s known to
have contained money and bonds to the amount of forty-six thousand
dollars, was broken open and empty.

The theory of the detectives was that thieves had entered the dwelling
for the purpose of robbery; but having been surprised by the owner,
killed him in order to make good their escape.

A large tuft of hair in the dead man's hand told that he had grappled
with his murderers, and the overturned furniture spoke of a long and
desperate struggle.

Singular as it may seem none of the other occupants of the house had
heard any unusual noise, although the uproar must have been great for
some moments, nor was any shock perceived when the safe door had been
blown off.

It was as the paper stated, the most mysterious of the many
detective-baffling crimes which had been committed in New York city,
because of the fact that such a deed could have been done without
alarming any one in the vicinity.

Nothing was said regarding the men for whom Jet had carried the
satchel, because at the time the article had been written the police
were not in possession of this very valuable clew.

Jet had finished reading the article, and was studying the matter in
his mind without being able to arrive at any definite conclusion
regarding the course he should pursue, except that he was eager to
follow the men who had treated him so roughly, when a stranger halted
directly in front of him.

"You don't seem to be very busy."

"It kinder looks that way for a fact."

"Taking a vacation?"

"A good deal more of a one than I want. I'd like to pick up some kind
of a job that would pay a little money between now an' bedtime."

"Live here?"

"In New York. A couple of duffers hired me to come here, an' then
skipped without payin'."

"So you're stranded?"

"You'd think so if you didn't have a blessed cent, an' was hungry
enough to eat up the whole town."

"Do you want to earn money to take you back to the city?"

"I'd rather go to Cooperstown Junction."

"Then you'd be worse off than you are here, for it isn't any town."

"That's where I want to go all the same."

"I can give you a chance if you'll work your way."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I've got a minstrel company on the road, and wouldn't mind paying the
traveling expenses of a smart boy who will distribute programmes and
make himself generally useful."

"A show! Say, I can do a mighty good turn at dancin', and give some of
these fellers what think they k