ther, so that he lay helpless.
After that the boys dragged their prisoner across the porch, then they
carried him to where the car stood amid the shrubbery and placed him in
the tonneau.

"Now, Billy," said Phil, "you watch him close. I'll go back, get that
bag of his, shut the doors and come back. Don't take your eyes off him.
He's tricky!"

And Phil again went back while Worth stood over the man watchful and
wary.

He was a sullen looking chap, like and yet unlike the stranger whom,
with his partner, Billy had briefly seen that day at Feeney's. His eyes,
roving about, avoided Billy, while he apparently looked for some further
loop-hole that might offer another chance to resist or afford a possible
escape.

"No good, old man," remarked Worth, standing over him with the tube in
hand, ready for any move the bound man might make. "You've got to go
with us."

"Look here!" suddenly said the fellow. "We've got money--me and my
partner. Why not turn us loose on the quiet? We'll make it all
right--sure."

"How do we know you'll make it all right? Didn't you shoot your own
partner? He says you did. He calls you Dippy Quinn. That your name?"

"Oh, that's nothing! I was reloading the pistol. It went off 'fore I
knew a thing. That's the real goods, boy! As I said, he and me have the
dough. Two hundred of it's yours, provided you'll turn us loose--on the
quiet."

"You're talking to no good, Quinn. I wouldn't be party to turning either
you or Horr loose, not if you placed twice that amount in my hands right
now."

About this time Phil was seen coming, lugging what appeared to be a very
heavy suitcase, evidently packed full of something that weighed about as
much as Phil could carry. At sight of this the man seemed beside himself
with anger. He almost spat in Billy's face as he declared:

"You're both a dirty set of rogues! Yes, both of you! That," pointing at
the packed bag, "is mine--mine and my partner's. We wasn't bothering
you--"

"Oh, no!" laughed Billy. "Come, that's good! All you did was to gag and
tie me and try to steal our car. That's a mere nothing, of course."

Phil, by this time arriving, seated himself at the wheel, putting the
bag beside him. Then he looked warningly at Worth, saying:

"Keep a sharp eye out, Billy. If he gets too obstreperous, just use the
tube. If that don't quiet him, try his pistol."

Then he started the car, steering carefully until they had turned round
and were headed up the