warded I'll be glad
to oblige you. You know how fussy the government is about the use of the
mail for irregular purposes? Well, it rather tickled me to get some
envelopes with S. S. S. P. printed in the corner and the number of a
vacant lot in Sioux City as the address. A careless eye would think the
initials stood for some sort of learned society but the real translation
is Society for the Segregation of Stolen Property. I always use these in
communicating with the brotherhood."

"There's a good deal about the business I don't know," said Archie with
twinges of envy and admiration. "My bridges are all burned behind me and
I'm not getting mail anywhere; but I'll remember your offer."

Further conversation was ended by the swinging of a lantern across the
road.

"Ah!" exclaimed the Governor, with a curious rising inflexion. "I've
been looking for that."

He slowed up instantly and in a moment halted car. The headlights played
upon two men standing belligerently in front of the roadster.

"Good evening, gentlemen!" cried the Governor. "Short of gas or what's
the trouble?"

"We're from the Portsmouth police," answered one of the men while the
other ran to the rear of the car and swung a lantern over the license
tag.

"Maine tag," he shouted.

"Certainly a Maine license," replied the Governor. "We're deputy
sheriffs from Cumberland County looking for two crooks who've been
robbing houses up our way. Got blank warrants all ready to serve if we
catch the scoundrels."

Archie shuddered at the Governor's assurance. The Portsmouth officers
manifested the deepest professional interest and sympathy as the
Governor with an authoritative air flourished two documents.

"Burglar shot at Bailey Harbor last night," explained one of the
officers; "they found his body this morning and we're looking for his
accomplice. Guess he didn't come this way; we been on the road all
night."

"We've held up everybody that looked suspicious all the way down and
haven't seen a soul," the Governor replied in official tones. "Think the
chaps we're looking for skipped by train. What did the dead burglar look
like?"

"I talked with the Bailey mayor over the telephone and he said the dead
man was a big fellow, clean-shaven with the scar of an old knife wound
under his left arm. One of the cottagers shot him in his house, but he
got away--crawled down on the shore and died. Boston police
department's sending a man up to look at the body. Nev