oped that word might come in that Ward Porton had been captured,
but in this he was disappointed.

"I think he'll steer clear of this neighborhood, for a while at
least," was Mr. Porter's comment.

"That's just my idea," added Dave's Uncle Dunston. "He must know that
a great many swindled storekeepers and other people are on the watch
for him."

Dave had not seen Ben Basswood for several days. On the following
evening the son of the real estate dealer came hurrying over to the
Wadsworth mansion.

"We've got news about that Mr. Enos's estate!" cried Ben, as soon as
he met Dave and Roger. "It's the queerest thing you ever heard of.
Mother doesn't know what to make of it, and I don't know what to make
of it, either."

"Well, I hope it's a valuable estate if it is coming to your father,"
said the senator's son.

"I don't know whether it is valuable or not, and neither does father.
He says in his telegram it is certainly worth several thousand
dollars, and he doesn't know but that it may be worth a hundred
thousand dollars or more."

"A hundred thousand dollars!" cried Laura, who had come in to hear
what Ben had to tell. "Oh, Ben, that certainly is a fortune!"

"Well, what does it consist of?" queried Dave. "If it may be worth all
the way from two or three thousand dollars to a hundred thousand or
more, it must be mining stocks or something like that."

"No, it isn't in stocks or bonds or anything like that."

"Then what in the world does the estate consist of?" questioned our
hero.

"Miniatures," answered Ben Basswood, simply.

CHAPTER IX

SOMETHING ABOUT MINIATURES

"Miniatures?" came from all of Ben Basswood's listeners in a chorus.

"Do you mean those little paintings that are sometimes so valuable?"
continued Laura.

"That's it," answered Ben. "I don't know much about miniatures myself,
but as soon as mother and I heard about this queer fortune of ours she
asked the minister. You know he is quite interested in art, and he
told her that most of these little miniatures, which are about the
size of a silver dollar or a small saucer, are usually painted on
ivory. Of course, some of them are not so valuable, but others,
especially those painted by celebrated artists, are worth thousands of
dollars."

"And how many of these miniatures are there, Ben?" asked Roger, with
increased curiosity.

"Father didn't know exactly, but said they would number at least
fifty, and maybe seventy-five."

"I