ear as he fell.

She had nearly reached the end of the Whittaker fence when he caught
her. He was laughing, and that alarmed her almost as much as if he had
been angry.

"Naughty! naughty!" he chuckled, holding her fast. "Tryin' to sneak, was
you? Not much! Not this time! Did you ever play forfeits when you was
little? Well, this is a forfeit game and you're It. You must bow to the
prettiest, kneel to the wittiest, and kiss the one you love best. And
I'll let you off on the first two. Come now! Pay up!"

Then she screamed. And her scream was answered at once. A gate swung
back with a bang and she heard some one running along the walk toward
her.

"O Cap'n Whittaker!" she called. "Come! Come quick, please!"

How she knew that the person running toward her was Captain Cy has
not been satisfactorily explained even yet. She cannot explain it
and neither can the captain. And equally astonishing was the latter's
answer. He certainly had not heard her voice often enough to recognize
it under such circumstances.

"All right, teacher!" he shouted. "I'm comin'! Let go of that woman,
you--Oh, it's you, is it?"

He had seized Mr. Smith by the coat collar and jerked him away from his
victim. Miss Dawes took refuge behind the captain's bulky form. The two
men looked at each other. Smith was recovering his breath.

"It's you, is it?" repeated Captain Cy. Then, turning to Miss Phoebe, he
asked: "Did he hurt you?"

"No! Not yet. But he frightened me dreadfully. Who is he? Do you know
him?"

Her persecutor answered the question.

"You bet your life he knows me!" he snarled. "He knows me mighty well!
Pard, you keep your nose out of this, d'you see! You mind your own
business. I wan't goin' to hurt her any."

The captain paid no attention to him.

"Yup, I know him," he said grimly. Then he added, pointing toward the
lighted window of the house ahead: "You--Smith, you go in there and stay
there! Trot! Don't make me speak twice."

But Mr. Smith was too far gone with anger and the "spirits" raised by
Tad Simpson to heed the menace in the words.

"Smith, hey?" he sneered. "Oh, yes, SMITH! Well, Smith ain't goin',
d'you see! He's goin' to do what he pleases. I reckon I'm on top of the
roost here! I know what's what! You can't talk to me. I've got rights, I
have, and--"

"Blast your rights!"

"What? WHAT? Blast my rights, hey? Oh, yes! Think because you've got
money you can cheat me out of 'em, do you? Well, you can't! And