country, an' I told the judge the same thing, didn't I?"

"It don't go, Billy. You can't throw any bluff here," said Fobes with an
air of familiarity, but shaking his head coldly, too. "You was seen on
the South Fork road an' there's an automobile man lookin' for you. Guess
he wants to give you a raincoat you lost somewhere."

This, of course, was just the kind of talk that Mr. Fobes himself had
termed a "bluff" and, in the vernacular, nothing else. Whether the
prisoner thought so or otherwise, for a few seconds he made no reply.
Then as if feeling his way carefully, he said: "Somebody lookin' for me,
eh? Tell 'im where I am. Or mebbe he knows it."

"It ain't no go, I tell you," said Fobes sharply. "There's a little
matter of a patent dinner basket on you straight. Swipin' grub from
boys, too! Ain't you ashamed of yourself? You don't happen to remember
what you left in the raincoat, do ye?"

Billy and Paul were far from approving this kind of questioning. Yet
they could see the object of Chief Fobes, which was to frighten and
confuse the prisoner by making him believe a great deal was known about
him, thereby leading him into admissions that would pave the way toward
gaining a complete confession from him.

"I don't know nothin' about a coat, boss; but who's lookin' fer me?"
called the one behind the bars as the officer and the boys started to
move away.

"You'll find that out quick enough," said Fobes with a harsh laugh. But
he did not pause and led the way to his own office again.

"Now," said he, "you have seen how we go about it. We've set the yeast
to workin'. He'll be more ready to let out a little by the time I take
his supper in to him."

Chief Fobes was evidently much pleased with himself but he was not
prepared for the rather unusual incident that followed.

"Where's the kid that said might he ask me a question?" inquired the
prisoner when the officer visited his cell again. "I want to see 'im if
I can, boss!"

Billy was called only after Mr. Fobes had failed to extract from the man
any information whatever. Cautioning the lad to tell the prisoner little
or nothing, the policeman, who was also turnkey, it will have been
noticed, took Worth into the lockup and left him.

"What was yer question, bub! Mebbe I might answer it," said the fellow.
He held a bar of the cell in each hand and leaned forward on his elbows.
His face, pressed between the steel rods, had a really hideous look.

"Where's the B