While the hands of the old-fashioned clock, that stood in one corner of the study, ticked off a quarter of an hour, the two sat in silence.
"Have you heard anything about these men being mine owners on their way to New York to raise capital?" inquired his father at last.
"Yes. They've told all 'round that they struck it rich in Colorado."
"They flashed a big roll of bills?"
"So I hear."
"Then that's why they're disguised," announced the banker with characteristic positiveness. "You mark my words, Forman, if these men have any mines, they obtained them by fraud or perhaps by even killing the rightful owners.
"By bringing them to book, we'll get revenge for their insults to our family."
"How?" inquired the boy, his eyes big with excitement at the prospect of proving the strangers criminals.
But his father was too busy writing to answer him and when he finished, he exclaimed:
"Take this message to the telegraph office and have it rushed. Stay there till you see the operator send it, then come back to me and I'll tell you my plan, for I'm going to use you as the decoy to lure our birds to their destruction."