fight
seemed paralyzed.

Gripping Bunny Hepburn by the collar, Hal dragged the fellow to his feet
and instantly planted a blow that closed the other eye.

"Now, you'll stay put," panted Hal breathlessly. "Come on, the rest of
you hyenas, and we'll walk through the whole crowd of you!"

With a yell of defiance the gang closed in. While the mix-up was at its
hottest, a low, trilling whistle sounded from Skinny Carroll's lips.
Only two of the gang heard it in the excitement; that pair took to their
heels at once.

Down the street came a pair of flying feet.

"Cop! cop!" yelled Skinny Carroll. "Duck and run!"

Three more of the gang heard and took to their heels at once. One of the
fugitives ran squarely into the policeman's arms. The blue-coat stopped
another by drawing his revolver and commanding a halt. When the
policeman came along with his two prisoners Noll had a third to add to
the collection. Hal had Bunny and another of the late fighting crew.

"What's this trouble about?" demanded the policeman gruffly.

"It's an outrage, and high time you got here," wailed Bunny. "Officer,
just look at me!"

"You seem to look just right to me," grinned the policeman.

"Officer, I demand that you arrest these two fellows!" insisted Bunny,
in a shaking voice. "They'd have killed me if you hadn't got here just
when you did."

"Hold your tongue," commanded the policeman. Then, turning to Hal, he
asked:

"What's the rights of this affair?"

"Don't you listen to what they say!" screamed Bunny. "They'll lie like a
house afire. I was going along, minding my own business, when this pair
jumped on me. You see what they did to me."

"Officer, what's the meaning of this?" demanded a man who had just come
on the scene. It was Bunny's father, the agitator and anarchistic
lecturer.

"If you'll keep quiet long enough I'll soon find out," retorted the
policeman.

"Officer," demanded the elder Hepburn, "do you know who I am?"

"Yes; that's why I want you to keep quiet," retorted the policeman, with
no great show of awe or respect.

"But----"

"Get back and keep quiet until I've had time to look into this thing!"
blazed the policeman ominously.

"Minion of the hireling law," began the elder Hepburn, running his
fingers through his hair and striking an attitude.

"Hepburn, in the name of the Commonwealth, I demand your assistance in
taking care of the prisoners," retorted the policeman grimly. "Disobey
at your peril. Her