"Ha! That is an idea." John Garwell smiled broadly. "Nat, you are growing clever."
"Even if I couldn"t get the paper, I could prove that he had not gone west, as he told his aunt, and I could follow him, and find out where he was stopping."
"Well, you can do the watching if you wish. I will give you Andrew V.
Shanley"s address. His place of business is between here and the Bridge."
"Shall I go there at once?"
"If you wish."
The address was written on a slip of paper, and a little later Nat and his employer separated. John Garwell gazed after our hero curiously.
"He is improving wonderfully," he mused. "He isn"t half as green as when I first met him."
Nat had been told what car to take, and ten minutes sufficed to bring him to the block upon which Andrew Shanley"s office was located, on the third floor of a large office building. He went upstairs, and managed to get a peep into the office, and found Rufus Cameron was not there.
"Of course he may have been here already," he told himself. "But I"ve got to take my chances about that. I"ll stay here until the place shuts up."
Going below again, he took a station across the street and began to wait patiently for the appearance of Rufus Cameron.
As luck would have it, he had waited less than half an hour when he saw Mrs. Parloe"s nephew step from a car at the corner, and approach the office building.
"Mr. Cameron, I want to see you!" he exclaimed, coming forward, and confronting the man.
Rufus Cameron had not expected to meet Nat again so soon, and for the moment he was dumfounded.
"Wha--what do you want?" he stammered, halting.
"You know well enough what I want," answered our hero, sharply. "I want that doc.u.ment you stole from me."
"Stole from you!"
"That is what I said, Rufus Cameron."
"I--I don"t know what you are talking about."
"You do know, and unless you give up the paper I am going to have you arrested right now."
At these words Rufus Cameron turned pale. As said before, he was a good deal of a coward, and being caught so unexpectedly threw him somewhat from his mental balance.
"You--you can"t have me arrested!"
"Yes, I can."
"How did you come to look for me here?"
"Mr. Garwell sent me here. He is up to your tricks."
"Did he tell you to--to have me arrested?"
"Never mind what he told me. I want that paper, and I want it right now."
"I--I haven"t got any paper. I--I don"t know what you are talking about."
"Yes, you have got that paper. You took it from me after you knocked me down in your aunt"s parlor. Isn"t that so?"
As Nat finished he nodded, as if talking to somebody behind Rufus Cameron. At once the guilty fellow turned his head to learn who was listening to the conversation. As he did this, Nat thrust his hand in the rascal"s breast pocket, and brought forth the doc.u.ment which had caused all the trouble.
CHAPTER XXII
AT THE ELEVATED STATION
"Hi, stop that!" roared Rufus Cameron, making a clutch for the doc.u.ment.
But before he could reach it Nat was at a safe distance. Our hero glanced at the paper, to make certain that it was the right one, and then put it in his pocket, and b.u.t.toned up his jacket.
"Now, Mr. Rufus Cameron, I guess we are square," said Nat, in something a tone of triumph.
"You young thief, give me back that doc.u.ment," cried the man, savagely.
"Not much! I am going to give it to Mr. Garwell."
"That isn"t his doc.u.ment."
"Yes, it is."
"I say it isn"t. If you don"t give me the paper, I"ll call a policeman."
"Do it, and I"ll have you arrested for knocking me over with the sea sh.e.l.l and robbing me."
Rufus Cameron glared at our hero. He was baffled and did not know what to do next. Presently a crafty look came into his eyes.
"See here, you"re a pretty smart boy," he said, in a calmer tone.
"Thank you for nothing."
"What is John Garwell going to give you for getting that paper?"
"Nothing--at least I don"t expect anything."
"You"re a fool to work for nothing," sneered Rufus Cameron. "You"ll never get rich doing that."
"If I don"t it will be my own affair."
"Do you understand this business at all, boy?"