coming from the farmhouse with a
bundle of papers in his hand, after having called a rest period in
the barn-burning rehearsals.

"He's after--that man," replied Alice, hesitatingly, and then she
told what had happened.

"That man again!" cried Sandy Apgar, who overheard what was said.
"He'll not get away this time. I'm goin' after him on a hoss!"

He hurried to the stable, and leaped on the back of one of the
lighter farm animals, not even stopping for a saddle.

"Which way was he headed?" he asked the girls.

Ruth and Alice showed him, and Sandy set off over the fields in a
strange cross-country run, with a man-hunt at the end of it.

There was nothing for the company of players to do but await the
outcome, while the chase was kept up.

Meanwhile, what of Russ, Paul and the mysterious man?

When Paul turned around, after being on the chase for a little time,
and saw Russ coming toward him, he stopped to allow the young moving
picture operator to come up to him. For he saw that the pursuit was
to be a long one, and the man had such a start of him that a few
seconds' delay would make no difference.

On and on over the fields went the stranger, until he was headed down
a highway.

"When he gets on that it will be easier going," remarked Russ.

"Yes, for both of us," agreed Paul. "I wonder what in the world his
game can be, anyhow?"

"We'll find out--if we ever get him," panted Russ. "Come on! This is
going to be 'some run,' as the poets say."

The man gained the highway, and raced along that for some distance.
Paul and Russ tried to take a short cut across the field to reach the
same road, but they got into a marshy place and sank in, nearly up to
their knees.

"He knew this was here!" cried Russ, as he drew himself out of a
sticky place.

"He evidently did, and avoided it," agreed his friend. "And we
blundered into it--worse luck!"

They had considerable difficulty in reaching the road, and by that
time the mysterious man was even further in advance. But they
pluckily kept to the chase.

"There he is!" cried Russ, as they came to a turn in the road, and
saw a straight stretch before them. "He hasn't gained so very much."

The man was running well, and there seemed to be no return of his
lameness.

The neighborhood was a lonely one, and there were no houses in sight.
Nor had the young men engaged in the chase met any persons since
starting out.

Doggedly they kept on.

"This would make a go