to vanish into the black shadows round
the corner. Something familiar about it struck Hiram, and the next
moment he realized why.

"If that wasn't Bill Bender, I'm a Dutchman," he muttered, his heart
beating a little faster. "But what can he be doing round here at this
time of night?"

As he put the question to himself, Bill Bender, walking rapidly, as if
he had come from some distance, and had not dodged round the corner a
moment before, suddenly appeared from round the angle of the bank
building.

"Good evening, Bill," said Hiram, wondering if his eyes were not
playing him some queer tricks; "wasn't that you just went round the
corner?"

"Who, me?" blustered Bill. "You need to visit an oculist, young man.
I've just come from a visit to my aunt's. It was her birthday, and we
had a bully time. Sat up a little too late, though. Good night."

And with a great assumption of easiness, the crony of Jack Curtiss
walked rapidly off up the street.

"I guess he's right," mused Hiram, as he hurried on home. "But if that
wasn't Bill Bender who walked round that corner it was his ghost, and
all the ghosts I ever read about don't wear squeaky boots."

If Hiram had remained he would have had further cause to be suspicious
and speculative.

The lad's footsteps had hardly died out down the street before Bill
Bender cautiously retraced his way, and, going round to the side
street, upon which the steps leading to the armory opened, gave a
cautious whistle. In reply a sack was lowered from a window to him by
some person invisible above.

Although there was some little light on the Main Street by reason of
the moon and the few scattering lamps along the thoroughfare, the spot
in which Bill now stood was as black as the proverbial pocket.

"Is the coast all clear?" came down a voice from the window above.

"Yes; but if I hadn't spotted young Hiram Nelson coming down the street
and warned you to put out that light, it wouldn't have been," responded
Bill in the same cautious tone.

"Well, we're safe enough now," came back the voice above, which any of
his acquaintances would have recognized as Jack Curtiss'. "I've got the
rest of them in this other sack. Here, take this one when I drop it."

Bill made a bungling effort to catch the heavy receptacle that fell
following Jack's warning, but in the darkness he failed, and it crashed
down with quite a clatter.

"Look out!" warned Jack anxiously, "some one might hear that