Laura Bentley's neck. In one
of his pockets, out of sight, now rested two valuable rings that
he had forcibly stripped from one of Belle's hands.

"Sorry, girls," he was saying. "I never did anything quite as
bad as this before. But if you knew how badly I need to get away
from these parts you'd know why I'm holding up girls to get money
to pay my fare, and-----"

Just then Tag Mosher caught sight of Dick Prescott.

"Stand back!" warned Tag hoarsely. "I don't want to have to do
anything worse than I've just done. Stand back, or by the blue
sky-----"

CHAPTER XX

SOME IMITATION VILLAINY

"Oh, Dick, do keep back. He won't harm us further," cried Laura.

Prescott ran forward by leaps and bounds.

"If you will have it-----" growled Tag, cocking both hammers of his
ugly weapon.

Laura uttered another scream, then, with sudden frenzy, seized
the barrels of the gun.

"Let go!" yelled Dick, racing up. "If he fires, even accidentally,
you'll be killed."

"Then let him put down the gun," panted Laura without releasing
her hold.

Belle seized Tag by his right arm, hanging on frantically.

But Dick, reaching the spot, laid hands on the shotgun.

"Let go, Laura," he commanded sternly. "I have hold of this gun."

It was the tone of the high school boy, not her own fear, that
made Laura Bentley obey.

"Let go of his arm, Belle," Dick insisted. "You girls get back
out of harm's way."

"I won't let go," Belle insisted. Then she resorted, excusably
under the circumstances, to the somewhat feminine trick, of pinching
Tag Mosher's arm sharply.

That started the real fight. Dick tripped the bigger fellow,
and the pair went down together as Belle leaped back.

Click! click! sounded both descending hammers of the sawed-off
shotgun. For an instant---Prescott's heart was in his mouth,
for he knew something of the wicked scattering power of such a
weapon, when discharged, and he feared for the girls.

The next instant, however, his common sense told him that the
hammers had descended harmlessly. By desperate force he wrenched
the piece out of Tag's hands, hurling it away.

Laura's locket, and chain falling to the ground, Belle darted
in and rescued them.

"He has my rings in his right-hand coat pocket," Belle announced.

"He'll give them up, then!" predicted Dick grimly, making a dive
for that pocket. He was on top, in the mix-up, and secured the
rings, tossing them toward Belle. Then Tag,