“I reckon the Little Brass God had nothing to say regarding his journey,” replied Will.  “Two months ago the house of Mr. Frederick Tupper, on Drexel Boulevard, Chicago, was burglarized.  Besides taking considerable money and silver plate, the thief also carried away the Little Brass God.”

“I don’t think any thief in his right mind would do that!” declared Sandy.  “What could he do with a Little Brass God?  He couldn’t pawn it, or sell it, or trade it, without its being traced back to him!”

“Well, he took it just the same!” Will replied.

“How much is he worth?” asked George.

“Not more than five dollars.”

“Then he isn’t one of those East India Little Brass Gods with his legs crossed, and his arms folded, and a grin on his face?”

“His legs are crossed, his arms are folded, and there is a grin on his face!” replied Will with a smile.  “But he’s certainly not one of the population of a Hindu temple.”

“He’s just a common Little Brass God, probably made in Newark, New Jersey,” suggested George.  “What do they want him for?”

“They want to search him!” replied Will.

“Aw, come on, tell us all about it!” urged Tommy.

“Well,” Will explained with a smile, “the tummy of the Little Brass God is supposed to contain the last will and testament of Simon Tupper, father of Frederick Tupper.”

“Gee!” exclaimed Tommy.  “Can’t he get the property until he gets the will?  Then we’ll have to find it, I guess!”

“No, he can’t get the property unless the will is found.”

“Who stole the Little Brass God, and also the will?” asked George.

“Did he know he was stealing the will when he stole the Little Brass God?” asked Sandy without giving Will an opportunity to reply to the previous question.  “How’d he know the will was there?”

“We don’t know whether he knew about the will or not,” answered the boy.  “In fact, we don’t know whether the document is still in the tummy of the Little Brass God.  That’s what we’ve got to find out.”

“You didn’t tell me who stole the Little Brass God and the will,” insisted George.

“I said it was a burglar!”

“But was it a burglar—­a real, genuine burglar?”

“Yes, loosen up!” shouted Tommy.  “Did he go there just to burgle, or did he go there to get that will?”

“That’s another thing we’ve got to find out!” Will answered.  “It’s just this way,” the boy continued.  “We’ve been sent up here to find this Little Brass God.  When we find it, we’ll know whether the man who stole it was a common thief, or whether he was sent by interested parties to do the job.  No living person can open the Little Brass God without first learning the way to do it.  In fact, the only way the toy can be opened by one unfamiliar with the secret is to break it open with an axe!  And that would hardly be done, as the little fellow is rather a cute plaything.”