e must have left his money box
here one day, closed the place up and then came his unfortunate loss
of mind, after he was hurt. He forgot all about where he had left the
wealth, and of course he couldn't tell anyone. Well, I'm glad you've
got it back."

"So am I!" chuckled Sandy. "Now if we only had some explanation as to
why that queer chap was always hanging about this farm we'd be all
right."

"Maybe he knew your Uncle Isaac," suggested Ruth.

"No, that man's a stranger around here," declared Sandy.

After some little further talk about the queer find, Mr. Pertell
again suggested that the taking of the picture be resumed.

Sandy seemed to hang back and the manager asked him:

"Do you want to give up your part in it, now that you have your money
again? Don't you want the barn burned?"

"Oh, yes; it ain't that!" the young farmer hastened to assure the
manager. "It's a good thing we didn't burn the barn before we found
the money. I was only wishin' I could send word of it to Squire
Blasdell, so he could call off the foreclosure. I hate to see them
signs up."

"Then you go and tell him the good news," suggested the manager,
generously. "We've had so many delays on this thing that a little
more won't hurt. Go tell the squire."

So Sandy went off, and the players had an unexpected rest.

CHAPTER XXIV

EXPLANATIONS

Sandy found Squire Blasdell having an interview with the strange
prisoner.

"I'm putting him on the grill, and trying to find out something about
him, but it's hard work," the Squire said to the young farmer.

"Yes, you might as well save your time," spoke the man. "I'll tell
you nothing!"

"I've got news for you, Squire," said Sandy, a little later when the
constable had been called in to take the stranger back to his cell.

"Looks like good news, by your face, Sandy," the lawyer replied. "You
haven't been finding money for the mortgage; have you?"

"That's just what I have, Squire!" Sandy cried. "We just found Uncle
Isaac's money box!"

"You did! 'Gosh all Hemlock' as the boys used to say. How was it?"

"We found the money box--with a lot of cash and papers in a secret
room in the old barn we're goin' to burn for movin' pictures. We
found the money box, all right."

There was a sound from the room where the prisoner sat. He started to
his feet, and stepped to the grating which separated the cell from
the apartment in which Sandy and the Squire were.

"You say you found Isaa