iously red.
Plum said that one was named Blodgett and the other Volney.

"I believe they came here from Hartford," the big youth added. "I wish I
had their record from that city."

The men turned into a resort that was half tavern and half restaurant.
At the doorway they met another burly fellow who had evidently been
drinking pretty freely.

"Hello, Blodgett!" cried this man. "Glad to see you again. Hello,
Volney!"

"How are you, Crandall," answered Blodgett, while Volney nodded
pleasantly. "What brought you to town?"

"Was looking for you two chaps."

"Why?" questioned Volney, quickly.

"Oh, I've got news that will interest you."

"About Sadler?"

"Yes."

"Tell me about it," demanded Blodgett, hoarsely. "What has he found
out?"

"A whole lot."

"Does he suspect us?"

"I don't know as to that. He suspects somebody."

"You didn't tell him anything, did you?" asked Volney, catching Crandall
by the arm.

"No, but he is satisfied that he was swindled. He was going to the
Hartford police about it."

"Hang the luck!" muttered Blodgett. "Tell us the particulars."

"Come inside and I will--it's too cold out here," was the answer; and
then the three men entered the tavern.

Dave and Gus Plum had not heard all of the talk, but they had heard
enough, and each looked at the other inquiringly.

"I believe they are thorough rascals," said Dave. "I wish we could hear
the rest of what that Crandall has to say."

"Come with me--I've been in this building before," answered the former
bully of Oak Hall.

He led the way to an alley halfway down the block. This ran to the rear
of the tavern, where there was a door communicating with a hallway and
a back stairs. Under the stairs was a closet filled with discarded
cooking utensils. The closet had two doors, one opening into a
drinking-room behind the main bar-room of the tavern.

Looking through a crack of the door, they saw that the three men had
seated themselves, the proprietor of the resort spending his time with
some men in front.

"Now give us the straight of the story," Blodgett was saying.

Thereupon Crandall launched into a tale that took him the best part of
ten minutes to relate. From his talk it was clear that a man named
Dodsworth Sadler, of Hartford, had met the three men at Albany and
gambled with them on three different occasions. Sadler had lost several
hundred dollars one night and nearly a thousand the next, and then
Blodgett and Volney h