Part 17 (2/2)
”Is this the one Ed Foster lost?” asked Diddick ”We heard so about it”
”The same one,” answered Walter as he picked the wallet from the road where it had fallen ”See, it has his na supernatural had put it into my tool-box,” said Cora in a curiously quiet voice
”More likely some unnatural person did it,” spoke Jack quickly ”Yet who in the world would do it? If I had seen--”
He stopped suddenly, leaving the sentence unfinished
”And it was on top of the pump and jack,” mused Cora, after a quick look at her brother ”I haven't used the pump since--let me see--”
”Since the day of the collision--the day when the pocketbook was lost,” interrupted jack ”You pumped up a tire just before the race, so that the pocketbook ht after the robbery”
”Or loss,” added Walter ”Some one may have found the wallet, taken out the money and bonds, and then thrown the empty pocketbook away”
”That some one threw it in a curious place,” remarked Elizabeth dryly
”Indeed, they did,” observed Cora ”It looks--”
She hesitated
”Oh, you ht as well say it--before sohty suspicious, Cora”
There was a vindictive air about hiainst his sister
”I'm sure there was no need to say that,” spoke Walter ”It may be a mere--er--”
”Coincidence,” finished Cora
”A queer coincidence,” quoth Jack ”Incidentally, soht We must hurry home and tell Ed”
”I wonder what he'll think?” asked Cora
”What can he think?” demanded her brother ”Only that some one found or stole his wallet and threw the empty pocketbook into your tool-box”
”And I found it,” added Walter ”Which ht mean--”
He, too, hesitated
”Well, what?” asked Jack
”That I put it there, and only pretended to find it,” finished Walter with a laugh
”Nonsense!” exclaimed Cora ”But come, let's hurry back to Chelton
I want to be the first to tell Ed”