the shoulders congratulatingly
as he rejoined:

"Bully for you, boys! Stick to your friends! That's the way to git along
in this world. That little hungry looking cuss Chip--why, somehow I kinder
liked him. Lemme tell you something. I'm goin' 'long, too."

Here Link's smile grew so broad that it nearly met his ears. "I been doin'
some thinkin' of my own. I ain't after money in this. Yet, if we should
happen to git that money back, or he'p 'em git it, I rather guess Mr.
Beckley would do the right thing."

"He would; I feel sure of that." Phil was speaking. "But that isn't
worrying us so much as that Chip and Paul should start out that way
without even letting out a cheep what they was up to."

"We-ell!" Link looked uncommonly wise. "You see, they two had seen that
ugly cuss first. Then ag'in, I think Chip felt sore 'cause Murky beat him
up so. He'd sorter like to git even, I reckon."

"Another thing," put in Phil. "Chip knows that his dead father didn't act
up square 'bout that money either. Grandall put him up to it. But Chip,
I'm thinkin', wants to do the fair thing."

"You say you are going along, too?" asked MacLester. "That is good of you,
Mr. Fraley. We've lost our car and the Longknives have lost their money. I
guess it's right that we should all help to try to get the money back.
As for the car--our bully old Thirty--well, we'll have to get home without
it. But what made Paul and Chip in such a hurry?"

"Chip's knocked about a good deal. He knew that if Murky got out of the
big woods our chance to get him would be small." This from Worth. "By the
time it all got into the hands of the police there'd be more or less costs
and--and expenses. As for Paul Jones, he just couldn't help it, I guess."

"When will you be ready, Link?" queried Phil. "That is, if you are really
going along."

"Ready right now, boys. When will you start?"

"It's now mid-afternoon," remarked Phil. "I propose we get ready and start
at daylight tomorrow. It has rained off and on all day--hullo! Here comes
Mr. Beckley."

Beckley, still followed by his henchman Daddy O'Lear, came hurriedly out
of the only telephone office in Staretta. When he learned what the boys
together with Fraley were up to, he looked dubious. Finally he said:

"Perhaps it is the best way after all. Nothing more can be done here.
Whether we recover the money or not, it is right that you should look
after your chum and--and that Slider boy." Mr. Beckley spoke this