Part 22 (2/2)

”And then you gave him the miniatures?” questioned Ben.

”I did. Oh, Ben, I know now how very foolish it was! But I was so upset! At first I thought to ask your father about it; but I was afraid that to disturb him would make him feel worse, and I knew he was bad enough already. Then, too, I knew that Mr. Wadsworth was expecting some art critics to look at the miniatures, so I concluded it must be all right. I have always known the combination of your father's safe, so it was an easy matter for me to open it and get the miniatures out. I told the young man to be careful of them, and he told me not to worry--that the miniatures would be perfectly safe, and that Mr. Wadsworth had promised to get the critic to set a fair value on each of them.”

”Was this Ward Porton alone?” asked Laura. The girls, of course, had listened with as much interest as the boys to what the lady of the house had to relate.

”No, he came in a cutter driven by a man who was so bundled up because of the cold that I could not make out who he was. As soon as I gave him the cases containing the miniatures the young man hurried off in the cutter, stating that the sooner the critic had a chance to see the paintings the better.”

”And what happened next?” questioned Dave, as Mrs. Ba.s.swood paused in her recital.

”I went back to a.s.sist a nurse who had come in, and all that night we had our hands full with my husband. We had to call in the doctor, and he was really not out of danger until noon of the next day. I had wanted to tell him about sending the miniatures over to the Wadsworth house, but he was in no condition to be told anything, so I kept silent.”

”But didn't you get worried when noon came and the supposed Dave didn't return with them?” questioned the son.

”Yes, as soon as the doctor said that your father was out of danger I began to worry over the miniatures. I waited until the middle of the afternoon, and then, although it was snowing and blowing something awful, I hailed a pa.s.sing man--old Joe Patterson--and asked him if he would go on an errand to the Wadsworth house. He said he would try to make it for a dollar, and so I wrote a short note to Mrs. Wadsworth, knowing that she must be at home even though her husband and Dave might be away.

”Old Patterson delivered this message, and Mrs. Wadsworth sent back word that she had not seen anything of Dave since he had gone away on the sleigh-ride, nor had she seen anything of the miniatures. She added that her husband had gone to the jewelry works, but that she would send one of the hired men after him at once and acquaint him with the situation.”

”What did you do then?” went on Ben.

”I really didn't know what to do. Your father was so ill that the nurse and I had to give him every attention. I was waiting for the doctor to come again, but he could not get here on account of the snow-drifts. Mr. Wadsworth put in an appearance about two hours later, and then I told him just what I have told you. He declared at once that it must be a trick, stating that Dave had not been near the house since going away with all of you young folks. Mr. Wadsworth was quite put out, and wanted to know how it was that I had not been able to detect the deception.”

”Well, I must say--” commenced Ben, and then stopped short, for he could see how his mother was suffering.

”Oh, yes, Ben, I know what you were going to say,” she broke in quickly. ”Having known Dave so many years I should have discovered the deception. But, as I said before, I was terribly worked up over your father's condition. Then, too, the young man came in bundled up in an overcoat and a cap that looked exactly like those Dave wears.”

”They were mine. That fellow stole them from me,” interrupted our hero, bitterly.

”Not only that, but he had a tippet placed over his head and around his neck, and he spoke in a very hoa.r.s.e voice, stating that he had caught a terrible cold while on the sleigh-ride and while coming back to Crumville on the freight train. He spoke about Mr. Ba.s.swood's real estate business, and about Mr. and Mrs. Wadsworth and Jessie, and so many other things that we are familiar with, that I was completely deceived. Then, too, his turning over that written card to me also threw me off my guard. But I know I was very foolish, very foolish indeed!” and Mrs. Ba.s.swood's lips trembled and she wrung her hands once again.

”What did Mr. Wadsworth do?” questioned Dave, in the midst of rather an awkward pause. He agreed with Ben that Mrs. Ba.s.swood should have recognized Ward Porton as an imposter, but he did not want to say anything that might add to the lady's misery.

”He said he would set the authorities at work and see if he could not find Porton and his confederate. I was so bewildered that I--well, I might as well admit it--I told him that I couldn't understand how I had been deceived, and that maybe Dave had gotten the miniatures after all.”

”Oh, Mrs. Ba.s.swood, you didn't really mean that!” cried our hero.

”I was so bewildered I didn't know what I meant, Dave. That young man did look so very much like you. That's the reason, when you folks drove up to the house, I ran out to ask if you had really been here or not.”

”Have you heard anything of this Ward Porton since?” asked Roger.

”I haven't heard anything. Whether Mr. Wadsworth has learned anything or not I do not know, for he has not been here and the storm has been so awful, with all the telephone wires down, that I could not send for news.”

”Does father know about this now?” questioned Ben.

”No, Ben, I have not had the courage to tell him,” answered the mother. ”I told the doctor, and he advised that I say nothing for the present.”

”I don't think I'd tell him,” said Dave. ”I think the best thing we can do is to try to follow Porton and this fellow with him and get back the miniatures. Then it will be time enough to tell Mr. Ba.s.swood about the affair.”

As soon as they had entered the parlor the lady of the house had shut the door, so that none of the conversation might reach the sick chamber overhead. In reply to numerous questions Mrs. Ba.s.swood gave all the details as to how the rascally Porton had been able to gain possession of the miniatures.

”I think I'll hurry up and get home,” declared Dave, presently. ”I want to hear what Mr. Wadsworth has to say; and also find out what he and my folks have done towards getting on the track of Porton and his confederate.”

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