“It was a secret,” whispered Alden foolishly.
“He’s been popped over the head,” said one of the men. “Look at the knot on his cranium.”
Bad News went outside again, where Blaze was sitting up, and helped him to his feet. Blaze seemed a little hazy and paid no attention to Bad News’s questions. He staggered a little as he came in with Bad News, and sat down in a chair beside Alden Marsh.
John Freeman came a few minutes later and surveyed the wreck. The safe had been looted completely; not even a scrap of paper remained. He got up from his examination and looked around the room.
“Here’s the sack of money, John,” said Bad News.
“I guess we better count it right now,” said the old man.
Some one held the lamp, while he dumped the contents out on a table and made the count. Much of it was packages of currency, and, with the rolls of coin, it did not require long to check it all over.
The total was a few dollars over sixteen thousand. They dumped it back on the gunnysack.
“I think that is about what was in the safe,” said the old man.
“Then he didn’t get away with anythin’, eh?” grunted Bad News.