do with recovering gold from the wreck?"

"A good deal, I should say," answered the girl, "seeing that the same
man is mixed up in both."

"What same man?"

"Dixwell Hardley!"

"Is he the man who cheated your uncle?" cried Tom.

"I won't say that he cheated him," said Mary. "But Dixwell Hardley is
the man who furnished the money when my uncle went into partnership
with him to locate oil wells in Texas. The oil wells were located, Mr.
Hardley got his share, and my uncle got nothing. And just because he
can't prove there was a legal partnership! I hope you won't have the
same experience with Mr. Hardley, Tom."

"Whew!" whistled the young inventor. "This is news to me! I can say one
thing, though. Mr. Hardley doesn't take a dollar out of that wreck
unless I get one to match it. I think I hold the best cards on this
deal. But, Mary, are you sure it's the same man?"

"Pretty sure. Wait, I'll call my father and make certain," she
answered, and as she went from the room to summon Mr. Nestor, Tom felt
a vague sense of uneasiness.

CHAPTER XI

BARTON KEITH'S STORY

"What's this Mary tells me, Tom?" asked Mr. Nestor, as he followed his
daughter back into the room.

"You mean about Dixwell Hardley?"

"Yes. Do you suppose he can be the same man who has so meanly treated
my brother-in-law?"

"I wouldn't want to say, Mr. Nestor, until you describe to me the Mr.
Hardley you know. Then I can better tell. But from what little I have
seen of the man to whom I was introduced by my friend Mr. Damon, I'd
say, off hand, that he was capable of such action."

"Does Mr. Damon know this Mr. Hardley well?" asked Mrs. Nestor, who
accompanied her husband.

"I wouldn't say that he did," Tom replied. "I don't know just how Mr.
Damon met this chap--I think it was in a financial way, though."

"Well, if it's the same Mr. Hardley, I'll say he has some queer
financial ways," said Mr. Nestor. "Now let's see if we can make the two
jibe. Describe him, Tom."

This the young inventor did, and when this description had been
compared with one given of the Mr. Hardley with whom Mr. Keith once was
associated, Mrs. Nestor said:

"It surely is the same man! The Mr. Hardley who wants you to get wealth
from the bottom of the ocean, Tom, is the same fellow who is keeping my
brother out of the oil well property! I'm sure of it!"

"It does seem so," Tom agreed. "Dixwell Hardley is not a usual name;
but we must be careful In spite of its