"Not for the present, Tom, but how we shall stand later on if the securities are not recovered, I am not prepared to say." Dick's face clouded. "You see, it is this way: We have our investments in the West as well as those we went into in Boston some time ago. We—that is, dad—was going to take a loan on that mining proposition. That would involve our putting up some of those bonds—say forty or fifty thousand dollars' worth—as collateral security with the banks. Now, if we don't get the bonds back, dad will either have to cancel that loan or, otherwise, put up something else as security—and what else we can put up just now, I don't know. It's a bad state of affairs."
"Oh, we've just got to get those bonds back!" cried Sam, impulsively. "We've just got to!"
"Easy enough to say, Sam, but wishing them back isn't going to bring them back," came from Tom, grimly.
"If we only had a little more of a clew to work on, we, ourselves, might try to get those bonds back instead of relying on the detectives," said Dick. "But when you haven't any clews, how are you going to strike out?"
"We might try to find that strange man, whoever he is," suggested Tom. "Although looking for him would be a good deal like looking for the proverbial pin in the haystack. I would rather dig up the whole of the Atlantic seacoast looking for Captain Kidd's treasure;" and he smiled grimly.
CHAPTER XX
BARTON PELTER AGAIN
"Well, Dick, any news?"
"No, Tom. It's the same old story."
"Haven't the detectives been able to locate that fellow they thought might be guilty?" put in Sam.