“You scoundrel! Give me that will!” cried Bert Field, and before the others could stop him, even had they wished to do so, he was on top of Jabez Trask and had hurled the miser on his back. The man clung to the paper desperately.
“Stop!” he bawled. “Help! help!”
“Give me that will!” repeated Bert. “It is mine,—I have a right to it!”
“No! no!” screamed Jabez Trask. “Vidder! Jepson! Where are you? Help!”
He continued to struggle, and the will was in danger of being torn to pieces, when Jack and Pepper rushed forward and caught Jabez Trask by the arms. Then Bert got a good hold on the legal document and twisted it free.
“Don’t take that! It is mine—all mine!” moaned the miser, and suddenly his eyes commenced to roll, as if he was going to have a fit.
“Take the box and the other papers!” cried the young major to Bert. “I’ll see if there is anything more in that opening.”
He ran forward and felt into the opening, only to find it empty. By this time footsteps were sounding overhead.
“Those men are coming!” cried Andy. “If you’ve got what you want we had better get out of here, unless you want to fight.”
“I don’t want to stay, now I have the will and the other private papers,” answered Bert. “Come on—they may try to take the papers away from me!”