The Rover Boys Down East: or, The Struggle for the Stanhope Fortune

Trembling with anticipation, Dick hurried to the booth, shut the door and took up the telephone receiver. The wire was buzzing, but presently he made out his father’s voice.

“Is that you, Dick?”

“Yes, Dad. Where are you?”

“At the hotel in Cedarville. I just got here a few minutes ago from a run across the lake.”

“Across the lake? What for? Did you go after the fortune?”

“No, I went after Mrs. Stanhope.”

“Then she is – is gone?” faltered Dick. He could scarcely speak the words.

“Yes. But how did you guess it?” And Anderson Rover’s tones showed his surprise.

“Tell me first where she went, and how?” demanded Dick, impatiently.

“We don’t know how she went, or just when. It is most mysterious all the way through. Dora is nearly frantic, for she did not know her mother was going. We followed her up and learned that she had crossed the lake in company with some man who wore a heavy, black beard and dark goggles.”

“It must have been Josiah Crabtree,” cried Dick, and then, in as few words as possible, he told of the meeting with Dan Baxter and what the young commercial traveler had revealed.

“Yes! yes! that must be the truth of it!” said Anderson Rover. “And Crabtree must have been the one who aided in getting the fortune from the bank where it was being kept.”

“Never mind the money, dad, just now. Tell me about Mrs. Stanhope.”

“I can’t tell you any more, Dick. I went across the lake in a launch, but I could get no trace of her on the other side. Now I am going back to the Stanhope house, and send Dora over to the Lanings. I want you to come up here the first thing in the morning,” added Mr. Rover.

“I’ll be up, and so will Sam and Tom,” answered Dick, and then after a few words more the telephone talk came to an end.

Dick slept but little that night. His one thought was of Mrs. Stanhope. What had become of her? Was it possible that Josiah Crabtree had in some way used his sinister influence to get her to leave her home, and would he be able to hypnotize her into marrying him?

“If he does that it will break Dora’s heart!” he groaned. “Oh, it’s an outrage! We don’t want such a scoundrel in the family!” And he grated his teeth in just indignation.

The first boat for Cedarville left directly after the breakfast hour. The Rovers dined with Dan Baxter and then bade the young commercial traveler good-bye.

“I’ll keep my eyes open for Crabtree and Sobber,” said Dan. “And if I see either of ’em I’ll let you know at once.”

“Do,” said Dick. “Send word instantly – at my expense.”

The boys boarded the same little steamer, the Golden Star, which had first taken them up Cayuga Lake, when on their way to become pupils at Putnam Hall. The captain remembered them and spoke to them cordially. But none of the lads was in the humor of talking to outsiders.

As soon as Cedarville was reached they rushed ashore at the well-known dock. They were going to look around for a public carriage to take them to the Stanhope residence, some distance away, when a voice hailed them.

“Why, boys, I am glad to see you!” came in hearty tones, and the next instant they were shaking hands with Captain Putnam, the owner of the school which they had attended so many years.

“We are sorry, Captain, that we can’t stop to talk,” said Dick, “but we are in a tremendous hurry.”

“Yes, and I know why,” answered the owner of the school. “I met your father yesterday. Want to go to the Stanhope place?”

“Yes.”

“Then come with me. I have my carriage here, and my best team, and I’ll take pleasure in driving you there.”

“You are very kind,” answered Tom. “My! I almost feel as if I was going back to the school!”

“I’d be glad to have you back, Thomas.”

“In spite of my pranks, Captain?” and Tom grinned.

“Yes, in spite of your pranks,” answered Captain Putnam, promptly.

“And to think we are after Josiah Crabtree!” murmured Sam. “How time changes things!”

“I trust you catch him, and catch that Tad Sobber, too,” answered Captain Putnam, gravely.

The team was a spirited one, and the captain knew well how to handle them. Away they flew, through the village and then out on the smooth road leading to the Stanhope place. Dick relapsed into silence. He was thinking of Dora and of the girl’s missing mother.

CHAPTER XVIII

A FORTUNE AND A LADY DISAPPEAR

“And that’s all I know about it, Dick.”

It was Dora who was speaking. She was seated on the sofa with Dick beside her. She had been telling her story and weeping copiously at the same time. He had listened with great interest, and had comforted her all he could. Tom and Sam had gone off with Mr. Rover, to the Laning place, to interview Mr. Laning and his wife and see if they could throw any additional light on the mystery.

What Dora had to tell was not much, and it simply supplemented the story Mr. Rover had already related to his sons.

One day a strange messenger had appeared at the Stanhope house with a letter for Mrs. Stanhope. The communication was very brief and asked the lady to get the fortune from the trust company that was holding it and take it to Ithaca and there meet Mr. Rover. She was to do this in secret, for, as the letter said, Mr. Rover “wanted to make an investment of great importance, but one which must be kept from the general public, or the chance to buy stock at a low price would be lost.” The communication had been signed in the name of the Rover boys’ father.

Rather ignorant of business affairs, Mrs. Stanhope had taken the first boat she could get for Ithaca and gone to the trust company and gotten from her private box the whole fortune – her own share and also that of the Lanings. There she had gone to the office of the Adrell Lumber Company, where, so the letter stated, Mr. Rover was to meet her.

The Adrell company’s office proved to be a small affair on a side street, and on entering Mrs. Stanhope had met the messenger who had delivered the letter to her the day before. He had said that Mr. Rover was expected every minute and had requested her to sit down.

While the lady was waiting, with the fortune in her valise, a telephone had rung and the man in the office had gone to answer the call. He said Mr. Rover wished to speak to her. She had answered the telephone, and someone had spoken to her in a voice she believed to be Anderson Rover’s. The party at the other end of the wire had said he was then dickering for some valuable mining shares owned by a rich old man, and said the shares would surely go up to double value inside of a month.

“I can’t leave the old man,” came over the wire. “Is Mr. Barker there?”

The man in the office had said he was Mr. Barker, and then the man on the wire had vouchsafed the additional information to Mrs. Stanhope that he was an old friend and perfectly trustworthy. Then Mrs. Stanhope had been requested to turn the fortune over to Mr. Barker, who would deliver it to Mr. Rover without delay.

Thinking that all was fair and square, Mrs. Stanhope had delivered the valise to the man, who had gone off with it immediately. He had told her to go home and Mr. Rover would send her word before night about what he had done.

She had returned to Cedarville and to her home and there she had waited patiently to hear from Anderson Rover. No message coming for her, she had at last grown suspicious and sent word to the hotel at which the Rover boys’ father was supposed to be stopping. On receiving a reply that he was not there, and had not been there, she grew more alarmed than ever, and then sent the message to Oak Run which so mystified all of the Rovers.

“We have learned that the Adrell Lumber Company went out of business several months ago,” explained Dora. “The old signs were left up and the office was rented temporarily to a man who said he wanted to use it for storage purposes.”

“And it was rented that way just to fool your mother,” returned Dick.

On learning the truth Mrs. Stanhope had been all but overcome. She had sent word to Mr. Laning, but he could not come, having hurt his ankle as already mentioned.