“And so you actually found it?” returned the father, with a smile of satisfaction. “I didn’t think you’d be able to do it.”
“Wonderful boys! Wonderful boys!” murmured Uncle Aaron. “When they first came in and told me, I thought they were putting up some sort of job on me. Say! It isn’t a joke, is it?” he queried quickly and with sudden suspicion.
“You don’t think we’d play a joke like that, do you?” demanded Teddy.
“Well, I’ve known you to play some pretty hard jokes,” said their uncle dryly. “But never mind that now, my boy,” he continued, almost affectionately. “I’ll forgive you for all of ’em, now that this money has come to light. I had about made up my mind that I’d never see a cent of it.”
“You’ll have to tell us all the particulars,” said Mr. Rushton.
“That is just what we had started to do when you came in,” answered Ross.
“Teddy is the hero of this story,” broke in Fred. “He’s the one who found the box that contained the gold pieces.”
244“Oh, come now! Don’t put it that way,” returned Teddy modestly. “We all had a hand in finding that box. Didn’t we all search for it day in and day out?”
“Never mind, you are the one who really found it, and you ought to have the credit,” said his brother firmly.
“That’s right!” broke in Ross. “If Teddy hadn’t made that wonderful dive and come up into the cave, that box might still be where it was.”