ptors and leaped toward the
farmer, his right flew straight out from the shoulder and Jeb Case went
down with a broken jaw. Almost simultaneously a car sped around a curve
from the north and stopped suddenly in rear of the mob. Two men leaped
out and shouldered their way through. One was the detective, Burton; the
other was Jonas Prim.

"Where are they?" cried the latter. "God help you if you've killed
either of them, for one of them must know what became of Abigail."

He pushed his way up until he faced the prisoners. The Oskaloosa Kid
gave him a single look of surprise and then sprang toward him with
outstretched arms.

"Oh, daddy, daddy!" she cried, "don't let them kill him."

The crowd melted away from the immediate vicinity of the prisoners. None
seemed anxious to appear in the forefront as a possible leader of a
mob that had so nearly lynched the only daughter of Jonas Prim. Burton
slipped the noose from about the girl's neck and then turned toward her
companion. In the light from the automobile lamps the man's face was
distinctly visible to the detective for the first time that night,
and as Burton looked upon it he stepped back with an exclamation of
surprise.

"You?" he almost shouted. "Gad, man! where have you been? Your father's
spent twenty thousand dollars trying to find you."

Bridge shook his head. "I'm sorry, Dick," he said, "but I'm afraid it's
too late. The open road's gotten into my blood, and there's only one
thing that--well--" he shook his head and smiled ruefully--"but there
ain't a chance." His eyes travelled to the slim figure sitting so
straight in the rear seat of Jonas Prim's car.

Suddenly the little head turned in his direction. "Hurry, Bridge,"
admonished The Oskaloosa Kid, "you're coming home with us."

The man stepped toward the car, shaking his head. "Oh, no, Miss Prim,"
he said, "I can't do that. Here's your 'swag.'" And he smiled as he
passed over her jewels and money.

Mr. Prim's eyes widened; he looked suspiciously at Bridge. Abigail
laughed merrily. "I stole them myself, Dad," she explained, "and then
Mr. Bridge took them from me in the jail to make the mob think he had
stolen them and not I--he didn't know then that I was a girl, did you?"

"It was in the jail that I first guessed; but I didn't quite realize
who you were until you said that the jewels were yours--then I knew. The
picture in the paper gave me the first inkling that you were a girl, for
you looked so m