to end," answered Jack. "You simply had your orders to keep us
from going into the hotel, and you carried those orders out to the best
of your ability. My opinion is you were in league with those men who
robbed my father of his papers."

"I was not. I don't know what you're talking about!" roared Nappy, but
his face grew pale as he spoke. "I didn't even know your father had been
robbed. Gabe Werner had been hurt. We thought his leg had been broken,
although we found out afterwards it was only hurt. He wanted to see all
of you--why, I don't know. We simply tried to do him a favor, and this
is what we get for it."

"Nappy is telling things just as they were," declared Slugger.

"It's a fairy tale," declared Andy. "If it was true, why did you and
Nappy hide when we came up?"

"Because we knew you would be mad when you got there and found that Gabe
was missing," answered Slugger.

"Where is Werner now?"

"I don't know. I think he has gone home--anyway, he said something about
going," was the glib reply.

"What are you fellows doing here?"

"We own an interest in this claim," answered Nappy loftily, and as he
spoke he lit a fresh cigarette.

"Own an interest here?" demanded Jack in pardonable astonishment.

"That's it. I got my folks to buy an eighth interest in the whole
outfit, and Slugger's folks bought an equal amount."

"Must have cost you something," said Fred.

"It cost our folks ten thousand dollars each," answered Slugger, in a
bragging tone. "But we'll get that back, and a good deal more, too," he
added.

"Did Gabe Werner's folks put up anything?" questioned Randy.

"Yes, they have an eighth interest, too," answered Nappy. "Oh, this is
going to be some big concern, believe me."

"What about it if my father gets back those papers of which he was
robbed?" questioned Jack pointedly.

"Oh, say, Jack Rover, you needn't come to me with that old yarn,"
growled Slugger. "We know there isn't a word of truth in it. Your father
never had any such papers."

"He certainly did have them, and some day he may be able to prove it,"
answered Jack warmly. "On the very night that you fellows got us to go
out to that storehouse he was knocked down in one of our rooms by two or
three men and the papers were taken from him. And what is more, I am
pretty sure in my mind that the fellows who took them were Davenport and
his partners."

"Then you mean to say that Mr. Davenport is a thief?" cried Slugger,
looking Jac