ers of the detective force, where she opportunely encountered
Mr. Rider, and related to him the discoveries which she had made.

Mrs. Walton had not appeared personally in connection with the
formalities regarding the release of her son.

Everything had been conducted by the shrewd lawyer, so Detective Rider
had not met her at all; but he felt confident, when Mona described her,
together with her dress, that she was not the mother of Jake Walton
at all, but one of the "gang" who had so successfully robbed different
parties during the last two or three years.

The moment the young girl disappeared from the office, after her
interview with him, the detective executed a number of antics which
would have done credit to a practiced athlete.

"The girl is a cute little body," he muttered, with a chuckle, as he sat
down to rest a moment, and plan his course of action, "and it is lucky
for me that she happened to be in St. Louis just at this time and
stopping at that very hotel. I wonder," he added, with a frown, "that I
didn't think that the woman who gave bail, might be one of the gang. By
Jove!" with a sudden start, "I believe that money, which she deposited
in the bank as security, is only a blind after all, and _they both intend
to skip_! What a wretched blunder it was to accept bail anyway! But I'll
cage both birds this time, only what I do must be done quickly. They must
have done a smashing big business in diamonds," he went on, musingly;
"and there are evidently two women and one man associated. This Mrs.
Walton is doubtless the old one who tricked Doctor Wesselhoff, and that
red-headed Mrs. Vanderbeck, I am still confident, is none other than the
Widow Bently, who did Justin Cutler and Mrs. Vander_heck_ out of their
money. I'd just like to get hold of all three! Tom Rider, if you only
could, it would be a feather in your cap such as doesn't often wave
over the head of an ordinary detective, not to mention the good round
sum that would swell your pocket-book! But half a loaf is better than
no bread, and so here goes! I'll arrest them both, and shall object to
anybody going bail for them."

Highly elated over the prospect before him, the man brushed his neat suit
until there wasn't an atom of dust upon it, polished his boots until he
could see his own face reflected in them, rearranged his necktie in the
last new style, then ran lightly down stairs, and hastened, with quick,
elastic tread, toward the Southern Hotel,