of jail early this morning. After
that I cannot say what became of him."

Blent was not even at the court. It was learned that he had gone out of
town. Blent could always find somebody to handle pitch for him.

It was later discovered that when Lem Daggett had opened the jail to
Jerry, several of Blent's ruffians had rushed the boy to the railroad
yard, put him aboard a moving freight, given a brakeman a two-dollar bill
as per instructions from the real estate man, and Jerry wasn't likely to
get off the train, unless he jumped while it was moving, until it was
fifty miles farther west.

But, of course, this story did not come out right away. The whole town was
laughing at Mr. Tingley. Nobody cared enough about the city man, or knew
him well enough, to explain the details of Jerry's disappearance at that
time.

Mr. Tingley looked very serious when he rejoined the young folk and he had
little to say on the way home, save to Ruth, whom he beckoned to the seat
beside him.

"I am very sorry that the old fox got the best of us, Miss Fielding. As
Preston says, I must look out for him. He is sly, wicked, and powerful. My
Albany lawyer tells me that Blent is notorious in this part of the State,
and that he has great political influence, illiterate as he is.

"But I am going to fight. I have bought Cliff Island, and paid a good
price for it. I have spent a good many thousand dollars in improvements
already. I'll protect myself and my investment if I can--and meanwhile
I'll do what I can for your friend, Jerry Sheming, too.

"They've got the boy away from the vicinity for the time being, but I
reckon he'll find his way back. You think so, too, Miss Fielding?"

"If he understands that we are trying to help him. And--yes!--I believe he
will come back anyway, for he is very anxious to find that treasure box
his Uncle Peter lost."

"Oh--as to that--Well, there may be something in it. But Pete Tilton was
really insane. I saw him myself. The asylum is the place for him, poor
man," concluded Mr. Tingley.

Ruth felt in secret very much worried over Jerry's disappearance. When she
once became interested in anybody, as Helen said, "she was interested all
the way through."

The others could laugh a little about how the crafty real estate agent had
fooled Mr. Tingley and gotten Jerry out of the way, but not Ruth. She
could scarcely sleep that night for thinking of what might have happened
to the ill-used youth.

But she tried t