IN HIS ENEMIES' POWER
"Quick! Catch her!" cried the hospital superintendent, springing
forward, but it was Larry who put out his arms and kept Grace from
falling to the floor.
"Here, nurse," called one of several physicians who had gathered in
the corridor when the news spread that the missing patient had
returned. "Look after her, please. Carry her into the receiving
room."
"Who is she?" asked the patient, who had caused such a stir, and to
whom no one seemed to be paying any attention in the excitement
caused by Grace's swoon. The man had not caught a good look at the
girl.
"She is Grace Potter," replied Larry, glancing curiously at Mah
Retto.
"Grace Potter? Hamden Potter's daughter?" The man seemed greatly
excited.
"Yes. She came here expecting, as I did, to meet her father. I
thought you were Mr. Potter. She says you are not."
"No, I am not," replied the man.
"Then who are you? Where is her father? You know! I am sure of it!"
Larry was upset over the mistake he and the detective had made.
"I did know where Mr. Potter was," and as he made that answer Retto
gave every evidence of being under a great strain. His hands shook
with more than the weakness of his illness. He was paler than the
white hue caused by his confinement in the hospital.
"Why? Have you lost track of him?"
"I am afraid so. Listen, young man, perhaps you can help me. Let us
get to some place where we can talk. I have strange news for you."
"Then you know me?" and the young reporter looked somewhat
surprised.
"I couldn't very well help it, with the way you have kept after me
lately. But we have no time to lose. Something most unexpected has
happened. Mr. Potter is in the hands of his enemies!"
"Then he is found?"
"Yes, in a way, but he might better be lost!"
"What do you mean?"
"Come in here and I will tell you."
Retto led the way to a small room off the main corridor.
"What does this mean?" asked the hospital superintendent.
"I will explain later," replied Retto. "Just now it is very
necessary that I have a talk with this young man."
The superintendent turned away and Retto closed the door. He sat
down in a chair, and Larry could see that he was trembling from
weakness.
"I must talk quickly," he said, "for I am still very ill. I made a
desperate effort to go out in order to get in communication with Mr.
Potter. I mailed him a letter and then called him up on the
telephone----"
"Then you know where he was!" burst out Larry.
"I did, but I do not now. Listen, and don't ask too many questions
yet. All will soon be explained, if it is not too late. I am Mr.
Potter's friend. He took me into his confidence when he found it
necessary, for very strong reasons, to disappear. I agreed to help
him and do exactly as he wanted me to. He has been hiding across the
Hudson River, outside of the legal jurisdiction of New York State. I
was in touch with him by telephone and otherwise up to the time of
my accident on the pier. Since then, of course, I have not been able
to hold any communication with him. As soon as I had the chance,
which came for the first time to-day, I got out and called him on
the telephone. I was told by the man, with whom he had been staying,
that, about an hour ago, some men came and took him away."
"Some men took him away?"
"Yes. Men whom I recognized, by the description, as his enemies--as
men who have an interest in getting Mr. Potter into their power. He
has been trying all this while to keep out of their way. Now they
have him!"
"But what's to be done?" asked the young reporter.
"I don't know," replied Retto, hopelessly. "Everything was going on
all right until those horses knocked me down."
Larry was conscious of a strange sensation. It was partly due to his
impetuosity he felt that Retto had been injured. Larry partly blamed
himself for Mr. Potter's present plight, since through the
reporter's instrumentality the millionaire's friend had not been
able to keep in touch with him.
"I'll find him!" exclaimed Larry. "Tell me what to do! I'll trace
him!"
"If I was only stronger!" said Retto. "I'm so weak that I couldn't
walk another block. I'd like to get after those scoundrels who have
Mr. Potter!"
"I'll get after them!" cried the youthful newspaper man, thinking
more of Grace just then than he did of his assignment. "Tell me
where to go!"
"I can only tell you where Mr. Potter was hiding," went on Retto.
"That was in a little house just outside of Jersey City. The men
must have gone there after him. Possibly you can trace them from the
house."
"Tell me how to get to the place!"
Retto gave the necessary instructions.
"I'm going over there!" exclaimed the young reporter.
"What are you going to do with Grace?"
"That's so! I forgot about her. I'll take her along!" and Larry
sprang to his feet in his enthusiasm and started for the door.
"Can she stand the trip?"
"She's a brave girl! She'll be glad to go!"
"Then you'd better hurry. Every minute is precious. Great things
hang on this. If Mr. Potter's enemies force him to do certain
things, which he has been trying to avoid doing, the consequences
will be very bad for many persons. Hurry, Dexter!"
"I'll start at once. I wonder if Grace is better?"
The young reporter and Retto left the small room. Larry soon found
that Grace had recovered from her swoon. Rapidly he told her of what
he proposed doing. With her he would go to Jersey City and try to
trace the missing millionaire.
"And we'll find him!" he added, with vigor.
He went downstairs to telephone to Mr. Emberg of the new and
unexpected turn the case had taken.
"Keep right after it, Larry!" said the city editor. "Find Mr. Potter
and get the story!"
As the _Leader_ reporter turned to go upstairs he saw, entering the
hospital, a young man whom he recognized as Hans Fritsch, the German
newspaper man he had met at the lonely tenement.
"What are you doing here?" asked Larry, noting that his friend was
attired in an automobile suit.
"I comes to see how gets along a friend of mine. He is here sick. I
have a day off from mine work and I comes in my new automobile.
After dot I goes me for a nice ride. Come along!"
"Where are you going?" asked Larry, a sudden idea coming into his
head.
"Ofer by New Jersey. Dere is goot automobiling roads."
"Are you going to Jersey City?"
"Sure. I goes by dot on der ferry. Den I skips out by der Plank
Roat, und maybe I goes me out to der Oranges Mountains. I am just
learning to run my car goot!"
"I'll go with you!" cried Larry. "Have you room in your car for
two?"
"Surely! For four, if you likes to bring 'em. My mother, who is in
Germany, und quite vell off, send me der car for a birthday present,
odervise I should not haff him. Reporters here do not get monies
enough to buy automobiles!"
"I'll be with you in five minutes!" exclaimed Larry, hurrying off to
tell Grace.
"I am ready as soon as I see how my sick friend is," declared the
German reporter. "Den we go quick like de wind, und haff a goot
time!"
"Yes, and maybe a hot pursuit!" said Larry under his breath, for he
had determined on a bold plan. He would, in Fritsch's auto, give
chase to the captors of Mr. Potter.