"Why do you ask?" queried the farmer, turning pale, and eying the questioner with suspicion.
"Because a man who has been discharged from our show—a canvas man, named Carden—was seen by Charlie here prowling about the barn this afternoon, and trying to look under it through a crack."
"It must have been when I was there," he said.
"Then he was watching you. You know best whether he was likely to see anything that could be of service to him."
"Is he there now?" asked Tarbox, agitated.
"He may be robbing me at this moment," said Tarbox, wildly.
"Then there is something hidden under the barn?"
"Ye-es. What shall I do? Is he armed? Is he a strong man?"
"No matter whether he is or not. I'm middling strong myself," said the giant, with a laugh. "Get your hat, and I'll go with you, and we'll see if we can't defeat him and his plans."
"I'll go, too," added Charlie, in an important tone.
"You alone are able to frighten him, Charlie," said Anak, aroused.
Tarbox got his hat and led the way hurriedly towards the barn. Before they reached there a sudden suspicion entered his mind and he stopped short.
"How do I know but this is a trick?" he said, nervously. "You may be intending to rob me yourself."
"Make your mind easy, Mr. Tarbox!" said Anak. "We don't do business in that way."
"Not at all. You have done me no harm. You were meaning to arrest me, to be sure, but you didn't, and I have no hard feelings against you. I will do you a good turn if you will let me, especially as this Carden is a bad fellow. He tried to kill Robert Rudd, to-night."
"Yes. Robert caught him stealing, or trying to steal, from his locker, and this led to his discharge. He threw a rock at the boy's horse, and he was thrown."
At another time Tarbox might possibly have felt rejoiced that the boy against whom he himself felt a spite had met with an accident, but now he felt too anxious about his own property to concern himself about other matters.
By this time they had reached the solitary barn.
Charlie got down on his knees and peered through the same crevice which Carden had used in the afternoon.
"He's there!" he exclaimed in excitement, "and he's got a lighted candle."
"What is he doing?" asked Tarbox in agitation.
"He will steal my money!" ejaculated Tarbox in dismay. "There's between three and four hundred dollars hidden there."