“I can’t let you see it,” said the lad. “You’ll be sorry for this,” the man exclaimed. “In less than a month you’ll be glad to take five dollars for the place, that is, provided you own it, which I very much doubt. You’ll lose the land, and then you’ll wish you had taken my offer.” “I can’t help that,” said Larry, firmly. “We will not show you the deed, nor sell you the land at present.” “Then you can take the consequences,” snapped the man, as he went out. CHAPTER IX THE BIG SAFE-ROBBERY “Oh, Larry,” said Mrs. Dexter, when the sound of the stranger’s footsteps had died out down the hallway, “maybe we should have taken his offer. Twenty-five hundred dollars is a lot of money, and we are quite poor.” “I know it, mother,” spoke the lad. “But I think there is something back of all this, or why should those men be making so many efforts to get possession of this land?” “Maybe they want it for a special purpose, Larry.” “I suppose they do, but they are not offering what it is worth.” “Why, you know your father used to say it was worth very little,” said Mrs. Dexter. “I know he did, mother, but the land may have increased in value since he had it. It must have, or those men would not come to us and make an offer. If land is poor and of no worth you have to go all around hunting for a customer, but when it is of some value customers come to you. That’s what makes me think this land will prove valuable. The men would not want it if it was only ordinary swamp.” “I hope you are right,” said Mrs. Dexter, with a sigh, for it was hard to think of losing a chance to get what, to her, was a large sum of money. “We may hold the property a good while, providing it is not sold for taxes, and not get anywhere near that price for it, after all.” “Of course there is a certain risk,” admitted Larry, “but I think it is worth taking. Mr. Newton thinks so, and has advised me to hold on to the deed. We must put it away carefully.” “It is in that tin box where I have all your father’s old papers,” said Mrs. Dexter. “I think I’ll keep the box under my bed,” spoke Larry. “I don’t suppose a burglar would take it if he saw it, but there’s no use running any chances. So I’ll hide the box.” When he went to bed that night he carried the box with him, first looking to be sure the deed was in it. Then he placed the receptacle under his bed, away back, and close to the wall. “If anyone wants to get that they’ll have to climb under the bed,” said Larry. “And if they do, I’m pretty sure to wake up. Then—let’s see, I wonder what I would do then?” He paused to look about him, in search of a weapon, half smiling as he did so, since he had not the faintest idea that a burglar would enter their humble apartments.