The men talked over various other matters, and then, as the hour was growing late, they departed, leaving Peter and Noddy in charge of Jimmy.
“Better turn in,” advised the blue-handed man to Peter.
“Guess I will,” said the former copy boy. “I’m going to get up early, and get a morning paper to see if Larry has put a personal in.”
While he was getting ready for bed Noddy went in to look at Jimmy. He found the lad’s face wet with tears.
“Poor little chap,” remarked Noddy. “I wish I was out of this game.”
Then he, too, went to bed, and there was silence in the headquarters of the Rising Sun gang, broken only by the breathing of the sleepers. Outside the hum and confusion of Chinatown went on in the semi-darkness.
Meanwhile Larry and Mr. Newton had been planning away. They had told each other their experiences, and Mr. Newton was glad to learn that Larry had located the headquarters of the gang.
“I can’t understand the man from the pawn-shop going in there, however,” commented the older reporter. “He may be mixed up with the gang, but it hardly seems possible that the jewel robbers, the safe-crackers, and the kidnappers are all members of one organization. However, if it’s so, so much the better.”
“Why?”
“Because we’ll bag them all at once, and kill two or three birds with one stone. Now let’s see what we’d better do first.”