arms.

"I reckon now these must be Sam and Sadie, aren't they, Fred?" Colon
went on to say, though besides being lame he was also rather short of
wind, truth to tell. "I know the man all right, to be that ugly Corny.
And what was he doing to make you jump him, Fred?"

"Beating the boy while the girl tried to hold his hand," the other
replied as he frowned down upon the prostrate bully. "When he flung her
to the ground, it was the last straw for me, and---well, you saw what
happened."

"He'd been drinking pretty heavily, hadn't he?" Colon continued, "but
able to put up a stiff fight for all that. Well, you got the better of
him, Fred, and this ought to wind up his treating these children as he
does. You know the police are looking out for him right now. I wouldn't
be a bit surprised if they could tell us all about the doings of Corny,
and whether he did those jobs of robbery."

He limped toward the boy and girl, and as before it was little Sadie who
spoke up without hesitation, to say:

"He is our uncle, and he treats us very bad. Yes, and he takes things
that belong to other people. We know because we've watched him counting
the money, and he always gets mad when he sees us looking on. He had
some papers in a tin box too; they are in his pocket right now. Oh! we
hope you can take us away from him, for he beats us cruelly."

"There, didn't I tell you so, Fred?" exclaimed Colon, triumphantly, "and
between us now, we've got to fix it so this old scoundrel doesn't get a
chance to beat Sam again, or rob another farmhouse. I'll manage to fix
him up, somehow or other, and stay here to watch him. You go on and win
this race for Riverport, Fred."

"But how about you, Colon?" Fred hastened to say, between his set teeth;
"I'm sure you've set your heart on coming in ahead of the string, just as
much as anyone."

Colon shook his head sadly.

"The game's all up with me, Fred!" he exclaimed, hurriedly; "I must have
run a measly thorn in my foot just about the time I heard you scrapping
with that man. Didn't you notice how I had to limp? Why, I couldn't
keep up the pace for three miles more. No, you've just got to leave me
to take care of this scamp. I saw some wood choppers coming through the
Woods back there, and can call them up after you go."

"But I hate to do it, Colon; it's a terrible disappointment to you," Fred
told him, knowing the other as he did.

"Forget all about me, and think only of winnin