nt thing and into the jail corridor. It was as dark as
Erebus in the barred section of the prison; a cold draft of air flew
into the faces of the visitors.

"Come here, you fellers!" called Anderson bravely into the darkness; but
there was no response from the prisoners.

For the very good reason that some hours earlier they had calmly removed
a window from its moorings and by this time were much too far away to
answer questions.

CHAPTER XXIV

The Flight of the Kidnapers

Searching parties were organised and sent out to scour the country, late
as it was. Swift riders gave the alarm along every roadway, and the
station agent telegraphed the news into every section of the land. At
Boggs City, the sheriff, berating Anderson Crow for a fool and
Tinkletown for an open-air lunatic asylum, sent his deputies down to
assist in the pursuit. The marshal himself undertook to lead each
separate and distinct posse. He was so overwhelmed by the magnitude of
his misfortune that it is no wonder his brain whirled widely enough to
encompass the whole enterprise.

Be it said to the credit of Tinkletown, her citizens made every
reasonable effort to recapture the men. The few hundred able-bodied men
of the town rallied to the support of their marshal and the law, and
there was not one who refused to turn out in the cold night air for a
sweeping search of the woods and fields.

Rosalie, who had been awakened early in the evening by Mr. Crow's noisy
preparations for the pursuit, came downstairs, and instantly lost all
desire to sleep. Bonner was lying on a couch in the "sitting-room,"
which now served as a temporary bedchamber.

"If you'll just hand me those revolvers, Mr. Crow," said he, indicating
the two big automatics he had taken from Davy and Bill, "I'll stand
guard over the house as best I can while you're away."

"Stand guard? What fer? Nobody's goin' to steal the house."

"We should not forget that these same rascals may take it into their
heads to double on their tracks and try to carry Miss Gray away again.
With her in their possession they'll receive their pay; without her
their work will have been for nothing. It is a desperate crowd, and they
may think the plan at least worth trying."

Rosalie's grateful, beaming glance sent a quiver that was not of pain
through Bonner's frame.

"Don't worry about that," said the marshal. "We'll have 'em shot to
pieces inside of an hour an' a half."

"Anderson, I want yo