tunned Martin and headed for the
telephone.

"One of them was the same man!" she cried.

Martin gasped, sinking into a chair with the baby. "I believed them,"
he said slowly and uncomprehendingly. "They made me believe them!"

"Those bodies," the sergeant said. "Would you mind pointing them out
to me, please?"

"Aren't they--aren't they on the walk?" Mrs. Laughton asked.

"There is nothing on the walk, Mrs. Laughton."

"But there _must_ be! I tell you I shot these men who posed as
doctors. One of them was the same man who tried to take the baby this
afternoon. They hypnotized my husband--"

"Yes, I know, Mrs. Laughton. We've been through that." The sergeant
went to the door and opened it. "Say, Homer, take another look around
the walk and the bushes. There's supposed to be two of them. Shot with
a .30-.30."

He turned and picked up the gun and examined it again. "Ever shoot a
gun before, Mrs. Laughton?"

"Many times. Martin and I used to go hunting together before we had
Reggie."

The sergeant nodded. "You were taking an awful chance, shooting at a
guy carrying your baby, don't you think?"

"I shot him in the legs. The other--the other turned and I shot him in
the chest. I could even see his eyes when he turned around. If I
hadn't pulled the trigger then ... I don't want to remember it."

The patrolman pushed the door open. "There's no bodies out here but
there's some blood. Quite a lot of blood. A little to one side of the
walk."

The policemen went out.

"Thank God you woke up, Nancy," Martin said. "I'd have let them have
the baby." He reached over and smoothed the sleeping Reggie's hair.

Nancy, who was rocking the boy, narrowed her eyes.

"I wonder why they want our baby? He's just like any other baby. We
don't have any money. We couldn't pay a ransom."

"Reggie's pretty cute, though," Martin said. "You will have to admit
that."

Nancy smiled. Then she suddenly stopped rocking.

"Martin!"

He sat up quickly.

"Where's Tiger?"

Together they rose and walked around the room. They found him in a
corner, eyes open, tongue protruding. He was dead.

* * * * *

"If we keep Reggie in the house much longer he'll turn out to be a
hermit," Martin said at breakfast a month later. "He needs fresh air
and sunshine."

"I'm not going to sit on the lawn alone with him, Martin. I just
can't, that's all. I'd be able to think of nothing but that day."

"Still thinking