In that way he probably found out about your money, and took
the opportunity to-day to get hold of it."

This might or might not be the correct explanation. At all events it
seemed probable.

The boys were just on the point of going to bed, later in the
evening, when a knock was heard at the door, and, to their no little
surprise, their neighbor, Jim Travis, proved to be the caller. He
was a sallow-complexioned young man, with dark hair and bloodshot
eyes.

He darted a quick glance from one to the other as he entered, which
did not escape the boys' notice.

"How are ye, to-night?" he said, sinking into one of the two chairs
with which the room was scantily furnished.

"Jolly," said Dick. "How are you?"

"Tired as a dog," was the reply. "Hard work and poor pay; that's the
way with me. I wanted to go to the theater, to-night, but I was hard
up, and couldn't raise the cash."

Here he darted another quick glance at the boys; but neither
betrayed anything.

"You don't go out much, do you?" he said

"Not much," said Fosdick. "We spend our evenings in study."

"That's precious slow," said Travis, rather contemptuously. "What's
the use of studying so much? You don't expect to be a lawyer, do
you, or anything of that sort?"

"Maybe," said Dick. "I haven't made up my mind yet. If my
feller-citizens should want me to go to Congress some time, I
shouldn't want to disapp'int 'em; and then readin' and writin'
might come handy."

"Well," said Travis, rather abruptly, "I'm tired and I guess
I'll turn in."

"Good-night," said Fosdick.

The boys looked at each other as their visitor left the room.

"He came in to see if we'd missed the bank-book," said Dick.

"And to turn off suspicion from himself, by letting us know he had
no money," added Fosdick.

"That's so," said Dick. "I'd like to have searched them pockets
of his."

CHAPTER XXII

TRACKING THE THIEF

Fosdick was right in supposing that Jim Travis had stolen the
bank-book. He was also right in supposing that that worthy young
man had come to the knowledge of Dick's savings by what he had
accidentally overheard. Now, Travis, like a very large number of
young men of his class, was able to dispose of a larger amount of
money than he was able to earn. Moreover, he had no great fancy for
work at all, and would have been glad to find some other way of
obtaining money enough to pay his expenses. He had recently received
a letter from an old companion, w