“Was it stolen?” continued the professor.
“Stolen? Well, now— But, look here, professor, suppose you tell me why you want to know?”
“Perhaps I had better,” responded the other. “You’re probably thinking me pretty cheeky and inquisitive. But I was reading the paper a few minutes ago, and saw that they’d arrested a tramp over in Gerrydale, and had found a lot of pawn-tickets on him. When they visited the pawn-shop and recovered the property they found among other jewelry a watch with the inscription—let me see.” He found the place in the paper he held and read: “‘Gold watch and chain; former inscribed Anthony Z. Tidball, from Henry Wright Porter—July, 1902.’ That’s your name, and I thought perhaps the watch was yours. Is it?”
[CHAPTER XXI]
OFF TO COLLEGETOWN
Ere Professor White had finished Anthony was on his feet with hands stretching forth for the paper. The look of delight which he had flashed across at Jack and which still illumined his face caused that youth much wonderment.
“Guess it’s mine, all right,” Anthony cried. The professor yielded the paper, and Anthony read the article through in silence. When he handed it back his eyes were dancing behind the lenses of his spectacles. “It’s mine, sir; no doubt about it! The paper says all I need do is prove my ownership, and I can do that easily enough, for I have the number of the watch!”
“But, Anthony,” Jack objected, “you said that you’d——”
“I’ll go over to Gerrydale in the morning,” Anthony interrupted hurriedly, shooting a warning glance at his friend. “I’m much obliged to you, sir; if you hadn’t seen that and told me I don’t believe I’d ever have got it back; I don’t read the papers very often myself.”