e snap away."

"How do you know he does?"

"Do you think he wants to thank me, give me a new suit of clothes and
invite me to dine with him at Del's?" and Fred gave the least tinge of a
sneer to his tones as he spoke.

"Well, hardly," Bob replied, laughing good-naturedly. "It is well enough
to know what the fellow wants, though."

Fred did not reply, and Bob added:

"He'll find you out, anyway."

"Yes, so he will. Better go back and see what he wants. I'll go with
you. He can't do us both up."

"Come on. Let's go and see if he is there," and the two young friends
turned and made their way back to the Astor House where they had sent
him.

CHAPTER III.--The Thief in the Stock Exchange.

When the two boys arrived at the Astor House corner, they failed to find
the man there. While looking around for him he came up to Fred, laid a
hand on his shoulder and said:

"It was a neat little game you played on me. Where does the laugh come
in?"

Fred laughed and asked:

"Where were you born?"

"Right here in New York."

"Must have got lost then. What do you want of me?"

"I am a detective and have been on the tracks of a band of forgers for
months. I see in the papers that you helped bag one of them to-day. You
gave warning to the bank. That's what I want to see you about. There is
a big reward up for the arrest of the gang. If you can give me any
information that may lead to the arrest of any of them you can have one
half the reward."

"Not much I won't," Fred replied, shaking his head. "I can arrest the
whole gang myself and get all the reward."

"That's all nonsense. You can't arrest any man. You're but a boy yet."

"Yes, that's so. But I got one of 'em to-day. I could call that cop over
here now and get another but I am not ready for you yet."

"What do you mean?' the man asked, turning pale with a frightened look
in his eyes.

"I mean I am on to you."

"How on to me?"

"Oh, you make me tired. I got your pal to-day. Look out I don't get you
to-morrow."

The look of amazement on the man's face was a picture. Fred looked up at
him and laughed. Then he turned away and went over across the street, as
if to speak to the policeman there. The man hurried across Broadway, and
was lost in the crowd surging along Park Row.

"That was a good scare you gave him, Fred," Bob said, as they walked on
up the street.

"Yes. I knew it would be. I wouldn't tell him how I got onto his game.
That's what he wanted