or. "This is 685
W," he added.

"I cannot give you Carwell," was the answer.

"Why not?"

"The lightning struck down some of our poles and the line is out of
commission."

This was dismaying news and for the moment Dick was nonplussed. Then he
spoke to the operator again.

"Can you reach Farleytown?"

"Yes, but the line from Farleytown to Carwell is down, too," came over
the wire.

"Can you reach Deeming's Corners?"

"No. Can't get to Carwell in any way at all," was the decided answer,
and Dick hung up the receiver much crestfallen.

"The storm has knocked the telephone service into a cocked hat," he
explained to the others. "The only way for us to reach Carwell is to
drive there."

"Then let us do that, and right away!" cried Tom, who had been talking
to his aunt. "Uncle Randolph took those ten thousand dollars worth of
traction company bonds with him, and Aunt Martha says the bonds were
unregistered, so anybody could use them."

"Do you think somebody is going to steal the bonds?" asked the aunt.

"Two men are up to some game,--that is as much as we know," said Dick,
thinking it unwise to keep his aunt in the dark any longer. "And we know
the men are rascals," he added.

"Oh, will they--they attack your uncle?"

"I don't think they are that kind," said Sam. "I think they'll try to
get the bonds away by some slick game."

The aunt hated to see the boys go on a mission of possible peril and yet
she wanted to have her husband warned. The lads ran down to the barn and
had Jack Ness hitch up a fresh team to a buckboard. It was now growing
dark.

"Take good care of yourselves," cried Mrs. Rover, as they drove off. "If
the telephone and telegraph poles are down on the road see that you do
not run into any of them."

They were driving to the gateway of the big farm when they saw Alexander
Pop running after them, flourishing something in his hand. Aleck was a
colored man who had once worked at Putnam Hall, but who was now attached
to the Rover household.

"I was jess a-thinkin' that maybe yo' boys wasn't armed," he said. "If
yo' ain't, don't yo' want dis pistol?" And he held up a weapon he had
purchased while on the river trip with them.

"I didn't think there would be any shooting," answered Dick. "But now
you've brought it, I might as well take the pistol along," and he placed
the weapon in his pocket.

"Perhaps yo' would like to hab dis chicken along?" went on the colored
man. He delighted to be