warmly
welcomed by Matilda and her sick husband, and thereupon deliberately
settled down to enjoying himself at their expense.

Thad was a pretty good hand at narrating a yarn, and he worked the
interest up by degrees until he had Jim's eyes as round as saucers,
while he hung upon every word that was spoken. Hugh only broke in
once in a while to add a few sentences to something his chum said.

Finally the climax was reached when Thad explained the scheme he
and Hugh had concocted between them, and how much they would appreciate
the assistance of Jim in this dilemma.

The temporary editor pursed up his lips and looked serious. He was
thinking, and gradually a grin began to creep across his thin little
face.

"Why, I guess it could be worked out, fellows," he finally remarked,
greatly to the satisfaction of the eager Thad. "Course I can do the
writeup part as easy as falling off a fence, because it comes natural
for me to be able to put any old thing down on paper and hash it up
in a most interesting way. I'll have a story that will make folks
sit up and take notice all right."

"I hope, though, Jim," said Thad, "you won't overdo the thing, because
you see we haven't a peg to hang it on, since we don't know what sort
of a crime the man might have done away down there in Texas to make
Marshal Hastings come so far after him. You'll draw it a bit mild,
won't you, Jim? Just strong enough to strike terror to the heart of
that rascal, Brother Lu?"

"That's all right, Thad, you leave it to me," asserted Jim, with a
confidence born of experience, as well as reliance on his powers
of description and invention. "Yes, I can do the thing to the king's
taste. Why, in such a case it's my habit to make myself actually
believe in my work. Right now I can actually see the ferocious and
not-to-be-denied Marshal Hastings. I could even describe how he
looks so that you recognize the picture. And say, I'll give such
broad hints, without actually saying it's Brother Lu he wants, that
the poor old wretch will bump himself getting out of town on the
first freight that pulls in here. It's a scream of a joke; and
I'm obliged to you boys for putting me up to it. I need all sorts
of practice, you understand, to fit myself for a prominent post
down in New York City, where I expect to land a job as a star
reporter on one of the big dailies."

Of course Thad and Hugh were pleased with matters so far as they had
gone.

"I'm in