ned it
out," Dick admitted, smiling.

"The hound! But then, see here, Dick; if Dexter wanted you to help him
in anything of that sort, it means that he's going to try to bother that
poor wife of his again."

"It looks that way, Dave."

"Then we ought to warn Mrs. Dexter, so that she can be on her guard
against the worthless rascal."

"I've been thinking of that, Dave. Yes; I'm sure we must go and give
Mrs. Dexter a hint. It wouldn't be right not to tell her of what may be
ahead of her."

"We might go around to her house to-morrow afternoon after school, eh?"
proposed Greg.

"Football practice to-morrow afternoon," retorted Dave Darrin dryly.

"Besides, to-morrow afternoon might be too late," urged Dick. "Fellows,
when we have a message like this, which may be of great importance to
some other human being, there's no time for doing the errand
like--_now_!"

"That's right, too," approved Dave. "It won't take us more than five
minutes to reach Mrs. Dexter's house. Let's head for there at the next
corner?"

That being agreed to, the three chums set out at a brisk walk. A few
minutes later Dick was pulling the doorbell of Mrs. Dexter's new home,
while Dave and Greg stood just a little below him on the steps.

It was a pretty little house, of ten rooms; not as large a house as Mrs.
Dexter might have been able to afford, but one that was a happy contrast
to the three-room flat in which Mrs. Dexter had lived when obliged to
support herself at dressmaking. As yet there were but two servants on
the place--a woman who did the house-work and a hired man, who slept in
a room over the little barn at the rear of the house.

"Will you ask Mrs. Dexter if she can see us, please?" asked Dick,
lifting his cap, when the woman-of-all-work opened the door. "Kindly
tell her that we have news for her which we think may be very
important."

"Come in, boys," replied the housekeeper, doubtless pleased by Dick's
deference in raising his cap, an example in which he had been promptly
followed by Dave and Greg.

The woman showed them into a little parlor. Mrs. Dexter soon came down
and greeted them.

"I'm very glad you boys have called on me," she said. "You and your
other friends did me a service to-day that I can't forget. I was on the
way to the bank to leave the jewels and the money when you helped me so
handsomely."

"We've come, Mrs. Dexter," said Dick, "to tell you what happened
to-night. It may be the means of saving you