WHAT WAS FOUND IN THE WOOD.
"B stands for Bates," said Dean to himself. "Perhaps Uncle Adin may not
be so far wrong after all. But how strange it would be if a rich and
prominent man like Squire Bates should have stooped to such a crime! I
find it very hard to believe."
Dean's perplexed look gave place to one of firm determination.
"I mean to look up this matter," he said resolutely, "and if my uncle
has been robbed of his little fortune by this man, I'll bring him to
justice if I can."
Scarcely had this purpose been formed when he heard the sound of
wheels, and not caring to be found by one who might ask curious
questions, he concealed himself behind a tree.
What was his surprise when, as the buggy stopped, he found that
its solitary occupant was the man who had been foremost in his
thoughts—Squire Bates himself.
"What does he want here?" thought Dean.
From his post behind the tree he glanced curiously at the new arrival,
and watched what he should do.
Squire Bates descended from the buggy, and then walked to the very tree
under which Adin Dunham had, according to his own account, found himself
lying unconscious. Then he walked in different directions around it,
peering carefully at the ground, as if in search of something.
"He's looking for the button!" thought Dean in growing excitement.
Then, as if distrusting his eyes, Squire Bates put on a pair of
glasses, and once more resumed his search. But it proved unavailing.
"I must have dropped it somewhere else," Dean heard him mutter.
"That settles it!" thought our hero. "He means the sleeve button
without doubt. My uncle is right after all, but," he added after a
pause, "no one would believe the story, I must wait for additional
proof. I wonder what the squire would say if he should find me here.
Would he look guilty?"
Upon the impulse of the moment, not stopping to consider whether he
was acting wisely or not, Dean determined to let the squire know that
he was present. He did not care to arouse his suspicion, however, by
letting him think that he had been watched. He therefore glided swiftly
a short distance to the right, and then, showing himself openly,
advanced towards the squire, whistling carelessly.
Squire Bates turned quickly at the sound, and looked annoyed when he
saw who it was that intruded upon him.
"You here, Dean Dunham?" he exclaimed.
"Oh, it's Squire Bates," said Dean, as if surprised. "Yes, it is I."
"And why do you come? It is a long walk from your house."
"That's true, but it is the place where Uncle Adin was robbed, and I
thought I would come and see if I could discover anything of the money,
or anything that belonged to him."
"This is the place, then? I thought it might be," said the squire
composedly. "I am on my way to Rockmount, and the same idea occurred to
me. But it isn't of much use. If your uncle was robbed, the money is
far away by this time."
"Do you think so?" asked Dean, fixing his eyes attentively on the
squire.
"Why, it is natural to suppose so. How is your uncle?"
"I left him in bed. He was upset by the shock."
"How sad! In what condition was he found?"
"He seemed bewildered, and hardly conscious where he was."
"The effect of the chloroform!" thought the squire.
"I have thought, Dean," he said in a confidential tone, "that perhaps
he fainted away and fell from the buggy."
"But the money was missing."
"To be sure! Probably some tramp came along, and finding him
unconscious robbed him as he lay powerless."
"I thought of that, but if he had fallen from the buggy he would have
been bruised."
"And he was not?"
"There was no sign of hurt or violence, only that he seemed upset by
some shock."
"What account did he give of the robbery—if there was one?" asked
Squire Bates, his face expressing keen interest.
"He said that a man stopped his horse, climbed into the buggy,
assaulted and robbed him."
"Humph!" said the squire, with an expression difficult to read. "Did he
describe the person?"
Dean hesitated. Should he or should he not, let Squire Bates know that
he was suspected! He decided to half reveal the secret.
"He thought it was some one that he knew," he answered briefly.
"Any one living around here?" asked Squire Bates, nervously.
"Excuse me, Squire Bates, but at present I think I would rather not
tell. The party may be perfectly innocent, and my uncle's mind may be
affected."
"Very true! It would not be at all surprising if that were the case. If
you do care to take any one into your confidence, please remember that
I am your uncle's friend, and might have it in my power to help you in
your search."
"Yes, sir, I will remember that. I shall probably sometime wish to
consult you about the matter."
There was a significance in Dean's tone that made the lawyer uneasy,
but he had self-control enough not to show his feeling.
"As we are on the spot suppose we make a search, as each of us proposed.
Did your uncle lose anything except the money—his watch, for instance?"
"No, his watch was all right."
This had not occurred before to Dean as singular. Now it tended to
confirm him in the thought that it might have been Squire Bates,
and not some common thief, that had robbed his uncle. The plain
silver watch, never very valuable, which Adin Dunham had carried for
twenty-five years, might have presented a temptation to an ordinary
tramp. A genteel highwayman would not have thought it worth his while
to take it.
"Really that is very singular," said the squire. "Thieves generally take
whatever they find, and are not very likely to leave a watch behind."
"It seems to show that the thief was no ordinary one," said Dean.
"What do you mean by that?" asked the lawyer suspiciously.
"It was a high-toned robber who wouldn't care to be burdened with an
old silver watch such as Uncle Adin carried."
"True! Your remark shows penetration. I shouldn't have thought of that.
Perhaps, however, there was another reason."
"What?" asked Dean, his curiosity aroused.
"The watch would easily have been identified, and might have led to the
apprehension of the robber."
"Yes, there is something in that."
Meanwhile Dean and the squire continued their investigations. Dean,
however, merely made a show of searching. He felt convinced that the
only thing worth discovering he had already found, but of course he had
no intention of making this known to his companion.
"It would be refreshing if we could find your uncle's lost wallet—did
he carry his money in a wallet?"
"Yes, I believe so."
"But we can hardly expect it."
"No, there is very little chance of it, I am afraid."
"Ha, what is this?" exclaimed the squire, who had wandered some little
distance from the tree.
Dean looked up eagerly.
"Why, that is Uncle Adin's wallet," he said surprised.
"Unfortunately it is empty!" said the squire, opening it.
"Yes, so it seems. Where did you find it?"
"Just here. It is clear that the thief took the money, and threw it
away."
"I suppose so," answered Dean, slowly.
"You had better take charge of it. And now I think I must resume my
journey to Rockmount."
Dean sat down to think. He was puzzled by the discovery of the wallet,
for he had looked in the very spot where it was found before the
squire's arrival, and seen nothing. It looked as if the squire had
produced it from an inner pocket, and thrown it down before picking it
up, and announced its discovery.
"There is something very queer about all this!" said Dean to himself,
as he walked slowly homeward.