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He had been called a hero, a fearless officer, and a lot of other pleasant things, by the astonished United States marshals, and he had been given to understand that he would hear from Washington before long. Mr. Bacon (Kurt von Poppenblitz) and Mr. Bonaparte (Conrad Bloom) had also called him something, but he didn’t mind. His erstwhile partners, with their four or five henchmen, were now well on their way to limbo, and Mr. Crow was regaling his hearers with the story. During the first recital (this being either the ninth or tenth), Alf Reesling had been obliged to prompt him–a circumstance readily explainable when one stops to consider the effect of the murderous blow Mr. Crow had received.

“‘Course,” said Anderson, “they did fool me at first. But I wasn’t long gittin’ onto ’em. I used to sneak up there and investigate ever’ now an’ ag’in. Finally I got onto the fact that they was German spies–I got positive proof of it. I can’t tell you just what it is, ’cause it’s government business. Then I finds out they got a wireless plant all in order, an’ ready to relay messages to the coast o’ Maine, from some’eres out west. So today, I goes over to Justice Robb’s and gits a warrant for intoxication. That was to make it legal fer me to bust into their shanty if necessary. Course, the drunk charge was only a blind, as I told the U. S. marshal. I went right straight to that underground den o’ their’n, an’ afore they knowed what was up, I leaped down on ’em. Fust thing I done was to put the big and dangerous one horse de combat. He was the one I was worried about. I knocked him flat an’ then went after t’other one. He let on like he was surrenderin’. He fooled me, I admit–’cause I don’t know anything ’bout wireless machinery. All of a sudden he give me a wireless shock–out o’ nowhere, you might say–an’ well, by cracky, I thought it was all over. ‘Course, I realize now it was foolish o’ me to try to go up there an’ take them two desperadoes single-handed, but I–What’s that, Bud?”

“Mrs. Crow sent me to tell you if you didn’t come home to supper this minute, you wouldn’t git any,” called out a boy from the outskirts of the crowd.

“That’s the second wireless shock you’ve had today, Anderson,” said Harry Squires, drily, and slowly closed one eye.