g
the main street, looked through her bedroom window and saw the citizen
chasing his boy, who toted a gun over his shoulder. At the first
streakings of daylight she hurried to the Buxton home for the
explanation. Within the following half hour the majority of the
population of Beartown knew that an attempt had been made to rob the post
office during the night. Then followed a hurrying thither, for no one
could be satisfied until he had viewed the scene and talked with the
postmistress herself.

It was the confusion and hurly-burly below stairs that awoke Mike Murphy
early. He would have left at once to join Alvin and Chester if Nora had
not forced him to eat breakfast before bidding them good-by. It must be
said that the Irish youth did not require much urging to detain him that
long.

He found he was attracting unpleasant attention. It was Nora who took
pains to let it be known that but for him all the money in the safe would
have been stolen. Mr. Jasper, the owner of the large sum, scrambled
through the crowd, snatched up his big envelope and hurried off without
so much as thanking Mike, who cared naught.

"You needn't tell me," said the keeper of the other grocery store to the
husband of the town milliner. "That redheaded Irish chap is one of the
gang."

"How do you account for his preventing the other robber from carrying
away the money in the safe?" asked his neighbor.

"Plain enough; they'd had a quarrel. He wanted it all for himself."

"Why didn't he take it then?"

"The widder and others bounced down on him afore he had the chance."

"I don't see why if the other villain run away this one didn't do
likewise."

"He'll do it quick enough, never you fear."

"Why is he hanging round after they've gone?"

"To git the money. Seems to me, Rufe, you're blamed stupid this morning.
Why, you've only to take one look at that young ruffian's face to see the
wickedness wrote there. He oughter be in prison this very minute, and
he'll soon be there--take my word for it!"

"Where is he?"

"Sneaked off while he had the chance--wal, I'll be gul darned!"

The grinning Mike Murphy was standing at his elbow, where he had heard
every word of the pointed conversation. The gossip was so taken aback
that he began stammering:

"I had--that is, I was thinking of the other robber."

"I was told," said Mike, "that there was a man hereabouts that looked so
much like me he must be my lost brither that was let out of jail i