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THE SfLVER SPRINGS SIGNAL. fit SAMUEL HOPKINS vf A V R- B . Jones—Average w3 his friends called him—waa ZL of spending his dead uncle's mll- S to New York and doing nothing !ore and craved to take part In the SSnlc activities of life. At the Bug- »stlon of Waldemar. owner of an im- Srtant and decent newspaper, he Tened offices in Astor court and went in for following up queer advertise- \. tracing down fraudulent ad- Buslness boomed. meats and nrtisers. ••Not good enough.\* said Average J °tna ad. says different, air.\ Slmp- raised the paper and read : SOD cn/E THOUSAND DOLLARS — THB /orP5J „l sum will be paid without ques- ,,„ r i,. anyone furnishing information rich t0 the discovery of Roderick Hof ( ,u,ruv four years old, who left rds h01T ,; , n Toledo, O., on April 12. Commu nicate wth Dr Conrad Hoff, Toledo. •Surely Doctor Hoff la good for the amcifflt-\ Oh, he's good for millions. The point is. from what I can discover, Mr. Roderick Hoff Isn't worth retrieving at any price above one dime.\ \\ as the information about him that you wished in the telegram?\ asked the confidential clerk. •Yes, all I wanted. Have the Tole do reporter forward his bill.\ Lett to himself, Averag e Jones again ran over the information as to the lost Toledo youth. At twenty-four. It -ap peared, Roderick Hoff had achieved a career Emerging from college, he had taken a post-graduate course in the cigarette ward of a polite retreat for nervous wrecks, endured two breacli-of promise suits, broken the record for speed violation arrests, had been ouncoed and short-carded out of varying sums, and now wa s the horror of the pulpit and the delight of the city press Bets wer e even in the Toledo clubs as to whether delirium tremens or paresis would win the event around young Mr. Hoff's klte- Ehaped race track of a brain. With his tastes the Income of twen ty-five thousand dollars per annum which his father allowed him proved sadly insufficient to his needs. He mentioned this fact to his father early in April, only to be refused with some acerbity \Oh very well,\ said he, \I'll go and make It myself.\ To all intents and appearances, Rod erick Hoff had dropped off the earth on or about April twelfth. B y April fifteenth the elder Hoff's flve-thousand- dollar anxiety became know n through the advertisement- Simpson's face appeared at the door. His blond forehead was wrinkled with excitement \Doctor Hoff is here, Mr. Jones. I told him you—\ Following the word, there burst into Average Jones' private sanctum a gross old man, silk-hatted and bedla- monded, whose slde-whiskerB bristled whltely with perturbed self-impor tance In his hand was a patchy bun dle 'They tried to stop me!\ he sput tered Me' I'm worth ten million dol lars an' a ten-dollar-a-week office toad tries to hold me up when I come here mvseir person'ly, from Toled o to see you\ The Ad-Vlsor said curtly: \I can't take your case. Good-day.\ \.Not take it! Did you read the re ward''\ \Yes. Get someone else to find your hopeful \It ain't no case of flndin' now. The boy s dead \ H 1 B strident voice qua- tered and broke, but rose again to a snarl -And, by God, 1*11 spend a mil lion to get the dogs that murdered him ' At the word \murdered\ Average Jones clean-cut, agreeable, but rather stolidly neutral face became resolute, forcei ul and quietly alert. The hesi tant drawl signified awakened inter est. How — do — you — know—he's— dead -1 \ Tho other tore open the bundle he carried, and spread before Average Jones a white Bilk shirt stained with ominous brown splotches. Its his shirt. There's the initials Mail.-u to my house with the note that come pmned to it. Her e It Is.\ He produced a bit of coarse wrap- P'ng paper upou'which wa s this mes sage in rough capital letters: TWO DAGOES SHOT HIM DASSENT SAY NO MORE Average Jones examined the jn&V P e r it was postmarked Cincinnati, \e n eu smoothed out the creased silk a nd. studied minutely the blotches. Ap plying a cup sponge t o one of the' s Pots he rubbed ih e wette d portion v 'gorously on a sheet of paper which •ay near at hand. He Bcratched his Cn 'n with a slow movement. 1 don't see anything so far,\ he ooserved. \to Indicate that your son is ° ot alive and well at this moment \ned blood rubs off a faint buff color.\ \e Picked up the sheet o f paper from 13 de 3l< A deep brownish streak the shirt didn't even have the sense to fake bullet holes. Enough to make one los e all interest In the case,\ he added disgustedly. Doctor Hoff began tugging at his side-whiskers. \Don't do nothing like that, he pleaded.- \Come with me to Cincinnati. If he ain't dead they've kidnaped him for a ransom.\ \The n Cincinnati is the last place on the map to look. Was he particularly drunk the day before he disappeared?\ \No. He was sober. An' he was studyin', Spanish.\ \Spanish eh? How did you know about his studying?\ \Seen the perfessor In the house.\ \Someone you knew?\ \No. 1 asked him. Roddy was sore because I found out what he was up to.\ Upon that point Average Jones med itated a moment \Did you see this Spanish professor again?\ he inquired presently. \Now that you speak of it, I didn't see him but the once.\ \Can you leave for Toledo on to night's train?\ \You're goin' to take the case, then?\ the quack clawed nervously at his professional white whiskers. \What's your terms?\ he demanded. \That I'm to have full control and that you're to take orders and not give them.\ Doctor Hoff swallowed that with a gulp. \You're on,\ he said finally Average Jones' first call, on arriving at Toledo, was at the business office of the Daily Saw, In which he inserted the following paragraph on a repeat- until-stopped order. WANTED—INSTRUCTOR IN SPANISH. One with recent experience preferred. Apply between 9 and 10 a. ra. Doctor Hoff, 360 Fairfield Avenue. showed deep where he had' applied the ™°istened cloth. \It'a the rawest kind a hi, n< l ^vty, the idiot who sent Thence he climbed the stairs to tho den of the city editor, who obligingly furnished further details regarding \Rickey\ Hoff, as he called the young man. 'The worst of it IB ,\ said the news paper man, \that there are elements of decency about the young cub, if he'd keep sober. But there's nothing else for him to do, so he just fights booze Better make a few Inquiries at Silent Charley's.\ \What's that?\ \Quiet little bar kept by a talkative Swede. 'Rickey' Hoff hung out there a lot. Charley even had a room fixed up for him to lay off In when he was too pickled to go home.\ \Would—er—young Hoff—-er—per haps keep a few—er—extra clothes there?\ asked Average Jones, seem ingly struggling with a yawn. The city editor stared. \Oh I dare say. He used to end his sprees pretty much mussed up.\ Tha t would perhaps explain where the shirt came from,\ murmured the Ad-Visor. \Much obliged for the sug gestion. I'll just step around.\ \Silent Charley\ he found ready, even eager to talk. Yes ; \Rickey\ Hoff had been in his place right along. Drunk? No; not even drinking much lately. Two other gentlemen had met him there quite often. They sat in the back room and talked. No, neither of them was Spanish. One was big and clean-shaven and wore a silk hat. They called him \Colonel.\ A swell dresser. The other man drank gin, and a lot of it. His name was Fred. H e was very tanned. Qne day there had been a hot discussion over a sheet of paper that lay on the table in front of the three men in the back room. \Rickey\ had called a messenger boy and sent him out for a geography. \T *,tM you there wasn't any such thing there,\ the saloon keeper heard hfm say triumph antly, when the geography arrived. The n Fred replied: \To h—11 with you and your, schoolbook; I tell you I'v e waded across It.\ The colonel smoothed things over and it ended In a magnum of champagne being or dered. |» \And you haven't seen any of them since, I suppose?\ \Nary a one.\ On his return to the Hoff mansion the Investigator found the head there of In a state of great excitement. .\Say I've found out something,\ he cried. \Roddy's gone to Yurrup.\ \Where did you find that out?\ asked Average Jones with a smile. I been going through his papers like you told me. He's been outfitting for a trip. Bought lots of truck the last few days and I found the duplicate sale checks that come in the packages. There's stubs for a Bteamer rug and for a dope fqr seasickness and for a com pass,\ he concluded triumphantly. \Compass eh?\ observed Average Jones thoughtfully. \Anything else?\ \Lots of clothes. Cheap stuff most ly. Khaki riding-pants, neglyjee shirts and such-like. Colored glasses. Per manganate of potash outfit.\ \Snake country,\ commented the other. \Patent water still.\ Average Jones leaned forward. \Take n with the compass, it means a small-boaj. trip on salt water. Let me -Bee the list \ He ran-his eye down the paper. Then he looked at Doctor Hoff with a half smile. • \You didn't notice anything peculiar about this list?\ \Don't know as 1 did.\ \Not the—er—nitric acid, for In stance?\ \Nope. What of it?\ \Mr Hoff, your son has been caught by one of the oldest tricks in the whole bunco list—the lost Spanish mine swin dle. That acid, together with the rest of the outfit means a gold-hunt as plain as if it were spelled out \And the Spanish professor was sent for, not to give lessons, but to translate the fake letter. Where does your aon bank?\ \Fifth National.\ \Telephone there and find out how much he drew.\ Doctor Hoff sat down at the phone. \Five hundred dollars,\ he said pres ently. \Is that all?\ asked the other, disap pointed. * \Yes. Wait He had six checks cer tified aggregating ten thousand 'dol lars.\ \Then it isn't South America or the West Indies. He'd want a letter ot credit there. Must be some part ot the United States, or just across the border.\ The evening's thinking formulated Itself Into a telegram to Average Jones' club, the CoBmic. Tho reply was disappointing: Cyrus C. Allen absent from town. Will forward your wire. COSMIC CLUB. Well poised as Average Jones nor mally was, he chafed over the ensuing delay of four days. The only relief was a call from the Spanish instructor who answered Jones' advertisement He was tho same who had served young Hoff. His former employment had been merely the translation of a letter in base Spanish, he said. There was something about a lost gold mine, and reference to a map. No; no geo graphical names were mentioned, but In several places the capital letters B. C. Beemed to Indicate a locality Doctor Hoff, who had been ramping with impatience ovor the man's lack of definite memory, now rushdd to the atlas and began to study the maps. \You needn't trouble,\ said Average Jones coolly \B. C. Is Baja Califor nia, the Mexican peninsula of Califor nia.\ Jones sent a supplementary wire to this effect to Cyrus C. Allen of the Cos mlc club, and within a few hours re ceived a reply from that eminent car tographer, who had been located in a remoto part of Connecticut: • Probably Laguna Salada, not on map. Seventy miles long, four to eight feet wide. Can be reached by water from Yuma, or pack train from Calexlco. Whlto soys Captain Funcke, Calexlco, best guide. ALLEN. Average Jones tossed this over to the father. \As I figure it,\ he said, \your son's two friends had this all mapped out be forehand for him.\ \What I don't see is how they caught Roddy on such an old game. He's easy, but I didn't s'pose he was that easy.\ \To do him justice, he Isn't—quite. They put it up to him rather cleverly. In the room over Silent Charley's bar, I found a newspaper with this in it.\ reward? I think I'd better have a word of writing on that\ , \TT1 have my Sawyer draw up a form of contract and mall it after you to morrow,\ promised the doctor with a crafty look. \No you wo—\ began Average Jones; but he broke off with a smllo. \Very well,\ he amended. \If things wor k out as I figure them, that will do. And,\ he added, dropping into his sig nificant drawl and looking the doctor flatly In the eye, \dont you—er—bank on my—er—not understanding your offer—and—er—you.\ Average Jonea bought a ticket for Yuma. Disembarking at the Yuma station three days later. Averag e Jones blinked In the harsh sunlight at a small, compactly built, keen-eyed man, roughly dressed tor the trail. \I'm Captain Funcke,\ said the stranger. His speech waa gentle, alow, even hesitant; but there was some thing competent and reliable in his bearing which satisfied the shrewd young reader of men's characters from the outset- \Your wire got mo two days since and I came right up.\ \Any trace?\ \Left hero two days ago.\ \Three of them?\ \Yes. Flat-bottomed, narrow-beamed boat, sloop-rigged pretty light \ \Kno w anything of the men?\ \Only the big one. Calls himself Colonel Rlchford. Had a fake coppor outfit in the mountains oast of Ala mo.\ \Where do you think they're headed for?\ \Probably tho wildest country they can find, if thoy want to got rid of young Hoff,\ said the other, who had, been apprised ot the main points of the situation. \That would bo the Pin to range, to tho southwest of the Lag- una.\ \Suppose it's tho Plntos, thon. Ho w do we get there?\ \Hard-ash breeze,\ returned the other succinctly. \Our rowboat is out j.fitted and waiting. Sixty miles to tho turn of the Laguna. There's a four- mile current to help. They've a scant two days' start, and wo'U catch up some.\ All that day and all tho night tho two men swung at the oars, swung until every muscle in the young east erner's back had turnod to live nerve- fiber and the flesh had begun to strip from tho palms of his hands. Meantime, botween spells at tho oars, Average Jones had outlined tho case in full to Funcke. Aftor long and silent consideration tho captain gavo his views. \It isn't bunco. It's a hold-up. Thoy get him off in the mountains, out of sight of the lako, so he'll have no land mark to go by. Then thoy scare him into signing co-partnership papors. and mako him turn ovor thoso cortlfled checks to thorn. All they'd do thon would be to quit tho boy whilo ho was asleep. A tonderfoot would die of thlrBt over there in a Bhort time. \Is there no water?\ \There 'B a tenaja —rock-basin holding rainwater\—explained tho hunter. \If they find tho tenaja empty they'll have baroly enough in tho cantoons they pack to get thorn to tho next water, the Tenaja Poquita, around behind the mountains and across the desert Into the next range.\ 'Got me to young Hoff. then, cap tain. You're in command from tho mo ment we land.\ ft was broad day whon tho keel pushed softly Into the muddy bottom of a long, shallow arm ot the lako. Captain Funcke rose, stretched fc thc kinks out of his back, and Jumped ashore. You say I'm in command?\ ho In quired. 'Absolute.\ 'Then yoy. rqll up under that mes- qulto and fall asloep. I'm going to cast about for tholr nail To tho worn-but oarsman. It seomod only a few moments later that an In sistent grip on his shoulder aroused him. I've found their boat,\ said Captain Funcke. \The trail heads for Plntos. They're traveling heavy. I don't bo- HeVe they're twenty-tojir hours ahead of us Average Jones stumbled to bis feet 'I'm ready,\ he said It's a case of travel light\ The hunter handed over a small bag of food and a large canteen full of water. ears Jones heard an Irregular, Insist ent scuffing sound. H e crouched In silence whilo tho captntn crept up to a ledge and cautiously peered over, thon went forward in response to tho oth er's urgent beckoning. They looked down a rock-basin of wild and curious beauty. A figure, naked from tho waist up. huddled upon the hard- baked mud, digging madly at the oarth. A sharp exclamation broko from Averag e Jonea. Tho digger halt- roso, turned, collapsed t o hla knoos, and pointed with blooding Angara to hla open mouth. In whtch the tongue showed black and swollen. Thoy wont down to him. An hour later. \Rickey\ Hoff waa sleeping tho sleep of utter exhaustion In camp. Average Jones felt amply qualified to join him. But it waa not In the Ad-Vlaor's character to quit an enterprise before it was wholly com pleted. So long aa the tw o bandits were on their way to cash tho young spendthrift's checks—Jones had hoard from tho victim a brief account ot tho extortion—success was not fully won. \We've not to got that money back,\ ho said t o Captain Funcko with convic tion. Tho hunter mado no reply in words. Ho merely leanod his shotgun against his thigh, reached around beneath his coat and produced a forty-five caliber revolver. This ho held out toward Jones. \Good thing to havo,\ concodod tho other. \But—woll no; not in this caso. I'vo a notion that wo can got tho swag back by straight sale and bar ter. Provldod, always, w o can catch them in time. You say It's an eight- hour hike to tho tenaja ?\ \Eight the way they'd go. Thoro's a shorter way across tho Padro cliffs. \I'll- Spend a Million to Get the Dogs. He handed to Doctor Hoff a thin dipping, marked \Dally Saw, March 29\: LOST—SPANISH LETTER AND MAP Of no valuo except to owner. Return to No. 16, this office, and receive heartfelt thanks. \Well said Doctor Hoff, after read ing it over twice, \that don't tell me nothing.\ \No? Yet It's pretty plain. The two crooks slipped letter and map into a pocket of his coat while he was drunk. Then they inserted their little ad. and casually called the advertisement to his attention. / Th e rest would be easy.\ \Whatche goin' to do next?\ \Pack for Yuma or Calexlco. Ill need five hundred dollars .expense money.\ \Say you don't want much, do ye?' snarled the doctor, his avaricious soul in revolt at the prospect of immediate outlay. \Quite so,\ agreed tha other bland ly. \It isn't too late to call it off. you know.\ \No 1 do\ wanta do that\ said the other with contorted face. \And about the fire thousand dollars j Pointed to Hla Open Mouth. It cuts off about four hours. But It's not what you'd cull sato, ovon In day light\ \But to a hunter, wouldn't It bo woll worth the risk for a record pair ot horns—ovon if thoy woro only tin horns?\ queried Avorago Jonos sug gestively. Captain Funcke rolaxod Into a grin. Ho nodded \What'U wo do with him?\ ho asked, Jerking his head toward tho sloopor Leave him wator, food and a noto. Now, about this Tonaja Poquita wo're hoadod for How much water do you think thore Is In it?\ If there's a hundred gallons It's do ing well, this dry season.\ , Average Jonos got painfully to hla foot Looking carofully ovor tho scat tered camp outfit, he solocted from It a collapsible pall and hung upon his shoulder not only tholr canteons, but also tho empty ono which thoy had found in the camp. Tholr own third tin, almost full, thoy loft beside Hoff, with a note. \I'vo a notion.\ said Jones, \that I'll need all theBo receptacles for wator In my own peculiar business.\ All right,\ said tho other patiently. Ho took one ot them and tho pall from Jones and skillfully disposed them on his own back. \Ready? Hlko, thon. He himself packed a much larger load. J W ° ho \ rB °' \J? roughest kind o f 7 , *, ' 1 \ ' 6 \ , climbing brought them to tho Tonaja Including two canteens and a powerful n„„„i,A 0 , * H \ \ „|L„,, n „,„„„ ~ , .„„ „ .„»„,,„ ,_„„ Poquita before dawn. Scouting ahead, £nit S h« !h „!S* u ™T£>NT«L th0 \Ported no fresh trail ex- £° > W „v\Pt coyotes and mule door, and not long, easy sinue. more aevonty . flvo gMojlB ot wgr To Average Jones the memory of ter ln tno baaI ^ of thl „ to both that day has never been wholly clear drank deep , y- **% on attm th had Sodden with weariness, dazz ed and fl , led all the ^t*^ Avorago j ono , muddled by the savago sun-glare, ho unfolded hla Bchom o to the captain followed, with eyes fixed, the rhythmic- .., r anyoao ul at lt; . com . ally, monotonously moving feet of his mented that experienced hunter, \we'd leader through an interminable desert D9 ahot wUhout warning. However, of soft, clogging sand. At midnight ^ wator wou , d bo ovaporatod ln a the wearied pursuers dropped down , ew daya anynow> and nl ^ n0tlC08 from a bigh plateau to a narrow or- at ^ next water Vm ^ ifJx royo. There the pursuers found tho camp. It was deserted. Like a hound on the trail, Captain Funcke cast about him. Hero 'B where they came In. No— yes—this Is I t Confound the cross- tracks you.\ Taking turn and turn about with tb e pall, they balled out the rock-basin scattering the wator upon the greedy sand. What little moisture remained In the sticky mud at the bottom thoy Straight for the rocky blotted up with more sand. They then mesa. .. . That's it! They made their rolled in bowlders. Averag e Jones sneak while Hoff waa asloep and looked down Into the hollow with sat- struck out for the Inside desert route isfactlon and moved hla full (canteens to the Tenaja Poquita.\ He took a into a grotto. quick look about the camp and picked \Thi s company,\ he said, \la now up an empty canteen.* \Of course they open for business.\ wouldn't leave him any water.\ At eigh t o'clock there was a clatter He turned and renewed his quick of boots upon the rocks and two men progress, leaping from bowlder to came staggering up the defile. Colonel bowlder, between narrowing walls of Rlchford and his partner did not look gray-white rock. Just as Average to be in good repair. The colonel's Jones was spent and almost ready to face waa drawn and sun-blotched. His collapse the leader checked. companion, the \Fred\ ot Silent Char- Hark 1\ be whispered. ley's bar, was bloated and shaken Above the beating ol the blood l n his with liquor. Both panted with the hard, dry, opcn-llppod breath of tho- first stage of thirst-exhaustion. Tho colonel, who waa in tho lead, chocked and started upon discovering astrldo ot a rock a ploasant -Tlsagod young man of a familiar Amorlcan typo, whoso appearance was In nowise re markable, oxoopt as to locality. Wit h a grunt that might have boon greet ing, but was moro probably surprise, tho nowcomor passed tho seated man. Captain Funoko he* did not BOO at all. Tha t astute huntor had dropped be hind a bowlder. At tho brink of tho tenaja tho colo nel stopped dead. Then with an out burst of flaming language ho loaned In. burrowing among tho rocks. \Dry!\ ho yelled, lifting a furious and appalled faco to his companion. Frod stood staring from Averag e Jones to his thr,oo canteens. Ther e wa s a murderous look on his sinister faco. \Horo. colonel.\ ho said. \Here's a drink for UBL\ \For sale,\ addod Average Jonos, calmly. \People don't buy water In this coun try\ \You'ro not people,\ returned Ave*> ago Jonos choortutly. \You'ro a cor poration; a soulless corporation. Tho North Pinto Gold Mining company.\ \What's that!\ crlod. tho colonel thickly. His hand flow back to his bolt. Thon it droppod. limp at his sldo, for ho was gazing into tho tw o barrels of a shot gun, which, materializing ovor a rock, wor o pointing accurately and discon certingly at tho pit ot his stomach. From bohlnd tho gun Captain Funcko'a qulot volco remarked. \I wouldn't, colonol. As for you,** ho addod, turning to tbo other way* faror, who carried a rlflo, \you want to roniombor that a shotgun has tw o barrels, usually both loadod.\ Stopping forward. Average Jonos \llftod\ tho financier's weapon. Thon ho doprlvod Frod ot his rltlo amid a surprisingly brilliant outburst ot vorbal pyrotechnics. \Now wo can talk business comfort ably,\ ho obsorvod. ; \1 can 't talk at all pretty quick If I i don 't git a inolstonor,\ said Frod pit- oously. Pouring out a scant cupful of wator into his hat. Avorngo Jonos handed It | over \ Drink slowly,\ ho ndvlsod. I \You 'vo got about a hundred dollars' worth thoro at present quotations.\ i Colonol Rich ford 's hoad went up with a Jork. \Hundrod dollars' worth'\ ho < croaked, his oyos llory with suspicion. \Aro you going to hold up two men dying of thlrot?\ \No I don't proposo to hold up tw o mon for anything 1 proposo to deal with tho prosldont and troasuror of tho North Pluto Oold Mining company. Tho noarust availabto supply of wator Is Bonio ton hours dlBtant. 1 am ablo to off or you a smnll supply at tho low rato of ton thousand dollars I may add that —or—curtlfiod chocks will— or—bo accoptod.\ For two hours tho colonol. with tho occasional objurgatory assistance of his partner, talkod, bogged, nrguod, throatonod, aud ovon wopt. By tho one) of that tlmo his tonguo was making soundB llko a muffled castnnot, and his rosolutlon wn s scorched out ot him. \Ydu'vo got us,\ ho croaked. \Horo's your chocks. Glvo mo tho wator.\ \In propor and logal form, ploaso,\ said Avorago Jonos lie produced a contract nnd a foun tain-pen. Th o contract was duly signed and wltnoBsod. It provldod for tho transfor of tho wator, In consider ation of ono rovolvor nnd ton thou sand dollars in chocks. Thoso chocks woro Indorsod to A V. R E. Jonos, whereupon bo turnod ovor tbo pall ot wator and tho largost cantoon to tho parchod minors Thon, sorting out the chocks, ho pockotod two aggregating flvo thousand dollars, toro up throo, and holding tho othor In his hands turnod to Captain Funcko.\ 'Will flvo hundrod dollars pay yon for keeping young Hoff down horo a> couplo of months and making tho be ginning of a man ot him?\ hcaakod. Yos, and moro,\ ropllod tho can- tain It's a go,\ said Avoraso Jones. \I'd llko to mako tho job complote.\ Thon, courteously bidding tho North Pinto Gold Mining company farewell. tho two water-dealers clamborod up tho rocks and disappeared boyond tht> abrupt skyline. • • • • • * * Onco again Dr. Conrad Hoff sat ln tbo prlvato offlco ot Average Jones. Ad-Vlsor, The young man wa s thin ner, brownor and hardor of fiber than tho Jonos ot two weeks provlous. Doc tor Hoff looked him over with shrowd eyes. Is that so? \ Tho doctor's vole* had taken on a sneering Intonation. \You come back bore with your Job half done, with tho guilty fellors loose an' runnln'. an' you expect me to pay ovor the five thousand dollars to you. Huh!\ \No I—or—don't expect—or—any thing of tho sort,\ said Avorago Jonea slowly. • Doctor Hoff's littlo, restless oyos puckered at tha corners. He was puz zled. What did tho young fellow mean? Don't, eh?\ he said, groping In his mind tor a solution. No. You forgot to send m o that promised for m ot agreement, dldnt you? Thought you'd footed mo, per* haps. I took precautions.\ \You got it? \ \In the bank.\ \Whore d'je get It?\ \From you, through your son'* chock, duly certified.\ replied Avoraga Jones, with an amiable smllo, as he opened tha door significantly. i
