s gone she was almost crazy. She said some of the
jewelry belonged to her mother, who was with her."

"Was this in your car?"

"Yes, up at the other end from where I sat, though." And the
commercial drummer grinned. "Oh, I had nothing to do with it," he
added, lightly.

"I didn't suppose you had," returned Dick. "But where was this other
fellow--the one I think was my brother--at this time?"

"Why, he sat up near the other end, too--about two seats from the lady.
He said, the same as did everybody on the car, that he hadn't seen the
bag or the jewels. The conductor and the porter made a long search,
but nothing came of it. The lady was wild, and said she would get her
husband to sue the company for her loss. She had the conductor
worried, I can tell you."

"And that's why he lost interest in helping us," murmured Dick. "He
certainly had his hands full, with that train breakdown and the missing
jewels, and looking for Tom."

"Who sat next to the lady?" asked Sam.

"Her mother, a very old woman."

"And was that young man we mentioned next?"

"Yes."

"Couldn't they find any trace of the bag at all?"

"Not a thing. It was mighty queer, and the woman made it worse by
being so excited. She could hardly tell when she had seen the bag
last, or where. First she said she had had it in her lap and then she
said she guessed she had put it on a hook with her coat."

"What did they do about it?"

"I don't know, for I got off here, while the lady and her mother went
through to Seattle," answered the drummer.

The commercial man could tell but little more of importance to the
Rovers, and presently, when his companion came with the sample cases,
he went away.

"Dick, do you think Tom took that lady's handbag with the jewels?"
asked Sam, when the two were by themselves.

"Sam, I don't know what to think," was the discouraging reply. "I only
know one thing--the quicker we locate Tom and put him in some safe
place, the better."

"Do you--you think his mind is affected for good--I mean for always?"

"Let us hope not. Why, it would be terrible to have to keep him in an
asylum for the rest of his life! It would just about kill father. And
think of Nellie."

"It certainly is the worst thing that ever happened!" muttered Sam.
"It's worse than our trouble with Dan Baxter, Lew Flapp, or with Sobber
and those brokers, and old Crabtree."

"So it is."

When the train for Seattle finally came in they got ab