“I wonder if the other papers will have it in the morning,” came from Larry.
“Not much danger,” replied Mr. Newton. “Jones and Douglass will keep very quiet about it, since they were fooled.”
None of the morning sheets had an account of the affair, and that afternoon the _Leader_ came out with a big display story, telling how the detectives, hoping for much credit from their performance, had planned to raid a counterfeiters’ den. Mr. Newton set forth in lively sentences how the officers had kept watch, and had, with a great show of authority, burst into the place, only to find that it was merely a temporary toy shop.
The story made a hit, and Mr. Emberg was warm in his praise of Mr. Newton and Larry as well. He said they had conducted the case well.
“You are doing good work, Larry,” said the city editor. “Keep it up!”
Whereat Larry blushed like a girl, though he felt ashamed of it. However, he need not have been, for not a reporter on the paper, from the oldest down, but who would have liked to have had such a beat to his credit.
Larry went home to supper, and then prepared to attend night school. His mind was in such a whirl over the events of the day that he did what seldom happened to him; he missed in his lessons. The teacher, who had taken quite a notion to Larry, was much surprised, but Larry did not think it wise to tell what made him so careless. He promised to do better the next night.
When Larry reached the _Leader_ office a few mornings later he found considerable confusion evident. A number of reporters were talking in one corner, and Mr. Newton was conversing with someone over the telephone in the enclosed booth.
“Big robbery in some millionaire’s house,” replied Bud. “They just discovered it. None of the morning papers have it. Lot of gold, silver, and diamonds taken.”
“That’ll be a good story,” commented Larry.
A few minutes later Mr. Emberg came in. In a little while Mr. Newton had acquainted the city editor with the robbery, a “tip” concerning which had been received from police headquarters a short time before.
“It’s Mr. Reynolds’s house,” said Mr. Newton. “The family slept late. Police think chloroform was used. They found the place ransacked, a small safe forced, and about twenty-five thousand dollars’ worth of stuff taken, including the famous Reynolds diamonds.”