course I will."

The farmer was garrulous on the way, and it required all the
detective's ingenuity to answer his questions promptly, so as not to
excite the fellow's suspicions.

The body of the beautiful dead girl was laid in one of Agent Bragg's
rooms, and the latter telegraphed to the nearest town of importance
for a casket, which arrived at Black Hollow shortly after noon.

"I will attend to shipping it," said Mr. Bragg. "This is a sad case.
It is a wonder to me that somebody did not see the girl yesterday."

"Possibly she got off at another station."

"Do you think she came to this vicinity on the cars?"

"Most certainly," answered the detective.

"Will you go to Chicago now?"

"I am not fully decided," returned Dyke Darrel. "At what hour does the
train pass?"

"Six-fifty to-night."

"But the down train goes earlier?"

"At four."

"And at Bloomington I can take the cars for Burlington?" "If you so
desire."

"I will think about it."

Sauntering along in the afternoon, just in the outskirts of the
village, Dyke Darrel came suddenly upon a man standing with his back
against a telegraph pole.

"Hello!" ejaculated the detective, as the man turned and faced him.

It was Harper Elliston.

"I thought you were in Chicago," pursued the mystified Dyke. And then
he remembered the face he had seen at the window of the cabin in Black
Hollow the previous night. The memory brought a harsh expression to
his countenance.

"Ah, you are still here, Dyke."

Mr. Elliston smiled and held out his hand.

"I don't understand this," said Dyke Darrel. "You have deceived me in
some way, Harper. You were in Black Hollow last night."

"There you are mistaken," assured Mr. Elliston; "I stopped off here on
the noon train."

"You did not go to Chicago, then?"

"Yes, I did; but only remained an hour. You see the man I was looking
for was not there, but had gone to Burlington, Iowa, and so,
remembering that you stopped off here yesterday, I thought I would run
down and learn if you had made any discovery."

"You came at noon?"

"Yes."

"Why did not you call for me at Bragg's?"

"Are you stopping there?"

"Certainly. If you had inquired for me of the agent here, you would
have certainly found me."

"That's exactly what I did do, and I did not find you; so now," and
Mr. Elliston laughed at the perplexed look on the detective's face.

The actions and words of this man were indeed a puzzle to Dyke Darrel.

"Ha