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Nancy's New Friend






 

" Did you hear what he said? " Bess Marvin demanded, smiling teasingly at Nancy, who pretended to be intent upon her driving. " You've made a big hit, all right! "

" Hit! " Nancy retorted. " The only thing that was hit was the fender. Won't Dad be surprised when he sees the wreck I'm bringing home! "

" She's trying to change the subject! " George chortled. " Look at her blush. You can tell she likes him."

" Why shouldn't I? " Nancy defended herself staunchly. " He certainly helped us out of a tight place."

" He's handsome, too, " Bess giggled. " And the expression in those big blue eyes of his when he looks at our Nancy! "

" Were they blue? I thought they were—" Nancy broke off as she realized that Bess had deliberately trapped her. " All right, you win! " she laughed. " But just to get even I've half a mind not to tell you what I discovered while we were at the fire."

" Don't be so vindictive, " George pleaded. " We were only teasing."

" All right, I'll forgive yon this time if you'll promise not to do any more romancing."

Nancy really was eager to relate what she had observed at the Raybolt grounds, for she wondered " if her chums would interpret the incident as she did.

She told them of having seen the gaunt looking stranger and of the suspicious way in which he had acted when she called out for him to stop. The small booklet she failed to mention, not from any desire to withhold the information, but because she had forgotten all about it.

" That man must have started the fire! " Bess declared, making one of her snap judgments. " Otherwise, why would he be afraid to face you when you called? "

" He might have been a tramp, " George suggested thoughtfully. " He may have started the fire accidentally—perhaps from a lighted cigarette."

" I thought of that, " Nancy admitted, " but it seems to me if the fire had started that way it would have burned more slowly. Remember how the house appeared to blaze up all at once! "

" That's so, " George agreed. " How do you account for the fire, Nancy? "

" I haven't accounted for it yet. That man may have been a robber who deliberately set fire to the house to cover his tracks."

" It looks as though Nancy has stumbled into another mystery, " Bess declared.

" Perhaps, " Nancy admitted, " but I don't believe I should get any thanks for trying to solve it. 'Foxy Felix' isn't popular, and if he's the sort the neighbors say ho is I shouldn't care to go out of my way to aid him."

The subject was dropped there. Nancy had driven rapidly and the trio was now approaching River Heights.

" There's Mother out on the porch! " Bess cried as they drew np before the Marvin residence. " She's been watching for us."

Nancy dropped George at her home and then sped on. Mrs. Fayne had told her that Carson Drew had telephoned three times to inquire if the girls had returned.

As Nancy flashed into the driveway her father and Hannah Gruen, the housekeeper, came rushing out

" What kept you so late? " Carson Drew inquired. " Jove! You've been in an accident! "

" Rather. I'm afraid the roadster will never look the same again."

" I don't care about the ear. I'm thankful you're here safe and sound. When you didn't telephone to explain the delay, I was very worried."

" We didn't have money enough left to put in a telephone call, Dad. We spent most of it at the carnival, and the rest at a garage."

" You could have reversed the charge."

" I didn't think of that. Anyway, things were happening so fast there wasn't much time to do anything. When we reached Mapleton I thought we'd be home in a little over an hour. I'm sorry I worried you."

" I'll recover, " the lawyer smiled. " The question now is, how big a lawsuit will I have on my hands? "

" Suit? Oh, I see, you think I crashed into another car. A lot of confidence you have in my driving! "

" Accidents happen in the best regulated families."

" Yes. It seems to me I remember you once ran into a telephone pole, " Nancy reminded her father mischievously as they turned toward the house. " Well, you can relax! Another car ran into mine and I have the driver's name and license number. I can easily look him up."

After the housekeeper had gone to another part of the dwelling, Nancy told her father the real reason why she had been detained.

" So it was Felix Raybolt's house that burned! " Mr. Drew murmured thoughtfully.

" You know him? " Nancy demanded eagerly.

" Mostly by reputation. I met him once, I believe."

" What is he like, Dad? "

" Very shrewd and unfriendly, as I recall. He's reputed to be wealthy."

" How did he make his money? "

" He deals in patents, and I've heard he made a fortune on some of them."

" You mean he invents things? " Nancy questioned doubtfully.

" No, he buys up patents from inventors and cashes in on their ideas."

" Is that legitimate business? "

" Yes, he has a right to buy a patent and then make a fortune out of it if he can. The rub is that he squeezes the poverty-stricken inventor down to the last penny. I was told that he purchased a patent covering a certain part for an electric elevator at a ridiculously low figure— two hundred dollars—and then sold the patent to a manufacturing concern for that many thou­sand. When the inventor tried to get more money, Raybolt turned him down."

" That was mean. No wonder folks hate him. I suppose there are any number of persons who might have burned his house out of pure revenge."

" Undoubtedly."

It was already late and Nancy was tired. A few minutes later she said good-night to her father and retired to her own room.

As she slipped her frock off over her head, the little booklet which she had found on the Raybolt estate dropped to the floor.

Nancy snatched it up with an exclamation of eagerness.

" This may furnish the clue I need! " she cried. " At any rate, I have an idea it will provide interesting reading. I'll delve into it this very night! "

 


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