clerk. 'Yes,' said I; 'it's special news for his paper, and he's scared
that the others should tap it.' That was what the operator thought and
what I thought at the time; but I think differently now."

"By Gar! I believe you are right," said McGinty. "But what do you allow
that we should do about it?"

"Why not go right down now and fix him?" someone suggested.

"Ay, the sooner the better."

"I'd start this next minute if I knew where we could find him," said
McMurdo. "He's in Hobson's Patch; but I don't know the house. I've got
a plan, though, if you'll only take my advice."

"Well, what is it?"

"I'll go to the Patch to-morrow morning. I'll find him through the
operator. He can locate him, I guess. Well, then I'll tell him that I'm
a Freeman myself. I'll offer him all the secrets of the lodge for a
price. You bet he'll tumble to it. I'll tell him the papers are at my
house, and that it's as much as my life would be worth to let him come
while folk were about. He'll see that that's horse sense. Let him come
at ten o'clock at night, and he shall see everything. That will fetch
him sure."

"Well?"

"You can plan the rest for yourselves. Widow MacNamara's is a lonely
house. She's as true as steel and as deaf as a post. There's only
Scanlan and me in the house. If I get his promise--and I'll let you
know if I do--I'd have the whole seven of you come to me by nine
o'clock. We'll get him in. If ever he gets out alive--well, he can talk
of Birdy Edwards's luck for the rest of his days!"

"There's going to be a vacancy at Pinkerton's or I'm mistaken. Leave it
at that, McMurdo. At nine to-morrow we'll be with you. You once get the
door shut behind him, and you can leave the rest with us."

Chapter 7

The Trapping of Birdy Edwards

As McMurdo had said, the house in which he lived was a lonely one and
very well suited for such a crime as they had planned. It was on the
extreme fringe of the town and stood well back from the road. In any
other case the conspirators would have simply called out their man, as
they had many a time before, and emptied their pistols into his body;
but in this instance it was very necessary to find out how much he
knew, how he knew it, and what had been passed on to his employers.

It was possible that they were already too late and that the work had
been done. If that was indeed so, they could at least have their
revenge upon the man who had done it. But they were hopeful that
not