nates me," he observed to Ralph. "Upon my word, I
believe I'll come to work here when I get through with this work for
you."

"Tell you what," said Limpy Joe with a shrewd glance at Zeph, as he
placed the smoking dishes before his customers. "I'll make it worth
the while of an honest, active fellow to come in here with me. I have
some grand ideas."

"You had some good ones when you fitted up the place," declared Zeph.

"You think it over. I like your looks," continued Joe. "I'm in
earnest, and I might make it a partnership after a while."

The boys ate a hearty meal, and the young fireman paid for it.

"Business good, Joe?" he inquired, as they were about to leave.

"Famous. I've got some new customers, too. Don't know who they are."

"What's that?"

"I don't, for a fact."

"That sounds puzzling," observed Ralph.

"Well, it's considerable of a puzzle to me--all except the double pay
I get," responded Joe. "For nearly a week I've had a funny order. One
dark night some one pushed up a window here and threw in a card. It
contained instructions and a ten-dollar bill."

"That's pretty mysterious," said the interested Zeph.

"The card told me that if I wanted to continue a good trade, I would
say nothing about it, but every night at dark drive to a certain point
in the timber yonder with a basket containing a good solid day's feed
for half-a-dozen men."

"Well, well," murmured Zeph, while Ralph gave quite a start, but
remained silent, though strictly attentive.

"Well, I have acted on orders given, and haven't said a word about it
to anybody but you, Ralph. The reason I tell you is, because I think
you are interested in some of the persons who are buying meals from me
in this strange way. It's all right for me to speak out before your
friend here?"

"Oh, certainly," assented Ralph.

"Well, Ike Slump is one of the party in the woods, and Mort Bemis is
another."

"I guessed that the moment you began your story," said Ralph, "and I
am looking for those very persons."

"I thought you would be interested. They are wanted for that
attempted treasure-train robbery, aren't they?"

"Yes, and for a more recent occurrence," answered Ralph--"the looting
of the Dover freight the other night."

"I never thought of that, though I should have done so," said Joe.
"The way I know that Slump and Bemis are in the woods yonder, is that
one night I had a breakdown, and was delayed a little, and saw them
come for the food