as he watched he heard the men moving quickly about in the room below. then a brighter glow suffused the apartment and larry, looking through the crack, saw that one man had what seemed to be an iron pot filled with a gleaming mass.
“steady now!” said someone in a low tone.
larry was all impatience to observe what would come next. he strained his eyes to see better. he drew himself along the floor.
this last move was an unfortunate one. larry’s foot scraped along on the bare boards and his hand moved a chair slightly. in the silence it sounded quite loud.
“what’s that?” the boy heard one of the men ask.
“i don’t know,” was the reply.
“we’d better cut it out, for to-night,” said another. “i believe someone is watching us.”
“nonsense! who can it be?” remarked a voice.
“i don’t know, but i have a feeling that we are being observed. besides, there are some persons182 in this house who i firmly believe are suspicious of us.”
“you’re getting nervous, old man,” was the remark of one who, from the peculiar voice, had not before spoken. “but perhaps we had better stop work for to-night.”
then the light died out, and larry could see no more. he could hear the men moving about, but, in a few minutes it all became quiet, and there were no further sounds from below.
“i wonder what they can be up to, that they don’t want anyone to see; that they are afraid of having known,” mused larry.
puzzling over these things, larry finally went to bed. he could not get to sleep for some time, thinking over what he had seen. he wondered if he ought to tell mr. newton or someone about the matter, and half resolved to inform his reporter friend of what had taken place. then he recollected that he had no proof of anything wrong, and he realized that to make charges without this, or even a good idea of what the men were up to, would be foolish.
“i’ll say nothing about it,” thought larry, “but i’ll keep my eyes open. i’m glad there’s a crack in my floor.”
then he fell asleep, to dream that he had been captured by the men on the floor below, who were about to cast him into a fiery furnace for spying on them. he thought they grasped him by his183 head and his heels and were swinging him to cast him into the flames, when he woke up to find his mother shaking him and saying:
“come, come, larry. it’s almost breakfast time. you’ve overslept yourself.”
he got up with a jump and began dressing, glad enough that he was not going to be burned to death. he ate his breakfast in a hurry and had to run downstairs and halfway to the car, for fear of being behindhand.
however, he reached the office just in time. he had to put in another busy day. in the afternoon he was sent to a hall uptown, where a meeting was in progress and where one of the leader reporters was on an assignment. larry had to bring back some copy, but as the meeting was not very important only one trip was necessary.
the car larry rode on in coming back to the office was quite crowded, and he stood on the rear platform. near him were several rather flashily dressed young men, who were laughing and joking in loud tones. occasionally they would playfully shove one another.
at first larry paid no attention to them, but finally he noticed that the young men seemed to be directing their attentions to an elderly gentleman who stood in the corner, smoking a cigar. he was well dressed, and his vest was adorned with a heavy gold watch chain.
suddenly one of the young men gave his companion184 such a hard push as to send him violently against the elderly gentleman. the latter’s face flushed.
“can’t you chaps stand up straight?” he demanded.
the one who had collided with him seemed to be unable to regain his balance for a moment, and leaned heavily against the old man. finally, however, he straightened up. then, turning to the elderly gentleman, and making a bow as he removed his hat he said:
“i humbly beg your pardon, sir. i was not aware that i had hurt you. it was my companion’s fault. i am sure he’ll apologize also.”
“certainly, certainly,” exclaimed the other somewhat flippantly. “it was all my fault, i do assure you, and i am very sorry.”
“that’s all right,” said the elderly man, much mollified at the polite manner of the young men. “i suppose it was an accident. the car sometimes lurches considerably.”
“no, no, it was not an accident, it was all my fault, and i insist on apologizing,” went on the man who had first spoken. “i shall feel offended if you do not let me apologize.”
all this while larry noticed that the young man’s hands seemed to be busy in the neighborhood of the old gentleman’s watch chain. his companion was crowding close to the latter, while a third man, who did not seem to be in company185 of the other two, but who was apparently engaged in reading a newspaper, held the sheet close under the elderly man’s chin.
“then i’ll accept your apology,” the gentleman remarked, in good humor again.
“by jove! this is my street!” the first young man exclaimed suddenly, as he made a jump from the still moving car.
“and mine also,” remarked his companion.
larry’s suspicions were aroused, particularly as the two men had seemed to be handing something to the one who was so industriously reading the paper. still he did not like to say anything, though he was almost certain that the men were pickpockets. he had heard mr. newton describe how such criminals worked on street cars.
suddenly the elderly gentleman put his hand into his pocket and gave a cry:
“i’ve been robbed! those fellows took my gold watch! i wondered what they were up to. stop the car! i must chase them! my watch is worth five hundred dollars!”
he would have leaped from the now swiftly moving vehicle and given chase to the two thieves, who were now some distance away, had not larry, who was watching, put out his hand to detain the old man.
“wait until the car stops,” said larry, at the same time pulling the bell rope. “you’ll be hurt if you jump off now.”
186 “but the thieves will get away!” cried the man. “police! help!”
by this time the car was in an uproar, and the conductor and several passengers came running out on the back platform. at the same time the motorman, in response to the signal larry had given, brought the electric car to a rather sudden stop.
“what’s the matter?” asked the conductor.
“i’ve been robbed! i must chase the thieves!” panted the old gentleman.
“i’ll help you!” exclaimed the man who had been reading the paper. “i saw which way they went!”
he started to leave the car, but larry, who had a plan in mind, had no idea of letting this man, whom he supposed to be a companion of the pickpockets, escape so easily. so the boy slyly put out his foot, and, as the fellow was about to leap from the platform he tripped, and came down on his hands.
“who did that?” he asked.
“i did,” replied larry.
“what for? i’d give you a good thrashing only i want to catch those thieves that took this old man’s watch!”
by this time quite a crowd had gathered, and the man, as well as larry and the old gentleman, were hemmed in. at the same time a policeman sauntered up to see what the trouble was, and187 larry felt that he could now put his plan into execution.
“i guess you won’t have to chase the thieves very far,” the boy said to the chap who had been reading the paper.
“well, i like your impudence! what do you mean?” demanded the fellow.
“i think you know something about this robbery,” spoke larry boldly.
“i’ll have you arrested for that!” exclaimed the fellow. “here, officer, just hold this boy until to-morrow and i’ll make a charge against him. i shouldn’t be surprised if he took the watch himself. i’ll be back in a little while.”
“just wait a minute,” put in the man who had been robbed. “i don’t believe this boy took my watch. you may know something of it. if you do not you’ll not object to being searched.”
“search me? well, i guess not!” the man cried. “i’m going to chase after those thieves.”
“not so fast, my gay bird,” said the officer, coming up through the crowd. “let’s see what you have in your pocket, anyhow. i’ve seen you before. you hang out over on the bowery.”
with a quick motion the policeman put his hand in the fellow’s outside coat pocket.
“i thought so!” exclaimed the officer.
he brought to light a gold watch and chain.
“that’s mine!” cried the old gentleman. “you had it all the while, you thief!”
188 the pickpocket, seeing he was caught, said nothing. he made a sudden effort to dart through the crowd and get away, but the officer was too quick for him.
“no, you don’t!” exclaimed the bluecoat. he blew his whistle and several other policemen came running up. they soon handcuffed the thief, and after telling larry and the old gentleman to follow to the police station led their prisoner away.
“will you come and be a witness?” asked the man who had been robbed, of larry.
“yes, sir, but first i have to take this copy to the leader office.”
“all right, my boy, run along. you have done me a good service to-day, and i’ll not forget it. i prize that watch very highly. here is my card,” and he handed larry a bit of pasteboard, which the boy was too confused to look at. “come to the police station as soon as you can,” said the old man as he prepared to follow the officers, who were being trailed by a big crowd of curious persons.
