s. Digby, "oh, dear me, Mr. Blake, I'm
in such a takin! I hardly know what I'm sayin'."

"Consarn them Boy Scouts," sputtered the farmer, returning to his
original grievance, "if Joe hadn't a joined them none of this would
have happened."

"Oh, yes it would and worse in fact," said Mr. Blake quietly, "from
what I have learned of the affair it was your lad's knowledge of the
Morse code, which every Boy Scout must know, that saved him when he was
confined on the island."

"That's right, pop," piped up the lad himself.

"Wall, I don't know nothin' about Horses, codes," grunted Mr. Digby,
somewhat mollified, "but if it saved Joe here it must be all right."

"Then your animosity toward the Boy Scouts is somewhat modified,"
smiled Mr. Blake, "let me tell you just what happened. As a matter of
fact the whole trouble dates back to the day your son exposed the
contemptible trick by which Jack Curtiss hoped to win the aeroplane
model prize contest."

The banker drew the farmer aside and related to him the story that had
been previously narrated by Rob.

"I want ter shake yer hand, boy," exclaimed the fanner, darting at Rob
at the conclusion, "I want ter shake all yer hands," he yelled in his
enthusiasm.

"Bless my soul," exclaimed Commodore Wingate suddenly, "we are clean
forgetting about those two young rascals who tried to extort the money
from Mr. Digby. We must get after them at once and their accomplice
who, I suppose, is, the man delegated to take the money from under the
rock."

"What do you suggest?" asked Mr. Blake.

"That we hasten to the office of the chief of police and then get into
my car and ferret them out if possible," said the commodore briskly,
"they must be made to suffer for this."

"I don't believe that Sam Redding had any hand in it," put in Rob as
Merritt mentioned the name of the boat-builder's son. "You know that
all our investigation only pointed to two persons, Jack and Bill, and
their assistant, Hank Handcraft."

A short time later Merritt, Tubby and the Digbys being left behind on
the landing, a high powered car, containing Rob, his father, Commodore
Wingate and the chief of police of Hampton shot out on to the road
leading to the farm owned by Jack Curtiss' father. Inquiry at the
Bender home had already developed the fact that Jack and Bill had left
there hurriedly a short time before, saying they were going out to the
Curtiss place. The party was doomed to disappointment, howe