tly north!

"Southwest, you say, Joe?" he asked, wishing to make assurance doubly
sure.

"He said exactly southwest; and as he kept repeating that word a number
of times there isn't a bit of chance that I'd get it mixed. You can
depend on it, Frank, and if you're away up at Rockford, seems to me
you'll have to make a big change of base right soon, if you want to get
in touch with them raskils."

Frank's mind was in somewhat of a whirl. He wondered whether the farm
hand, Felix Boggs, could have been mistaken in what he had said; though
Andy, too, had seen the biplane, and noted the direction of its flight.
But perhaps this farmer, or whoever he might turn out to be, had
discovered the fugitive flying machine at a much later time, after the
two men had changed the course of their flight.

"I suppose you might as well tell me who the party was from whom you got
your news, Joe," he remarked; though without any particular object in
view, since he could hardly expect to hunt the other up, and ask more
questions.

And then came the answer, that gave Frank quite a thrill, as he grasped
the peculiar significance of it all.

"Why, you know him all right, Frank," said Officer Green, glibly, "he's
the pilot of the little lake steamer, and his name's Todd Pemberton!"

CHAPTER XI

COMPARING NOTES

"He must have hurried up to Headquarters, then, as soon as he landed,
because we saw the Mermaid crossing the northern end of the lake, bound
for the lumber camp, before heading for Bloomsbury. How about it, Joe?"
Frank went on to ask, as soon as he had recovered from his surprise
after hearing that particular name mentioned.

"Said he heard about the robbery," came over the wire in Officer Green's
ponderous tones; "and the fact of the raskils skipping out with the
Carberry boy's biplane, as soon as he put foot ashore; and thinking that
the police might like to know what he had seen, he just ran all the way
here."

"Which I take it was mighty thoughtful of Todd," declared Frank, drily;
but if he spoke sarcastically the fact was not known to the man at the
other end.

"I told him so, and complimented him on his zeal in assisting the course
of justice," the other continued, "which was all the more remarkable,
you know, Frank, because, to tell the truth, Todd himself was once a bad
egg, until he reformed, and got his present job. It does him great
credit, sure it does."

"He went away after letting you know that if yo