here, Jerry Hayes, if you ain't smart enough to find us three when
you know we're somewhere in Jersey, it ain't any kind of use for you to
try to be a detective, 'cause you'll never make one. You must come over
to Weehawken, an' get on our trail; then the rest of it will be easy
enough."

"I'd like to know how we're goin' to do that?"

"If I've got to explain every little thing, I might jest as well run
this case all by myself. Findin' a man when you don't know where he is,
is the first thing a detective has to learn, an' you'd better put in a
good part of your time studyin' it up. Now I'm goin' to see how much
money I can raise, an' 'long 'bout five o'clock you can count on my
sneakin' out of town."

While his friends were thus speculating, and working in what they
believed to be his behalf, Joe was spending a most wretched day.

Immediately after landing from the ferry-boat, he, carrying the princess
and followed by Plums, walked directly away from the river, believing
that by such a course he would the sooner arrive at the open country.

Now that he was really running away, his fears increased momentarily.

While in the city, it had seemed to him as if he could summon up
sufficient courage to surrender himself to those people, who most likely
wanted to commit him to prison; but having once begun the flight, all
his courage vanished,--he no longer even so much as dreamed of facing
the trouble.

The princess, well content with this morning stroll and the cake Joe
had given her, appeared willing to continue such form of amusement
indefinitely.

She laughed and crowed until the young guardian trembled lest she should
attract undue attention to him, and when, ceasing this, the little maid
poured some wondrous tale in his ear, his heart smote him, for he
believed she was urging to be taken home.

"I'll find your mother, baby darling, the very first thing after I get
out of this scrape; but there couldn't any one blame me for runnin' away
when the perlice are after me."

Plums was more discontented than alarmed during this journey. There was
altogether too much walking in it to please him, and Joe pushed ahead so
rapidly that he nearly lost his breath trying to keep pace with him.

"If you go on this way much longer I'll have to give the thing up," he
said, in despair, when they were a mile or more from the ferry-slip.

"But you surely ought to walk as fast as I can when I am carrying the
princess."

"Perha