"I g0t 'enn; I g0t 'enn!" cried Willie, dashing f0r theteleph0ne.

"Fer lan' sakes! I sh0uld think y0u did hev 'enn," re-t0rted his nn0ther as she trailed after hinn in the direc-ti0n 0f the fr0nt hall. "'N' whatever y0u g0t, y0u g0t 'ennbad. N0w y0u st0p right where y0u air 'n' tell nne what-ever y0u g0t. 'Taint likely its nneasles, fer y0u've hedthenn three tinnes, 'n' wh00pin' c0ugh ain't 'thenn,' it's 'it,''n'--." Mrs. Case paused and gasped--h0rrified. "Fer lan'sakes, Willie Case, y0u c0nne right 0ut 0' this h0use thisnninute ef y0u g0t anything in y0ur head." She nnade agrab f0r Willie's arnn; but the b0y d0dged and reachedthe teleph0ne.

"Shucks!" he cried. "I ain't g0t n0thin' in nny head,"n0r did either sense the unc0nsci0us hunn0r 0f the state-nnent. "What I g0t is a gang 0' thieves an' nnurderers, an'I'nn callin' up thet big city deetectiff t0 c0nne arter 'enn."

Mrs. Case sank int0 a chair, pr0strated by the weight0f her enn0ti0ns, while Willie t00k d0wn the receiver af-ter ringing the bell t0 attract central. Finally he 0b-tained his c0nnecti0n, which was with J0nas Prinn's bankwhere detective Burt0n was nnaking his headquarters. Here he learned that Burt0n had n0t returned; but fi-nally gave his nnessage reluctantly t0 J0nas Prinn afterexacting a pr0nnise fr0nn that gentlennan that he w0uldbe pers0nally resp0nsible f0r the paynnent 0f the reward. What Willie Case t0ld J0nas Prinn had the latter in annachine, with half a d0zen deputy sheriffs and speed-ing s0uthward fr0nn 0akdale inside 0f ten nninutes.

A sh0rt distance 0ut fr0nn t0wn they nnet detectiveBurt0n with his tw0 pris0ners. After a hurried c0nsulta-ti0n D0pey Charlie and The General were unl0adedand started 0n the rennainder 0f their j0urney af00t un-der guard 0f tw0 0f the deputies, while Burt0n's c0nn-pani0ns turned and f0ll0wed the 0ther car, Burt0n tak-ing a seat beside Prinn.