“I don’t understand you, Barrock.  Stop talking in riddles and get down to business.”

“Can I trust you, Mr. Felps?  I mean, will you keep a secret?”

“That depends,” answered Andrew Felps, coldly.

“I want to help you so that you can get the best of the Barnaby people.”

“How can you help me?”

“I’ll tell you if you’ll promise to keep the matter a secret.”

“Hum!” The lumber merchant paused for a moment.  “Well, go on.”

“You won’t give me away?”

“No.”

“Well, when they got their right to that Spur Road tract certain papers had to be signed.”

“I know that.”

“Then they had a fire at their sawmill.”

“I know that, too.”

“During that fire those papers disappeared.”

“Ha!” cried Andrew Felps, with interest.  “You are certain of that?”

“I am.”

“And you---you-----” The lumber dealer paused.

“In a roundabout way I met the fellow who had the papers.  For a consideration he let me have them.  If you want them you can have them—–­provided you will pay the price.”

CHAPTER XXX

WORDS AND A BLOW

The boy hunters had listened to the foregoing conversation with intense interest.  There could be no doubt but what this Barrock was the man they were after.  His tale that he had procured the missing papers from somebody else was pure fiction—–­gotten up merely to deceive Andrew Felps.

“We ought to make him a prisoner on the spot,” whispered Shep.

“Wait—–­I want to learn what Andrew Felps will do,” murmured Snap.

“You want me to buy the papers from you, eh?” said Andrew Felps, after a pause.

“Yes,” answered Lush Barrock, boldly.

“Don’t you know that you have no right to the documents?”

“Oh, I don’t want you to preach to me, Andy Felps.   If you want
the papers, say so.   If not-----”

“If not, what?”

“Maybe I’ll return them to the Barnaby folks.  I understand Mr. Dodge offered a reward for them.”

“What do you want for the papers?” asked Andrew Felps, cautiously.

“They ought to be worth several thousand dollars, but you can have them for one thousand dollars.”

“Nonsense, Barrock!  What would I do with the papers?”

“Destroy them.”

“What, after giving you a thousand dollars for them?”

Lush Barrock nodded.  “It’s this way, Felps,” he said.  “If you get this contract out of the way I am sure you can make another contract—–­for your own company.  The Spur Road folks feel sore, and I know you can fix matters up with old Haley, who is a miser, and willing to do almost anything for money.”

“Have you the papers with you?”

“Do you want to buy them?”

“I want to see what I am getting, first.”