Never before had he realized how much they were to him.

"Come on--no time to talk now," said d.i.c.k, in a low voice. "We'll get away from here first."

"But those rascals--" began Sam.

"We'll take care of them, Sam, never fear."

The boys led their father from the cellar and across the back yard to the barn. From the barn a lane ran to the main road. The lane had a hedge that practically hid it from the house.

"Wait here, in the barn," said d.i.c.k. "But keep out of sight."

"Where are you going?" asked Tom.

"To watch on the road for a wagon or an auto, to take us to the nearest town or railroad station."

"Going to leave those men here, d.i.c.k?"

"Not much! I thought Sam might take dad back to New York, while you and I had it out with Crabtree and the others."

"Good! I'm with you!" cried Tom.

d.i.c.k posted himself on the highway, and presently saw a covered wagon approaching, drawn by a spirited team. The driver was a young man, evidently from some nearby town.

"Going to town?" asked d.i.c.k, as he stopped the fellow.

"Yes, want a ride?" and the young man smiled.

"I don't, but another fellow, my brother, and my father, do," said d.i.c.k. "If you'll take them, we'll pay you."

"All right," was the answer. "Come right along."

"How far is it to the railroad station?" went on d.i.c.k.

"About two miles."

"Will you take 'em over?"

"Sure--I'm going there myself."

d.i.c.k hurried back to the barn, and soon Sam and Mr. Rover were in the wagon. Before Sam left his big brother gave him some instructions in private. Then the wagon went on through the rain.

"Thank heaven! dad is safe!" murmured Tom, when the wagon had disappeared. "I hope Sam doesn't let him out of his sight until those business affairs are settled up."

"He is going to take him to the Outlook Hotel first," answered d.i.c.k.

"But he is going to do more than that, Tom--if it is possible."

"What?"

"I told him to stop in that town and send some help here--a police official, or a constable, or some men. Crabtree has got to go back to jail, and I think we ought to have Pelter and j.a.pson locked up, too--although that may depend upon what father may have to say."

"Then we can't do anything until somebody gets here from town," said Tom, somewhat disappointedly.

"We can watch those rascals and listen to what they are talking about," returned d.i.c.k.

Both boys returned to the barn, to get out of the rain. Then they sneaked to the cellar of the house and up to the kitchen, and then to a little storeroom next to the dining room. From the storeroom they could catch much of the conversation coming from the three men in the dining room.

There were some matters d.i.c.k and Tom did not understand. But from what was said they learned that j.a.pson was a distant relative of Josiah Crabtree and the two had been in several shady transactions together.

Crabtree had agreed, if aided in his escape from the Plankville jail, to a.s.sist the brokers in making Anderson Rover a prisoner and keeping him such until he signed certain doc.u.ments and until the time had pa.s.sed when he could no longer take up the options which were so valuable to the Rovers and their friends.

"Well, I think these doc.u.ments are all right," the boys heard Jesse Pelter say, presently. "Now we can turn them over to Belright Fogg and tell him to go ahead."

The boys looked at each other in amazement. Belright Fogg! The lawyer who had tried to outwit them in their claim against the railroad company because of the smashed Dartaway! Was that fellow mixed up in this game also? It looked like it.

CHAPTER XXIV

FROM A GARRET WINDOW

"This is getting interesting!" whispered Tom.

"I should say so," murmured d.i.c.k.

"That must have been what was bringing Belright Fogg down to New York City."

"It looks like it."

"Well, if he is mixed up in this he can get pinched with the rest of the rascals."

"Right you are."

After that the boys listened to more of the talk between the brokers and Josiah Crabtree. From what was said it was easy to guess that the plotters expected to make quite a large sum of money out of their evil doings.

"But you have got to get Rover's signatures to those papers," said Jesse Pelter.

"We'll do it!" cried Josiah Crabtree. "Even if we have to starve him into it."

"I hope those boys didn't come after the schooner," muttered j.a.pson.

"I reckon Captain Rodney will know how to throw 'em off the scent,"

returned Crabtree.

"We were lucky to find that automobile at the tavern," went on Pelter.

Some more talk followed and then j.a.pson exclaimed:

"Why can't we make Rover sign those papers now? Maybe we can scare him into it."