sand dollars would be paid
down when we started; another thousand when we got 'er into the cave;
and the rest when we had 'er at the dock in New York--alive an' unhurt.
See? We was given to understand that she was to travel all the rest of
'er life fer 'er health. I remember one thing plain: The old man said to
the young 'un: 'She must not know a thing of this, or it will ruin
everything.' He wasn't referrin' to the girl either. There was another
woman in the case. They seemed mighty anxious to pull the job off
without this woman gettin' next.

"Well, we got ready to start, and the two parties coughed up the
thousand plunks--that is, the young 'un handed it over to Sam when the
old 'un told him to. Sam took three hundred and the rest of us two
hundred a piece. When they were lookin' from the winder to see that
nobody on the streets was watchin' the house, I asked Sam if he knowed
either of them by name. He swore he didn't, but I think he lied. But
jest before they left the house, I happened to look inside of the old
boy's hat--he had a stiff dicer. There was a big gilt letter in the top
of it."

"What was that letter?" demanded Bonner eagerly.

"It was a B."

Bonner looked at Anderson as if the floor were being drawn from under
his feet.

"The young chap said somethin' low to the old 'un about takin' the night
train back to the University an' comin' down again Saturday."

"To the University? Which one? Did he mention the name?" cried Bonner.

"No. That's all he said."

"Good heavens, if it should be!" said Bonner as if to himself.

"Well, we come up here an' done the job. You know about that, I guess.
Sam saw the young feller one night up at Boggs City, an' got
instructions from him. He was to help us git 'er away from here in an
automobile, an' the old man was to go across the ocean with 'er. That's
all I know. It didn't turn out their way that time, but Sam says it's
bound to happen."

Bonner, all eagerness and excitement, quickly looked around for
Anderson, but the marshal had surreptitiously left the room. Then,
going over to the door, he called for Anderson Crow. Bud Long was there.

"Anderson left five minutes ago, Mr. Bonner, hurryin' like the dickens,
too," he said. "He's gone to hunt up a feller named Barnes. He told me
to tell you when you came out."

CHAPTER XXXIV

Elsie Banks Returns

Bonner, considerably annoyed and alarmed by the marshal's actions, made
every effort to turn him b