“I think so,” Tom agreed.
“Wind probably blew it out,” went on Sam. “We can toss it back I suppose, though evidently it was intended to be thrown away.”
“No, we won’t toss it back,” Tom said, quietly.
“What are you going to do with it?”
“Keep it. Just as I said, I think it’s a valuable clue to the puzzle I’m working on,” and Tom put the torn paper in his pocket.
“Say, you’ve got me going!” Sam said. “Elucidate a bit for a fellow.”
“I will,” promised Tom, “but not here. Come along where we can have a quiet talk. This may be important.”
Tom put his chum in possession of all the facts in the case, from the time of his father’s death and the property tangle, to the return of the draft of the trust deed by Flack, the janitor.
“And you think Doolittle and Hawkesbury kept for themselves the money they received from the railroad?” asked Sam.
“That’s what I believe, though I don’t know how I’m going to prove it. However, this telegram may help some.”