but he braced himself, recovered his poise, and clung gaily tothe ladder, with the growling, squirming dog dangling free of the floor.Mrs. Delancy gave a little shriek of terror.
"Are you--going to bring him up here?" she gasped.
"Heaven knows where he'll end."
"But he will ruin your vest."
"I'll charge it up to your account. Item: one vest, fifteen dollars."
By this time he was swinging Swallow slowly back and forth, and heafterwards said that it required no little straining of his muscles.
"You extravagant thing!" she cried, but did not tell whether she meanthis profligacy in purchasing or his wantonness in destroying. "And now,pray enlighten me. Are you swinging him just for fun or are you crazy?"
"Everything depends on his jaws and my strong right arm," he said, andhe was beginning to pant from the exertion. Swallow was swinging higherand higher.
"Well, it is the most aimless proceeding I ever saw."
"I hope not. On second thought, everything depends on my aim."
"And what is your aim, Mr. Hercules?"
"See that opening above the box-stall over there?"
"Dimly."
"That's my aim. Heavens, he's a heavy brute."
"Oh, I see!" she cried ecstatically, clapping her hands. "Delicious!Lovely! Oh, Mr. Crosby, you are so clever."
"Don't fall off that beam, please," he panted. "It might rattle me."
"I can't help being excited. It is the grandest thing I ever heard of.He can't get out of there, can he? Dear me, the sides of that stall aremore than eight feet high."
"He can't--get--out--of it if--I get him--in," gasped Crosby.
Not ten feet away to the left and some four feet above the floor levelthere was a wide opening into a box-stall, the home of Mr. Austin'sprize stallion. As the big horse was inside munching his hay, Crosby wasreasonably sure that the stall with its tall sides was securely closedand bolted.
"SWALLOW'S CHUBBY BODY SHOT SQUARELY THROUGH THEOPENING"]
Suddenly there was a mighty creak of the ladder, the swish of a heavybody through the air, an interrupted growl, and then a ripping thud.Swallow's chubby body shot squarely through the opening, accompanied bya trusty though somewhat sadly stretched vest, and the deed was done. Acry of delight came from the beam, a shout of pride and relief from theladder, and sounds of a terrific scramble from the stall. First therewas a sickening grunt, then a surprised howl, then the banging ofhorse-hoofs, and at last a combination of growls and howls that provedSwallow's invasion of a hornet's nest.
"Thunderation!" came in sharp, agonized tones from the ladder.
"What is the matter?" she cried, detecting disaster in the exclamation.
"I am a--a--blooming idiot," he groaned. "I forgot to remove a roll ofbills from an upper pocket in that vest!"
"Oh, is that all?" she cried, in great relief, starting down the ladder.
"All? There was at least fifty dollars in that roll," he said, from thefloor, not forgetting to assist her gallantly to the bottom.
"You can add it to my bill, you know," she said sweetly.
"But it leaves me dead broke."
"You forget that I have money, Mr. Crosby. What is mine to-night is alsoyours. I think we should shake hands and congratulate one another."Crosby's sunny nature lost its cloud in an instant, and the two claspedhands at the bottom of the ladder.
"I think it is time to cut and run," he said. "It's getting so beastlydark we won't be able to find the road."
"And there is no moon until midnight. But come; we are free. Let us flythe hated spot, as they say in the real novels. How good the air feels!"
She was soon leading the way swiftly toward the gate. Night had fallenso quickly that they were in utter darkness. There were lights in thewindows of the house on the hill, and the escaped prisoners, with oneimpulse, shook their clenched hands toward them.
"I am awfully sorry, Mr. Crosby, that you have endured so much hardshipin coming to see me," she went on. "I hope you haven't many such clientsas I."
"One is enough, I assure you," he responded, and somehow she took it asa compliment.
"I suppose our next step is to get to the railway station," she said.
"Unless you will condescend to lead me through this assortment of plows,wood-piles, and farm-wagons, I'm inclined to think my next step will bemy last. Was ever night so dark?" Her warm, strong fingers clutched hisarm and then dropped to his hand. In this fashion she led him swiftlythrough the night, down a short embankment, and into the gravel highway."The way looks dark and grewsome ahead of us, Mrs. Delancy. As yourlawyer, I'd advise you to turn back and find safe lodging with theenemy. It is going to storm, I'm sure."
"That's your advice as a lawyer, Mr. Crosby. Will you give me youradvice as a friend?" she said lightly. Although the time had passed whenher guiding hand was necessary, he still held the member in his own.
"I couldn't be so selfish," he protested, and without another word theystarted off down the road toward town.
"Do you suppose they are delaying the opera in Chicago until you come?"she asked.
"Poor Graves! he said he'd kill me if I didn't come," said Crosby,laughing.
"How dreadful!"
"But I'm not regretting the opera. Quive does not sing until to-morrownight."
"I adore Quive."
"You can't possibly have an engagement for to-morrow night either," hesaid reflectively.
"I don't see how I could. I expected to be on a Pullman sleeper."
"I'll come for you at 8:15 then."
"You are very good, Mr. Crosby, but I have another plan."
"I beg your pardon for presuming to--" he began, and a hot flush mountedto his brow.
"You are to come at seven for dinner," she supplemented delightedly.
"What a nice place the seventh heaven is!" he cried warmly.
"Sh!" she whispered suddenly, and both stopped stock-still. "There is aman with a lantern at the lower gate. See? Over yonder."
"They're after me, Mrs. Delancy," he whispered. A moment later they wereoff the road and in the dense shadow of the hedge.
"Is he still in the barn, Mr. Austin?" demanded the man in the buggy.
"I am positive he is. No human being could get away from that dog ofmine." Crosby chuckled audibly, and Mrs. Delancy with difficultysuppressed a proud giggle.
"Well, we might as well go up and get him then. Do you think he's adesperate character?"
"I don't know anything about him, Davis. He says he is a lawyer, but hisactions were so strange that I thought you'd best look into his case. Anight in the jail won't hurt him, and if he can prove that he is what hesays he is, let him go to-morrow. On the other hand, he may turn out tobe a very important capture."
"Oh, this is rich!" whispered Crosby excitedly. "Austin is certainlydoing the job up brown. But wait till he consults Swallow, theinfallible; he won't be so positive." For a few minutes the party of menat the gate conversed in low tones, the listeners being able to catchbut few of the words uttered.
"Please let go of my arm, Mrs. Delancy," said Crosby suddenly.
"Where are you going?"
"I am going to tell Austin what I think of him. You don't expect me tostand by and allow a pack of jays to hunt me down as if I were JesseJames or some other desperado, do you?"
"Do you suppose they would credit your story? They will throw you intojail and there you'd stay until some one came down from Chicago toidentify you."
"But a word from you would clear me," he said in surprise.
"If they pinned me down to the truth, I could only say I had never seenyou until this afternoon."
"Great Scott! You know I am Crosby, don't you?"
"I am positive you are, but what would you, as a lawyer, say to me ifyou were cross-examining me on the witness stand? You'd ask some veryembarrassing questions, and I could only say in the end that thesuspected horse thief told me his name and I was goose enough to believehim. No, my dear friend, I think the safest plan
is to take advantage ofthe few minutes' start we have and escape the law."
"You mean that I must run from these fellows as if I were really athief?"
"Only a suspected thief, you know."
"I'd rather be arrested a dozen times than to desert you at this time."
"Oh, but I'm going with you," she said positively.
"Like a thief, too? I could not permit that, you know. Just stop