d spirit of your information, you sadden me,"
said Billy. "The better man he is, the better chance to hang. Has he got
any close friends here?"

"He seldom ever comes here," said Jimmy. "All his friends is on Rainbow,
specially South Rainbow; but his particular side partners is all away
just now; leastways, all but one."

"Can't you write to that one?"

The deputy grinned hugely.

"And tell him to come break Jeff out o' jail?" said he. "That don't seem
hardly right, considerin'. You write to him--Johnny Dines, Morningside.
You might wire up to Cloudland and have it forwarded from there. I'll
pay."

Billy made a note of it.

"They'll be out here in a jiffy now," he said. "Now, Jimmy, you listen
to all they tell you; follow it up; make no comments; don't see anything
and don't miss anything. Let Lake think he's having it all his own way
and he'll make some kind of a break that will give him away. We haven't
got a thing against him yet except the right guess. And you be careful
to catch your friend without a fight. When you get him I want you to
give him a message from me; but don't mention any name. Tell him to keep
a stiff upper lip--that the devil takes care of his own. Say the devil
told you himself--in person. I don't want to show my hand. I'm on the
other side--see? That way I can be in Lake's counsels--force myself in,
if necessary, after this morning."

"You think that if you give Lake rope enough----"

"Exactly. Here they come--I hear their chairs."

"Blonde or brunette?" said Jimmy casually.

"Eh? What's that?"

"The something else that you wouldn't tell me about," Jimmy explained.
"Is she blonde or brunette?"

"Oh, go to hell!" said Billy.

CHAPTER IX

TAKEN

"Lord Huntley then he did speak out--
O, fair mot fa' his body!--
'I here will fight doublet alane
Or ony thing ails Geordie!

"'Whom has he robbed? What has he stole?
Or has he killed ony?
Or what's the crime that he has done
His foes they are so mony?'"

--_Old Ballad._

Hue and cry, hubbub and mystery, swept the Isle of Arcady that morning,
but the most painstaking search and query proved fruitless. It developed
beyond doubt that the football man had not been seen since his one brief
appearance on the ballroom floor. Search was transferred to the
mainland, where, as it neared noon, Lake's perseverance and thoroughness
were rewarded. In Chihuahua s