party of men
who were at that moment discovered approaching the cabin. "We went out
in squads of four, and there are a dozen men in that crowd."

"But I don't see any prisoner among them," said Bob. "They have all got
guns on their shoulders, and that proves that they have not seen
anything of robber number two."

As the party came nearer, the boys saw that it was made up of citizens
of Bellville and Hammondsport, who had abandoned the search for the day,
and were now on their way home.

They were surprised to see Bob Emerson there, safe and sound, and
forthwith desired a full history of the letter which had been the means
of bringing about so remarkable a series of events.

Bob protested that he was too hungry to talk, but when he saw the
generous supply of bread and meat which one of the men drew from his
haversack, he sat down on a log in front of the cabin and told his
story.

His auditors declared that the way things had turned out was little
short of wonderful, adding, as they arose to go, that they were coming
out again, bright and early the next morning, to resume the search for
robber number two. They were not going to remain idle at home, they
said, as long as there were twenty-five hundred dollars running around
loose in the woods.

When the bread and meat were all gone, and the boys were once more
alone, Tom wrote the notice which Joe Morgan found pinned to the door of
the cabin, and then he and Bob set out for Uncle Hallet's.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

Although Silas Morgan had received the most convincing proof that he had
nothing more to fear from the "hant" which had so long occupied all his
waking thoughts and disturbed his dreams at night, he would not have
taken one step toward Mr. Warren's house before morning, had he not been
urged on by the hope that the sheriff would be ready to pay over his
money as soon as the robber was given up to him. The desire to handle
the reward to which he was entitled was stronger than his fear of the
dark.

"And what shall I do with them twenty-five hundred after I get 'em,
Joey?" said he. "That's what's a-bothering of me now."

And it was the very thing that was bothering Joe, also. His father had
always been in the habit of spending his money as fast as he got it, and
the boy fully expected to see this large sum slip through his fingers
without doing the least good to him or anybody else.

"I'll tell you what I _wouldn't_ do with it," said Joe, after a little