of letting the old shack slide downhill."

"But I had no hand in anything of the sort," declared Frank stoutly.

"Let it pass, Frank, let it pass," chuckled Dobbins unbelievingly. "You
see, when I came to look over the old ruins I come to where the old
storeroom wall had busted out. You know it's always been a mystery to me
what had become of my wife Sairey's scrapings and earnings?"

"I've heard you tell so--yes," nodded Frank.

"There they were, boy!" cried old Dobbins in a sort of ecstasy. "She'd
hidden them in a hole in the wall. The wall broke out in the crash.
Confidentially," and the narrator looked around cautiously and lowered his
voice to a mysterious whisper, "I found in gold and silver a heap of money
amounting to nigh three thousand dollars."

"Well!" ejaculated Frank.

"So, you see, it was a lucky day for me when you cut that rope."

"Which I never did," replied Frank vigorously. "If you will come over to
the house, Mr. Dobbins, my aunt will assure you that I was in bed hours
before and after the crash happened."

"Well, anyway, it was your knife."

"Yes," assented Frank, and explained about it being mislaid. Apparently
Dobbins was convinced. He was thoughtful for a moment or two, exchanged the
coin in hand for another in his pocket, and extended this to Frank with the