The foreman was just leaving the office, Ralph dropped the bag inside the room.
"What's that, Fairbanks?" inquired Forgan, as he heard the stuff jangle.
"It's some brass fittings," explained Ralph. "I am sure they belong to the company. I found them in the hands of a gang of hoodlums, and of course they were stolen."
"Eh? hold on--this interests me!" and Forgan proceeded to inspect the contents of the bag "That's bad!" he commented with knit brows. "A leak like that shows something rotten on the inside! Tell me more about this affair, Fairbanks."
Ralph fancied he now understood the mission of the tramp who was in such close touch with Ike Slump, and also the reason why Slump's dinner pail was so heavy.
He did not, however, impart his suspicions to the foreman. The latter muttered something about the thing being important, and that he must look into it deeper, as Ralph stated that he had been assaulted by a gang of hoodlums who had left the bag of fittings behind them.
"Who are they?" questioned the foreman.
"I don't know their names."
"Was Ike Slump among them?" shrewdly interrogated Forgan.
"I don't care to say," answered Ralph.