Part 10 (1/2)
”Did you ever hear anything ton?” asked To He seeht”
”And are your rivals, Blakeson & Grinder, h just what the situation oing just right or my brother would not be so anxious for me to come on in such a hurry”
”Do you anticipate any real trouble?”
Mr titus paused a
”Well, yes,” he said, finally, ”I do!”
”What sort?” asked Tom
”That I can't say I'll be perfectly frank with you, Tom You know I told you at the tio into this thing blindly”
”Oh, I'm not afraid of trouble,” Tom hastened to assure his friend
”I've had ain Only I like to knohat kind it is”
”Well, I can't tell you--exactly,” went on the tunnel contractor
”Those rivals of ours, Blakeson & Grinder, are unscrupulous fellows
They feel very bitter about not getting the contract, I hear And they would be only too glad to have us fail in the work That would iven the job And ould have to make up the difference out of our pockets, as well as lose all the e have, so far, put on the tunnel”
”And you don't want that to happen!”
”I guess not, et there in time with this new explosive of yours That will do the business I'm sure”
”I hope so,” o and write a few letters We are going to put in at Panama, and I can mail them there”
Tom started for his stateroom, and rapidly put his hand in the inner pocket of his coat He drew out a bundle of letters and papers, and, as he looked at them, a cry of astonishment came from his lips
”What's the matter?” asked Mr titus
”Matter!” cried Tom ”Why here's a letter from Mary--from Mr Nestor,”
he went on, as he scanned the fa ”I never opened it!
Let's see--when did I get that?”
His memory went back to the day of his departure froift, and he recalled that the letter had arrived just as he was getting into the automobile
”I stuck it in ht of it again until just now But this is the first time I've worn this coat since that day A letter fro me for the box, and her father addressed the envelope for her Well, let's see what it says”
Tom retired to the privacy of his stateroolanced over more than the first half of it before he cried out: