University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER XXVI.
THE SECRET SOLVED.

ROD turned and looked toward Elmer. He found that the other had been staring at the shining coins in Rooster's palm, his eyes round with wonder; and just then these luminous orbs looked into those of Rod himself.

"Whew! is that what it is?" Elmer was saying, almost in a gasp.

"Looks mighty much that way," replied the other. "Stop and think for a minute, and you're bound to agree with me. Doesn't everything point in that direction -- the alarm shown by Colonel Pepper, yes, and his confederate, Ambrose Frazer,

when they saw a party of supposed soldiers around a camp-fire not many miles away. And this other man is in the game too, Silas Goober, who is no more a lawyer than Rooster there can claim to be. He's undoubtedly the ring-leader in the business; perhaps he's been the one who first tempted the colonel to embark in the big scheme of cheating the United States Government, by counterfeiting its silver money."

"But wait up, Rod," objected Hanky Panky, as he eyed the lone piece he had managed to pick up, while the more fortunate Rooster had gleaned three of the same kind.

"Seems like this is a good two-bits, all right. I've tested it with my teeth, and it sure ain't lead."

"No, anybody could tell that at sight," Rooster added, with a wise nod of his head.

"Of course they couldn't be lead," Rod said, evenly, as he glanced around, to see that they were not observed, and that no one was on the porch of the house just then; "and I must say they do look perfectly good. I'd be apt to accept one in a flash, if it were offered to me in change. But all the same, I'm of the opinion that those coins never came from any Government mint."

"Here, you try one, then, and see," Rooster insisted.

Rod bit at the coin, then examined it closely; and finally, turning his back in the direction of the house,

so as to make doubly sure he would not be seen, he proceeded to bend down, so as to test the half-dollar on a flat stone.

"Rings all right, don't she?" demanded Rooster.

"Couldn't be better," admitted Rod, after he had made several trials, all of them along the same line; for the "chink" that resulted was as clear as a bell.

"Silver in it, ain't there?" asked Hanky Panky, looking at his coin again.

"Surely," replied Rod; "and I wouldn't be at all surprised if there was every bit as much silver as you'll find in any half-dollar coined by the Government."

"Well, then they ain't counterfeit, after all, then," remarked Rooster, puzzled by these words.

"I wouldn't like to say that," Rod went on to remark. "Perhaps, now, you don't know that it's never been the policy of the Government to put a full fifty cents' worth of silver into each half-dollar they coin. There's a certain per cent. of alloy used to make it hard enough to resist wear and tear. And I've read that if any one were allowed to make the coins, exactly as the mint does, there'd be enough profit on them to bring in quite a handsome revenue."

"But of course the Government wouldn't let anybody do that, because it'd put the mints out of business?" suggested Hanky Panky, brightening up.

"And who'd ever feel sure that he had a half-dollar

in his pocket, with the regular amount of silver in it, or not," added Josh. "Of course that'd never do at all, and the Government would have to stop anybody it caught doing such a thing. But say, you couldn't call such a coin a counterfeit, could you, Rod, when it's worth exactly as much as the real one?"

"Stop and think, Josh -- a man may imitate an article exactly, and give just as good a thing; but the minute he puts a false stamp on it, he is liable for infringement. It's the same with money -- the Government stamp makes a real half-dollar ring true, and worth that much in silver or gold; and the imitator puts that trade-mark on his coin, and tries to make out that it was manufactured by the Government mint. Do you get what I'm trying to explain?"

"Guess I do," said Josh, although there was still a vague look on his face, even while he tried to make out that he grasped the facts."

"And d'ye really think, Rod, they're makin' money in Elmer's old home?" Hanky Panky went on to say, with an awed expression.

"I certainly do believe that is just what they have been doing," replied the other, positively, and with conviction in his manner. "Just how long it's been going on, I wouldn't like to say, but perhaps a year or more. You can see that as these coins are supposed to be fully as fine as the real ones, it might

take a long time for the authorities to get on to the fact that the United States mints had a rival in the field; because there would be no complaints. Why should any bank offer a protest when, after testing the coins, they found they came fully up to the standard? But perhaps it began to be noticed that there was an unusually large number of new half-dollars floating about this particular region; and that may have opened their eyes. A close examination might have revealed that these same lacked some little die mark which the coiners knew nothing about, as it was a secret of the mints."

"At any rate," Elmer remarked, "we know that those two sharp-eyed gentlemen are in this neighborhood to watch Colonel Pepper; and with that as a foundation, it all looks mighty simple to me, suh."

"But what ought we to do about it?" asked Rooster, uneasily, as he pocketed the three coins.

Rod smiled at seeing this.

"Listen to me, and I'll tell you the very first thing you two fellows want to do, and it's this," he pursued. "Get rid of those coins, even if you have to throw them away, or bury them. If they were found in your possession they might get you into a peck of trouble later on."

"Gee! that's so," muttered Hanky; and with that he gave his a sudden toss that sent the glittering disc spinning through the air into the bushes.

"I s'pose I'll just have to," muttered Rooster, dolefully; "but it's a mean trick, too, Hanky Panky, and I guess you did the same just because I got three to your one. But if Rod thinks I hadn't ought to keep 'em, why, there they go," and he tossed the three half-dollars aside, though the others noticed that he watched where they fell very exactly, as though in his secret heart hoping that as they were "as good as the real thing," he might have a chance later on to return and get them again; which Rod was determined should never happen, if he could help it.

A serious condition of affairs now faced Rod, and he was perplexed to know just how to handle the case. He realized that he could depend on himself and Elmer to play the game as though nothing out of the usual run had happened; yes, and Josh too, was probably equal to the emergency; but how about Hanky Panky and Rooster? Would one of them say or do something at the supper-table to arouse the suspicions of Colonel Pepper or that crafty Silas Goober, and cause them to keep a watch on their young guests from the North?

"Above all things," Rod went on to say, "we've got to appear as though we knew absolutely nothing about this affair, and looked on Colonel Pepper simply as the owner of this place; while Mr. Goober is his lawyer friend, visiting him from Chattanooga, to get a little rest from the cares of his very large

practice. You understand that, I hope, all of you?"

They immediately assured Rod that they did. Rooster felt that suspicion lay in his quarter, for he was the weakest one of the lot, when it came to telling all he knew. Hence he came out with a very vociferous assent.

"Don't you bother about worrying about me, Rod," he went on to remark, with a confidence that was refreshing, to say the least, though he meant every word; "because I'll be on my guard right along, and keep as mum as an oyster, sure I will."

"That's just it," the other told him, "you may attract attention by seeming to be too quiet. I tell you what you might do, though, Rooster."

"Then go on, and let me know, Rod," urged the other; "I'm willing to obey orders every time; and I understand that there's a heap dependin' on the way the cat jumps here."

"Suppose, then, you make out to have the toothache?" suggested Rod.

"Fine," replied Rooster, immediately screwing up one side of his face, and puffing his cheek out; while he raised his hand and commenced to caress the afflicted part as though in great pain. "That ought to be a good excuse for not talkin' much. But I hope the fact of havin' an achin' molar ain't agoin' to stop me from eatin' my part of the good things that black cook in the kitchen gets up, is it,

Rod? Because I'm that hungry right now I could tackle a whole boiled ham."

"Oh! I guess even a fellow with the toothache ought to have a right to get away with his share of supper," Rod assured him; and with that Rooster seemed to be content.

"What ought I to have?" asked Hanky Panky; "a headache, d'ye think, Rod?"

"That would look too much as though we were up to something or other, I'm afraid," the other told him, "but why should you bother, when you can fall back on your magic, and sleight-of-hand to carry you through? We'll let them know about your accomplishments in that line; and perhaps they'll ask you to show them. So you can amuse our host and his friend, and at the same time ward off suspicion."

"Bully for you, Rod; I never once thought of that!" exclaimed the pleased Hanky Panky, rubbing those dexterous hands of his in delight. "And say, I'm glad my little business is agoin' to come in handy for something, after all. Oh! I c'n entertain 'em all right, never you fear. Some fine day I may yet appear before all the crowned heads of Europe, who knows?"

"Well, let's settle this matter once and for all, now, just how we're going to go about things tonight; because we mightn't get another chance to put our heads together," suggested Rod.

And for about ten minutes they exchanged opinions, until a complete schedule was laid out. Each had his individual programme arranged, and had given Rod assurance that he knew what he was to do.

"Now, as it's getting on toward sunset, and the colonel may be wondering what keeps us out here so long, suppose we start back to the house," Rod went on to say. "And above everything else look and act natural, just as though you didn't dream things were any different from what they seem."

"Wow! but that plagued tooth does give a jump every now and then," groaned Rooster; and then winking toward Rod, he continued: "but then, no matter how she aches, I just got to have some supper; 'cause I'm near starved. Me to eat, toothache or no toothache -- you hear me."