. You see, somebody
has to be shot, and it's always so much to the good if they can line
up gringoes instead of natives. Nine times out of ten it's an
Irish-American lad that is engineering the scheme. This time it happens
to be Mickey O'Halloran, an old friend of mine. I'm going to put it up
to Mick to find a way."

"But it isn't any affair of his. He won't do it, will he?"

"Oh, I thought I told you he was Irish."

"Well?"

"And spoiling for trouble, of course. Is it likely he could keep his
fist out of the hive when there's such a gem of a chance to get stung?"

It had been Frank's suggestion that they choose rooms at a hotel which
open into each other and also connect with an adjoining pair. The reason
for this had not at first been apparent to the ranger, but as soon as
they were alone Frank explained.

"It is very likely that we shall be under surveillance after a day or
two, especially if we are seen around the prison a good deal. Well,
we'll slip out the back way to-night, disguised in some other rig, come
boldly in by the front door, and rent the rooms next ours. Then we shall
be able to go and come, either as ourselves or as our neighbors. It will
give us a great deal more liberty."

"Unless we should get caught. Then we would have a great deal less.
What's your notion of a rig-up to disguise us, kid?"

"We might have several, in case of emergencies. For one thing, we
could easily be street showmen. You can do fancy shooting and I can do
sleight-of-hand tricks or tell fortunes."

"You would be a gipsy lad?"

The youngster blushed. "A gipsy girl, and you might be my husband."

"I'm no play actor, even if you are," said Bucky. "I don't want to be
your husband, thank you."

"All you would have to do is to be sullen and rough. It is easy enough."

"And you think you could pass for a girl? You're slim and soft enough,
but I'll bet you would give it away inside of an hour."

The boy laughed, and shot a swift glance at O'Connor under his long
lashes. "I appeared as a girl in one of the acts of the show for years.
Nobody ever suspected that I wasn't."

"We might try it, but we have no clothes for the part."

"Leave that to me. I'll buy some to-day while you are looking the ground
over for our first assault an the impregnable fortress."

"I don't know. It seems to me pretty risky. But you might buy the
things, and we'll see how you look in them. Better not get all the
things at the same store. Sort