d you to."

"But I've let you have a hundred and ten dollars already! It's every cent
I can spare!"

"Well, I've got to have more."

"I'll bet you've been gambling it away, Haddon."

"It's none of your business what Bud Haddon does with his money!"
exclaimed the stranger, with a toss of his head and blowing a ring of
tobacco smoke toward the ceiling of the shed. "If you don't want me to
start things you do as I told you to."

"Do you know what I think!" exclaimed Brassy, after a pause. "I think
those tramp cowboys were guilty."

"You can't put that off on no cowboys!" exclaimed Bud Haddon. "I know all
about it, and so do Jillson and Dusenbury."

"They don't know anything--at least they don't know anything about me!"
cried Brassy. But it was plainly to be seen that he was exceedingly
nervous. "Somebody's been cooking up a story against me!"

"Ain't nobody cookin' up nothin'," growled the man. "I know what I'm
talkin' about. You'd better get busy if you know when you're well off. If
you don't, and your uncle gets wind of this--well, good-night for you!"

"Oh, don't say anything to my uncle! Please don't!"

"Well, then you get busy. I've hung around here about as long as I intend
to. I'm goin' back to Chicago in a few days."

At this juncture the Rovers heard a noise outside, and several boys
playing hide-and-seek appeared. Not wishing to be discovered by Brassy
and his companion, Andy and Randy hurried out into the street and up to
the corner. Here they waited for a while, and presently saw Brassy and
Bud Haddon come forth. The man sauntered away in the direction of the
town while Brassy sped off on the winding road leading to Colby Hall.

"Now what do you make of this?" questioned Randy, as he and his brother
continued on their errand.

"It looks rather suspicious to me," answered Andy. "It looks as if Brassy
had done something that wasn't right and this man was going to expose him
unless Brassy paid over some hush money."

"Yes, and from what Brassy said, he evidently has already paid the man
one hundred and ten dollars."

On the way back to Colby Hall after their errand was finished the twins
discussed the matter, but could arrive at no satisfactory conclusion.
That evening they told their cousins of what they had heard, and also
mentioned the matter to Gif and Spouter.

"It looks to me as if that Bud Haddon had a hold on Brassy," remarked
Jack. "But whether Brassy is really guilty or not of some wro