BOB OUTWITS THE OLD FENCE.
Bob easily gained admittance to the den by the aid of his confederate.
He found there old Gunwagner, Felix Mortimer, and another boy, who
passed out just after the young detective entered. The old fence eyed
Bob sharply, and perhaps somewhat suspiciously. The manner of the small
boy was excited. He did not appear natural, and this alone was
sufficient to attract the old man's attention.
It was a critical moment for Bob. He did not know that the boy would not
turn against him. In fact, he half suspected he would, but nevertheless
he was willing to take the chance in the interest of Herbert, and that
he might do a skillful piece of detective work. Moreover, there was the
danger of being recognized by Felix Mortimer, who had seen him twice
that very day; once at the bank in the morning, and again in the
afternoon when Bob played the role of bootblack.
Old Gunwagner questioned him sharply. The small boy, however, told
the story precisely in accordance with Bob's instructions. The young
detective meanwhile hastily surveyed the room and its furnishings, and
when he had discovered what he thought would serve his purpose, he
turned to his confederate, and said:
"Well, I believe I'll let this man have the things I brought with me.
You may go out and get them, and bring them in here."
"Why didn't you bring them in with you?" asked the fence, suavely.
"I didn't know as we could trade, so I thought I'd better leave 'em
outside," answered Bob, carelessly.
When Tom saw the boy come out alone, he knew the part he was to act, and
following out the directions of his chief, he and the confederate rushed
into the dark passageway leading to the fence, and yelled "Fire" with
all the power they could command. Before giving the alarm, however, they
lighted a newspaper, and placed it near the outer door.
Bob had purposely made his way to a far corner of the room, so that, as
a matter of fact, he was farther from the place of exit than either
Mortimer or Gunwagner. This was part of his scheme.
When the cry of fire reached the old fence, he bounded to the door like
a frightened deer. Throwing it open, his eyes instantly fell upon the
great flames that shot up from the burning paper. The sight struck
terror to him, and, with an agonized cry, he rushed down the hallway to
the immediate scene of the conflagration, with Felix Mortimer not far
behind him.
A gust of wind now blew in through the partially open door, and
scattered the charred remains of the newspaper all about the feet of the
fence. In a few seconds all traces of the fire were lost, and then the
trick dawned upon the old man. He was furious with rage, and ran out
into the street, to try and discover the perpetrators of the deed.
Tom and the confederate remained on the opposite side of the street till
Gunwagner and Mortimer appeared at the door. Bob had instructed Tom to
do this.
Both Gunwagner and Felix tumbled into this trap, which, by the way, was
a skillful one for our detective to set. As soon as they caught sight of
the two boys, they started after them in hot pursuit, but Tom and the
young lad were excellent runners, and, having a good start of their
pursuers, they kept well ahead of them.
Seeing, therefore, that the chase was a hopeless one, the old fence and
Mortimer returned to the den. The former was almost desperately ugly. He
growled and raved in a frightful manner, that quite alarmed our young
detective.
"What has become of that new boy?" asked Felix, who was the first to
think about him.
Gunwagner was so thoroughly agitated that up to this time he had not
thought about Bob. At young Mortimer's reminder, however, he stopped
suddenly in his ravings, and the color as quickly left his face. Then he
hurried to where a box containing silver and other valuables were kept.
"It's here," he gasped, almost paralyzed with the fear that it had been
stolen by the strange boy.
"Is anything else missing?" asked Felix.
Our young detective was at this minute doubled up in a large box that
was stowed away under a sort of makeshift counter. He had hurriedly
concealed himself in this manner during the absence of the fence and
Felix.
"I'll look things over and see," said old Gunwagner, replying to
Mortimer's question.
Bob thought the game was all up with him now. He felt much as Tom
Flannery did. He, too, "didn't want to be a detective, no how."
"There's no show for me if this old tyrant gets his hands on to me,"
said Bob to himself, as he lay cramped up in that dirty box, hardly
daring to breathe. "I didn't think about it comin' out this way; if I
had, I would a' fixed things with Tom different. Now I suppose he's gone
home, as I told him to, and I can't look for no help from him or nobody
else."
The situation was a depressing one, and it grew more so as the mousing
old fence came nearer and nearer to where our young detective lay. He
searched high and low for traces of theft, and examined everything with
careful scrutiny.
He was now close to Bob's hiding place.
"He must be hid away here somewhere," said Felix, with a very anxious
look upon his face.
"What makes you think so?" asked the old man, as he noticed young
Mortimer's anxiety.
[Illustration: GUNWAGNER PURSUING THE BOYS.]
No boy ever tried harder to suppress his breath than Bob Hunter did at
this instant. "It's all up with me now," said he to himself. "They'll
get me sure; but I'll die game."
"It looks suspicious to me, and that's why I think so," replied Felix,
showing no little alarm.
"I don't see nothing suspicious about it, as long as nothing is
missing."
"To be sure, but I believe he is the same boy that was in the bank today
looking for this Randolph."
"And he is the boy that the old banker told you about?"
"Yes; the newsboy who said some foul play had overtaken Randolph."
The old fence looked exceedingly troubled.
"We must capture this young Arab," said he, emphatically, after a few
moments' careful thought.
Bob's ears missed nothing. This conversation interested him through and
through.
"Arab!" said he to himself. "If I don't get caught I'll show you whether
I'm an Arab or not."
"Perhaps he is already in there," suggested Mortimer again.
"We will go down cellar and see," said the old man. "He might have gone
down through that trap door while we was out."
"That's what I thought; and he and Randolph may already be hatching up
some plan for escaping," said Felix.
Why old Gunwagner neglected to search the big box under the counter is
inexplicable. Possibly the hand of destiny shielded the young detective,
for he was on an errand of mercy.
The old man and Felix now descended the stairs into the cellar, and
commenced their search for the strange boy who had so thoroughly alarmed
them.