The voice then read the note, which Bob had dropped the night before. As Bob had thought, it didn't tell them much, but it let them know that he was alive and well, and that helped some and made them feel a little better. After Mr. Golden had finished telling them what he had heard, Jack said nothing for some moments, but sat thinking deeply. Suddenly, he looked up. "Dad," he said, "I want you to let me go to Boston. Bob's there, and I might be able to find him."
"Why, my dear boy, what could you do in Boston. It is a big city," spoke up Mrs. Golden, "and you don't know where they have taken him. Besides," she added sadly, "they might get you too."
"I guess I could look out for myself. Jerusalem, but I've got to do something. I'm tired of this sitting round waiting for some one else to do it all, and," he added sadly, "this all don't seem to amount to a hill of beans. What do you say, dad?"
"Well, I hardly know what to say," replied Mr. Golden. "We'll wait till Mr. Sharp returns, and see if he has any news." But, although they waited till nearly one o'clock, the detective did not come.
They had all gone to bed but father and son. "Come, dad, say I may go," pleaded Jack.
"Well, I'm not at all sure it's the wise thing, but something seems to tell me that I had better let you have your way."
"Hurrah!" shouted Jack. "I'll be off on the five o'clock train."
"No," said his father, "you had better wait till a later train, and perhaps I'll go with you, but I don't want to go till Sharp returns, and now let's go to bed."
Sharp did not return the next morning, and at breakfast, Mr. Golden said, "Jack, I guess you had better take the noon train. If Sharp doesn't come with some news by that time, I'll wait and come later, if I think best."
The thought that at last he was going to do something toward finding Bob filled Jack with joy, and by ten o'clock he was ready to start. He and Mr. Golden went across in the Sprite, after assuring his mother that he would be very careful and not get into trouble.
"Now, my dear boy, be very careful and look out for yourself," said Mr. Golden, as he bade him goodby. "Go to Uncle Ben's tonight, and tomorrow, you had better go to the agency and have them detail a man to help you in your search," and then he added sadly, "It's like looking for a needle in a haystack, but if you don't get into trouble, it won't do any harm."