Dr. Spidderkins nodded, and thus the matter was arranged. Sandow turned
over to the lawyer certain valuable papers, bonds and mortgages which
he had managed to secure from the doctor, chiefly through that old
gentleman’s forgetfulness about business details. The scheming couple
had also secured considerable cash, by the simple process of making the
doctor make out checks twice for the same bill. The second checks they
kept for themselves.
“There will be no prosecution, in case you leave Boston and never
return,” said Mr. Boise, when the details had been completed, and most
of Dr. Spidderkins’ stolen fortune had been restored to him. “Do you
agree to that?”
“We have to, I suppose,” remarked Sandow.
He and his wife left the Parker House, taking their baggage with them.
The police officer escorted them to the depot--to see that they took
the train.
“Now that this disagreeable business is over, I think I can return to
my home and my books,” remarked Dr. Spidderkins. “I suppose you will
deal with Mr. Cutler?”
“I do not think there will be a chance,” replied Mr. Boise. “I fancy he
is far enough away from here by this time.”
After events proved that he was, for he sailed for England with his
ill-gotten gains, which, however, were much smaller than they would
have been, had not Tom heard that mysterious message going over the
wire, and acted as he did. Mr. Leeth also disappeared, but he had
secured only a small sum.
“I can not tell you how much I am indebted to you, for what you have
done for me, Mr. Boise,” went on the doctor. “If it had not been for
you I would be a poor man to-day, and I could never buy any more choice
books.”
“Don’t thank me; thank Tom. He is the hero on this occasion,” replied
the lawyer, looking at the telephone boy. “He engineered all this, and,
by revealing to me the duplicity of my partner, enabled me to act in
time to save your wealth. Had it not been for Tom we never could have
succeeded.”
“That’s so,” agreed the doctor heartily. “I had nearly forgotten that.
Oh, what shall I do about my treacherous memory? But I’ll not forget
you, Tom. I am a little tired over this excitement, but I will call on
you this evening, and properly express my appreciation. Where do you
live?”
Tom gave him the address, the physician writing it down on the fly-leaf
of a book, as the best place for such an important memorandum.
“You need not report back to the office, Tom,” said his employer. “I
fancy you have done enough for one day.”
“Thank you,” replied our hero, as he left the hotel and went home.
It seemed that Mrs. Baldwin, and Tom’s Aunt Sallie would never finish
asking questions about what had happened, when Tom told them the
occurrences of the day.
“And to think that you did the most part,” exclaimed his aunt.
“Oh, well, it just happened so,” replied Tom, who was nothing if not
modest. “I guess the telephone did the most part. That’s a wonderful
invention.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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