to you in gold, too," added Teddy eagerly.

"Well! Well! Well!" murmured the man. "I--I can scarcely believe it.
Why, boys, this is wonderful news!" he continued, warming up. "Got every
bit of the money, have you? Well now, isn't that wonderful!" His face
began to beam. "And so you've come to pay me what is due me, have you?
Very fine of you, young man! Very fine, indeed!"

Thereupon Uncle Aaron sunk back in his chair and demanded that the three
youths give him all the particulars of the finding of the treasure. They
were in the midst of a graphic recital of these happenings when Mr. and
Mrs. Rushton arrived.

"Hullo!" cried the boys' father. "I hardly expected to see you yet."

"Oh, we've found the treasure! We've found the treasure!" burst out
Teddy, rushing up to shake hands with his father and then to hug his
mother.

"Teddy, Teddy, don't crush me to death!" panted Mrs. Rushton, as the
youth drew her closer and closer. "Why, I declare, I can't breathe!"

"But isn't it grand news?" cried the elated boy.

"Indeed it is!"

"This is Ross Montgomery, father," said Fred. "He, you know, is the
owner of the treasure."

"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."

"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