dden pretty much all the time he fought, I surely heard him
say something that struck me as familiar. He wasn't a stranger, I'm
certain of that."

"Well," said Max, quietly, "perhaps there may be a way to prove that."

"Please tell me how, Max!" pleaded Obed, eagerly.

"The mysterious stranger managed to get away," chuckled the other, "but
he wasn't so clever about taking all his wardrobe along with him, you
remember."

"Oh! his coat!" cried Obed, in thrilling accents.

"I hung on to that like a leech," now laughed Max. "Of course I should
have been smart enough to keep my fingers on the man inside, but he had
a slick way of just slipping out of the coat. First thing I knew he was
gone, leaving me holding the bag, as they say. Want to take a look at
that article, don't you, Obed? Sometimes men have a fashion of keeping
letters and documents in their coat pockets; and between us I believe
you'll find something like that here."

With these words, the speaker took up the coat he had torn from the back
of the unknown, and tossed it carelessly toward Obed.

The woods boy snatched at the garment eagerly. Newly aroused hope could
be seen upon his face. Everybody watched to see what the outcome might
turn out to be. Steve and Bandy-legs, ready to withdraw from the circle,
and resume their outside vigil, stayed their departure for a brief
period in order to satisfy their curiosity. Even the so-called Jake
Storms had his fishy eyes fixed on Obed, as though it mattered something
to him whether the latter learned the answer to the conundrum, or was
obliged to let it pass by unsolved.

So Obed upon receiving the coat, proceeded to ram an eager hand into the
pockets, one after another. When he reached an inside one, he found a
bonanza, just as Max had anticipated. There were some papers there, as
well as a bill book. Bending down nearer the fire, so that he might the
better see, Obed glued his eyes on his find. A few seconds passed. The
fire crackled as it began to eat into the fresh fuel that had been
tossed to the red embers upon the incoming of the party. Toby grunted
once or twice, and continued to ruefully rub the side of his head, his
right arm, one of his thighs, and, in fact, as much of his entire person
as he could conveniently cover in a short space of time.

Then Obed was heard to give a low exclamation. His whole manner was a
singular mixture of satisfaction and anger. Evidently, he had
accomplished his set purp