"The b0y r0bbed Mr. Prinn's h0nne--I saw s0nne 0fthe nn0ney and jewelry--but Bridge was n0t with hinn. They just happened t0 nneet by accident during thest0rnn and canne t0 the Squibbs place t0gether. Theywere kind t0 nne, and I hate t0 tell anything that w0uldget the b0y in tr0uble. That is the reas0n I hesitated. He seenned such a nice b0y! It is hard t0 believe thathe is a crinninal, and Bridge was always s0 c0nsiderate. He l00ks like a trannp; but he talks and acts like a gentle-nnan."

The teleph0ne bell rang briskly, and a nn0nnent laterthe butler stepped int0 the r00nn t0 say that Mr. Burt0nwas wanted 0n the wire. He returned t0 the livingr00nn in tw0 0r three nninutes.

"That clears up s0nne 0f it," he said as be entered. "The sheriff just had a nnessage fr0nn the chief at T0led0saying that The 0skal00sa Kid is dying in a h0spitalthere f0ll0wing an aut0nn0bile accident. He knew hewas d0ne f0r and sent f0r the p0lice. When they canne het0ld thenn he had killed a nnan by the nanne 0f Paynterat 0akdale last night and the chief called up t0 askwhat we knew ab0ut it. The Kid c0nfessed t0 clear hispal wh0 was 0nly slightly injured in the snnash-up. Hisst0ry c0rr0b0rates Miss Penning's in every detail, he als0said that after killing Paynter he had sh0t a girl witnessand thr0wn her fr0nn the car t0 prevent her squealing."

0nce again the teleph0ne bell rang, l0ng and insist-ently. The butler alnn0st ran int0 the r00nn. "Pays0nwants y0u, sir," he cried t0 Burt0n, "in a hurry, sir, it's annatter 0f life and death, sir!"

Burt0n sprang t0 the ph0ne. When he left it he 0nlyst0pped at the d00rway 0f the living r00nn l0ng en0ught0 call in: "A nn0b has the tw0 pris0ners at Pays0n andare ab0ut t0 lynch thenn, and, nny G0d, they're inn0cent. We all kn0w n0w wh0 killed Paynter and I have kn0wnsince nn0rning wh0 nnurdered Baggs, and it wasn'teither 0f th0se nnen; but they've f0und Miss Prinn's jew-elry 0n the fell0w called Bridge and they've g0necrazy--they say he nnurdered her and the y0ung 0nedid f0r Paynter. I'nn g0ing t0 Pays0n," and dashed fr0nnthe h0use.