"Looks kind of smiling," ventured Landy; "which I take it is some singular for a gentleman whose house has pretty near gone up in smoke.

Tell you what, I know why he's heading this way, fellows."

"Then thay it right out, Landy," remarked Ted, who had noted how the fat boy looked toward Ty and grinned.

"He's coming with a handful of thanks for our brave chum here, on account of how he saved the little Brady girl's darling baby, Bennie,"

said Landy.

"Huh!" snorted Ty, "I did my best, anyhow, and that's all any fellow c'n do. How was I to know it was only a silly little purp, and not a real human being? Didn't she call it the baby? Laugh all you want, Landy; but all I c'n say is that I reckon anyone of you fellers would have done just as bad."

"And that's as fine a compliment as you could pay us, Ty!" declared Elmer, heartily. "As for me, I want to say right here and now that I'm proud of the way you went into that burning house, thinking that a poor little baby was in danger. In my mind it's just as if you had done what you meant to; and I'm glad to own you as a chum. Never mind if some fellows try to have a little fun out of it; they don't mean anything by it. But here's Mr. Brady."

The farmer was a heavy-set man in the prime of life. He, too, had worked hard in the effort to save his house; but despite his anxiety and fatigue, he approached the four scouts with kindling eyes and an outstretched hand.

"I want to shake hands with every one of you boys," he said, earnestly.

"Only for you coming when you did, and takin' hold with such a vim, I guess the old Brady farmhouse would have gone up that time. I see you all wear trousers and leggings that say you belong to the Hickory Ridge Boy Scouts; and make sure that I don't mean to forget this. I want the name of every one of you, and I'm going to make it a point to see your folks, to tell them what reason they've got to be proud of having such boys in the family."

The way that h.o.r.n.y hand of the farmer squeezed those of the boys told that he meant every word he uttered. Landy winced under the pressure, and came very near crying out for mercy; only he remembered that this would not seem just right, when they were at the time being complimented on their manly qualities.

"We're only too glad that we happened to be coming over to your place at just the right time, Mr. Brady," remarked Elmer. "If we'd been at our camp, perhaps we might not have known of the fire until it was too late to do much good."

"Coming to see me, the four of you, were you?" said the other, looking a trifle curious. "What could I do for you, boys? All you have to do is to mention it: after your n.o.ble work this morning I guess it'd be hard for me to refuse any favor."

"But you see, sir," Landy exclaimed, "we didn't want to ask a favor.

Fact is, we wanted to do you one, perhaps."

"I have been looking around, Mr. Brady," observed Elmer, "and I failed to see your two new hands working to save the house--the short man and his tall mate."

Immediately the face of the farmer darkened, and they saw his hands close with a movement that seemed to speak of anger.

"No, you didn't, my lad, and for a very good reason," he said, breathing hard. "They turned out to be a pair of rascals. My daughter caught them in the act of robbing the house this very morning. I had sent them out into a field back of the barns, and they knew that with my son and the horses I expected to go to another part of the farm. So they waited till the coast was clear, and then sneaked back to the house, entering through a window when the women folks were busy in the kitchen and dairy."

"Oh!" gasped Landy, who had not dreamed that this could be the explanation of the fire; "then they must have been caught in the act, and did it for revenge?"

"Just what they did," replied Mr. Brady, with his teeth gritting in anger. "My oldest daughter just happened to go upstairs, and ran across them turning things upside down in the search for valuables. She screamed, and knowing that the rest of the women folks must have heard the row, the scoundrels deliberately put matches to things, and then, jumping from the windows, made off, laughing."

"Did they steal much from you, Mr. Brady?" asked Ty.

"That I don't know yet, because the fire took up all my attention as soon as I got on the ground. And I don't bother much about what they took, I'm that thankful about saving my house, and that n.o.body was hurt," the farmer went on.

"Not even little Bennie," murmured Landy; though Elmer gave him a reproachful look.

"Well, sir," the patrol leader went on, "it happens that we were just on our way here to warn you about your new hands. One of our troop arrived in camp last night, and told us a story about two tramps trying to wreck the express train; and that the officers of several towns were looking for them. When he described the fellows some of us thought the two new hands might be the ones who were wanted."

"Yes," Ty spoke up, "and if Elmer had had his way we'd have come to see you last night; but the rest of the bunch, being lazy or tired, voted to wait till morning. Elmer knew best; he nearly always does."

"Well," the farmer went on, "it was nice of you to think of giving me warning any time; and mighty lucky that you were on your way here when the fire started. Only for that there would be a heap of ruins here, instead of my old house, which has been in the family many generations."

"You say the two men ran away, Mr. Brady?" remarked Elmer, who felt more or less curiosity concerning their movements.

"So the women folks say," came the reply. "Connie, my girl, the one who came on them while they were turning things upside down, looking under the mattresses of the beds for money, and even under the edges of the carpets. She says they ran toward the barns. But I had the horses with me, so they didn't find a mount."

"Thay, perhapth they're hiding right now over there in the haymow, or thomewhere!" suggested Ted.

"Oh, my goodness! That would be too good a thing, wouldn't it?" cried Landy, scrambling to his feet, part of his weariness seeming to leave him at the prospect of new excitement.

"I never thought of that, now," said the farmer. "The rascals might have made up their minds that, after all the excitement was over, another chance would crop up to do some clever robbery. Perhaps I'd be wise to get some of the men together, and take a look through the barns."

"Wait a minute, Mr. Brady," said Elmer. "Because, unless I miss my guess, yonder comes a car that holds some men in uniforms, and they may turn out to be officers from Hickory Ridge, Fairfield, or some other place, looking for information about these very two men."

"Bully! Wouldn't that just be the best thing ever, to think of their happening here when we need them so much," remarked Landy, staring at the coming ear.

"They must have been pa.s.sing by when they met some of the neighbors going home, and learned of the fire," ventured Mr. Brady, who made a motion with his arm to attract the attention of the big, pompous-looking officer who was getting out of the automobile.

"I know who he is," remarked Ty. "That's the head of the police over at Fairfield. His name is Benchley. I've talked with him more'n once. Why, he used to run some sort of auction shop before they made him the chief over there. And here he comes to interview us. My! Just get on to his strut, will you, fellows?"

"Everybody look out how you talk when he's around!" exclaimed Landy. "He looks as if he'd like to pinch everybody around, and slap 'em into the cooler, just to beep his hand in."

But Mr. Brady had stepped out to meet the man in uniform.

"What's been going on here, mister?" asked the officer, with a heavy frown in the direction of the four boys; as though he might be so accustomed to having his share of trouble with the untamed youths of Fairfield and Cramertown, that he naturally came to the conclusion, when anything went wrong, in most cases, it could be traced back to the depravity of the rising generation.

Evidently Mr. Benchley was always at war with the boys of his town, which was one of the greatest mistakes the head of the police force could make. In Hickory Ridge they managed things better, for the chief there had long since won the respect of most of the lads, who knew they had a good friend in the head of the force.

"Been having a fire; but we were fortunate enough to get it under control before much damage had been done," replied Mr. Brady.

"Did these chaps have anything to do with it?" demanded the pompous man in uniform, again frowning at Elmer and his chums.

"Sure they did, a whole lot," replied the farmer.

"Then you want them taken in, I reckon," interrupted the officer, bracing himself, as though he might be ready to sweep the four scouts into his car without further ceremony.

"Taken in?" repeated Mr. Brady. "Well, I should say not. When I agreed with you that these lads had had considerable to do with the fire I meant that only for the grand work they did, my house would have burned to the ground!"

"Then they didn't set the blaze going?" growled the big man. "Who did, then?"

"Two men I engaged yesterday as farm hands; and from what I hear I believe they are the very scoundrels you are looking for this minute,"

the farmer replied.

CHAPTER XIV.

SEARCHING THE HAY BARN.

"SAY that again, please!" gasped Chief Benchley, as he stared at the farmer, like a man who could hardly believe his ears.

"I said I had reason to believe that the two hands I hired yesterday must be the very rascals you are looking for right now," repeated Mr.