MARCUS BECOMES A DETECTIVE. Marcus’ manner as well as words showed that he was in earnest, and Dean felt a higher degree of hope than he had at any time. “Our interests are mutual,” the first resumed, “and by working together I believe we can outwit our enemies and obtain justice.” “You have some plan, Marcus?” “Simply this: We must go back over the trail by which you were brought here step by step, to discover, if possible, the men and their motives in taking you away.” “I have no definite idea of even the way we came.” “We have a clue. The justice who convicted you was named Mullern and he lived in Daleford. Then there was claimed to be an uncle to you in the background. We must find out if he was a real person or a guy got up for the occasion. With such clues as these we shall not go it blind.” “Marcus, you are developing traits that are decidedly of the Sherlock Holmes order. At any rate I am going to let you take the lead in this matter.” “Only for the present. I happen to know a boy in Daleford, and we will try and find him.” At nightfall the two boys reached an eminence, two miles beyond which lay the peaceful hamlet of Daleford. They had not sought to hide from passers-by on the road thither. “We can trust to our disguises,” remarked Marcus confidently, and to all seeming they were considered to be poor charcoal burners in quest of work by those who saw them. It was dusk when they reached the town proper, and Marcus, leaving his companion in a field, went toward the residence portion of the village. “Did you find your friend?” asked Dean anxiously, when Marcus returned after the lapse of an hour. “Yes, and he didn’t know me. He don’t know me anyway by my right name.” “No?” “No; I lived with a farmer near here once named Grant, and people got calling me Bob Grant, my friend among them, and I never undeceived them so I run no risk of being seen by him. It’s all arranged. He will find out all there is to be found out by to-morrow at noon. He knows the justice, and, best of all, his hostler got his job through my friend’s father’s recommendation, so if there’s any tricky work on the part of the justice we shall soon find him out. “You are a trump, Marcus, and I am getting to depend on you altogether. So go ahead and I will do what I can to help you.” Marcus’ friend loaned them some money, and the boys bought food at the country store and camped in the woods at night. The time hung pretty heavily on them, and when the boy did not come as he had promised, Dean began to fear that he had proved faithless. Then Marcus went in quest of him, when the suspense grew doubly hard to bear with Dean. When Marcus came back his countenance was wreathed in smiles.