and somewhat remorseful at having frightened Gloriana into a
fever, wandered aimlessly away toward town, glad to escape from
Tabitha's watchful eye, and greatly relieved to think no mention had
been made by anyone of the burglars' visit.

"Guess the girls couldn't have heard the noise last night," ventured
Toady, when they had left the house far enough behind to make it
impossible for anyone to overhear their conversation.

"The girls?" repeated Billiard blankly, his thoughts on another phase
of the situation.

"Mercedes and Susie and the twins, I mean."

"Oh! P'r'aps Tabitha's making 'em keep still."

"Do you think Tabitha knows we did it?" cried Toady in alarm.

"Naw, you ninny! That is, not 'nless Glory's gone and squealed."

"But----"

"I meant she'd prob'ly try to hush them up if they had heard our
racket, so's the whole town wouldn't know about the burglars."

"Why? That's just what is worrying me. If she has hushed them up,
it's just to make us believe she doesn't suspect. I'll bet the
constable will be up there bright and early with his d'tectives, asking
all sorts of questions, and everyone in Silver Bow will join in the
hunt."

"Then we'll be found out even if Glory doesn't tell."

Toady nodded gloomily.

"It'll go hard with us if the _constable_ should find out who did it."

Again Toady nodded.

"We--better--light--out--now."

Toady stopped stock-still in the roadway. "Why?" he demanded.

"Do you want to go to jail?"

"Naw, but they don't put _kids_ in jail here. I s'pose likely we'd get
a good thrashing----"

"Would you rather stay here and take a whaling than skip while you've
got the chance?" cried Billiard, turning pale at the mere thought of
such a punishment at the hands of a desert constable, who, somehow, in
his imagination, had assumed the proportions and disposition of a
monster.

"We--we deserve a sound licking," bravely replied Toady, whose
conscience was troubling him sorely.

It was Billiard's turn to halt in the rocky road and stare with
unbelieving eyes at his brother, finally finding vent for his feelings
by hissing the single word, "Coward!"

"No more coward than you!" Toady denied. "We have been as mean as dirt
ever since we came here, and if Tabitha had been as hateful as most
girls are, she'd have written Uncle Hogan long ago."

"So you're fishing to get her to write, are you?"

"No, I ain't, but I believe she'd--like it--better--if we told her
ours