d up, and we can get his advice," said
Ruth.

Silently they followed her home. They heard no suspicious sounds, so
evidently were not being followed. The chances were that the assistants
of the restaurant keeper did not know what to do, and as Phil knew,
none of the principals were about, and all that could be done was to
await their return.

Garry hated to sacrifice his lariat, as it was an especially fine one,
but there was no help for it, since getting it down would have led them
all into certain capture again.

Arriving at the house, Ruth found that her grandfather was still asleep,
while Mr. Allen was reading a magazine. He told Ruth that he would
finish his story before going home, so that gave her an opportunity to
hear Phil's story.

Hastily Phil went over the details of what had happened to him since
leaving the boys the day before.

"Now the key to the entire matter seems to be the conference that is
going to be held tonight at the home of this Lafe Green. He seems to be
the leader of the entire business, but LeBlanc holds some sort of
position of authority and will probably take the lead tonight, as he has
some sort of a scheme to tell the others. They are planning a fur
smuggling trip in the very near future, because Anderson is now in
Canada buying skins for the trappers. Just what this new plan is I don't
know, for just as he was going to tell it, a man called Vareau came to
the room, and LeBlanc shut up like a clam, seeming not to like him."

"I wonder," said Garry reflectively, "if we couldn't get hold of this
Vareau of whom you speak, and tell him his partners are leaving him out
in the cold, and so get him to help us by leading us to the smuggling
lane?"

"Don't have a thing to do with him," warned Ruth. "I don't blame LeBlanc
for not wanting him to come in on any big plan, for he is like a snake
and cannot be trusted even by those he is working for. Very likely if
you tried to get his help, he would turn around and betray you to
LeBlanc, hoping thereby to be taken in on the new plot."

"That's sound advice," said Garry. "On the whole, it is better for us to
play a lone hand in this game, without taking anyone into our
confidence, except you, Miss Ruth, for without you we might have failed
tonight, and Phil lost forever."

"The first thing to do is to find Lafe Green's house and see if there is
not some way in which we can get in to hear what they are planning. I
know of no other way in whi