“What about the prisoner captured last night?” “Don’t you know?” asked Bob. “Know what?” demanded the filing chief. “He just escaped from the police station.” “Then we’re sunk,” groaned the filing chief. “That means that paper is gone for good and I’ll bet my job is too.” “Oh, I wouldn’t say that. Give the federal men a chance.” “But they’ve had nearly 24 hours,” wailed the chubby Jacobs. “You can’t expect them to do miracles in that length of time,” cautioned Bob. Before the filing chief could reply, the door swung inward and Tully Ross hurried in. His face was flushed and he appeared to be laboring under some great excitement. Arthur Jacobs looked at his watch. “You might just as well have taken the whole day off,” he snapped. “Well, maybe I will,” retorted Tully. “I guess that’s about enough from you,” said the filing chief. “I’ll find plenty of extra work for you to do and you may change your attitude and show a little respect.” A dark wave of color swept over Tully’s face and Bob saw his fists clench. He stepped closer to Jacobs. “I’ll get here just when I please,” he stormed, “and don’t think I’m going to let you boss me around. I’m a federal agent now and I’m working on a big case. Don’t you forget that.” But in spite of the bravado, Arthur Jacobs stood his ground. “I don’t care what you are,” he replied. “As far as I know you’re nothing but a clerk in my department and you’ll get to work on time and you’ll be respectful or you’ll get another job.” “If you don’t believe I’m a federal agent, ask Bob; he’ll tell you.” The filing chief turned to Bob. “Tully is right. I saw him sworn into the service today,” said Bob. He was glad that Jacobs had not asked him about his own position. Tully seemed satisfied and his anger subsided when Jacobs once more told him to go to his desk and start work. Bob glanced at the other clerks in the room. All of them had been covertly watching the entire proceedings. Bob felt that they were all trustworthy, but he felt better in knowing that they were not aware that he was a federal agent. Such knowledge might have spoiled any later efforts of his to gain information from them. Chapter XIX THE MISSING PAPER ★ The affairs of the filing office gradually returned to routine with Bob and Tully once more at their desks. There was a tremendous amount of work to be done, for hundreds upon hundreds of papers had been removed from their usual places in the mêlée of the night before. Bob realized that it would take days for them all to be restored to their places and he rather hoped, as he contemplated the long and tedious task, that his uncle would have work for him to do that would take him outside the office.