straight and slapped his thigh.
Soup Face opened his mouth, letting his pipe fall out into his lap,
setting fire to his ragged trousers. Dirty Eddie voiced a characteristic
obscenity.

"So you sees," went on Columbus Blackie, "we got a chanct to get both
the dame and The Kid. Two of us can take her to Oakdale an' claim
the reward her old man's offerin' an' de odder two can frisk de Kid,
an'--an'--."

"An' wot?" queried The Sky Pilot.

"Dere's de swamp handy," suggested Soup Face.

"I was tinkin' of de swamp," said Columbus Blackie.

"Eddie and I will return Miss Prim to her bereaved parents," interrupted
The Sky Pilot. "You, Blackie, and Soup Face can arrange matters with The
Oskaloosa Kid. I don't care for details. We will all meet in Toledo as
soon as possible and split the swag. We ought to make a cleaning on this
job, boes."

"You split a mout'ful then," said Columbus Blackie.

They fell to discussing way and means.

"We'd better wait until they're asleep," counseled The Sky Pilot. "Two
of us can tackle this Bridge and hand him the k.o. quick. Eddie and Soup
Face had better attend to that. Blackie can nab The Kid an' I'll annex
Miss Abigail Prim. The lady with the calf we don't want. We'll tell her
we're officers of the law an' that she'd better duck with her live stock
an' keep her trap shut if she don't want to get mixed up with a murder
trial."

*****

Detective Burton was at the county jail in Oakdale administering the
third degree to Dopey Charlie and The General when there came a long
distance telephone call for him.

"Hello!" said the voice at the other end of the line; "I'm Willie Case,
an' I've found Miss Abigail Prim."

"Again?" queried Burton.

"Really," asserted Willie. "I know where she's goin' to be all night. I
heard 'em say so. The Oskaloosie Kid's with her an' annuder guy an' the
girl I seen with the dead man in Squibbs' woods an' they got a BEAR!" It
was almost a shriek. "You'd better come right away an' bring Mr. Prim.
I'll meet you on the ol' Toledo road right south of Payson, an' say, do
I get the whole reward?"

"You'll get whatever's coming to you, son," replied Burton. "You say
there are two men and two women--are you sure that is all?"

"And the bear," corrected Willie.

"All right, keep quiet and wait for me," cautioned Burton. "You'll know
me by the spot light on my car--I'll have it pointed straight up into
the air. When you see it coming