Ragged Dick

When Dick goes to the drawer where he keeps his bank-book, he finds it empty. Henry has his own bank-book in his pocket. The drawer in the boys’ room was locked so someone had to open the drawer with a key. Henry reassures the downcast Dick that he can go to the bank the next day, tell the clerk that he lost his book, and request that the money not be paid to anyone but Dick. The boys ask the landlady, Mrs. Mooney, if any other lodger could have taken Dick’s bank-book. Mrs. Mooney wonders if Jim Travis was the thief. Travis rents the room across from the boys’ room. Mrs. Mooney explains that the bureaus in the two rooms are identical and probably have matching locks. A coarse-looking young man, Travis is an often-intoxicated bartender who uses offensive language. Although Travis invited the boys to his bar-room, they never accepted his offer. Mrs. Mooney tells the boys that Travis said he had a cold and came home during the daytime to get a handkerchief. The boys conclude that Travis stole Dick’s bank-book.

Dick worries that he cannot get the additional two dollars for