d ahead to where a dull red glare, reflected on
the low hanging clouds, had appeared over the crest of the hill.

"Something doing up there," he called suddenly. "Let's go."

He jerked his revolver free, dug his heels into the flanks of his horse,
and was off on a dead run. Half way up the hill the car passed him, the
black going hard, and its rider's face, under the rim of his uniform
hat, a stern profile. His reins lay loose on the animal's neck, and he
was examining his gun.

The road mounted to a summit, and dipped again. They were in a long
valley, and the burning barn was clearly outlined at the far end of it.
One side was already flaming, and tongues of fire leaped out through the
roof. The men in the car were standing now, doors open, ready to leap,
while the car lurched and swayed over the uneven road. Behind them they
heard the clatter of the oncoming horse.

As they drew nearer they could see three watching figures against the
burning building, and as they turned into the lane which led to the
barnyard a shot rang out and one of the figures dropped and lay still.
There was a cry of warning from somewhere, and before the detectives
could leap from the car, the group had scattered, running wildly. The
state policeman threw his horse back on its hunches, and fired without
apparently taking aim at one of the running shadows. The man threw up
his arms and fell. The state policeman galloped toward him, dismounted
and bent over him.

Firing as they ran, detectives leaped out of the car and gave chase,
and so it was that the young gentleman in bedroom slippers and pajamas,
standing in his car and shielding his eyes against the glare, saw a
curious thing.

First of all, the roof blazed up brightly, and he perceived a human
figure, hanging by its hands from the eaves and preparing to drop. The
young gentleman in pajamas was feeling rather out of things by that
time, so he made a hasty exit from his car toward the barn, losing a
slipper as he did so, and yelling in a slightly hysterical manner. It
thus happened that he and the dropping figure reached the same spot at
almost the same moment, one result of which was that the young gentleman
in pajamas found himself struck a violent blow with a doubled-up fist,
and at the same moment his bare right foot was tramped on with extreme
thoroughness.

The young gentleman in pajamas reeled back dizzily and gave tongue,
while standing on one foot. The person he addressed w