After a happy week spent at his little home on the Sound, Wizard Willreturned to his duties in town. He had made friends with the old negroand negress in the cabin on the hill near the cottage, and had foundthem most willing to do all in their power to help his mother, and hadsecretly made an arrangement with them to look after matters in hisabsence, the old man to look after the horse, and his wife to milk thecow.
He had also ingeniously attached a wire from the cottage to the cabin,with a bell at the latter, so that his mother could call for aid if sheneeded it.
With country air, pretty scenery, pleasant quarters, fresh milk andvegetables, and no worry about their daily bread, Mrs. Raymond rapidlyimproved in health, and life became worth the living for her, as shestrove hard to shut out the past.
Pearl started to school and made friends, and some kind-heartedneighbours called upon the new-comers, so that the mother and daughterwere not wholly alone, while Wizard Will, when at home, gave them many apleasant drive about the country, and row or sail upon the Sound.
But Will did not neglect his work in the city, and, setting to work withenergy and skill, he formed his League of Boy Detectives, and it was buta very short while before the police force recognized their ability andacknowledged it, treating their young captain with as much respect asthey did their own commanders.
In due time Ed Ellis the kidnapper and murderer was tried, found guiltyupon the testimony of Wizard Will and executed.
Mr. Rossmore came on to the trial, and urged Wizard Will once more tobecome his adopted son, but Mrs. Raymond would not hear of it, and alsodeclined positively to allow her son to bring the kind-hearted gentlemanout to see her, as he wished to do.
Will felt hurt at this, especially as his mother gave no other reasonfor her strange conduct than that she would not see any strangers.
With deep regret at Will's refusal to go with him Mr. Rossmore returnedto his home in Maryland, and the boy settled himself to hard work to wingreater fame in the career which he had drifted into by accident.
Though he had several times seen Colonel Ivey in the street he hadavoided him, as his mother had earnestly requested him to do, and thegallant soldier little dreamed that the name his eyes fell upon now andthen in the papers as Wizard Will, was the one whose three-dollargold-piece he had found on Thanksgiving morning, and still wore as acharm upon his watch-chain, while he deeply mourned for the woman he hadlearned to love, and the children who had crept into his heart as thoughthey were his own flesh and blood.
One of the first duties that the brave young officer set for himself toaccomplish with his juvenile band of Secret Service scouts was therunning to earth of the "Land Sharks," and how he accomplished the gianttask is written in the Police History of New York City, wherein no namestands out in bolder relief than that of Wizard Will, the Boy Ferret ofNew York.
Those who wish to know how he accomplished his task, must read "WIZARDWILL'S STREET SCOUTS," the next number of the Tip Top Tales.