ut up your whining, Bill!" growled Werner in disgust. "I wish I
had knocked that Jack Rover's head off with the box."

"You came very near busting the window."

"I wouldn't care if I did bust it," answered the other recklessly.

"It don't look as if that dose of pepper hurt Jack Rover much."

"Never mind. I'll fix him some day, you see if I don't."

The two glanced back once more and to their chagrin saw that the Rovers
had come around the corner and were chasing after them faster than ever.
This caused Bill Glutts to become more frightened than before.

"Oh, what shall we do? They'll catch us sure!" he wailed.

"No, they won't! Come on!" yelled Werner, and caught his crony by the
arm.

He was too excited to notice carefully where he was running, and the
next instant he, followed by Glutts, brought up against a stand on the
sidewalk in front of a small shop. This stand was filled with various
articles of bric-a-brac, and it went down with a crash, carrying dozens
of small articles with it.

CHAPTER XVIII

BOUND FOR TEXAS

"Hi! hi! phat--phat you mean py knocking mine stand ofer?" cried out a
voice from the doorway of the building, and a small, stockily built
foreigner came running forward.

"Get off of me!" spluttered Bill Glutts, who was under Gabe Werner.
"You're pressing some of this broken stuff into my face!"

Werner could not answer, being too surprised by the sudden turn affairs
had taken. But then, as he realized that the four Rovers were close at
hand, he rolled over on the sidewalk, upsetting a small boy as he did
so, and then managed to scramble to his feet.

"Come on, Bill!" he panted, and set off down the street at the best gait
he could command.

What Bill Glutts had said about being pushed into the broken bric-a-brac
was true. His face had come down into the midst of several broken vases,
and one hand rested on a broken bit of glassware. When he arose to his
feet he found himself held fast by the storekeeper.

"You don't vas git avay from me already!" bawled the owner of the place.
"You vas pay for de damages you make."

"You let me go! It wasn't my fault!" stormed Glutts.

By this time the Rovers had come up. Bill Glutts looked the picture of
despair, with blood flowing from several cuts on his face and on one
hand.

"Where is Werner?" questioned Jack quickly.

"There he goes!" exclaimed Randy. "Come on after him before he gets
away."

"Some one had better stay here and