r. Tucker, with approval. He reflected
that he could assign to Philip some of the work which generally fell to
himself, and the reflection was an agreeable one. He had tried to get
work out of Zeke, but he generally found that it was harder to keep him
at work than it was to do the job himself.

After he had made his toilet--not a very elaborate one--Mr. Tucker went
up-stairs to arouse his young prisoner. He found the key in the outside
of the door. Everything seemed right.

"I wonder how he feels this morning?" chuckled Mr. Tucker. "Wonder
whether he's tamed down a little?"

He turned the key in the lock and threw open the door. He glanced at
the bed, started in amazement to find that it had not been slept in, and
then his wonder ceased, for the telltale rope explained how the boy had
escaped.

He ran down-stairs in anger and excitement.

"What's the matter with you, Joe Tucker?" demanded his wife. "Are you
drunk or crazy?"

"Enough to make me both, wife," he answered. "The boy's gone!"

"Gone!" exclaimed Mrs. Tucker, stopping short, with a saucepan in her
hand.

"Gone!" ejaculated Zeke, his mouth wide open.

"I don't believe it," said Mrs. Tucker positively. "He couldn't go. He'd
have to jump out of the third-story window."

"Sure enough!" said Zeke.

"I can't help it--he's gone," declared Mr. Tucker. "He tied a
clothesline to the bedstead and let himself down from the window. Now, I
want to know who left a clothesline in the room?"

"There wasn't any," said Mrs. Tucker.

"Maybe he had one in his pocket," suggested Zeke.

But this suggestion was not considered worthy of notice by his parents.

"Now I know who hit me in the nose!" exclaimed Mr. Tucker, light
flashing upon him. "There was two of 'em--the ones I took for burglars."

"Then the other one must have been Frank Dunbar," said Mrs. Tucker.

"Zeke," said his father, "go right off and tell Squire Pope that Philip
Gray has escaped. Ask him if I can't have him arrested for assault and
battery. It's likely he's at Frank Dunbar's now. We'll have him back
before the day is out, and then I'll see he don't get out!"

"All right, dad! As soon as I've had breakfast I'll go."

The result of Zeke's message was that Squire Pope hurried over to the
poorhouse and held a conference with Mr. and Mrs. Tucker.

The next step was that he and Joe rode over to Mr. Dunbar's, to demand
the return of the fugitive.

They found Frank splitting wood in the yard. T