an hour or two."

"Whee! you've got me all worked up with your story, Chief," said Andy
again. "I can just seem to see the whole thing happening. And chances
are, that when Cadger did come to, he found himself tied up, and unable
to even whisper?"

"He had hard work to get enough breath, they had fastened the bandage
across his mouth so tight; but he could see out of one eye. And lying
there, Cadger watched the two yeggs go through the whole operation of
getting nitroglycerine planted, and using all sorts of clothes and even
the rugs off the floor of the president's room to deaden the sound of
the explosion."

"They were old hands at the business, that's sure," remarked Frank, when
the officer paused to catch his breath; for he was talking unusually
fast in his desire to give them all the particulars in as brief a space
of time as possible.

"Yes, there can be no doubt of that," the Chief went on to say, wagging
his head wisely; "and they had been able in some way to get on to a lot
of things that make us wonder like the name of the cashier and the
night-watchman. Looks mighty much like they must have had a friend
around Bloomsbury, who put them wise to those facts. Then they seemed to
have the running of the trains down pat also; for long after they had
their arrangements made they just sat down and waited until the freight
going north and passing Bloomsbury at two-eighteen was pounding up-grade
from Deering's Crossing, and making all manner of noise."

"Oh! to think of the smartness of that, would you?" burst out Andy. "I
was wondering how they could blow open the safe, and the sound of the
explosion never even be heard over at Headquarters, only half a block
away; but now I see how it could be done. Just like a fellow says he can
pull a hair out of your head, and you not feel it; and he makes out to
give you a thump on the head with his other hand at the same time, so of
course you never notice him pulling the hair."

"Just about on the same principle," said the officer, nodding; "for
when that heavy freight goes pounding past the station, it makes enough
noise to drown almost any sort of sound. The windows rattle, and we
always have to stop talking until the caboose gets past. And that was
the time they chose to explode their juice, with an absolute certainty
that no policeman's ear would hear a single thing."

"And Cadger saw it all, did he?" asked practical Frank.

"A good lot of it, by twisting his head