"Then you had better answer at once. There is a branch telegraph office in the hotel lobby. Write an answer and I'll take it down while you finish dressing."

A reply was soon prepared and sent. Meanwhile Roy got ready for the street and, accompanied by De Royster, he went to the lawyer's office.

The legal gentleman greeted Mortimer De Royster cordially. Roy was quite surprised to find out how many friends the jewelry salesman had.

Everyone seemed to like him in spite of his odd ways.

Roy's story was soon told. The lawyer took off his gold spectacles, wiped them carefully with a silk handkerchief, replaced them, looked at Roy over the tops of them, and remarked:

"Hum!"

It was not very encouraging, nor did it tell very much. Roy began to fear he had not made himself clear.

"I would like--" he began.

"What you want is my advice as to how next to proceed; isn't it?" asked the lawyer, as though he had come to some decision, as indeed he had.

"Yes, sir."

"Well, I shall have to look into this matter of the property.

Evidently Mr. Annister has some reason for wanting you out of the way.

What it is we shall have to discover. Meanwhile you had better do nothing."

"But suppose they kidnap him again?" asked De Royster.

"I don't believe they'll dare do that. Perhaps you had better take care where you go, however. In the meanwhile I will make some inquiries about this property. I will communicate with you as soon as I have anything to report."

"Do you think you can make Mr. Annister give back the money he has wrongfully kept?" asked Roy.

"I'm afraid I can't give you an opinion until I have looked further into the case," said the lawyer with a smile. "It may be necessary to take civil action, and we might have to make a criminal complaint. Now don't worry about it. I'll look after it. Just you keep out of the way of those men."

"I will," agreed Roy with a laugh. "I'm not afraid of them, however.

I'll be ready for them next time."

"Another thing," went on the lawyer, "don't drink ice cream sodas, or anything else, with strangers."

"I'll stick to Mr. De Royster," said the boy. "I reckon if I trail along with him they'll not be able to rope me."

"Rope you? Oh, yes, I understand," replied the lawyer with a smile.

"Yes, that's right. Good morning."

CHAPTER XXIV

ANOTHER RASCALLY ATTEMPT

"What next?" asked Roy of Mortimer De Royster, as they emerged from the lawyer's office.

"Well, as it's getting near dinner time, suppose we go back to the hotel."

"That's a good idea. Will you stay and have grub with me--I mean lunch. I must get used to calling it that while I'm in New York."

"Yes, thank you. I've got a good appet.i.te since that tussel with Wakely."

"You had nerve to tackle him."

"I thought he was going to cut the rope and let you drop."

"If he had, that would have been the end of me. I'd have 'pa.s.sed in my chips,' as the card players say."

"Those card players! I'd like to meet them. I'd get even with them for stealing my watch and diamond!"

"Maybe you'll have a chance, when we round up Annister."

"If we ever do. But I imagine he's too slick a criminal to be caught."

"We'll see," said Roy.

"What would you like to do this afternoon?" asked De Royster, when the meal was finished. "I can show you some sights if you'd like to see them."

"I sure would. I haven't had much time so far. There wasn't a great deal to see in that tenement."

"Then we'll go up to Bronx Park. We can make a quick trip in the subway."

"That's the place I thought was a tunnel, and I was wondering when we would come to the end," and Roy laughed at the memory of his natural mistake.

The two friends had a good time in the Park, looking at the animals.

The herd of buffalo interested Roy very much, as did the elephants, tigers, and other beasts from tropical countries, for he had never seen any before, since no circuses ever came to Painted Stone, nor anywhere in that vicinity.

"You haven't got any of these out West; have you?" asked Mortimer De Royster, with a New Yorker's usual pride in the big Zoo.

"No, and we don't want 'em."

"Why not?"

"They'd stampede the cattle in seven counties. What would a drove of steers or a band of horses do if they saw one of them elephants coming at 'em, so's they couldn't tell which end was the tail? Or one of them long-necked giraffes? Why, those giraffes would starve out our way.

There's no trees tall enough for 'em to eat their breakfast from."

They went into the reptile house, and the snakes fascinated Roy. He paused before a gla.s.s box of rattlers.

"There's something we've got out West," he said, "and we'd give a good deal not to have 'em. We lose lots of cattle from snake-bites--those ugly rattlers! I don't like to look at 'em! I nearly stepped on one once, and he stuck his fangs in my boot."

"What did you do?"

"Stepped on it and killed it. Come on; let's look at something more pleasant."

They spent the rest of the day in the Park, and returned to the hotel that evening.