“A robbery!” came simultaneously from all the young fellows.
“That’s it,” and Pete Apgar continued to fan himself. He was almost out of breath and gladly took a cup of water which Gif considerately got for him.
“What was robbed—our houses?” questioned Fred.
“No, it wasn’t your houses. It was down in your fathers’ place of business in Wall Street. A big hold-up of some kind.”
“A hold-up in the offices in Wall Street!” gasped Jack, and then he added quickly: “Was anybody shot?”
“I don’t know none of the particulars,” replied the farmhand. “A telegram came to your Uncle Randolph that the offices in Wall Street had been robbed and that he was to let you fellows know at once. So they sent me up here pellmell to tell you. I got a ride in Fenny’s flivver as far as the bridge road. That was as far as he could take me, and I hoofed it the rest of the way. But I did stop at Bill Jandle’s place early this morning and asked him to be in readiness with his flivver providing I could find you fellows and you wanted to ride home from there.”
“I’m glad you did that, Pete,” answered Jack quickly. “It will save us a long tramp, and we can make time by riding even if we have to go away around by the bridge route instead of by the ford.”
“You didn’t get any more of the particulars about the robbery?” questioned Andy.
“No. There wasn’t any particulars. When I left the farm your Uncle Randolph was trying to get your folks on the long distance ’phone. But the storm the other day had knocked out some of the wires and they wasn’t repaired yet; so he couldn’t get anything. He said he would send Jack Ness down to the railroad station to try to get a message through by telegraph, but he was afraid the operator would be gone for the night, and in that case he’d not be able to do anything until this morning. Your uncle was all upset, and so was your aunt and your grandfather, not knowing how bad things might be.”
“Well, they must be pretty bad, or otherwise our folks wouldn’t send for us,” said Jack.