"Say, mister, you call us thieves, but I reckon you are a thief. You have undoubtedly arranged a good little game of your own."

"Oh, yes, I've arranged a good little game. I invited yonder fellow to my house to engage in a game of draw. I had three dummies ready to run on and make a trumped-up accusation. I attempted to force a duel on the man I had inveigled into my house. I had a disguised swordsman in the garb of a lackey to do the murder act. Oh, yes, I am a thief, and I planned well--so well that I have you gentlemen all at my mercy. Just witness how well I planned."

Again Oscar stamped his foot on the floor and three men entered the room, and they were fully equal to the part they were called upon to play. The rascals thus overmatched realized the neat manner in which they had been beaten. Terror filled their hearts, for they did not at the moment know how well they had been trailed down. One fact was patent to them, and that was that they had put up, as they supposed, a great trick on a detective and had been outwitted in the most complete manner. There was no way out of the hole for them. Bad as they were, they knew they were not a match for the five individuals who faced them.

The three men who had entered the room last were Jim terrors right on their looks, and their easy, offhand manner froze the blood in the veins of the conspirators. Girard attempted to face the matter by a display of nerve, but his attempt was pitiful in view of the situation as it at the moment confronted him.

The lackey meantime gave signs of terror. He was a swordsman, but realized that all his skill would go for naught, seeing that the game was exposed. Indeed, a most remarkable tableau was presented, but Girard tried to play out to save his _confreres_. He said:

"Well, well, Dunne, I expected to work a big scare on you, but I see you have been too smart. The next time I attempt a practical joke I will measure my intended victim better."

"Ah, you will?"

"Yes."

"Then this was all a joke?"

"Certainly; but you have proved yourself the best joker."

"You think so?"

"Yes, I am dead beat."

"And as you say it was all a joke."

"Certainly, you know it was."

"And what license had you to attempt to play such a broad joke on me?"

"Joking is my delight."

"Is it?"

"Always."

"Good enough; you tried your joke, I will now try mine. I'll teach you to pick up a stranger in the street to make him the victim of your joke.

Oh, yes, we will call it a joke, a good joke, but the joke is not played out yet. You have had your fun. I must have mine, and here goes!" Oscar whipped out a club. He leaped forward and down went Girard, and the other detectives also got in and there was a very lively time in that upper room for about three minutes. The thieves did not dare offer any resistance. They took their medicine and yet they were all brave men.

They were only too glad under all the circ.u.mstances to get off with a good sound clubbing, and they got it. Then Oscar and his forces drew off, leaving the men to think over their discomfiture at their leisure.

We say the officers withdrew. They did, all but Oscar. He thought to take a little advantage of his success, and dodged into a room adjoining the one where the remarkable scene we have described occurred. He knew the men were all well done up and would not in their bewilderment be prepared for the latest trick of the detective. Our hero's friends descended the stairs, making a great noise, and they kept addressing themselves to our hero, asking him questions in a loud tone, but he was not present to answer them. The questions were a part of his scheme to mislead the men, and his purpose was to overhear what pa.s.sed between the men after they supposed that he and his companions had departed. He relied, as stated, on the demoralization of the scoundrels, and his position, as it proved, was well taken. The men did a.s.sume that he and his party had departed and they commenced talking, and our hero was at hand to overhear them talk. Girard was the first speaker.

"Great Scott!" he e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed, "who was looking for this? We are boys--greenhorns--compared to that fellow and a tale is told."

"Yes, a tale is told," said Thatford. "We thought we had everything dead under cover. We were proceeding in fancied security, but these fellows have been on our track. This is not the scheme of a night. We have met a setback that will keep us poor for six months. We will not dare move until we ascertain just how far they are on to us."

"I knew something was up when we discovered that fellow shadowing Wadleigh. It was a lucky discovery, and our experience to-night, although rough, is a good play out in our favor. We know now just where we stand; that is, we know to a certain extent our danger."

"Not altogether, nor do they know all. Otherwise there would have been a close-in. They are on to us, but have no real points. Yes, Girard, this little experience is a good one for us. All operations must cease until our enemies are removed. We must go back to the old game and do a little dropping out and make the road clear again."

"That is just what we must do. We certainly have some information for our friends."

"We have; and there must be a meeting. All work must stop. Word must be sent out all along the line."

"Yes, sir, and at once. When will Redalli return?"

"He should be in New York within two days."

"We need his headwork; that is certain."

"We do, and you say he will be in the city within a few days."

"Yes, and one more fact: we must throw up the lease of this furnished house and seek new quarters. They have this place down."

"Well, this is only a fancy resort for us anyhow. Fortunately, there is no evidence in this house."

"No, no; I never would have brought that fellow here if we had had any evidence in the house, although I did not think for one moment that he would do us up the way he did."

"He has our ident.i.ties."

"He has."

"That is his advantage, but where does ours come in?"

"We have his ident.i.ty."

"He will change."

"So will we, but I will know that fellow under any cover. He will not know us unless we have forgotten how to do it."

"It is easy for us to change."

"You bet; he fell to us in our best role."

"He did."

"But how did he get on to us at all?"

"I must have time to think that out, and mark my words: he is a shadower. He got his points down well. I am a shadower; I will be on his track, and the next time I will have my points down well. Whatever happens, that fellow must be put away."

"He is a terror."

"He is, but he had it all his own way this time. We were groping in the dark, but he had a good flashlight on us."

"He did."

"Boys, we have had our ups and downs before. We have been in bad holes, but we always managed to get out. We have had better men than this young fellow on our track, and we have always got the best of them in the end.

Remember, we have for years baffled the best officers in the United States. We have no reason to be discouraged. This is only an incident; we know they are not down to facts, and before they get there we will get in some of our good work."

"You bet! How will we start in?"