The Missing Tin Box; Or, The Stolen Railroad Bonds Read online

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  THE MISSING TIN BOX

  OR

  THE STOLEN RAILROAD BONDS.

  BY _ARTHUR M. WINFIELD_

  _Author of "Schooldays of Fred Harley," "Poor but Plucky," "By Pluck,Not Luck," Etc., etc._

  CHICAGO:M. A. DONOHUE & CO.

  COPYRIGHT, 1897.W. L. ALLISON CO.

  CONTENTS.

  I. The Missing Tin Box

  II. A Brave Youth's Reward

  III. A Serious Charge

  IV. Hal Stands up for Himself

  V. Hal Determines to Act

  VI. A Blow in the Dark

  VII. Hal Determines to Investigate

  VIII. Felix Hardwick is astonished

  IX. The Plot Against Hal

  X. Hal is accused

  XI. For and Against

  XII. Hal in a Fearful Situation

  XIII. Hal Shows His Mettle

  XIV. Hal Expressed his Opinion

  XV. Hal Defends a Girl

  XVI. Hal on the Watch

  XVII. Near to Death

  XVIII. Hal in a Tight Situation

  XIX. A Narrow Escape

  XX. Following Allen

  XXI. In a Dangerous Place

  XXII. Hal Meets Laura Sumner

  XXIII. Hal's Bold Scheme

  XXIV. Hal in a New Role

  XXV. Hal's Escape from Hardwick

  XXVI. Hal Obtains Another Situation

  XXVII. Hal Plays a Daring Part

  XXVIII. Hal is Exposed

  XXIX. Hal Makes a Lively Move

  XXX. The Missing Tin Box

  XXXI. Hardwick's Dash for Liberty

  XXXII. A Surprising Revelation

  THE MISSING TIN BOX.

  CHAPTER I.

  AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION.

  "What are the bonds worth, Allen?"

  "Close on to eighty thousand dollars, Hardwick."

  "Phew! as much as that?"

  "Yes. The market has been going up since the first of December."

  "How did he happen to get hold of them?"

  "I don't know the particulars. Mr. Mason was an old friend of thefamily, and I presume he thought he could leave them in no betterhands."

  "And where are they now?"

  "In his private safe."

  "Humph!"

  The conversation recorded above took place one evening on a PennsylvaniaRailroad ferry-boat while the craft was making the trip from Jersey Cityto New York.

  It was carried on between two men, both well dressed. He, called Allen,was a tall, sharp-nosed individual, probably fifty years of age. Theother was a short, heavy-set fellow, wearing a black mustache, andhaving a peculiar scowl on his face.

  They sat in the forward part of the gentlemen's cabin, which was butpartly filled with passengers. Two seats on one side of them werevacant. On the other side sat a shabbily-dressed boy of sixteen, hishands clasped on his lap and his eyes closed.

  "The safe is often left open during the day," resumed Allen, after abrief pause, during which Hardwick had offered his companion a cigar andlit one himself.

  "That won't do," replied Hardwick, shortly.

  "Why not?"

  "Because it won't."

  "But we can make it appear----"

  "Hush!" The heavy-set man, who sat next to the vacant seats, nudged hiscompanion in the side. "That boy may hear you," he continued, in awhisper.

  The man addressed glanced sharply at the youth.

  "No, he won't," he returned.

  "Why not?"

  "He's fast asleep."

  "Don't be too sure." The heavy-set man arose. "Let us go out on theforward deck, and talk it over."

  "It's too cold, and, besides, it's beginning to--"

  "Wrap yourself up in that overcoat of yours, and you will be all right.We don't want to run any chances, Allen."

  "Some one may hear us out there just as well as in here," growled theelderly man.

  Nevertheless, he pulled up his coat collar and followed his companionthrough the heavy swinging doors.

  As the two walked outside, the eyes of the boy opened, and he glancedsharply after the pair.

  "That was a queer conversation they held," he muttered to himself. "I amhalf of the opinion that they are up to no good. If I were a policeman Ibelieve I would follow them and find out who they are."

  Hal Carson hesitated for a moment, and then arose and walked to thedoors.

  Stepping outside, he saw the two men, standing in the gangway forhorses, in deep conversation.

  "They are hatching out some scheme," thought Hal, as he watched thepair.

  But it was bitter cold outside for one without an overcoat, and theyouth soon returned to his seat in the cabin, leaving the two men tothemselves.

  Hal was a poor-house boy, having lived at the Fairham poor-house eversince he could remember. Who his parents were he did not know, nor couldJoel Daggett, the keeper of the institution, give him any definiteinformation on the subject.

  "You were picked up in front of Onders' carpenter shop on one Fourth o'July night," Daggett had said more than once. "They found out somestrange man was responsible, but who he was, nobuddy knows, or leastwisethey won't tell, and that amounts to the same thing."

  There had been a peculiar golden locket about Hal's neck when he wasfound, but this had never led to the establishing of his identity, andafter the boy was at the poor-house a year the facts concerning hisbeing found were almost forgotten.

  But Hal had clung fast to that locket as a sort of birthright, and itwas at this moment safe in his trousers pocket.

  Two days before the opening of this story the trustees of the FairhamPoor-house had decided to bind Hal out to Daniel Scrogg, one of the mostmiserly farmers in the county.

  Hal had protested, stating he could make more in the town, where alawyer named Gibson was willing to take the youth into his office on asalary of three dollars a week and found. The trustees were obdurate,and the upshot of the matter was that the youth quietly packed hisclothing into a bundle and ran away.

  He left a note behind for Joel Daggett, telling what he had done, andstating that as soon as he was in position to do so he would reimbursethe trustees for all they had paid out for his keep for the past fifteenyears; a big undertaking for any boy, but Hal was plucky, and meant whathe said.

  Hal's destination was New York. Once in the great metropolis, he feltcertain he would find something to do. To be sure, his capital was lessthan a dollar, but he was used to being without any money, andconsequently this did not bother him.

  It was about eight o'clock in the evening, and as the man Allen hadsaid, it was just beginning to snow, the first fall of the season. Hallooked out of the window as the flakes glittered in the electric lightand fell into the waters of the river.

  Presently there came a bump, and the ferry-boat veered to one side. Theslip had been reached, and, pulling shut the rather thin jacket he wore,and bringing his cap further down over his forehead, Hal mingled withthe crowd outside, and a minute later went ashore.

  Once on West Street, Hal stood still, undecided what to do next. He didnot know a soul in New York, did not know one street from another, butunderstood very well that it would be next to useless to try to obtainemployment at this late hour.

  As Hal stood meditating, the two men mentioned above brushed past
him.The boy noticed them, and then almost mechanically followed the pair.

  The men passed up Cortlandt Street until they came to the Sixth AvenueElevated Railroad. Hal saw them mount the stairs on the opposite side ofthe street, and a minute after knew they had taken an uptown train.

  "I suppose I'll never see them again," thought the youth.

  But Hal was mistaken. The two men were to play a most important part inthe youth's future life in the great metropolis.

  Hal walked along under the elevated road until he came to BarclayStreet. He passed several fruit stands and a queer little booth wherecoffee and cakes were sold.

  The sight of the latter made him remember how hungry he was. He had nothad anything to eat since early morning, and although he was accustomedto a very scanty fare at the poor-house, his stomach rebelled at thisunusually long fast.

  He counted up his money, and resolved to invest fifteen cents of it in aplate of pork and beans and some buttered cakes.

  He entered a restaurant near the corner, and was soon served.

  While Hal was eating he became interested in the conversation of severalyoung men who stood near the counter, smoking.

  "You say Nathan wants more help?" he heard one of the young men say.

  "Yes."

  "Thought he took on two new hands yesterday."

  "So he did, but the holiday trade is very heavy this year."

  "Then I'll send Billy around to see him. I suppose he could do thework."

  "Anybody could who is strong and willing," was the reply. "Nathan wantsthree young fellows."

  At these words Hal's eyes brightened.

  He arose and touched the speaker on the arm.

  "Excuse me, sir," he began.

  "What is it?" asked the man, rather abruptly.

  "I heard you telling your friend that somebody wanted help. I am lookingfor work."

  The man looked Hal over, and gave a short laugh.

  "I'm afraid you ain't strong enough, my boy," he said.

  "I was brought up to hard work," replied Hal, earnestly.

  "Well, that makes a difference."

  "If you will tell me where that place is----"

  "Certainly. It is the first warehouse this side----"

  The man got no further. There was a commotion on the street, and two orthree rushed outside.

  "Brady's place just below here is on fire!" shouted some one.

  "Brady's place?" ejaculated the man. "By George! I wonder how thathappened?"

  He seemed to forget all about Hal, and making a rush for the door,disappeared down the street.

  The youth started after him. He had eaten and paid for his meal, and hedid not wish to miss the opportunity of questioning the fellow further.

  On the street all was commotion. Wagons were scattering right and leftto make way for the steam engines, hose carts and hook and ladder truckswhich came dashing up to the spot.

  Hal soon found himself surrounded by a crowd. The man had disappeared,apparently for good, and with a sigh the youth walked away, there beingno signs of a fire, so far as he could see.

  The youth started to cross the street. He was directly behind an elderlygentleman, and was about to pass the man when there came a warning cry:

  "Get out of the way there! Here comes another engine!"

  Hal looked up and saw that the engine, pulled by three fiery horses, wasclose at hand. He started to return to the curb. As he did so theelderly gentleman slipped and went down flat on his back.

  "He'll be killed!" cried half a dozen, who saw the accident.

  Hal's heart seemed to leap into his throat. The horses were not over tenfeet away. A moment more and the elderly gentleman would be crushed todeath.

  The youth leaped forward, and caught the man by the arm. Then he gave asudden jerk backward, and both he and the gentleman went rolling intothe gutter, while the engine went thundering by.