oke?" said the
flabbergasted Phelan.

"That's it," returned Gladwin. "I want to take your place; I want
to become"--stepping forward to read the number on Phelan's
shield--"Officer 666 for a little while."

Phelan couldn't believe his ears. Stepping to one side he said behind
his hand to Barnes:

"This feller's off his dip. Don't he know that if I lent him me
uniform it'd be me finish."

"That's all right," spoke up Gladwin. "I'll guarantee to protect you.
No one will ever know about it. You'll never make five hundred so easy
again."

"S-s-say," stammered Phelan, "what's this all about?"

"Well, I've found out that a thief is going to break in here
to-night."

"A thief!" gasped the policeman.

"Yes, just for a joke, you know."

"A thief going to break in here for a joke!" yelled Phelan. "Now I
know you're batty."

"Not a regular thief," the young man corrected hastily. "He's a friend
of mine--and I want to be waiting in your uniform when he comes. I
want to nab him. The joke will be on him, then, you know."

"All very simple, you see," added Barnes.

"Simple as--no, I don't see," snarled Phelan. "The two of yez is
bugs."

"But you will see," went on Gladwin, "if you'll let me explain. In
order to be a policeman I've got to have a uniform, haven't I?"

"Of course he has," urged Barnes.

"And yez are offering me five hundred dollars for a joke?"

Phelan dropped his arms limply at his side and permitted his eyes to
bulge _ad lib_.

"That's it," cried Gladwin. "I assure you it is nothing serious or
criminal. I just want your uniform long enough to catch my friend and
I'll give you five hundred dollars for lending it to me."

"It's too big a risk," panted Phelan, producing an elaborate bandana
and mopping his brow. "I won't do it."

It was manifest that Officer 666 was sorely tempted. To goad him
further Travers Gladwin produced a little roll of yellow-backed bills
from his pocket. Fluttering the bills deftly he stripped off one
engraved with an "M" in one corner and "500" in the other. He turned
it about several ways so that Phelan could study it from all angles.
Then he fluttered it before Whitney Barnes and said:

"Say, Barnes, there's something really handsome about these
yellow-backs, isn't there? Notice how that five and those two naughts
are engraved? And it's amazing how much a slip of paper like this will
buy."

This was too much for Phelan. He reached for the bill and grabbed it,
stuf