hemselves."

"Young man, that's a first-rate suggestion!" exclaimed the chief, eyeing
him appraisingly, "and you can believe we'll take advantage of it. I'll
commandeer a couple from the Electric Light Company in readiness to
mount on the truck when it comes along. I wish we could persuade you and
your friends to join the Barberton police force."

"We'll be pretty nearly a part of it until those crooks are captured, if
you'll let us," said Bob. "We all want to be in at the finish."

"It will be a dangerous business, and bullets may fly thick," the chief
warned him. "You fellows have done more than your full duty already, and
we can hardly call on you to do any more."

"Just the same, we'll come along if you don't mind," insisted Bob.

"Oh, I'll be very glad to have you, as far as I'm concerned," said Mr.
Durand. "I suppose you'll want to be in on it, too, Frank?"

"You're dead right," Brandon assured him emphatically. "I've gone too
far with this to want to drop out now."

At this point the lieutenant appeared and reported that the men were in
the automobiles, ready to start. Picking up the telephone, the chief
ordered his own car. He invited Mr. Brandon and the radio boys to ride
with him.

"You can leave your car in the police garage, Frank," he said, and
Brandon was not slow in availing himself of this offer. In a short time
he returned, and the three automobiles started for the scene of the
projected hold-up, the chief's car leading and the other two following
close behind.

CHAPTER XXIV

LYING IN WAIT

"Doesn't look as though there's going to be much monotony in our young
lives to-night," remarked Bob, as, tightly packed in the tonneau of the
car, the boys rode on through the gathering darkness.

"For that matter there hasn't been much for several days past," chuckled
Joe, who sat at his right. "A fellow would have to be a glutton to want
more adventure than we've had since we came to Braxton Woods. What with
Buck Looker and Black Donegan, we ought to be pretty well satisfied."

"I only hope Cassey will be in the gang that is rounded up to-night,"
observed Herb. "It would be too bad if only the rest were captured and
that all-around scoundrel slipped through the meshes."

"I guess Cassey is the brains of the whole bunch," put in Jimmy.
"Probably the others didn't know anything about radio until he put them
on to it. He'll be there all right. And he's likely to put up a pretty
stiff fight be