ng? A hotel clerk who became human once in my
presence told me all about it. If you went into the cellar and hunted
about, you might find that door and climb up into the card-room."

"A bully idea," agreed Mr. Magee. "I'll hurry down there this minute.
I'm more grateful than you can guess for this chance. And this time--but
you'll see."

He found the back stairs, and descended. In the kitchen the hermit got
in his path.

"Mr. Magee," he pleaded, "I consider that, in a way, I work for you
here. I've got something important to tell you. Just a minute--"

"Sorry," answered Magee, "but I can't possibly stop now. In an hour I'll
talk to you. Show me the cellar door, and don't mention where I've gone,
there's a good fellow."

Mr. Peters protested that his need of talk was urgent, but to no avail.
Magee hurried to the cellar, and with the aid of a box of matches found
a ladder leading to a door cut in the floor above. He climbed through
dust and cobwebs, unfastened the catch, and pushed cautiously upward. In
another minute he was standing in the chill little card-room. Softly he
opened the card-room door about half an inch, and put his ear to it.

The three men were grouped very close at hand, and he heard Mr. Bland
speaking in low tones:

"I'm talking to you boys as a friend. The show is over. There ain't no
use hanging round for the concert--there won't be none. Go home and get
some clean collars and a square meal."

"If you think I'm going to be shook off by any fairy story like that,"
said the mayor of Reuton "you're a child with all a child's touching
faith."

"All right," replied Mr. Bland, "I thought I'd pass you the tip, that's
all. It ain't nothing to me what you do. But it's all over, and you've
lost out. I'm sorry you have--but I take Hayden's orders."

"Damn Hayden!" snarled the mayor. "It was his idea to make a three-act
play out of this thing. He's responsible for this silly trip to
Baldpate. This audience we've been acting for--he let us in for them."

"I know," said Bland. "But you can't deny that Baldpate Inn looked like
the ideal spot at first. Secluded, off the beaten path, you know, and
all that."

"Yes," sneered the mayor, "as secluded as a Sunday-school the Sunday
before Christmas."

"Well, who could have guessed it?" went on Mr. Bland. "As I say, I don't
care what you do. I just passed you the tip. I've got that nice little
package of the long green--I've got it where you'll never find it