If he had, we would have trouble with that box. What did he say to you?"
Julian then repeated the conversation he held with Casper that morning, and Jack nodded his head once or twice to say that he approved of it.
"You did perfectly right by declining to answer his question about advertising for our man," said Jack. "What did he want to know that for? If they wanted the box, why did they not buy it in the first place?"
During the next few days the two friends were in a fever of suspense, for they did not want somebody to come and take their fortune away from them. Every man who came into the telegraph office Julian watched closely, for he had somehow got it into his head that Haberstro must be a German; but every German who came in there had business of his own, and as soon as it was done he went out. No one came to see Julian about the box, and, if the truth must be told, he began to breathe easier. Of late he had got out of the habit of looking for the box as soon as he came home, and perhaps the sport that Jack made of him for it was the only thing that made him give it up.
"One would think you owned that fortune," said he. "I don't believe a miser ever watched his gold as closely as you watch that box."
"I don't care," said Julian. "The fortune is ours, or rather is going to be in a few days. Now you mark my words, and see if I don't tell you the truth."
"There's many a slip. We will never have such luck in the world."
"Well, I am going to look at it now. It seems to me that if Haberstro is around here he ought to have put in an appearance before this time. We have waited a whole week without seeing anything of him."
"A whole week!" exclaimed Jack, with a laugh. "If you wait a month without seeing him you may be happy. If we keep the box for three months without the man appearing, then I shall think it belongs to us."
Julian did not believe that. He thought that the contents of the box would belong to them before that time. He made no reply, but took a chair to examine the closet. He moved the clothing aside, expecting every minute to put his hand upon the box, and then uttered an exclamation of astonishment and threw the articles off on the floor.
"What's the matter?" asked Jack, in alarm.
"The box is gone!" replied Julian.
CHAPTER IV
WHERE THE BOX WAS
This startling piece of information seemed to strike Jack Sheldon motionless and speechless with astonishment. His under jaw dropped down, and he even clutched the back of a chair, as if seeking something with which to support himself. The two boys stood at opposite sides of the room looking at each other, and then Jack recovered himself.
"Gone!" he repeated. "You are mistaken; you have overlooked it. I saw it night before last myself."
"I don't care," said Julian, emphatically; "I have taken the clothes all out, and the box is gone. Look and see for yourself."
Julian stepped down from the chair and Jack took his place. He peered into every nook and corner of the dark shelf, passed his hands over it, and then, with something like a sigh, got down and began to hang the clothes up in their proper places. Then he closed the door of the closet, took a chair, and gazed earnestly at the floor.
"Well, sir, what do you think of that?" said Julian.
"Didn't I tell you that if anybody came in here to look for that box while we were not here it would be Casper Nevins, and nobody else?" said Jack.
"You surely don't suspect him!" exclaimed Julian.
"I do suspect him; if you could get inside his room to-night you would find the box."
"Why, then he is a thief!" said Julian, jumping up from his chair and walking the floor. "Shall we go down to No. 8 Station and ask the police to send a man up there and search him?"
"I don't know whether that would be the best way or not," said Jack, reflectively. "Has Casper got many friends among the boys of your office?"
"I don't believe he's got one friend there who treats him any better than I do. The boys are all shy of him."
"And well they may be. That boy got a key somewhere that will fit our door, and came in here and took that box. You say he has not any friends on whom he can depend in the office?"
"Not one. If he has any friends, none of us know who they are."
"Then he must be alone in stealing the box from us. He has it there in his room, for he has no other place to hide it. Do you know what sort of a key he has to fit his door?"
"Of course I do. I was with him when he got it. It is a combination key; one that he folds up when he puts it into his pocket."
"Do you believe you can buy another like it?"
"By George! That's an idea. Let us go down and find out. Then to-morrow, if I can get away, I will come up here and go through his room."
That was Jack's notion entirely. He wanted to see "the biter bit" – to know that he would feel, when he awoke some fine morning and found his fortune gone, just how they were feeling now. They put on their coats and locked the door, – it seemed a mockery to them now to lock the door when their fortune was gone, – and, after walking briskly for a few minutes, turned into the store where Casper had purchased his key. When Julian told the clerk that he wanted to see some combination keys, he threw out upon the counter a box which was filled to overflowing.
"Do you remember a telegraph boy who was in here several months ago and bought a combination lock to fit his door?" asked Julian. "I was in here at the time, and I know he bought the lock of you."
"Seems to me that I do remember something about that," said the clerk, turning around to the shelves behind him and taking down another box, "and we have got just one lock of that sort left."
"Are you sure this key will open his door?" asked Julian.
"I am sure of it. If it don't open his door, you can bring it back and exchange it for another."
Julian told him that he would take the lock, and while the clerk was gone to another part of the store to do it up he whispered to Jack.
"I have just thought of something. He has not any closet in his room that I know of, and who knows but that he may have put that box in his trunk? I had better get some keys to his trunk while I am about it."
"Do you remember how the key looked?" asked Jack.
"I guess I can come pretty close to it," answered Julian.
The work of selecting a key to the trunk was not so easy; but Julian managed to satisfy himself at last, and the boys left the store. Julian did not say anything, but he was certain that the box would be in his own possession before that time to-morrow. That would be better than calling the police to search his room. In the latter case, Casper would be held for trial, and Julian did not want to disgrace him before all the boys in the office.
"I will give Mr. Wiggins the box as soon as I get my hands on it, but I shan't say anything to him about Casper's stealing it," said he. "Would you?"
"You are mighty right I would," exclaimed Jack, who looked at his friend in utter surprise. "He stole it, didn't he? He was going to cheat Haberstro out of it if he showed up, and, failing that, he would leave us here to work all our lives while he lived on the fat of the land. No, sir; if you get the box you must tell Mr Wiggins about it."
For the first time in a long while the boys did not sleep much that night. Jack was thinking about Casper's atrocity, – for he considered that was about the term to apply to him for stealing their box, – and Julian was wondering if he was going to get into Casper's room and recover the fortune which he was attempting to deprive them of.
"I tell you, that boy is coming to some bad end," said Jack. "I would not be in his boots for all the money he will ever be worth."
"I don't care what end he comes to," said Julian, "but I was just thinking what would happen to us if this key did not open his door. We would then have to get the police, sure enough."
Morning came at length, and at the usual hour Julian was on hand in the telegraph office,