The boys continued to question Pete Apgar and at the same time packed up their belongings with all possible haste. Gif and Spouter assisted the Rover boys, knowing that their chums wanted to return to Valley Brook Farm as soon as it could be done.
“I hope this doesn’t prove as bad as you think it,” said Gif to Jack.
“So do I, Gif,” was the reply. “But you know as well as I do that there have been a number of very daring hold-ups in the city during the past few years. Why, only a few months ago I read in the papers about a Maiden Lane jewelry firm being cleaned out of a hundred thousand dollars’ worth of unset diamonds.”
“I don’t see how they could get a great deal at the offices,” put in Andy. “I know they’re very careful about the securities and keep most of the stuff in the safe or in the bank deposit boxes.”
“Well, that’s just it! Suppose they had a lot of stuff in the safe and the safe happened to be open when the hold-up men came in?”
“Oh, well, don’t cross a bridge until you come to it, fellows,” admonished Spouter. “Of course it may be bad enough, but not as bad as it might be. Perhaps by the time we get back to the farm your Uncle Randolph will have had some particulars by ’phone or telegraph.”
In fifteen minutes the Rover boys and their chums were ready to start. The wooden shutters had been placed over the windows of the lodge and the door securely locked. Then the lads took up their rolls and other equipment.
“Andy, you had better let Pete carry your roll,” said Jack. “You’ll have trouble enough keeping up with us with that sore hip of yours.”
“Sure, I’ll carry his stuff,” answered the farmhand readily.
“Sorry to cut your outing up here short,” said Jack to Gif and Spouter, as the party trudged along.
“Oh, don’t say a word about that, Jack!” cried Spouter. “We expected to go back in a day or two, anyhow. Our only concern is this bad news. I hope the hold-up proves to be a small affair.”
Hiking along in the direction of the Jandle farm, the boys could think of nothing but the news Pete Apgar had brought and indulged in all sorts of speculations concerning what had taken place.
When they came in sight of the Jandle farm they found Bill Jandle ready with his flivver, a dilapidated affair that looked as if it might fall apart at any moment. Near him stood his wife and his red-headed son.
“On hand, as I said I’d be,” said the farmer to Apgar. And then he grinned at the boys as he added: “This will give me a chance to pay you back for shooting them pesky crows.”
“Wisht I was going with you, Pop,” said the red-headed boy wistfully.
“Got to put it off till another time, Tommy,” returned his father. “We’re going to have one mighty load as it is.”
“If you can’t carry all of us I’ll walk,” declared Gif. “Pete, here, can show me the way.”
“Yes, and I’ll walk too,” put in Spouter.
“Oh, I guess this old bus will carry the lot. Only you’ll have to hang on the best you can,” answered Bill Jandle.
The boys piled in, some sitting on the laps of others and the farmhand took a seat in an open doorway with his feet on the mudguard. Then, with a series of loud chuggings and a series of accompanying shivers, the flivver started away from the Jandle farm, Mrs. Jandle and Tommy waving a farewell.
It was a ride not easily forgotten. The way was unusually rough and more than once it looked as if every spring on the machine might be broken. The boys were pitched from one side of the car to the other and the farmhand had all he could do to keep from slipping off into the roadway.
“Ta—ta—talk about riding in a Pullman!” spluttered Andy. “Isn’t this the smoothest ever?”
“Look out, Andy, or you’ll bite off your tongue,” warned Fred.
“Now hold on, all of you!” shouted Bill Jandle, and then they went down a long hill over the rough rocks in a fashion that all but upset the flivver and caused some of the occupants to wonder whether they would come out of the adventure alive.
At the foot of the hill they crossed the Swift River on a rickety bridge, every plank of which slapped and thumped as they passed over it. Then, however, they struck a much better road, and a short time later came in sight of the farm.
“We want to pay you for your services, Mr. Jandle,” said Jack, as they turned into the lane. “What do you think it ought to be?”
“That’s all right, Rover. You fellows did me a good turn when you shot those crows. Let us call it square.”
“No, you let me pay you,” returned Jack in a low voice, for he could easily see that Bill Jandle was rather pinched for money. And then he passed over a five-dollar bill which the farmer pocketed with great satisfaction.
Their coming had been noted, and the Rover boys were met on the veranda by their uncle and aunt and also their grandfather, all of whom were in a state of great mental excitement.
“I thought you’d never get here!” exclaimed their Uncle Randolph nervously. “This is an awful happening—truly awful!” and he wiped the perspiration from his brow.
“Just think of bandits holding up your fathers’ offices!” burst out Aunt Martha. “Isn’t it dreadful? I can’t help but think that maybe somebody was shot!”
“I wish I had been down there with a pistol!” quavered Grandfather Rover, his head bobbing from side to side. “I’d just like to get a shot at such rascals!” and he shook his cane as if to knock out some bandit right then and there.
“Have you received any more news?” questioned Randy quickly.
“Nothing since we got that first message,” answered Uncle Randolph. “We’ve been trying to use the ’phone, but wires are out of commission somewhere along the line. We thought we had New York once, but it was only Binghamton.”
“We ought to be able to get into communication by telegraph,” said Jack.
“Jack Ness went down to the station an hour ago. I gave him a message to send and he was to wait for a reply.”
“Let’s go down to the station too,” put in Fred quickly. “There is no use of hanging around here if the telephone is out of order.”
“I think I’ll stay here. Maybe the telephone will come in before a great while,” said Andy. The soreness in his hip had not been improved by the rough ride in Bill Jandle’s flivver.
Gif and Spouter elected to remain with Andy and then Jack, Randy and Fred ran off to the garage and brought out one of the touring cars, and in another moment the three were on their way to the railroad station at Oak Run, across the river from Dexter’s Corners.
“Perhaps we’ll meet Jack Ness coming back,” said Fred. “If we do, stop him, by all means.”
However, they did not meet the hired man. But on the outskirts of Dexter’s Corners they passed an elegant sport car under the wheel of which rode Joe Sedley, smoking a cigarette and with his cap pulled well down over his eyes. Sedley simply glared at the Rovers, refusing to return their nods of recognition.
“Gee, he must still be sore over the way the horse race was decided,” was Fred’s comment.
“Well, Jack won that race, and that’s all there is to it,” put in Randy loyally.
“He’ll never admit it,” answered the oldest Rover. And then he became silent and for the first time since Pete Apgar had brought the news of the hold-up Jack’s thoughts reverted to Ruth and he wondered if the girl had sent him a letter or if she had corresponded in any way with Sedley. In the excitement of the occasion none of the Rovers who had dashed off to the railroad station had thought to ask at the farmhouse if any letters had come in.
They sped through the village and across the Swift River and then up to the railroad station at Oak Run. Here they saw another one of the farm turnouts and then ran across Jack Ness, who held up a telegram.
“It’s for your uncle,” said the hired man, “but I guess you’d better open it and read it.”
“I will,” answered Jack, and did so. The telegram ran as follows:
“Impossible to get telephone service. Hold-up at offices bad. Want some particulars from boys. Send them home at once.
“Richard Rover.”
While reading this telegram the boys heard the whistle of a locomotive and presently the local train from the Junction rolled into the station and several passengers alighted while others got aboard. A trunk was taken off and several bundles of newspapers followed.
“Here come the New York papers!” cried Fred. “Come on—let’s get some of them! They may have some particulars of the hold-up.”
Two of the bundles of papers were for one of the Oak Run storekeepers, and a clerk was on hand to receive them. Quickly the bundles were torn open and each of the lads possessed himself of a metropolitan newspaper.
“Here it is!” cried Randy, scanning the front page rapidly, and he showed the following:
Five Daring Bandits Hold Up Four Clerks Just Before Closing Time and Make Off with Securities Worth $100,000.
Police Search in Vain for Clues. None of the Officers of the Company Present when the Hold-Up Occurred.
There followed a somewhat mixed-up account of how the hold-up had occurred and what the Rovers had to say concerning it.
“Well, this certainly is news!” declared Jack, after reading not only this account but also those which the other newspapers presented.
“But what do you suppose this telegram means?” questioned Randy anxiously. “What do they want us to give information about?”
“That remains to be seen,” answered Fred. And then, all of a sudden, he gave a low whistle. “I guess this means good-bye to Captain Corning’s hunt for the Margarita,” he added.
“The only thing we can do is to get down to New York as soon as possible,” declared Jack. “Gee, I wish I was down there now! I’ll bet there’s plenty of excitement.”
“If only they catch those bandits and get back the stuff they took!” murmured Fred. “A hundred thousand dollars! Just think of it!”
“This is the first newspaper account, Fred,” answered Jack. “It was probably written in a great hurry. You must remember this paper was printed some time last evening. There may be a lot of other news since then.”
The boys knew they could get a train for the Junction in two hours. This would connect with the New York Express and would bring them home late in the afternoon.
“We’ll get back to the farm and make it somehow,” declared Jack. “Come on!” and away they went, back to Valley Brook Farm, as fast as they could, with Jack Ness following.
As might be expected, the telegram and the articles in the newspapers concerning the hold-up created more excitement than ever at the farm. As old as he was, Grandfather Rover wanted to go down to New York, and it took quite some talk on the part of Jack and Aunt Martha to make him change his mind. Uncle Randolph, however, insisted upon accompanying the boys.
“You’ll have to excuse us, fellows,” said Jack to Gif and Spouter.
“Oh, that’s all right, Jack. Go ahead. We’ll be all right,” answered Gif quickly.
“We were leaving in a day or two, anyhow,” answered Spouter.
“They’re to stay over to-night,” said Aunt Martha. “I’d rather have them here with your Uncle Randolph gone,” she added; and so it was arranged.
Only a few letters from their boy chums had come in for the Rovers during their outing. There was no word from Ruth, and this gave Jack a momentary pang, although he did not allow the others to know it.
It did not take the lads or their Uncle Randolph long to pack. Then the boys said good-bye to their chums and to the others, and in a few minutes more were on their way to the railroad station. Their uncle and Jack Ness accompanied them.
“Good-bye and good luck!” shouted Gif.
“Take care of yourselves!” added Spouter.
“We’ll try to,” answered Jack. “Hope you both have a fine time on the rest of your outing.”
“And we hope your folks get back all the stuff that was stolen,” cried Gif, as the auto moved away.