At the mention of their brother's name, Tom's face clouded a little.

"It is queer, Sam, and I must say I don't like it. I think this is a
case where no news is bad news. I think if everything was going along
all right in New York, Dick would surely let us know. I am afraid he
is having a good deal of trouble in straightening out Dad's business."

"Just the way I look at it," responded Sam, as the brothers prepared
to leave the room.

"One thing is sure, Pelter, Japson & Company certainly did all they
could to mix matters up, and I doubt very much if they gave Dad all
that was coming to him."

"I believe I made a mistake in coming back to college," pursued Tom,
as the two boys walked out into the corridor, where they met several
other students on the way to the dining hall. "I think I ought to have
given up college and gone to New York City to help Dick straighten out
that business tangle. Now that Dad is sick again, the whole
responsibility rests on Dick's shoulders, and he ought not to be made
to bear it alone."

"Well, if you feel that way, Tom, why don't you break away and go? I
think, perhaps, it would be not only a good thing for Dick, but it
would, also, be a good thing for you," and, for the moment, Sam looked
very seriously at his brother.

Tom reddened a bit, and then put his forefinger to his forehead. "You
mean it would help me here?" And then, as Sam nodded, he added: "Oh,