tters!" he exclaimed. "One to John Larkins, an' the other to
Frederick Glendale. What's up now?"

Raikes uttered a hoarse cry, and snatched vainly at the letters. Then
his head fell back, and a hopeless expression came over his face. He
mumbled something inaudible. Meanwhile Sparwick had passed both
envelopes to Jerry.

"See what's inside, lad," he said. "I kin make out to read writin', but
no doubt you're better. Anyway, this scamp would snatch 'em out of my
hand."

Hamp looked eagerly over Jerry's shoulder. The first envelope bore the
following address:

MR. FREDERICK GLENDALE, Attorney at Law,
Lears Building, Broadway, New York.

Jerry opened it, and took out a sheet of paper covered with neat and
legible writing. He glanced briefly at it, and his eyes opened wide.

"Listen to this," he cried, excitedly. Then he read aloud: *

dear mr. glendale:--I am a prisoner in a lonely and inaccessible part of
the Maine woods. My captors know who I am, and unless you pay them ten
thousand dollars I will be murdered. The man who gives you this letter
will tell you when and where the sum necessary for my release must be
paid over. I send a letter for my father. Cable it to him at once if you
need his authority to pay the money. There is no other way to get me out
of the fix, so don't be so foolish as to appeal to the police. If the
messenger is harmed, or fails to return here in ten days. I will be
murdered. Don't delay, for my life is at stake. Only ten thousand
dollars will save me. I am writing of my own free will.

Yours sincerely, jim larkins.

Jerry opened the other letter, and glanced through it.

"This is pretty much the same thing," he said. "Brick begs his father to
cable to Mr. Glendale to pay the money at once, and without dispute. Did
you ever hear of such an outrageous scheme of robbery? The whole affair
is as plain as daylight now. Brick is a prisoner some place in the
woods, and Bogle is watching him."

"That's just it," cried Hamp. "The thing was planned weeks ago. It
sounds like a story out of a book. The idea of bandits carrying off a
person for ransom money in the State of Maine."

"Gimme the letters," exclaimed Sparwick. He took them from Jerry, and
held them up high in both hands. Slowly and monotonously he spelled out
their contents.

"Je-ru-sa-lem!" he ejaculated. "Ten thousand dollars! Think of it. Yes,
it's plain now. What a streak of luck to nab this fellow. We'll find the
missin