e hospital as a prisoner or as a patient, just as you
elect."

"Pile it on! pile it on!" growled Wacker. "You've got the upper hand,
and you'll squeeze me, I suppose. All the same, those who stand back of
me will take care of me or I'll explode a bomb that will shatter
Pleasantville to pieces!"

Colonel Harrington shuddered at this palpable allusion to himself.

"And I'm going to sue the railroad company for my smashed foot. What do
you want?"

"This, Mr. Wacker," pursued Bart quietly, "you have to-night committed a
crime that means State's prison for ten years if I make the complaint."

"I'll have a partner in it, all the same!" remarked Wacker grimly.

The colonel groaned.

"You were after a package that belongs to a friend of mine," continued
Bart. "I want to know why, and I want to know what you have done with
that person."

"Don't you torture me!" cried Wacker irritably--"don't you let him," he
blared out to the quacking magnate. "I won't say a word. Let Harrington
do as he pleases. He's the king bee! Only, just this, Harrington, you
take care of me or I'll blow the whole business."

"Yes, yes," stammered the colonel in a mean, servile way, approaching
the litter, "leave it all to me, Wacker. Don't raise a row, Stirling,"
he pleaded piteously, "don't have him arrested, I'll foot the bill, I'll
square everything. This matter must be hushed--yes, yes, hushed up!"
hoarsely groaned the military man. "Oh, its dreadful, dreadful!"

Bart felt that he had matters in strong control, spoke a word to
McCarthy and, when the ambulance came, allowed them to take Lem Wacker
to the hospital.

Then he and Colonel Harrington were alone. The latter was in a pitiable
condition of fear and humiliation.

"See here, Stirling," he said finally, "I'll confess the truth. I've
done wrong. There's a paper in that package that would mean disgrace for
me if it was made public. I'll own to that, but it's over a dead and
buried business, and it can do no good to make it public property now. I
warn you if it is, I will shoot myself through the head."

Bart doubted if the colonel had the courage to carry out his threat, but
he temporized with the great man, got him to make enough admissions to
somewhat clear the situation, and the long discussion ended with the
announcement by Colonel Harrington that he "would go."

In other words, he confessed that Baker, Bart's friend and the highest
bidder for the mysterious express package, was