“Well, I’m beginning to think so myself, all right,” said Clan soberly. “Only I didn’t want to scare you out.”
Once more assuring the garage proprietor that any losses he might incur would be made good, Clancy opened up the _Hornet_ and started for the railroad station.
“Colonel Carson owns a lot of land over toward Orton,” stated Billy gloomily. “He’s mixed up in this somewhere, you can believe me!”
Clancy grunted, but made no reply. When they reached the railroad station they had no difficulty in finding the combination agent and telegraph operator.
“Morning, Mr. Martin!” sang out Billy. “Did you get a wire for Mr. Merriwell about seven this morning?”
“Not me, Billy,” returned the agent. “Was he expecting one?”
“Not that we know of, but he got one,” exclaimed Clancy. “Are you sure that none came in this morning or last night?”
“Nobody here last night, and nothing has come this morning.”
The operator regarded them with curiosity.
“Did you say Merriwell got a telegram, Billy?” he asked.
“No, I said so,” snapped Clancy. “He certainly got a telegram this morning, and if it didn’t come through you, it’s a mighty queer thing!”
“Yes, I reckon it is,” returned the agent calmly. This merely exasperated the red-headed chap.
“Well it’s a darned funny thing,” he exclaimed, “that telegrams can be received here without the telegraph operator knowing it!”
“Ain’t no message come this morning,” declared the agent again, and with a nod to Billy, he turned and went back into his place of business.
For a moment the two friends were at a loss what to do. It was quite evident that Chip Merriwell had been called away to Orton by some important affair, yet this agent declared that no message had arrived for him!
“I guess we’ll go back and grill those fellows over again,” said Clancy, starting the _Hornet_. “We want to make sure about this telegram business.”
“It’s easy enough to send a fake message,” suggested Billy Mac.
Returning to the hotel, they questioned the clerk anew. By this time he was in enough anxiety to speak out fully, and stated emphatically that he had seen the telegram, and that Merriwell had mentioned it.
“I guess that settles it, Clan,” exclaimed Billy, with a gloomy countenance. “He got a message, all right, but it didn’t come through the station agent.”