Mr. Swift was putting into the great oak chest some of his papers when the young men rejoined him. As Rad closed the lid and Tom snapped the locks, the telephone rang. “I’ll answer,” offered Ned. “And shall I have Koku come here, Tom, and put that chest in the corner?” “Yes, you’d better. We can’t budge it.” “I’ll move it!” rashly offered Eradicate, but a tug at the handle on one end showed him the futility of pitting his feeble strength against the box. “By golly, she suah do stick to de flo’!” he gasped. “But ef I had mah strength I could do it!” “Hello! Hello!” Ned was saying into the telephone. The room grew quiet and Tom heard his manager exclaim: “You don’t mean it! No! The hound! Say, wait until I get over there!” “What is it?” asked Tom, thinking perhaps some accident had befallen Mr. Damon. “What’s the matter, Ned?” “Dirty work!” was the answer. “Dirty work, that’s what the matter is, Tom! My father has been falsely accused! I must go to him at once!” CHAPTER IV LIBERTY BONDS NED NEWTON turned back to the telephone, from which he had moved but a moment to answer his chum and employer, and to his father, on the other end of the wire, the young manager said: “I’ll be with you right away, Dad! They’re not going to get by with anything like that—not in a thousand years! Don’t let them bluff you. It’s just a rotten bad mistake, that’s all. I’ll be right with you. What’s that? Will Tom let me come? Well, say——” “Tell him I’m coming with you!” shouted the young inventor vigorously as he caught the import of what his chum had said, and his voice was so loud that it carried to the other end of the wire. “He heard you,” said Ned. “Thanks, Tom. Yes, Dad, I’ll be right along.” He clicked the receiver back into place and with burning indignation on his face turned to Tom and Mr. Swift. “Is your father in trouble, Ned?” asked Barton Swift. “If so you must say to him that Tom and I will do all in our power for him.” “Thanks,” and Ned’s voice was a bit broken as he spoke the word, for he was greatly affected, as they all noted. “Tell me in a few words what it is,” suggested Tom. “I want to know so we can go prepared to help him. Maybe we’d better stop and get Mr. Plum.” Ralph Plum was a lawyer of Shopton who attended to legal matters for the Swifts. “I guess maybe we’ll need a lawyer,” answered Ned dejectedly. “For my father has been arrested.” “Arrested!” exclaimed the Swifts in a breath. “Yes. But of course he’s innocent,” and Ned proudly threw up his head. “No question about that, old scout!” said Tom, clapping his chum on the back. “But what’s the nature of the charge? Tell me so I can telephone to Plum,” and he went over to the instrument on his desk.