"I'm going down to the post-office to post our letters," announced Dick. "I'll see if the postmaster knows anything about Crowden."
The postmaster of Fernwood was a young man and glad enough to give what information he could when he heard what Dick had to say.
"Yes, that man was here several times," he remarked. "He seemed very anxious to get some letters, and he posted several letters himself, although whom they were addressed to I don't know."
"You haven't any idea where he was stopping?"
"Not the slightest." And this was all the postmaster could tell them.
"No use of our staying here any longer," announced Tom, when the boys had rejoined the others at the hotel. "I guess Crowden just came to this out-of-the-way place to get and send mail."
"Don't you think he'll come back, thinking there'll be some letters for him?" questioned his wife.
"We'll take care of that," was the reply. "We'll notify the local authorities and also the postmaster, so if Crowden turns up again he'll be arrested at once;" and this matter was attended to before they left the town.
Chester Waltham grumbled somewhat because the Rovers had not taken him along on the trip to Riverview, but the three brothers paid little attention to this, although Sam showed that he was rather anxious because of the way in which Grace stood up for the brother of her seminary chum.
It had been planned that the tour from Valley Brook to the west should be taken through Ashton, so one morning a few days later found the whole party in the old college town.