in motion to get it, and I want it right
away. Moreover, I want you to secure me somebody to serve the writ and
to keep it quiet."

Then he explained briefly what had been partly discovered and partly
surmised. Next Bobby sent for Jolter and laid the facts before him, to
the great joy of that aggressive gentleman. Then he called up Biff
Bates, and made an appointment with him to meet him at Jimmy Platt's
office in half an hour. He would have telephoned Platt, but the
engineer had no telephone.

CHAPTER XXVIII

BIFF RENEWS A PLEASANT ACQUAINTANCE AND BOBBY INAUGURATES A TRAGEDY

"Is Mr. Platt in?"

Biff stood hesitantly in the door when he found the place occupied
only by a brown-haired girl, who was engaged in the quiet,
unprofessional occupation of embroidering a shirtwaist pattern.

The girl looked up with a smile at the young man's awkwardness, and
felt impelled to put him at his ease.

"He's not in just now, but I expect him within ten or fifteen minutes
at the outside. Won't you sit down, Mr. Bates?"

He looked at her much mystified at this calling of his name, but he
mumbled his thanks for the chair which she put forward for him, and,
sitting with his hat upon his knees, contemplated her furtively.

"I guess you don't remember me," she said in frank enjoyment of his
mystification, "but I remember you perfectly. I used to see you quite
often out at Westmarsh when Mr. Burnit was trying to redeem that
persistent swamp. I am Mr. Platt's sister."

"No!" exclaimed Biff in amazement. "You can't be the kid that used to
ride on the excavating cars, and go home with yellow clay on your
dresses every day."

"I'm the kid," said she with a musical laugh; "and I'm afraid I
haven't quite outgrown my hoydenish tendencies even yet."

Biff had no comment to make. He was lost in wonder over that eternal
mystery--the transformation which occurs when a girl passes from
fourteen to eighteen.

"Don't you remember?" she gaily went on. "You gave me a boxing lesson
out there one afternoon and promised to give me more of them, but you
never did."

Biff cleared a sudden huskiness from his throat.

"I'd be tickled black in the face to make good any day," he urged
earnestly, and then hastily corrected the offer to: "That is, I mean
I'll be very glad to--to finish the job."

Immediately he turned violently red.

"I don't seem to care as much for the accomplishment as I did then,"
observed the girl with a smile, "