alwood door. A few seconds
of anxious waiting brought no answer.

"Not home yet!" exclaimed Alice. "Oh, what a shame."

Ruth turned to their own flat. Entering with a pass-key she saw at a
glance that their father had not come home. The note for him was
still on the table.

Then, as puzzled and disappointed, the two girls stood in the center
of the room, they heard someone coming up the stairs that led to
their flat. A second later and a merry whistle broke out.

"There he is--that's Russ!" cried Alice, joyfully. "I'll tell him;
no--you go!" she added hastily, thrusting her sister before her into
the hallway.

The whistle broke off into a discord as Russ saw Ruth standing
waiting for him. Something in her face must have told him something
was the matter, for he came up the remaining steps three at a time.

"What is it? What has happened?" he asked. "Is someone hurt?"

"No, it's your patent--the model. Some men--Alice and I overheard
them in the restaurant--we've been trying to get you on the
'phone--I--we----"

Then Alice broke in.

"They're after your moving picture machine patent, Russ! They're
going to get it to-night--Simp Wolley! You've got to hurry!"

Between them the girls quickly told what they had overheard.

Russ's eyes snapped.

"So that's the game; is it?" he cried. "Well, I'll stop them! I'm
mighty glad you told me. My patent model, the drawings and everything
are at Burton's machine shop. It isn't far from here. I'll go right
away--in a taxicab. Do you----" he hesitated a moment. "Do you want
to come?"

"We might be able to help," suggested Alice to Ruth. "At any rate,
we'll have to give evidence against those men if they get them. Shall
we go, Ruth?"

"I--I think so--yes."

"Bravo!" whispered Alice in her ear. "That note to daddy will answer.
You'd better leave another in place of the one we wrote to you,
Russ."

"I will," he exclaimed as he entered his own flat. "But mother and
Billy won't be home until late, anyhow. They're going to stay to
supper with relatives. Still, I'll explain in case I should be
delayed."

Quickly he dashed off another note for his mother, and then, with the
two girls, he hurried down to the street. There was a taxicab stand
just around the corner, and the three were quickly on their way to
the machine shop, while Ruth and Alice took turns giving more details
of the scene in the restaurant.

"Here we are!" announced Russ, a little later, as the cab drew