The town seemed to have turned out to meet the party from Cliff Island.

Ruth and her friends noted the fact that many of the half-grown boys and young men—­those of the rougher class—­seemed greatly amused by the appearance of the city folk.

“But what can you expect from a lot of rubes?” demanded Tom, rather angrily.  “See ’em snickering and grinning?  What d’ye s’pose is the matter with them?”

“Whatever the joke is, it’s on us and we don’t know it,” remarked Heavy, who was easily angered by ridicule, too.  “There!  Mr. Tingley has gone off with the lawyer.  I guess we’ll know what it’s all about pretty soon.”

And that was true, sure enough.  It came out that there would be no case to try.  Justice Keller announced that the accusation against Jerry Sheming had been withdrawn.  Mr. Blent had “considered Mr. Tingley’s plea for mercy,” the old fox said, and there was nothing the justice could do but to turn the prisoner loose.

“But what’s become of him?” Mr. Tingley wanted to know.

“Oh, that does not enter into my jurisdiction,” replied Keller, blandly.  “I am not his keeper.  He was let out of jail early this morning.  After that I cannot say what became of him.”

Blent was not even at the court.  It was learned that he had gone out of town.  Blent could always find somebody to handle pitch for him.

It was later discovered that when Lem Daggett had opened the jail to Jerry, several of Blent’s ruffians had rushed the boy to the railroad yard, put him aboard a moving freight, given a brakeman a two-dollar bill as per instructions from the real estate man, and Jerry wasn’t likely to get off the train, unless he jumped while it was moving, until it was fifty miles farther west.

But, of course, this story did not come out right away.  The whole town was laughing at Mr. Tingley.  Nobody cared enough about the city man, or knew him well enough, to explain the details of Jerry’s disappearance at that time.

Mr. Tingley looked very serious when he rejoined the young folk and he had little to say on the way home, save to Ruth, whom he beckoned to the seat beside him.

“I am very sorry that the old fox got the best of us, Miss Fielding.  As Preston says, I must look out for him.  He is sly, wicked, and powerful.  My Albany lawyer tells me that Blent is notorious in this part of the State, and that he has great political influence, illiterate as he is.

“But I am going to fight.  I have bought Cliff Island, and paid a good price for it.  I have spent a good many thousand dollars in improvements already.  I’ll protect myself and my investment if I can—­and meanwhile I’ll do what I can for your friend, Jerry Sheming, too.

“They’ve got the boy away from the vicinity for the time being, but I reckon he’ll find his way back.  You think so, too, Miss Fielding?”

“If he understands that we are trying to help him.  And—­yes!—­I believe he will come back anyway, for he is very anxious to find that treasure box his Uncle Peter lost.”