ing driven back
on a wide front and by morning would be entirely surrounded. There
would be no further loss of life and little more destruction of
property. Carl Vanderventer had saved the day! Van grunted his disgust
whenever an announcer mentioned his name.

When daylight came they prepared to return. Little use there was of
searching the highways and byways of Canada for the fugitive. He'd
simply have to wait until the Canadians were able to get a line on Dan
Kelly again.--It was maddening! But Bart was glad. The light of reason
was returning to his friend's eyes in the reaction.

Then there was a telephone call from the city for Van. Police
Headquarters wanted him. The fanatical glint returned to his eyes when
he ran for the hangar to answer the call. Perhaps they had already
captured Kelly! And he had an order in his pocket for the man's
return to the States. He'd been made a deputy, and with Kelly released
to him anything might happen. Something would happen.

* * * * *

But the police were reporting the unexplainable reappearance of the
moon weed just outside the city limits at a point near Cookesville.
Would Mr. Vanderventer be so kind as to fly over there and destroy it
before any lives were lost? He would.

The growth had covered an acre of ground by the time they reached the
spot designated. But it was the work of only a minute to blast it out
of existence with the ultra-indigo ray. Van surveyed the blackened and
shriveled mass with satisfaction.

"Let's land and take a look at it," he said.

Bart thought he saw a look of exultation flash over his careworn
features.

Soon they were wading deep in the blackened remains of the moon weed.
The stems and tendrils snapped and crumbled into powder as they passed
through. The stuff was done for, no question of that.

Bill Petersen yelled and pointed a shaking forefinger at an object
that lay in the blackened ruin. It was a human skeleton, the bones
bare of flesh and gleaming white in the light of the early morning
sun. Van was on his knees, quick as a flash, feeling around the
grewsome thing: pawing at the shreds of clothing that remained.

Then he was on his feet, his face shining with unholy glee. In his
hands were a half dozen small, smooth objects which looked like
pebbles. The diamonds!

"I thought so!" he exclaimed. "It's Kelly. Only way the seed could
have gotten up here. He had some on his clothes and didn't know i