ed front door. Hovering
between fear and courage, he knocked. But there was no response. With
growing boldness he tried the door. It was locked.

The rear door also was bolted; but, creeping on, he found a high
side window that the keepers of this prison in their hasty flight had
forgotten to close. With the aid of an empty rain barrel, which he
overturned and rolled into position, Pudge scrambled with much hard
breathing through the window and dropped into the kitchen. Here he
listened; his ears could discern no sound. On tiptoe he crept through
the rooms of the first floor--but came upon neither furtive enemy nor
imprisoned friend. Up the narrow stairway he crept--peeped into
three bedrooms--and finally opening the door of what was evidently a
storeroom, he found the object of his search.

E. Eliot sat in an old splint-bottomed chair--gagged, arms tied behind
her and to the chair's back, and her ankles tied to the chair's legs. In
a moment Pudge had the knotted towel out of her mouth, and had cut her
bonds. But quick though Pudge was, to her he seemed intolerably slow;
just then E. Eliot was thinking of only one thing.

This was the final afternoon of the campaign and she was away out here,
far from all the great things that might be going on.

She gave a single stretch of her cramped muscles as she rose. "I know
you--you're Betty Sheridan's brother--thanks," she said briskly. "What
time is it?"

Pudge drew out his most esteemed possession, a watch which kept perfect
time--except when it refused to keep any time at all.

"Three o'clock," he announced.

"Then our last demonstration is under way, and when I tell my story--"
E. Eliot interrupted herself. "Come on--let's catch the trolley!"

With Pudge panting after her, she hurried downstairs, unbolted the door,
and, running lightly on the balls of her feet, sped in the direction of
the street car line.

CHAPTER XIV. BY LEROY SCOTT

In the meantime, concern and suspense and irruptive wrath had their
chief abode in the inner room of Remington and Evans. George had
received a request, through Penny Evans, from the chief of police to
remain in his office, where he could be reached instantly if information
concerning Genevieve were received, and where his help could instantly
be secured were it required; and Penny had enlarged that request to the
magnitude of a command and had stood by to see that it was obeyed, and
himself to give assistance.

George had