hold on Sheldon. The son of a bank
robber and he said his father was dead."

"I'll bet he was in the robbery himself," muttered Merritt.

"Anyhow, we can make it look so," snarled the other with an evil look.

CHAPTER XI

A BIT OF SIGNAL WORK

Jack Sheldon said nothing to Dick Percival or any of his friends in the
Academy of the singular interview he had had in the woods with the
strange man, having kept his own counsel thus far and resolving to keep
it still unless forced to take some one else into his confidence.

No one would have guessed, seeing him among the boys, light-hearted and
gay, apparently, that he had anything on his mind and he took good care
that no one should guess it.

There was a time during the evening that one might absent himself from
the general assembly if he chose although none of the boys was supposed
to leave the grounds.

There was a direct rule against this except in a case of necessity, but
Jack considered that it was necessary for him to leave the place at that
time and he accordingly made his way rapidly down the hill, taking care
that no one should see him leave.

"I cannot explain," he muttered to himself as he hurried on in the
darkness, "and yet I must see if those scoundrels are at work."

He met no one, saw no one and at length reached the old hollow tree
where he had met the strange man that afternoon.

He had his pocket flashlight with him and now, as he reached the tree he
turned a brilliant glare into the hollow, taking care that it went
nowhere else.

There was something at the bottom of the opening and he reached in his
hand and brought it out.

It was a folded bit of coarse paper tied around a stone and, unfolding
it, he read as follows:

"Dear Bill: Coast is clear. Think we can do the
crack to-night."

"Very good!" he said to himself as he put the paper in his pocket, shut
off the light and hurried away. "I don't know if this was overlooked or
if it has just been put here but I am glad I have secured it."

He mixed in with the boys and left them to go to his room in one of the
cottages where he was now quartered only a short time before the hour of
retiring.

When ten o'clock struck he waited about ten minutes and, looking out of
the window to assure himself that all was dark, he opened the sash and
flashed his light in the direction of the river, keeping the light on
until an answering flash in the distance told him that his own signal