urse. Yet
both lads were so tremendously interested that they pushed on,
heedless of the flight of time.

They had gone a mile or more up the track, "inching" it along,
when they came upon an unmistakable print of Mr. Dodge's oddly
pointed boot and narrow, high heel. They found, too, the print
of a brogan within six feet of the same point.

"This is the way Dodge and his queer companions came," exulted
Dave.

"But I don't believe they followed the track much further," argued
Prescott, pointing ahead at the signal lights of a small crossing
station. "If Mr. Dodge were trying to get away from public gaze
he wouldn't go by a station where usually half a dozen loungers
are smoking and talking with the station agent."

"We're lucky to have the trail this far," observed Dave Darrin.
"But we can't follow it accurately at night. Say---gracious!
Do you know what time it is? Half-past one in the morning!"

"Wow?" ejaculated Prescott, halting and looking dismayed. "It'll
take us a good many minutes to get back to where we left the horse.
It'll be after two o'clock when we hit 'The Blade' office. Dave,
we simply can't follow the trail further tonight. But we must
strike it first thing in the morning. It'll be a big thing for
'The Blade' to be the folks to find the missing banker and clear
the mystery up."

"Unless Dodge just kept on until he came to one of the stations,
and took a train. Then the trail would be a long one."

"He didn't take a train tonight," returned Prescott, shaking his
head. "If he wanted to disappear that would be the wrong way
to go about it. He'd be recognized from the descriptions that
will go about broadcast. No, sir! Mr. Dodge must be hiding in
some of the big stretches of woods over yonder. A regiment could
hide and be lost in the great woods."

"It's a trail I hate to leave," muttered Dave Darrin.

"But we've got to wait until daylight. We can't do much in the
dark, anyway. I've got to get back to 'The Blade' office. Get
your bearings here, Dave. To make doubly sure I'll cut a slice
out of this tie to mark the place where we found this print, for
it may be indistinct by daylight."

Marking the location Dick Prescott wheeled and began to hurry
back, followed by Darrin. In due time they reached the buggy,
took the light blanket from the horse, unhitched and jumped in.
Fast driving took them to "The Blade" office.

"You didn't learn anything, did you?" questioned Bradley.