"No, we divide," insisted his loyal chum.

"Well, wait till the reward is offered, will you?" laughed Jolly. "I say, Durham, our friend Booth must know of this. He'll get us a whole column in the newspapers. 'Exclusive and fashionable audience at the Wonderland. Sensational loss of priceless gems! Found by the proprietors. Consumed with anxiety to locate the owner. Latter appears-prominent society leader. Jewels restored and the Wonderland still running to crowded houses. See the great flood feature films!'

Why, it's as good as the usual lost jewels for the actress."

Frank took charge of the chamois bag and deposited it in the tin cash box. This he locked up and as usual took it into one of the apartments where he slept.

"We shall have to keep special watch over all that valuable stuff until the bank opens Monday morning," he explained.

Randy hung around, wrought up with excitement over their wonderful find and anxious to talk about it. Pep was very tired and went to his cot to rest. Frank, Jolly and Vincent sat with their feet on the sill of an open window, enjoying the cool breeze from the ocean and indulging in pleasant comments on the first successful week of the Wonderland.

"With the flood film and the specialty act of the great family entertainer, 'Signor Halloway Vincenzo,' I predict we will capture the town next week," declared Ben Jolly.

"Guess I'll turn in, too," remarked Randy, after wandering about the room aimlessly for some time.

"All right, just turn out the light, will you?" asked Frank. "It's sort of nice to sit here with the moonlight streaming in."

Randy took off his coat and shoes and started for the apartment where Pep was fast asleep. It contained two cots. He had started over to give Pep a shake and make him get up and undress, when he chanced to pa.s.s one of the windows and glanced out.

"Fire!" he instantly shouted, and rushed out into the room where the others were.

"What's that?" challenged Frank, springing to his feet.

"Yes, right across the block," declared Randy. "You can see it from the side window. Look at that!"

A glare suddenly illuminated the room. Ben Jolly moved to the window and uttered a sharp whistle of surprise. Frank ran into his room and came out with his cap on. Then there was a rush for the little back stairs running into the yard behind the building.

"Wait for me!" called out Randy, struggling to put on his shoes.

"Hey! what's all the row?" hailed Pep sleepily, as Randy stamped his foot into a shoe, grabbed up his cap and coat and made a dive for the yard.

"Fire!" bawled back Randy. "Right near us, too! Hurry up!"

Pep sat up on his cot rubbing his eyes. Then a spurting glare from the fire lit up the room. He jumped to his feet and hurried out into the large room.

"It is a fire, sure enough," he exclaimed, glancing from the window.

"It's that big building where they rent rooms to transients. The whole roof is ablaze and--"

Pep came to a sudden halt. Just stepping over the threshold of the doorway at the head of the yard steps, he was confronted by two men running up them.

One of them threw out one hand. It landed on Pep's breast, almost pushing him off his footing, and was accompanied by the gruff voice:

"Hey, you get back in there!"

CHAPTER XXI-THE TIN BOX

Pep was a quick thinker. He could not tell how it was, but the minute his eyes lighted on the two strangers he somehow a.s.sociated them with the group from whom he had antic.i.p.ated trouble earlier in the night. In fact he was not sure that they were not two members of the quartette who had been the object of the visit of the officer from the city.

"What do you want?" Pep instantly challenged.

For answer his a.s.sailant leaped forward and made a grab for him. Pep knew that the intrusion of these men could have no good motive. He dodged, seized a frying pan from the gas stove, and brandished it vigorously.

"I'll strike!" he shouted. "Don't you try to hold me!"

"Quiet the young spitfire," growled the second of the men, and although Pep got in one or two hard knocks with his impromptu weapon, he was finally held tightly by the arms from behind by one of the men. Pep let out a ringing yell, hoping to attract attention from outside, but his friends were by this time in the turmoil of the fire, and the few crossing vacant s.p.a.ces were shouting and excited like himself.

"I supposed they had all rushed out to the fire," spoke the man who had first appeared. "Keep this one quiet, if you have to choke him."

Pep's captor threw him to the floor and pinned him there with his knee on his breast, despite his wrigglings. He managed to apply a gag. Then he rudely jerked Pep to his feet, holding his wrists together in a vise-like grip.

The flare from the fire and the bright moonlight illumined the room as clearly as day. Some vivid thoughts ran riot in the active mind of Pep as the other man went into one of the part.i.tioned sleeping places.

"That's right," called out Pep's captor. "The boy who had the tin box carried it in there somewhere."

"Got it!" sounded in a triumphant tone two minutes later, and there was a rattle and a rustling sound.

Pep groaned inwardly. He could figure things out clearly now, he fancied. The intruders were the two former companions of those arrested not two hours before by the city officer.

"Then it was the fellow he was after that left the chamois bag,"

theorized Pep rapidly. "He didn't want it found on him, and he got word to these friends of his. They probably saw us looking at the necklace through the windows and planned to get it back. When Frank and the others ran out to the fire they hurried in here, and--"

"Got it; eh?" inquired Pep's captor, as his comrade reappeared.

"I have," chuckled the other, and busied himself rolling a pillow slip about the tin box. "Found it under a cot in there. Now then, quick is the word."

The man who held Pep gave him a sudden fling. Pep landed against the wall on the other side of the room with stunning force. The two men, hurriedly departing, directed a quick glance at him.

"That settles him," observed the foremost of the two, running down the outside stairs.

Pep was dazed for a moment. He actually fell back half stunned. His head had received a terrific b.u.mp. The instant a thought of the loss of their little treasure box drifted into his mind, however, he was on his feet in a flash.

He tore the obstructing handkerchief from his mouth and made for the open door, capless and out of breath. Pep darted down the stairs, his eyes glancing in every direction. The whole top of the building, three hundred feet away, was blazing now. There was a vacant s.p.a.ce behind the Wonderland, and across this people were running in the direction of the fire. Pep could not make out his friends anywhere about. As his glance swept in the opposite direction he saw two shadowy forms headed on a run for the side street.

"It's them; I see them!" cried Pep, and he sprinted ahead, his eyes fixed upon the scurrying figures. They disappeared between two buildings. Then they came out on the street next to the boardwalk.

All along Pep's idea had been to get near enough to them to call upon others to a.s.sist him in detaining them as thieves. There was no police officer in sight, however, and people about were thinking only of getting to the scene of the fire. Then, as Pep came out upon the street into which the two men had turned, he saw them standing by an automobile. One of them was cranking it. The other had climbed into the rear seat.

"Stop those men! they have robbed us!" shouted Pep, putting for the spot where the automobile stood and addressing three or four persons who were hastening in the direction of the fire.

One of these halted and looked at Pep as if to take heed of his announcement, but his fellows urged him to come on and laughed at Pep.

The outcry had hastened the movements of the thieves. The man in front of the machine jumped into the chauffeur's seat and seized the wheel.

"You shan't get away with our property!" declared Pep, gaining on the auto just starting up. "Help! Thieves! Police! Police!"

The man in the rear seat had placed the box by his side. He had both hands free. As Pep leaped to the step and clung there, he reached out both arms. He was a fellow of powerful build, and he was annoyed and angry at the pertinacity of their pursuer. Pep dodged his head and body aside, but the man got a hold on his coat and pulled him clear over into the machine.