fortune gone.I don't know what I am going to do."
"Let's hope for the best," spoke Jack as cheerfully as possible, butthere was a dubious look on his face as he watched Ed turn in thedirection of his home.
But Ed found that he had made no mistake in the wallets. The emptyone was safely in his room, but the one containing the twentythousand dollars was--as he had feared--lost. He communicated thisfact to the police, and soon the chief had ordered some handbillsprinted, describing the pocketbook and the contents, and offering areward of five hundred dollars for the cash and bonds, Ed havingagreed to pay this amount and ask no questions.
"Ha!" exclaimed Lem Gildy that night as one of the hastily printedbills came into his possession, "so this is the wallet they arelookin' for, eh? Twenty thousand dollars! But I knowed it all thewhile. As if Jack Kimball an' his sister could fool me! But I'llbleed him--that's what I'll do. I'll make him whack up--or--orI'll tell!" and Lem chuckled to himself, while there was a dangerouslook on his mean face.
The search conducted by Cora and Walter was, as might be guessed, asunsuccessful as the one undertaken by Jack and Lem. Cora and Walterlooked carefully over the whole length of the road to New City, butsaw nothing of the wallet, and came back disconsolate in the auto.
"Poor Ed!" remarked Walter. "It's tough luck!"
"Yes, I wish we could have found it for him," agreed Cora as sheskillfully drove the car through the Chelton streets at dusk. "I'mbeginning to believe that it was stolen."
"I think so myself," added Walter. "But if he had it when he wasfixing your car, and he missed it directly after he left ourcrowd--"
He hesitated a moment, then continued:
"Well, maybe he thinks that some of us may have--"
"Better not jump at conclusions," cautioned Cora, and at this Walteralighted near the street that led to his home.
"I won't," he promised Cora with a laugh as she sent the car ahead.She was anxious to reach home and learn the details of Jack'ssearch, though she and Walter knew, from an inquiry they had made atthe bank in New City, that it had not been successful.
That night nothing was so important a topic of conversation inChelton as the loss of the twenty thousand dollars. Speculation wasrife, and opinion was equally divided on the question of whether ithad been lost or stolen, or both, for that it might have been stolenafter it was lost was possible.
Ed consulted some business friends, but they could give him littlehelp. He was advised to hire private detectives, and said he woulddo so, in case the police of New City or Chelton could do nothing.
It was two days after the loss of the money and bonds that Cora,with her inseparable friends, the Robinson twins, and Walter, whomshe had picked up on the road, were out for a ride. They took theturnpike, as it was the smoothest highway.
"We may meet Jack along here," said Cora as she turned out to avoida large rock.
"Yes?"--asked Elizabeth, and she tried to keep down the eagerness inher voice.
"Yes; he's gone over to see about a concert his mandolin club isgoing to give, and he said he might bring a couple of the membersback with him to stay a few days."
"College lads?" asked Bess with a laugh.
"Surely," replied Cora; "and charming ones, too, I gathered fromJack's talk."
"Must be some of the Never Sleep members," spoke Walter.
"Never Sleep members?" repeated Elizabeth.
"Yes; I belong. We call ourselves that because we used to be up atall hours. Some of the boys play in Jack's mandolin club."
"I hope we meet them!" exclaimed Bess frankly. "I'm dying for somemusic."
"Let me sing and save your life," proposed Walter.
"With pleasure," answered Bess, making a little gesture of surprise."But I didn't know you sang."
"Only to save life," replied Waiter. "But," he added, "if I'm notmistaken that sounds like Jack's car."
"It is," declared Cora, who was getting to be an expert on thepuffing sounds of autos. "There he is!" she exclaimed as Jack'srunabout came in sight. "And it's pretty well crowded, too."
It was, for in the car, which would barely hold three, Jack hadmanaged to squeeze four--three lads besides himself.
"Hello, sis!" he called as he caught sight of Cora. "You're just intime. Take one of these brutes out of here, will you? My springs arebreaking."
"I'll go!" cried one lad as he caught sight of the Robinson twins.
"No, I saw 'em first!" exclaimed another.
"You did not! It's my turn to ride in a decent car," said thethird.
"Now, just for that you will all three get in Cora's car, and I'lltake the Misses Robinson in with me," declared Jack.
There was laughter at this, and Jack introduced his mandolin clubfriends to Cora and the twins.
"Seriously, though, sis, you'll have to take one or two of 'em,"went on Jack. "Here, Diddick, you and Parks go in the big car. Iwant to talk to Youmans about the concert we're going to have."
Diddick and Parks gladly made the exchange into the larger car,while Youmans tried to look as if he liked to remain with Jack. Butit was hard work to imagine it when he glanced across at the prettytwins and Cora.
"Hold on a minute," exclaimed Walter as he noticed that one of therear tires of the touring car was flat. "We can't go on like this,Cora. That left tire will have to be pumped up."
"And you've got good muscles to do it, too, Walter," urged Diddick,smiling mischievously.
"We'll all help," volunteered Parks. "Come on!"
Diddick, Walter and Parks alighted. Walter stepped to the tool-boxto get out the pump and the lifting-jack. As he was about to takethem out he started back excitedly.
"Hurt yourself?" asked Cora, who was looking over the side of thecar.
Walter shook his head. His face was strangely white as he spoke ina husky voice:
"The wallet! Ed Foster's wallet in the tool box--here--see!"
He held the pocketbook up to view.
"Where--where did you get it?" gasped Cora.
"In--in--your--tool--box!"
"What?"
&nbs
p; The girl's voice was shrill, and there was a tremor in her tones.Cora fairly leaped out beside him. She was staring at the brownleather wallet the wallet that had contained the twenty thousanddollars.
"How on earth--" she began.
She reached out her hand for the pocketbook. Walter gave it to her.She raised up the flap, and uttered but a single word:
"Empty!"
The limp wallet fell from her hand to the ground. Cora's faceturned strangely white, and she began swaying, as does a tree that awoodsman has nearly cut through.
A moment later the overwrought girl staggered and almost fell intoWalter's arms.