what was going on without being seen.

Glen lost no time getting through the alley, and in a few moments,
flattened against the wall at the southwest corner, could hear all that
Matt said to the men as they sat on the rail at the west front.

"What we want," said one man, "is to catch 'em in the act. They was
timid last night and the fust little noise we made they was off. Are you
one o' them scouts as seen 'em yestiddy?"

"I have seen the little peddler," asserted Matt. "I didn't think he had
spunk enough to rob a blind man."

"Mebbe he has--mebbe he ain't. It don't allus take spunk. Yore chief
said they was another fellow--desp'rit villain. Did ye see him?"

"No, I didn't," Matt admitted reluctantly. "I don't often have any luck.
It takes fellows like Glen Mason."

"Name sounds familiar. Mason! Glen Mason! Let me look at that circ'lar I
got in my pocket. Thought that was it. Fellow, that name, just run off
f'm the reform school. Here's the bill about it."

Glen was seized with a paralyzing terror. This constable or sheriff or
whatever he was had only to reach around the corner to lay hands right
on him. He forgot all about revenge on Matt--what he now wanted was to
get away.

Then he heard the officer's next question.

"This Glen Mason fellow you speak about--is he one of your regular
scouts?"

Glen waited in breathless suspense to hear how Judas would betray him.
The answer left him high and dry, gasping with surprise.

"Yes, he's a regular scout," said Matt. "He's a tenderfoot. I suppose it
isn't such a very uncommon name."

After all, Matt was a scout--a scout and a patrol leader. He might be
conceited, he might be supercilious, he might and did need a lot of
nonsense sweated out of him. But he was a scout, and--a scout is loyal!
He would have loved dearly to see Glen Mason sent back to the reform
school and thus removed from disputing his preeminence. But he was no
Judas--his should not be the tongue to betray a fellow scout.

Glen straightened the fist that he had clenched so fiercely at his side,
and drew a deep breath as he settled himself down more closely into the
protection of his pillar.

"I'd like to see the feller that seen the robbers an' took the ride in
their car. I'd like to see the car. I didn't see it when they went
through here yestiddy." It was the rough voice again.

"Why not go now and see it?" asked Matt. "The bridge where the boys hid
it is only a couple of miles away."

"