"Barton Keith in his name. Perhaps you remember him?"
"I've heard you speak of him," Tom admitted.
"Well," resumed Mary, "Uncle Barton is in a. peck of trouble.
He was once very rich, and he invested heavily in oil lands, in
Oklahoma, I believe."
"No, in Texas," corrected Mrs. Nestor.
"Yes, it was Texas," agreed Mary. "Well he bought, or got,
somehow, shares in some valuable oil lands in Texas, and expected
to double his fortune. Now, instead, he's probably lost it all."
"That's too bad!" exclaimed Tom. "How did it happen?"
"In rather an odd way," went on Mary. "He really owns the
lands, or at least half of them, but he cannot prove his title
because the papers he needs were taken from him, and, he thinks,
by a man he trusted. He's been trying to get the documents back,
and every day we've been expecting to hear that he has them, but
mother says there has been no result."
"No," said Mrs. Nestor. "My brother thought sure he had a trace
of the man he believes has the papers, or who had them, but he
lost track of him. If we could only find him--"
At that moment a maid came into the room to announce that Tom
Swift was wanted at the telephone.
Pages:
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74