Randolph Rover could eat but little. Now that he realized what had occurred, he upbraided himself bitterly for having been so deluded.
"They talked about scientific farming just to get me into good humor," he said, bitterly. "I see it all! Oh, if I can only get my hands on them!"
After Mr. Rover and Sam had departed, Dick and Tom wandered around the hotel and the vicinity for three hours. They anxiously awaited some message regarding the two swindlers, but nothing came. Then, worn out by the strenuous day they had put in, they went to bed and slept soundly until morning.
Before having breakfast they asked for messages. There was one from a village called Bahan, saying a green runabout with two men had passed through there about midnight. But the men had not been captured, and it was not known what had become of them.
At noon the telephone line between Oak Run and Carwell was in working order once more, and the boys sent word home. Then they left directions at the hotel, so that any messages coming in might be transmitted to the Rover farm.
"That freight thief, and that stuff in the cave----"
"Humph! it slipped my mind entirely. I was thinking only of Uncle Randolph's bonds."
"Let us find out if anything has been done."
At the local police headquarters they found that a wagon had just come in, loaded with the three full boxes of goods located at the cave. A search was still in progress for Dangler, but so far he had not been located.
"This clears up the mystery of the freight thefts," said an officer to the boys. "I only hope we can get our hands on Bill Dangler."
"Oh, yes. Years ago he used to work for the freight division of the railroad."
"Do you know anything of this Merrick and the fellow called Pike?"
"No, but our idea is that the three men were in the deal together. Probably this Merrick and this Pike pulled off this affair of the traction company bonds as a side issue."
"Have the freight robberies been large?" asked Sam.
"Not so large at one time, but they have been going on for months, and the total from four different stations along the line foots up to a good many thousand dollars."
"Well, I hope we catch all three of the men--and any others who may be in league with them," said Dick, and then he and Tom walked off. A little later they were on the buckboard and bound for home.
