“Hello, Peewee!” he said. “That you?” “It’s me, Sheriff.” “H’m!... Got that bundle of school books safe?” Jenney chuckled a little at this. He considered it very acute indeed--to describe Evan Pell as a bundle of school books. “Got ’em tight,” said Peewee. “And the bookcase door’s locked. Was jest lookin’ ’em over. Gittin’ me an eddication, so to say.” “Was the bindin’s injured much?” “Not to speak of. One of the covers was tore off, but it kin be patched on ag’in with glue, seems as though. Hain’t no pages tore.” “It’s too bad we got to keep ’em alone,” said Jenney. “I’m figgerin’ on addin’ to the lib’rary.... Durin’ the day or night. You be ready to take care of another volume. ’Tain’t so educational as the other figgers to be, but it’s put up in a dum sight pertier cover.” “I git you,” said Peewee. “The librarian’ll be on the job. Got any idee what hour you’ll deliver?” “May be any hour. Sit tight, and don’t on no account lose what we got. What we want, Peewee, is a nice, complete eddication, and we can’t git it ’less we have both them books to study side by side.” “Uh huh.... An’ say, Sheriff, the pantry’s all ready fer that shipment of catchup. Quite a consignment, eh? Never had so much catchup in the house before.” “Too doggone much. I was ag’in it.... But it’s comin’, and we got to look out f’r it.” “Five loads,” said Peewee. “Comin’ different roads.” “Mebby ye kin dispose of some of it if the order’s too big fer your own use.” “I kind of arranged to,” said Peewee. “Everythin’s all right _this_ end.” “For Gawd’s sake,” said Jenney, betraying for a moment his anxiety, “don’t let nothin’ slip.” “I’ll tend to my end if you tend to your’n,” snapped Mr. Bangs. Directly following this conversation, Jenney detailed two trustworthy gentlemen to keep an eye on Carmel Lee. It was pointed out to them to be their duty not to lose sight of her an instant, and, on pain of certain severe penalties, to let no opportunity slip to induce her to join Evan Pell at the Lakeside Hotel.... It was these two gentlemen who, gratefully, saw her take her way out of town in the late evening, following the very road they would have chosen for her. They made sure she was alone, that no one was coming after her, and then took to themselves the office of escort. Quite gleefully they followed her, as she, unconscious of their presence, trudged toward the hotel. She was so thoughtful as to save them even the small trouble of transporting her. “Like the feller that let the bear chase him into camp so’s he could shoot his meat nigh home,” whispered one of the gentlemen.