gh it was snowing and blowing something
awful, I hailed a passing man--old Joe Patterson--and asked him if he
would go on an errand to the Wadsworth house. He said he would try to
make it for a dollar, and so I wrote a short note to Mrs. Wadsworth,
knowing that she must be at home even though her husband and Dave
might be away.

"Old Patterson delivered this message, and Mrs. Wadsworth sent back
word that she had not seen anything of Dave since he had gone away on
the sleigh-ride, nor had she seen anything of the miniatures. She
added that her husband had gone to the jewelry works, but that she
would send one of the hired men after him at once and acquaint him
with the situation."

"What did you do then?" went on Ben.

"I really didn't know what to do. Your father was so ill that the
nurse and I had to give him every attention. I was waiting for the
doctor to come again, but he could not get here on account of the
snow-drifts. Mr. Wadsworth put in an appearance about two hours later,
and then I told him just what I have told you. He declared at once
that it must be a trick, stating that Dave had not been near the house
since going away with all of you young folks. Mr. Wadsworth was quite
put out, and wanted to know how it was that I had not been able to
detect the deception."

"Well, I must say--" commenced Ben, and then stopped short, for he
could see how his mother was suffering.

"Oh, yes, Ben, I know what you were going to say," she broke in
quickly. "Having known Dave so many years I should have discovered the
deception. But, as I said before, I was terribly worked up over your
father's condition. Then, too, the young man came in bundled up in an
overcoat and a cap that looked exactly like those Dave wears."

"They were mine. That fellow stole them from me," interrupted our
hero, bitterly.

"Not only that, but he had a tippet placed over his head and around
his neck, and he spoke in a very hoarse voice, stating that he had
caught a terrible cold while on the sleigh-ride and while coming back
to Crumville on the freight train. He spoke about Mr. Basswood's real
estate business, and about Mr. and Mrs. Wadsworth and Jessie, and so
many other things that we are familiar with, that I was completely
deceived. Then, too, his turning over that written card to me also
threw me off my guard. But I know I was very foolish, very foolish
indeed!" and Mrs. Basswood's lips trembled and she wrung her hands
once again.