ecumseh, eh? Well, I'll just have a
look, in case he got on the train when you weren't looking."

He walked through the train, and in a few minutes he was back, looking
more serious than ever.

"That's just what he did," he said. "He's up there in the smoking car,
looking as if he'd lost his last friend this morning. He's a hard man to
shake off, and a bad man to have against you. That's always been his
reputation, and I guess you two will be ready to believe that after what
you've seen of him today. I'm going to sit down and do some thinking
now, before we get to Deer Crossing. It's a lucky thing I happened to
decide to run out this afternoon, and it was just accident. I found I
had a little time to myself, and I wired to Miss Mercer that I would
come out and spend the night and see how the Camp Fire Girls were
getting along."

"I thought maybe she'd sent word to you when Dolly and I weren't at the
farm for lunch," said Bessie. "I'm afraid she's worried about us."

"She probably is, and if she hadn't known I was coming anyhow she would
probably have sent for me. Well, you'd better rest up a bit now, Bessie.
We may not be through with Mr. Holmes yet."

"He wouldn't dare try to do anything to me now, when you're here, Mr.
Jamieson!"

"No, I don't believe he would. But that's not exactly what I meant,
He's through with us--for the day. But we're not through with him.
We may have a chance to get even and do something to him, just by way of
a change. I think he needs a lesson to show him that we're a match for
him, after all." Then he went off, explaining that he had to be alone
to think out a problem.

But they hadn't figured out what his plan might be when he returned to
them, chuckling mightily.

"I've got it, I believe," he said. "Holmes acted as if you had treated
him badly, didn't he, when you took his car? As if he was hurt by your
thinking that he didn't mean to do just what he said?"

"Yes," said Bessie.

"Then we'll pretend to believe it, Miss Mercer and I. You needn't, of
course. That wouldn't fool him for a minute. But he'll probably try to
make us think he's all right, and that's just what I want. Oh, we've got
him now, I think! I hope Miss Mercer will be at the station. I can't
explain my plan now, but you'll be in it, and then you'll see. I'm going
up to talk to him now."

So Bessie and Dolly, sadly puzzled, and unable to see what the lawyer
was driving at, saw the two men get off the train at D