“Yes, and it may be the cause of a good deal of happiness,” said Mr. Newton.
“What do you mean?” asked Larry.
“Why, that paper is the title to a valuable piece of real estate. Of course you knew as much as that before, but you didn’t know just what. It develops that the Board of Aldermen have decided to make a big park up in the Bronx section. They have been keeping quiet about it so as not to have property values in that vicinity rise before they had a chance to buy what they wanted. But now that they have all they need, excepting the piece you have the deed to, they have announced their plans. You can read about them in the last edition of the Leader.”
“Then our property is part of what will be the park?” asked Mrs. Dexter.
“That’s it, and a valuable part, too. I was told by the aldermanic committee that they were prepared to offer you twenty thousand dollars for the land. If they do, and I think they will, I advise you to take it.”
“Of course we will!” shouted Larry. “Think of twenty thousand dollars! We’ll be rich, mother!”
“Well, not exactly rich,” remarked Mr. Newton, “but it will help some.”
“No wonder the gang wanted to get possession of the land,” observed Larry.
“That was their game,” went on Mr. Newton. “They learned you had the deed to one of the most valuable pieces. For a long time I could not understand why they wanted it. I suspected some big improvement was going to be made in that section, but I could not learn what. As soon as I overheard the conversation in the cigar-store that day I got on the track. The rest was easy. We only had to follow the different clews, and as it happened they all led to one place.”
“Do you think the gang is mixed up in the safe-robbery and the Reynolds jewels job, as well as the land transaction?” asked Larry.