"What's the matter, Barry," cried Joe; "are you sick?"
"No," said Barry, "I'm not sick. The pocketbook's gone!"
The two boys stood looking at each other speechlessly for many moments. Presently Joe spoke:
"Do you think you had it when you went into the moving picture show?"
"I know I had it then."
"Well, the answer's simple—you've been robbed!"
For the time being Barry felt as though the universe had gone to pieces and lay in chaos at his feet, but after awhile he came to his senses, and at the suggestion of his friend, the two of them started to retrace their steps from the postoffice to the moving picture theatre. They had gone about two blocks when Joe Hart suddenly exclaimed:
"Look. What's that in the street?"
Barry followed the glance of his friend and saw a red wallet lying on the asphalt, in front of a Pennsylvania Avenue store. He ran over and picked it up. It was his own. He opened it and looked into one side of the wallet. It was empty. He turned to the other and looked in, and to his satisfaction, found a solitary ten-dollar bill. He showed it to Joe Hart.