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218 Thus musing, and puzzling over whether he had done the right thing, William continued to help unload the truck, keeping a sharp lookout for Mr. Wilding or the three chums.

The three boys arrived first. They came down the street in a hurry looking for the place William had described to the hotel clerk over the telephone.

"There he is!" cried Bart, as he caught sight of the boy they had pulled from the snow drift. "Where's Ned? "he added.

"I'm not sure it was him," William replied, "but a man came and took him away half an hour ago."

Then he rapidly explained what had taken place, describing the boy he had seen.

"That's Ned sure enough," Fenn exclaimed. "Where in the world could he have gone to?"

"And who was the man who said Ned owed him money?' asked Frank. "I guess we're on the trail of the mystery."

"Hurry up, let's see if we can't find them," suggested Bart. "They can't have gone very far."

"One of us ought to stay here to meet Mr. Wilding if he comes," said Fenn. "The other two can go with William to look for Ned and the man."