hearted couple.

Then, too, he had the paper in his hand, which evidently Matilda had
given over to him immediately she entered. He made straight for that
hammock, as though he had actually heard Jim suggest such a charming
possibility.

"Now we're in great luck," Thad breathed, gripping Hugh by the knee,
as they crouched in company behind their screen of bushes. "We can
watch, and see just what effect that bombshell has on the skunk!"

"Keep quiet, Thad," warned Hugh; "or he might hear you."

The reformed tramp seemed to be very particular about his comfort
nowadays. Time was when he could throw himself down carelessly
on the hardest kind of ground and rest easy; but since he had taken
to living under a roof things were different. They saw him fix
the pillow in the hammock very carefully before he allowed himself
to recline there. Then he raised the paper, and seemed to take
a careless glance at it.

Hardly had he done this than the watchers saw him start upright again.
He was undoubtedly devouring the thrilling news item on the front
page with "avidity"---at least, that was what Jim Pettigrew would
have called it, had he been at his favorite job of "writing up"
the doings of Scranton society for the past week.

"Now he has got a body blow!" hissed the delighted Thad, unable to
keep still any great length of time when his pulses were throbbing
like mad, and his eyes round with eagerness.

Brother Lu read the article through. Then he lowered the paper
and seemed to be meditating, to judge from his attitude. Hugh thought
he could detect something akin to a wide grin on the other's face,
but then he may have been mistaken. Thad, on his part, was positive
that he knew what must be passing through the mind of the man after
reading that suggestive news concerning the Texan marshal who never
yet allowed an intended victim to elude his clutches, and who meant
to get the guilty party so badly wanted "down below."

"Say, he's figuring on whether he'd best streak it as he is, or go
in and gather a few things together that he may need," continued the
irrepressible Thad.

Even as he spoke they saw the other scramble hastily out of the
comfortable hammock, and start post-haste for the open door of the
cottage. Thad was as certain of what was about to happen as that
he knew his own name. Hugh suspended judgment, believing that it
would be unwise to jump too hastily to a decision. Besides, there
were a few littl