Part 32 (1/2)

”And that's all I know about it, d.i.c.k.”

It was Dora who was speaking. She was seated on the sofa with d.i.c.k beside her. She had been telling her story and weeping copiously at the same time. He had listened with great interest, and had comforted her all he could. Tom and Sam had gone off with Mr. Rover, to the Laning place, to interview Mr. Laning and his wife and see if they could throw any additional light on the mystery.

What Dora had to tell was not much, and it simply supplemented the story Mr. Rover had already related to his sons.

One day a strange messenger had appeared at the Stanhope house with a letter for Mrs. Stanhope. The communication was very brief and asked the lady to get the fortune from the trust company that was holding it and take it to Ithaca and there meet Mr. Rover. She was to do this in secret, for, as the letter said, Mr. Rover ”wanted to make an investment of great importance, but one which must be kept from the general public, or the chance to buy stock at a low price would be lost.” The communication had been signed in the name of the Rover boys' father.

Rather ignorant of business affairs, Mrs. Stanhope had taken the first boat she could get for Ithaca and gone to the trust company and gotten from her private box the whole fortune-her own share and also that of the Lanings. There she had gone to the office of the Adrell Lumber Company, where, so the letter stated, Mr. Rover was to meet her.

The Adrell company's office proved to be a small affair on a side street, and on entering Mrs. Stanhope had met the messenger who had delivered the letter to her the day before. He had said that Mr. Rover was expected every minute and had requested her to sit down.

While the lady was waiting, with the fortune in her valise, a telephone had rung and the man in the office had gone to answer the call. He said Mr. Rover wished to speak to her. She had answered the telephone, and someone had spoken to her in a voice she believed to be Anderson Rover's.

The party at the other end of the wire had said he was then d.i.c.kering for some valuable mining shares owned by a rich old man, and said the shares would surely go up to double value inside of a month.

”I can't leave the old man,” came over the wire. ”Is Mr. Barker there?”

The man in the office had said he was Mr. Barker, and then the man on the wire had vouchsafed the additional information to Mrs. Stanhope that he was an old friend and perfectly trustworthy. Then Mrs. Stanhope had been requested to turn the fortune over to Mr. Barker, who would deliver it to Mr. Rover without delay.

Thinking that all was fair and square, Mrs. Stanhope had delivered the valise to the man, who had gone off with it immediately. He had told her to go home and Mr. Rover would send her word before night about what he had done.

She had returned to Cedarville and to her home and there she had waited patiently to hear from Anderson Rover. No message coming for her, she had at last grown suspicious and sent word to the hotel at which the Rover boys' father was supposed to be stopping. On receiving a reply that he was not there, and had not been there, she grew more alarmed than ever, and then sent the message to Oak Run which so mystified all of the Rovers.

”We have learned that the Adrell Lumber Company went out of business several months ago,” explained Dora. ”The old signs were left up and the office was rented temporarily to a man who said he wanted to use it for storage purposes.”

”And it was rented that way just to fool your mother,” returned d.i.c.k.

On learning the truth Mrs. Stanhope had been all but overcome. She had sent word to Mr. Laning, but he could not come, having hurt his ankle as already mentioned.

Then, while Dora and her mother were in the house alone, another message had come. It was signed Tad Sobber, and stated that Sobber had the fortune and would return the greater portion of it provided Mrs. Stanhope would allow him to keep ten thousand dollars and promise not to prosecute him. If she agreed to this, she was to meet a certain man in Cedarville, who would take her across the lake, where she could meet Sobber and get back her valise with her precious belongings. She was particularly cautioned to come alone-otherwise the fortune would not be returned.

”And she went across the lake, and that is the last seen or heard of her,” said Dora, and then she burst into fresh tears.

”Have you seen anything lately of Josiah Crabtree?” questioned d.i.c.k.

”No, but mamma got a long letter from him, in which he said he loved her more than ever and that she had better make up her mind to marry him. The letter was so sickening mamma tore it up and put it in the stove.”

”Dora, I hate to alarm you more, but I think Crabtree had something to do with getting your mother to cross the lake.”

”What makes you say that, d.i.c.k?” she demanded, with a new fear coming into her face.

”I'll tell you,” he answered, and then related the particulars of the meeting with Dan Baxter. When he concluded her face was very pale and her hands icy cold.

”Oh, d.i.c.k, would that-that monster carry her off and-and force mamma to marry him!” she moaned.

”I can't answer that, Dora. But you'll remember what a strange influence Crabtree used to exercise over her.”

”Yes! yes! But mamma was sickly then and her mind was weak. Now she is much stronger.”

”I think Crabtree is something of a hypnotist and mesmerist, and there is no telling what such a rascal will do when he sets out for it. He wants that fortune just as much as Sobber wants it. I think they are working this game between them.”

”But why would they take mamma away after they had the fortune?”