Snodgrass asked Tommy Bell how he

k me there," r

y try to make you

Tommy. "I could not because I did not know, and they burned

of your father?" inq

about it, except that father used to work with those men developing a mine. It didn't pay, and the

he mention of his mother's

n about Tommy. "Don't cry, lad," the scientist went on, in what seemed a sort of husky voi

med Jerry, Ned an

now, as there seemed to

rospecting with Nat Richards and the others in that crowd. But they were bad me

early a year. I traveled about, doing what little work I could get to do, until I struck Texas. One day, about a week ago, I passe

I couldn't tell, and then he promised me one hundred dollars if I

n refusing to give them the information, Nat Richards grew ugly. He had me taken o

torture. They burned me on the legs with a hot poker. That's what they were doing when you

hey could to comfort the friendless

heartily, "and we'll try to help you find

rizona," ans

ded for," exclaimed Bob. "We

speed gear when there was a sudden ripping,

e matter?"

d," replied the steersman. "T

e low or intermedia

, and found they

id. "We may need the high gear any minute, and perha

" said Bob eagerly. "I haven't ea

has been a long time since dinner, but with the excitement of t

ire started in the sheet-iron stove, with the charcoal that was carried to

hough the moon helped some. He found a spring close at hand, and soon a fragrant beverage was steaming under the tre

was acting as cook, and fall

olly fun," and the lad, who was about twelve years old, laughed for the first time s

travel adventures, at which Tommy op

ave had stunning t

ome sleep. Blankets were brought out, and rolling themselves up

f a dog. At first he could not imagine what the sound was, and sat up to li

. "There are very few dogs ab

Bell roused up, and h

. "They have a lot of hounds on the ra

med Jerry, rai

int and far off, the so

oming!" cr

s, who sat up bewildered a

!" called Jerry. "

as packed up, and, while the travelers jumped into the car, Jerry went in front to crank it up. The cheerful chug-chug told that

oming around the bend of the forest road

up, Jerry!"

forward to throw in the high gear. A mournful

steersman cried. "We can only use the i

, though!" said Bob. "We

for a while, distanced the gang, the members of which, w