he mystery of the mine," Elmer
laughed. "Tommy ought to be here to get the story with the rest, but you
can tell him about it later on."

"He ought to be here any minute now," Jimmie asserted.

"Oh, he'll be here all right!" George argued. "Go on with the story.
It's been hours since you came in here with the suggestion that there
was a story, and you haven't told it yet!"

"Yes," Will interrupted, "get busy and tell us what Mr. Horton neglected
to say when he sent us down here; and while you are about it," the boy
went on, "you may as well tell us whether you really became lost in the
mine, or whether you were sent here to do the very things you did do."

"Also," George broke in, "you may as well tell us what the detective is
doing here, and how he is helping you in trying to blow up the mine."

"The boys were never lost in the mine a minute!" replied Elmer, with a
grin, "and Mr. Horton knew it. Mr. Horton received his instructions from
Attorney Burlingame of New York, and I am positive that Burlingame gave
his brother lawyer the whole story."

"Foxy game, eh?" laughed Will.

"I guess they wanted you to find out if we boys were of any account, and
whether we were playing fair!" laughed Jimmie.

"Well, anyway, they expected you to find us and learn the story I'm now
going to tell," Elmer continued.

"Je--rusalem!" exclaimed Will. "Why don't you get at it. That story has
been jumping from tongue to tongue clothed in mystery for hours and we
haven't been favored with it yet!"

"The story opens," Elmer began, "on a cold and stormy night in October
in the year 1913. As the wind blew great gusts of rain down upon such
pedestrians as happened to be out of doors----"

"Aw, cut it out!" exclaimed Will. "Why don't you go on and tell the
story? We don't want any more of that Henry James business! You know he
always has a solitary horseman proceeding slowly on foot."

"Well, it was a dark night, and a stormy one!" declared Elmer. "If it
had been clear and bright, Stephen Carson, the Wall street banker,
wouldn't have received a dent in his cupola. In stepping down from his
automobile his foot slipped on the wet pavement, and he fell, striking
on the back of his head."

"What's that got to do with this mine mystery?" demanded George.

"It has a great deal to do with this mine mystery," Elmer answered.
"Stephen Carson arose from the ground, rubbed the back of his head with
his gloved hand, and continued on his way to