h her clothing for the papers. Then,
finding nothing, he turned upon her in a towering rage.

"You're a sly one," he growled between his teeth. "But let me tell you
this, you little imp----"

"Easy, Jensen, easy," cautioned the fat man, whose hand still covered
Nan's mouth.

"If we don't find those papers within the next forty-eight hours,"
raged the other, not noticing his companion, "you will be mighty sorry.
Something is going to happen to you! Get me?"

"You--you brute!" gasped Nan, as the fat man removed his hand from her
mouth.

"It won't do you any good to call names, Miss. You get those papers for
us. And don't you dare to hand 'em to any of your friends either. If you
do--well, you'll be sorry. We are out for those papers, and we are bound
to have 'em."

He pushed Nan from him with such force that she stumbled and fell full
length on the ground, where she lay, a bewildered heap of indignant
girlhood.

For a moment the tall man looked at her with a cruel smile touching his
thin mouth. Then he took his companion by the arm and disappeared
through the trees.

[Illustration: He pushed Nan from him with such force that she stumbled
and fell. (_See page 216_)]

CHAPTER XXVII

WALTER TO THE RESCUE

A familiar shout roused Nan, and she sat up, pushing the hair back from
her face, and instinctively straightened her dress. She picked up her
hat, which had fallen off when she fell, and she pushed this down over
her soft hair as she stumbled to her feet.

She answered the familiar hail, and in another moment she saw Walter
running toward her, looking very anxious and upset. But when the youth
saw her face he stood still, staring at her stupidly.

"Why, Nan!" he cried, "what is it? You--why, you've been crying!"

"W-with rage," said Nan, a sob rising in her throat. "It's those men,
Walter. They searched me! Oh, I'll never get over it--never!"

This time she broke down completely and Walter ran to her, putting a
protecting arm about her, glancing about him at the same time as if he
hoped to see the men who had frightened her and wreak vengeance then and
there.

"Searched you! Who?" he demanded; then, before she could speak, he
added as though answering his own question: "It was those men, Nan. You
told me. Where are they? Quick! Which way did they go?"

But Nan only shook her head and clung to him a little as though she
found comfort in his being there.

"You couldn't catch them--they have