lf. Then when he got ready he swings on board, an' over
he comes. But he's chafin' under the collar, Seth, 'cause the fellers
sent him off when he ought'er have stayed, an' that's why he's so down
on Jip Collins."

"He was jest as bad before Bill Dean ever begun to raise money to get
rid of him, else it would have been different. I tried to make him
promise to let Jip alone, an' he wouldn't listen to any talk at all. He
thinks it'll be a big thing for him in case he puts it through. If I
couldn't get on in the world except it was by sendin' some feller to
jail, I'd stick to sellin' papers or blackin' boots the rest of my
life."

"Sam is pretty near green thinkin' you've got ahead so fast; but says
that jest as soon as he has worked the case up against Jip he'll smash
your racket all to pieces."

"Have you seen him since he did this terrible fine piece of detective
work?"

"No; I hadn't heard anythin' 'bout it till Dan hailed me."

For some time after this Seth remained silent trying to devise a plan by
which he could aid the unfortunate firebug; but the more he considered
the matter the less probable did it seem that either he or his comrades
could in any way benefit the prisoner.

"I'm 'fraid Jip will go up the river," he said at length, and Teddy
replied mournfully:

"I guess he's a goner for a fact, an' all on account of Sam Barney's
wantin' to show hisself a detective."

When the two had come to their journey's end Dan and Bill Dean were seen
solemnly pacing to and fro on the sidewalk in front of the entrance to
the court-room, looking sadly disheartened.

"Have you done anythin' yet?" Seth asked in a low tone as he joined
them.

"There's nothin' we can do. Jip's locked up, an' Sam Barney's struttin'
'round the streets showin' hisself off for a first-class detective," Dan
replied in a tone of irritation.

"Do you know how he happened to nab him?"

"It must have been that Denny Macey give him away," Bill Dean replied,
"for I saw Jip this mornin' early, an' he 'greed to keep out er sight."

"Do you s'pose he stayed on the street after that?"

"Denny knew where he slept last night, and must have told Sam, jest as
some of the fellers say he threatened to do."

"Well," Seth said after a brief reflection, "if you can't help him,
what's the use of standin' here?"

"We was waitin' for you. I thought, an' so did Dan, that perhaps the
driver of Ninety-four might cook up some kind of a plan we could work