ne word of what he
heard.

"Own up, Wagner, that it was all your doings!" said Sid, coaxingly.

"Yes, what have you done with my cousin? It'll go easier with you if you
turn in and help us find him!" exclaimed little Semi-Colon.

Fred said nothing. He was still watching the varied emotions that fairly
flew across the expressive face of Felix Wagner. Gradually he found
himself believing more than ever that the Mechanicsburg fellow was
innocent. What he had seen of Felix in the various games played between
the boys of the rival schools had inclined him to look on the other as a
pretty decent sort of chap.

"Well, I declare, is that what ails you?" burst out Wagner, presently,
as he looked around the circle of angry faces.

"Just what it is," replied Sid.

"We've traced you all the way up here, and we're bound to rescue our
chum, or know the reason why," Bristles declared.

"You thought that old covered wagon of Toby's, and his limping white
horse, would be a smart dodge; but we found you out," Corney threw at
the boy at bay.

Then the comical side of the affair seemed to strike Wagner. He threw
back his head and laughed heartily.

"Oh! yes, it looks funny to you, perhaps!" cried little Semi-Colon; "but
just think of what his poor mother suffered when she went into his room
this morning, and found that Colon hadn't slept in his bed all night,
and that he couldn't be found anywhere. Now, laugh again, hang you!"

Wagner instantly sobered up.

"I don't blame you one little bit for feeling sore at me, if you think I
had any hand in such a low-down business," he said, earnestly. "Why, I
can prove it by Mr. Ketcham, the gentleman in the car I told you about,
who gave me the news, that I was hot under the collar, and said, over
and over again, that it was a mighty small way to win games."

"Oh! you said that, did you, Felix?" mumbled Bristles, eyeing the other
suspiciously; for he was slow to change his mind, once it was set on a
thing.

"More than that," continued Wagner, stoutly; "I told him plainly, and
he's on the committee of arrangements for your town too, that I'd never
run in a race when my worst rival had been spirited away just to throw
the game, either to us or Paulding."

"Gee! that sounds straight!" muttered Sid.

"Stop and think a minute, Sid Wells," the accused lad went on; "you've
known me a long time, and we've been rivals from the days when we were
knee high to grasshoppers; but did you ever k