it," Tom explained in an
aside.

"Yes, it was as near to horseback riding as he could come," said the
girl, and she smiled, though the grief did not leave her blue eyes.
"Well, as he has told you, he heard who you were, Colonel, from your
man. Then when he read about the murder, and found how--how close home
it came to _me_, he hurried out to our place and said I should engage
you to help--"

"He's the biggest detective in New York!" broke in Tom. "And that's
what we need--a big New York detective!"

"But what's it all about?" asked the colonel. "This is talking in
riddles, though I begin to see a little--"

"I beg your pardon," said the girl. "I should have told you who I am.
My name is Amy Mason, and--"

"Ah! You are engaged to be married to James Darcy, who
is--er--detained as a--er--as a _witness_ in the murder of his cousin?"

"I am," and she seemed to glory in it. "As soon as I heard what had
happened--to him--I wanted to help. They would not let me see Jimmie
at police headquarters, but I sent word that dad and I were going to
work for him every minute."

"That must have cheered him."

"I hope it did. But I want to do more than that. I want to help him!
I want to get the best detective in the country to work on the case and
prove that Jimmie didn't do this--this terrible thing of which he is
accused."

"He isn't exactly accused yet, as I understand it, Miss Mason."

"Oh, well, it's just as bad. He is suspected. Why, Jimmie wouldn't
have caused Mrs. Darcy a moment of pain, to say nothing of striking
her--killing her! Oh, it's horrible--horrible!" and she covered her
face with her hands.

"I don't quite understand," began the colonel, "why you came to me, or
how--"

"I told her it was the only thing to do," broke in the newsboy. "Soon
as I read about Carroll and Thong being on the case I knew it would
take a fly one to put anything over on them. I tried on the train to
sell you a detective book, not knowing who you was. You treated me
white, and when I heard Miss Mason was in trouble--or her friend was--I
said to myself right away that you was the one to fix things. I went
out to her farm last night and she was all broke up."

"It was a terrible shock to me when I heard Jimmie was under arrest,"
said the girl. "I didn't know what to do. Tom, here, proposed coming
to see you, and when dad heard who you were, though we knew nothing of
you, he said the same thing. He told me I coul