In the meantime Tad Sobber started to run in another direction.  But before he had taken a dozen steps Tom was on him and had him by the arm.

“Stop, Sobber,” he said shortly.

“I won’t!  You let me go, Tom Rover.”

“I’ll not let you go,” answered Tom, firmly.  “And if you don’t stand still I’ll call a policeman and have you arrested.”

CHAPTER IX

A CHASE ON THE BOWERY

Tom’s threat to have Tad Sobber arrested caused the former bully of the school to pause and turn pale.

“You—­er—­you don’t mean that,” he faltered.  “You can’t have me arrested.”

“We’ll see about that, Sobber.”

“I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Then why did you run away from Putnam Hall?”

“I had a right to leave.  Captain Putnam wasn’t treating me fairly.”

“You ran away on account of that snake affair—­you can’t deny it.”

“Humph!”

“That snake nearly killed Nick Pell.  He isn’t over it yet, altogether.”

“Bah!  It wasn’t the snake made Nick sick.  He wasn’t feeling well some days before the snake bit him.”

“It was the snake and nothing else put him in bed,” answered Tom warmly.  “And that is not all.  You are in league with your uncle, who robbed my uncle of those traction company bonds.”

“I—­er—­I don’t know anything about that matter,” answered Sobber, hastily.

“Well, I know all about it.  You were with your uncle when he got away from us, and when he dropped the pocketbook containing the bonds.”

“Did you get the bonds back?” asked Sobber, with sudden interest.  It may be added here that Sid Merrick had gone back long after the chase to look for the pocketbook, but, of course, had been unable to get any trace of it.

“We did.”

“My uncle didn’t steal them.  Your uncle put them in his hands to sell,” went on Tad Sobber, with sudden boldness.  “It is all a cooked up story about his running away with them.  And it’s a cooked up story about his having anything to do with those freight thieves.  My uncle is an honest man.”

“I know all about the freight affair, for I overheard him talking to some of the other thieves,” answered Tom.  “Where is your uncle now?”

“Do you think I’d be fool enough to tell you?”

“Perhaps you might—­if I had you locked up.”

“My uncle is a good long way from New York.”

“I heard you tell that man your uncle would be in the city to-morrow.”

“I didn’t say any such thing!” burst out Sobber, but his manner showed that he was very much disturbed.

“You did say it.  Where are you stopping?”

“Nowhere—­I only got in a few hours ago.”

“Did you come here to meet Cuffer?”

“What do you know about Cuffer?”

“I know your uncle hired him and a man named Shelley to visit our farm and get some things belonging to my father.”