east that is what Ferd called it.

Teddy was the only member of the party who was not fully satisfied with
the expedition.

"We should have followed and caught the thief," he was saying for the
eleventh time--Billie had counted them. "It would have been like taking
candy from a kid to have caught up with his old flivver, and then we
could have landed him in jail, where he belongs."

"But we wouldn't have time, Teddy," Billie reminded him. "You know the
train guard said there would be a train through about eleven o'clock.
And we can't miss it. Besides," and she shifted her feet happily on her
five thousand dollar footstool, "what do we care about that old man now
that we've got the trunk?"

"Isn't that just like a girl," cried Teddy, almost running them into a
ditch in his indignation. "I suppose you would be willing to let all the
thieves in the world go free if you could only get back what they
stole."

"I certainly would if we had a train to catch," agreed Billie, and Ferd
chuckled.

"Good for you, Billie!" he cried approvingly. "Stick to your guns. I
don't see any use of following up that old chap now that we've got the
goods."

"He wasn't very handsome, was he?" asked Billie, remembering that one
glimpse she had had of him.

"Maybe that's why you didn't want to follow him," chuckled Ferd, and
Teddy scowled blackly at the wind shield.

"But wasn't he ugly?" Billie persisted. "I don't think I ever saw such
red hair. And his mouth--ugh!" She paused reflectively.

"Yes, it looked just like the mouth of a codfish," said Chet.

"The poor fish," remarked Ferd jocularly, but be it said to their credit
that no one laughed at this feeble attempt at a joke. They only stared.

As the car swept into the village again Billie had a sudden and rather
conscience-stricken memory of her chums. For the first time in her life
she had forgotten them completely. But then one doesn't lose five
thousand dollars and recover it every day!

As the car stopped at the station it was surrounded by an eager crowd of
people, among whom was the owner of the car. But for his generosity they
would never have been able to recover the trunk.

"Did you get it?"

"Did you bring back the thief?"

"Say, you must have done some speeding!"

These and other like remarks greeted the adventurers as they climbed
from the car, and under cover of the confusion Billie made her escape.

Teddy, looking around for her a moment later, missed her a