"Our first object will be to identify every man who is in this raid against us. When we succeed then we will know just what to do."

"Then we know how to employ our time until Redalli arrives in town."

"Yes."

"And we will lay everything before him. In the meantime there is no danger."

"Unless he may get on to Wadleigh. How much did he learn from that fellow?"

"I can give it to you that he learned nothing, for Wadleigh said nothing; it was a lucky escape."

"You have seen Wadleigh?"

"Yes, and he had something to tell me. I did not have time to talk with him because I had this scheme on hand with that fellow. Oh, I only wish I had known his game, and I would have laid a different course. He had it all his own way, as I said, when we thought we had it ours. It would have been a big thing, however, if our little trick of to-night had not miscarried. We would have had that chap in a hole that only a full confession would have gotten him out of, and then it is doubtful if we would have let him off alive."

Oscar had overheard enough, and he did not give the rascals the credit he would have done had they suspected his little dodge in listening to what they had to say after the shindy, and again, as they were to follow him he knew he could get on to them when the time came. It was to be a game of hide-and-seek, and he felt a.s.sured that with the brave and magical Cad Metti he could give them points on a double shadow. He stole down the stairs, gained the street, and as he walked away he was joined by Cad, and he said:

"Well, sis, you appeared at the right moment."

"Yes, Oscar, I feared they had some desperate game to pay. I knew your rashness. I fell to your track and when you entered that house I sought out some of our friends and had them at hand to drag you out of a bad sc.r.a.pe."

"Sis, I was in a pretty bad sc.r.a.pe, and you appeared on deck at exactly the right moment."

"That is what I intended to do, but what was their purpose?"

"Cad, to tell the truth, I don't know."

"How did they get on to you?"

"They caught me peeping on the fellow Wadleigh. There is where they played it nice on me."

"What have you learned?"

"I have only picked up some leaders. We have a tangled skein to unravel, and we have got to do some pretty smart work. Those men are good ones; we are guarded at every point, and yet we have made a big stride toward a grand close-in some day, but our chance may come in some months from now."

"What lead have we?"

"I have the names of some of the king-pins. I have their ident.i.ty; I know the name of the great master of this lodge of criminals. I will have his ident.i.ty, and then our work will begin. They will shadow us; they have my ident.i.ty. They are good shadowers, and as they said I worked in the light last time they may work in the light next time, but if they do, Cad, it will be when our lights are smashed."

Cad and Oscar proceeded to their several homes; both had worked hard, they needed rest, and it was late on the following day when they met.

Before parting from Cad our hero had given her some specific orders, and when the two met they were prepared in case of an emergency to work some wonderful changes. They were prepared, as intimated, to do some magic trick detective work of the first order. Oscar had had a chance to think matters over and lay out his campaign, and when he parted from Cad he went to meet Wise, the great government special. He found his man at a hotel where he was masquerading in the role of a merchant from St.

Louis, and he also knew well how to play any role he started out to a.s.sume.

"Well, Oscar," said Wise, "I've been expecting you."

"Certainly."

"When will you start in?"

Oscar smiled and said:

"I thought you had started me in."

"I did, but not having heard from you I thought you might be laying back to finish up some old business."

"No, sir, I went right to work."

"You did?"

"I did."

"Well?"

"I've made some progress."

"You have?"

"I have."

"Let's hear about it."

"I've shadowed down to several of the men."

"Oh, you have?"

"Yes."

"Well, my dear fellow, we did that, but it's the king-pins we want."

"So you told me, and it was the king-pins I went for."

"Eh! what's that?"

"I know the name of the chief center of the whole gang. I am on his track; I've got the ident.i.ty of his aids."

"You think you have."

"I know I have."

"Oscar Dunne don't talk unless he knows what he is talking about."

"I know what I am talking about this time."

"Let's hear your tale of woe."

"Not yet. I only came to tell you that within three days I hope to introduce you to the king-pin--the chief man--the director of the whole business."

"If you can do that you have accomplished one of the greatest detective feats of the age."