rd
of them. I am afraid they have made good their escape."

"I only hope," declared Bob, "that I may live long enough to get my hands
on the throat of one or both of them."

"I'd like that privilege," returned Mr. Rockwell warmly, "but I am afraid
the chances are slim. They may be hundreds of miles away by this time."

"Well," said Joe, "the arm of the law is long and it may reach them yet."

"Here's hoping," said Bob.

CHAPTER IV

RADIO PLANS

Shortly after the unfortunate affair at the dance Larry and Tim came to
the Layton bungalow, overjoyed at a letter they had just received.

"Bob, our streak of bad luck must be broken at last," exulted Larry. "It
was beginning to look like the bread line for ours, but now maybe we'll be
able to eat heartily again."

"You don't look very hungry just at present," grinned Bob. "But what does
it say in that letter that you're waving around, anyway?"

"We've got an engagement, at last," put in Tim. "And, oh, boy! make out it
doesn't seem like money from home!"

"Well, that's certainly fine," said Bob, heartily.

"It's with Chasson's vaudeville show," explained Larry. "It's a traveling
show, and we probably won't show more than one or two nights in a town. Of
course, it isn't as swell an outfit as we would like to connect up with,
but it will keep the wolf from the door for a little while."

"It will tide us over until we can hook up with something classier,
anyway," said Tim. "The chances are we'll play in all the towns around
this part of the country, and if we land in the one you fellows live in,
we'll expect you to applaud our act harder than any of the others, no
matter how bad we are." And he grinned.

"If you come to Clintonia, you can bet we'll give you the glad hand, all
right," promised Bob. "I suppose we all get free passes, don't we?" with a
twinkle in his eye.

"You'd get all you want if Tim and I had the say-so," said Larry, "but the
manager probably won't be able to see it that way."

"Some day we'll have a show of our own, maybe," said Tim. "Then we'll give
you all passes, you can bet your boots on that."

"Don't try to hold your breath until then, though," said Larry. "The way
things are breaking for us lately, we'll be more likely to be inviting our
friends to come and visit us in the poorhouse."

"Over the hills to the poorhouse,
It's not so far away,
We may get there to-morrow,