replied the other, "but why do you say that, Colon?"

"Oh! because Corny's shown up in Riverport again, and it might mean he's
got another sly robbery in view," Colon calmly remarked.

CHAPTER XII

LAYING PLANS

"Did you see him yourself, Colon, or did some one tell you?" Fred
inquired calmly, although he rubbed his forehead, as though bothered a
little by this latest news.

"Well, you know strangers don't come to town in droves these days, and so
when I happened to set eyes on a party I didn't recognize, who had just
been talking with Hi Jimmerson, the livery stable man, I asked him who it
was. Don't know just why that bumped into my head, but I had an errand
with Hi, anyhow, you understand."

"And he told you it was Corny Ludson, did he?" asked Fred.

"Yes, that's what he did," came the ready reply. "It seems he used to
know the man over in New Brunswick years ago. If you and Bristles had
run across Hi when you were trying to find out something about Corny,
you'd have struck a gold mine. He told me a lot of queer things about
him, and none of 'em that were to his credit, either."

"What did Corny want with the livery man?" asked Fred.

"Oh! tried to strike him for a little loan on account of old times," the
other replied. "Said he'd been up against it harder than flint, and had
a couple of kids to feed, left to him by his brother. Hi is an easy
mark, you know, with a great big heart, and he staked Corny to the extent
of a dollar, though he did tell him money was scarce, and that would be
the limit."

Fred seemed to be pondering, for he was somewhat slow about speaking
again.

"Well, it may be we've been wronging Corny by making up our minds he
stole that stuff from old Mr. Periwinkle," he finally went on to say,
"though the miser did tell us he would recognize the tin box among a
thousand. I hardly know what we ought to do about this thing."

"If you told the Chief all you know, what d'ye reckon he'd do?" inquired
Colon.

"He's such a peppery and ready-to-act little chap," answered Fred, "that
I'm of the opinion he'd round Corny up in a rush. That might turn out to
be the right thing. And again there's a chance it'd play him a mean
trick. What if he were innocent after all? We'd feel that we'd done him
a great wrong."

This thought worked upon Colon's mind at once, for he had a very tender
heart.

"Yes," he added, reflectively. "And then, how about that boy and girl?
Like as no