ere
safely through the village the big man had alighted.

"I'm goin' back to lie aroun' an' meet the other fellows," he said to
Jervice. "You beat it along with your car. You can stop an' do a little
tradin' when ye get to the next county. That'll prove you wasn't
anywheer around if anythink should happen to-night. But be sure you git
rid of the kid an' start back so's to git here by midnight."

Apple and Chick-chick took up the trail with renewed confidence now that
they felt they had only Jervice to reckon with. They had seen him at
the scout camp last Sunday and had no great respect for his dimensions
or prowess.

It was late in the afternoon when first they saw the peddler's car in
the road ahead.

"Let's trail along kind o' slow and watch him awhile," suggested Apple.
"Maybe he'll be stopping somewhere."

As it happened this guess was well founded. Mr. J. Jervice had two
reasons for stopping. One was that he wanted himself to be seen a good,
long distance away from the bank, so that he could prove that he was far
distant from that region if any robbery occurred. The other was a
natural cupidity which sorely regretted the necessity of hurriedly
passing prosperous farm houses where perfectly good money was all ready
to exchange for his wares.

A mile further on a splendid house came into view. Everything about it
spelled prosperity--its barns, and silos and windmills and fences all
showed that the residents believed in having what they needed and had
money to spend on their needs. The bait was irresistible. Mr. Jervice
stopped his car at the side of the road, clambered down from his seat
and went to lift the bars from the rear door.

Two boys on a motorcycle ditched their wheel a hundred yards away and
crept cautiously up.

"He's going to the house to try to sell something," whispered Apple. "We
must keep him from locking those back doors so we can look inside."

"We sure will," vowed Chick-chick.

Crouching in the bushes at the side of the road their pulses throbbed in
great excitement as they observed that the peddler addressed some one
inside the car. His tone was low so they did not catch the words, but
they heard a mumble and saw his cruel laugh.

"We'll teach him to laugh," whispered Chick-chick.

"But supposing he shuts and locks that rear door before he goes up to
the house."

"That's up to us. We'll watch him. If he locks it we must catch him as
he goes through that orchard and get the key a