“That’s a question we can settle later,” said Mr. Wilding sternly. “Come, boys, let’s get away from here. We will go to my hotel, and then I’ll send a telegram to our friends in Darewell. They are very anxious to hear from me.”
“Will you arrest Mike and get my money back, Reilly?” asked Cassidy.
“Maybe, later,” the detective replied. “You don’t deserve it, for the trouble you caused,” and he followed Mr. Wilding and the boys to the street.
“But, Ned, it wasn’t that accusation that kept you in hiding, was it?” asked his father as they walked along.
“No—no—” Ned answered with a look at the detective. “I guess I’m wanted on another charge?”
“Wanted on another charge? What in the world do you mean?”
“Why I bought some stock in the Mt. Olive Oil Well Company,” Ned explained, still eyeing the detective. “I got it from the brokers, Skem & Skim. I went back to have a mistake in the figures corrected and I found the firm had fled and the postal authorities were in charge of the offices. I overheard the inspector say they wanted a young fellow who had bought two hundred shares of the stock and I knew it was me, so I ran away. I didn’t want to be arrested.
“But I don’t mind, now!” he went on, as he drew the stock certificate from his pocket and handed it to his father. “You can lock me up, if you want to,” turning to the detective. “I’m tired of dodging around.”
“Let’s see that paper?” asked the officer, and he took it to a light where he could read it. As he looked it over a smile came to his face. “Well, well, you certainly had a big scare for nothing,” he remarked to Ned.
“How?”