of the scouts, they could neither go forward nor retreat,
unless that gaunt moonshiner crooked his finger.

"I don't see how it can be done," Bob broke out later, as they began to
draw near the camp again; as though he had been wrestling with some
subject, and reached a point where he needed counsel.

"As what?" inquired his comrade.

"Work both ends of the affair at the same time," continued Bob.
"Suppose, now, I find that the paper Bertha has seen is the very one
I've been hoping to get my hands on; and she comes to me to-night; how
can I carry her away, and at the same time stay here to find out about
the news Polly will bring me?"

"Now, I'm glad you spoke of that, Bob," Thad declared; "because I've
been trying to puzzle out that same thing myself. And I really believe
I've hit the only answer."

"Then let me hear it, for goodness sake, please!" exclaimed the other,
in a relieved tone; for he well knew that when Thad Brewster said a
thing that way, he must feel pretty confident he had the right solution
in hand.

"Just as you say, it would be next to impossible to take Bertha away
from here, and at the same time carry out your plans in connection with
that other business. That is of the first importance, it seems to me,
Bob. This other about Bertha can wait some, if it comes to it."

"Yes, it could, I suppose," admitted the other, slowly. "Bertha is
unhappy she says, and he treats her wretchedly; but then he is not
really cruel to her. Tell me your plan, Thad, and I'll be ready to stand
by it."

"Suppose, then, she brings you that paper, and it turns out to be all
you hope for? You can take it away with you, and when we get back to
Asheville place it in the hands of some reliable lawyer, who will have
Reuben summoned to court with the girl. Then she will never be allowed
to go back with him again; and he may consider himself lucky if he gets
off without being sent to jail for having withheld a lawful document,
and replacing it with a false will, or one that was older."

Bob uttered a cry of delight.

"It sure takes you to think up an answer to every hard, knotty problem,
Thad," he cried. "That is just the best thing ever, and I'm willing to
try it. Why, for me to take the law in my hands would be silly, when the
courts will save me all the risk. And while I hate to disappoint poor
little Bertha, who believes I'm down here to carry her off, in spite of
old Reuben, she'll understand, and be willing to wait