Quickly recovering, however, Susie said in a voice loud enough for her brother to hear: "Put the towels in first, Marjorie. They'll deaden the touching on the bricks of the pitcher." Recognizing the voice of his sister, the world-famous desperado lowered his weapon and crept toward the cubby-hole. "Have Jeff get horses for us and hold 'em in front of the next house. We can't stay here any longer, we'll die. "When the nags are ready come and open this door. We'll leave our beards here. "Now, hurry!" Not pausing to argue, though they deemed the risk of the dash for liberty Jesse's words disclosed as his plan, foolhardy, the girls hurriedly replaced the little door and went down to the kitchen. "Don't call Jeff," exclaimed Mrs. Prior when she had been apprised of the orders of the bandit-chieftain. "Helen will do it a good deal better. "Just go out to the barn and turn all the horses loose. Bridle three of them and drive the whole lot into the street. If you should take only three, the men on the outside would get suspicious. The boys--" But her words were interrupted by Jeff who burst into the kitchen, crying: "The chimney's afire! The chimney's afire!" In despair, the housewife looked at Susie, Marjorie and Helen. There was no use in getting out the horses. There would be too many people both inside and out for the outlaws to have a chance of getting away. Already the column of smoke pouring from the chimney, and the tongue of flame that now and then darted from its top, had attracted the attention of the crowd in the street. The dread word "fire" was shouted from all sides and men came rushing into the kitchen to assist in removing the household goods. "Don't touch anything! It's only the chimney burning out!" shrilled Mrs. Prior. "Get some salt! Get some salt!" And rushing to the cupboard she grabbed a box of the condiment, then ran into the parlour. With no intention of setting the accretion of soot in the flue to burning, the detectives were, however, far from sorry as they heard the roar of the flames in the chimney and, their faces wreathed in broad smiles, they laughed and talked together. "That'll drive 'em out, I reckon," chuckled Dillaby just at the moment the farmer's wife entered the room. "You won't feel so funny, you grinning monkeys, if this house burns down!" she snapped. If it does, you'll pay for it--and well, too. "Helen, run down to the square and ask lawyer Perkins to come up here just as fast as he can. I'll see if there isn't some way to prevent these men from outraging us any more. "Jeff Prior, you keep 'em covered in that corner with your shot gun and don't let 'em leave this room. Ephraim, you help me throw this salt into the chimney."