could do that, Tate," returned the man whom the
lads had not seen before. "You know at the best Spell's claim on the
land was not perfectly clear."

"Well, that's how you look at it, Davenport," said another of the men.
"You must remember, Lorimer Spell had a good many friends in this
neighborhood. Of course he was a queer Dick and all that sort of thing,
but in spite of that folks here would want to have Spell's wishes in
this matter upheld."

"Oh, I know we run some risk," returned the man called Davenport. "But I
think the stake is worth it."

"To be sure it is!" came from one of the others.

"The question is," came from the man named Tate, "how are we going to
get at it? Do you think you'll be able to see the documents this man
Rover must carry?"

"Of course I'll see them. I'll get at them some way," returned Carson
Davenport firmly. He was a large-built man, with coal-black eyes and
black hair and his face had a rather cruel expression.

"Somebody said that Lorimer Spell placed his valuables in some safe
deposit vault," went on one of the men. "In that case, this Richard
Rover wouldn't have them."

"I don't see why not," said another. "If he became Spell's heir he would
have a right to do anything, and the bank would have to give the
documents up."

More talk of a like nature followed, and the Rover boys listened with
keen interest to every word that was said. They recognized in Carson
Davenport the man who had written to Jack's father hoping to get the
latter interested in some fake oil companies, trusting that The Rover
Company in New York City would be able to dispose of the worthless
stocks to their customers--people who trusted them implicitly in all
their financial transactions. While these negotiations were going on
Jake Tate, Davenport's right-hand man, had learned that Lorimer Spell
was dead and that he had made Dick Rover his sole heir. This was at a
time when Tate and Davenport, as well as the other men, were trying to
get possession of the Spell land, feeling sure that there was oil on it.
They had been on the point of communicating with Dick Rover, thinking
they might get the claim away from him, when he had surprised the whole
crowd by his unexpected appearance in Columbina.

"We've got to have quick action in this," declared Jake Tate. "The
longer we delay the worse off we'll be."

"Yes, but you've got to find out about those papers first," said one of
the other men, lighting a cigar.