“Idea of what?” Young was rather pale, but he managed to put some assurance into his question. The man lighted a cigar with much deliberation. “Why, I mean what are you thinking of doing? Now, here’s my advice to you. You don’t need to take it, you know. I shan’t mind if you don’t. If I were you I’d get together what you’ve got left of that seventy-five and hand it over. See? Then we’d just wish each other luck and I’d drop off at the first stop and report ‘nothing doing’ at the office. That would be the simplest thing. But you can come on back to Toledo if you want to and face the music. Only that makes a lot of trouble for you and me and this fellow here. You spend the night in a cell, I don’t get to sleep before one o’clock, and this fellow has to lie around until your case comes up in the morning. Still, I don’t want to persuade you against your own judgment. It’s all in the day’s work for me.” He leaned back and smiled pleasantly at Young. “You’ve only got his say-so for it,” exclaimed Young desperately. “Why, I never saw him until he came up to me in the station at Fremont! I don’t know anything about him. It――it’s a frame-up, that’s what it is! If you arrest me you’ll get into trouble. I――I’ve got friends in Toledo, and they’ll make it hot for you, all right!” “Sure, I know. We get that line of talk all the time,” was the untroubled response. “You know your own business better than I do. If you didn’t take this fellow’s money, why, all right.” “Of course I didn’t! Why, look here, I’ll show you!” Young pulled a purse from his pocket and eagerly spread its contents out. “That’s every cent I’ve got to my name! Seventy-five dollars! Gee, if I had seventy-five dollars I’d be back there in a Pullman, believe me!” “That’s so. Still, you might have spent the difference. How much you got there?” “Nineteen, about! I had twenty-five when I――when I was in Fremont, and this fellow”――he darted a triumphant look at Joe――“braced me for a dollar to get something to eat. Then, when he saw I had more, he began some wild yarn about my stealing money from him. Why, I guess he’s crazy!” The tall man turned and looked attentively at Joe. “Is that right?” he asked. “Did you get a dollar from him at Fremont?” Joe shook his head, not trusting himself to speak for fear he would laugh. The supposed detective sighed. “Well, I don’t know! Of course, if they find only nineteen dollars on you when they frisk you at the station――――” “Frisk me?” faltered Young. “Sure; search you; go through your clothes. And your bag.” Young shot a troubled look at the suit-case beside him. “No one’s got any right to search me,” he muttered. “And――and you can’t arrest me, either, without a warrant!” “Bless your heart, friend, if we waited for warrants we’d miss half the fun! Here comes the conductor. Better not buy beyond Monroe. We’ll get off there and beat it back.”