n before long," and with that he
hurried out of the cabin.

CHAPTER XX

GROPING IN THE DARK

"Well, I feel as weak as a sick cat, after meeting with such an
adventure as that!" exclaimed Jerry, after he and his three chums once
more found themselves alone in the cabin.

"To think of our being accused of being common, every-day thieves!"
grumbled the indignant Bluff. "Why, it just makes my blood fairly
boil!"

"But I'm mighty glad to know my films are all right," Will burst forth
with, and this remark showed that this important fact took precedence
of all others in his mind.

Frank stepped over to the opening where the plank had been removed,
and glanced down as he rubbed his chin reflectively.

"Look here, fellows," he said to the others, "all of you saw the hole
under this board that time we found the coin, the half of an old
envelope with Mr. Dennison's name on it in faded writing, and that
baby shoe; isn't it so?"

"Of course we did, Frank," assented Jerry; "and I want to make my
solemn affidavit to the fact that there wasn't any gold cup lying
there then."

"Will, you are just as positive about that as Jerry, of course?"
continued Frank.

"Well, I should say I was!" came the prompt reply.

"And you too, Bluff?" Frank went on, evidently intending that there
should not be a single dissenting voice in the group.

Bluff immediately lifted his hand, with the fingers stiffened as
though he fancied himself on the witness stand.

"Give you my word for it, Frank; nothing doing," he asserted in his
customary vigorous manner, that was usually very convincing.

"Gilbert came up to the scratch smiling, didn't he?" remarked Jerry;
"and I take it he's going to turn out a pretty decent sort of a
fellow."

"Queer, isn't it," Will was saying, "how chickens do come home to
roost? When we stopped a little while on our way here, and pulled
Gilbert up by the use of that wild grape-vine, none of us ever dreamed
he'd be in a position to return the favor, and yet see what happened.
What's that old proverb about the bread thrown to the fishes, or
something like that?"

"You must mean 'bread cast upon the waters will come back again ere
many days,'" explained Frank, smilingly.

"All right, no matter how it runs, it worked, you see," continued
Will. "We got Gilbert out, and now he has returned the favor."

"Huh! strikes me he kept us from getting in," interrupted Bluff;
"because the old gentleman seemed bent o