king from one
to the other of the figures that almost filled the room.

Major Caruthers now stepped in front of them, his face red with anger.

"What do you mean by intruding on me like this?" he thundered.

For answer, one of the men threw back his coat and displayed the star of
a deputy United States marshal.

"We're officers," he said gruffly, "an' we want Fancy Farnsworth."

"You've come to the wrong place," said the major.

"Oh, no, we haven't. We traced him right here, an' he's in this house."

"What crime has he committed?"

"He killed a woman over at Rodeo last night."

An exclamation of horror arose from all parts of the room.

"There he is! Get him!" almost screamed one of the men, pointing to the
pale but resolute figure standing under the chandelier.

There was a rush, and confusion indescribable followed.

Crash went the chandelier, shattered into a thousand pieces by a dozen
bullets.

Rushing, struggling forms turned the smoke-filled room into a perfect
bedlam.

Two of the intruders went to the floor, sent there by swift and powerful
right-handers from Ted.

But they were up and rushing through the room in the direction of the
Christmas tree.

There Santa Claus met them, and again they were bowled over.

Ted saw the slender, black-clothed figure of Farnsworth slip past him in
the smoke.

Then followed the sharp hoofbeats of a pony on the wooden floor, a crash
of glass, and the swift patter on the earth outside, and all was still.

Farnsworth had leaped upon the back of Ted's Christmas-gift pony and
escaped.

CHAPTER XV.

THE THUGGEE CORD.

Several moments following the dramatic and sensational escape of the
Christmas guest passed in silence, to be broken at last by Kit.

"That was about the smoothest get-away I ever saw," he said, with a
grin, for he had assisted in it by deftly tripping the chief deputy
while he was on the way to intercept the pony.

"What in thunder did they want to stop my star performance for?" asked
Santa Claus, pulling off his beard and revealing the rubicund face of
Ben Tremont, who was slowly baking beneath the heavy robes and hairy
disguise.

"Well, he's gone, and only taken a pony and a window with him," said the
major, "and he's welcome to both. And now, you men, we'll try to
dispense with your company. You see, this is a private party, and had I
known that you were in this part of the country, I probably would have
invited you to be pres