ng spirit.

"Great Scott!" exclaimed Frank Merriwell, amazed. "It is Muriel!"

"That's pwhat!" chuckled Barney. "An' it's your trate, me lad."

"I will treat," said Frank, crestfallen. "I am not nearly so smart as I
thought I was."

"Muriel?" cried Kate, dashing to the window. "Where is he?"

She did not hesitate to appear in the window and signal to the dashing
young moonshiner, who returned her salute, and motioned for her to come
out.

"He wants ter see me in er hurry," said the girl. "I sent word ter him
by Dummy that ther boys war har, an' that's how he happened ter turn up.
Come, Rufe, go out with me. Muriel will be glad to see yer."

"And I shall be glad ter see him," declared the escaped convict.

Kate bade the boys remain there, telling them she would call them if
they were wanted, and then, with Rufe following, she hurried down the
stairs, and hastened to meet the boy moonshiner, who had halted on the
bank at some distance from the old mill.

Watching from the window, Frank and Barney saw her hasten up to Muriel,
saw her speak swiftly, although they could not hear her words, saw
Muriel nod and seem to reply quite as swiftly, and then saw the young
leader of the Black Caps shake her hand in a manner that denoted
pleasure and affection.

"Ye're a daisy, Frankie, me b'y," snickered Barney Mulloy; "but fer
wance ye wur badly mishtaken."

"I was all of that," confessed Frank, as if slightly ashamed. "I thought
myself far shrewder than I am."

As they watched, they saw Rufe Kenyon suddenly leap up behind Muriel,
and then the doubly burdened horse swung around and went away at a hot
pace, while Kate came flitting back into the mill.

"The officers are returnin'," she explained. "Muriel will take Rufe whar
thar ain't no chance o' their findin' him. You-uns will have ter stay
har. I have brung ye more fodder, an' I judge you'll git along all
right."

So she left them hurriedly, being greatly excited over the return of her
brother and his danger.

The day passed, and the officers failed to appear in the vicinity of the
mill, although the boys were expecting to see them.

Nor did Wade Miller trouble them.

When night came Frank and Barney grew impatient, for they were far from
pleased with their lot, but they could do nothing but wait.

Two hours after nightfall a form suddenly appeared in the old mill,
rising before the boys like a phantom, although they could not
understand how the fellow came th