It was arranged so that, by pressing two pieces of wood which formed the handle of the jumping-jack, the manikin would cut all sorts of queer capers. For a while this served to take Jimmy’s mind off his troubles. “Now get him something to eat,” the blue-handed man ordered Peter. “The rest of the fellows will be coming here pretty soon, and we’ll have to talk business. Go out and get him some pie.” “Pie’s no good for kids,” remarked Peter. “No? Well, I used to like it when I was a youngster,” the man replied. “It will give him the nightmare, and keep him awake,” spoke Peter. “I’d better give him crackers and milk.” “All right, whatever you say. It’s so long since I’ve had anything to do with babies that I don’t know what they need. Now don’t you worry,” the blue-handed man went on, turning to Jimmy, while Peter got out the food. “I’m sorry we had to bring you here, but we’ll take good care of you, and if your friends do the right thing, you’ll soon be allowed to go.” “I want to go now,” said Jimmy. “I’d be glad to let you, I’m sure,” spoke the man, “if only that brother of yours would do what we want him to in the matter of land, we would. But, of course, you don’t understand about that.” By this time Peter had fixed some crackers and milk for the little fellow, who was quite hungry. The blue-handed man resumed the work of trying to remove the stains of nitro-glycerine from his fingers, and while he ate Jimmy watched him curiously. In a little while, however, Jimmy’s eyes began to grow more and more heavy, his head nodded lower and lower, and, almost before he knew it, he had fallen asleep. “He’s off,” announced Peter. “Well, put him to bed,” instructed the blue-handed man. “I’m glad he’s out of the way. Here come some of the fellows.” As Peter was carrying Jimmy to a bed in an inner room, the sound of steps was heard in the hall. Then came the odd raps, such as Peter had given, and the questions and answers. Then the blue-handed man admitted three other men. They went to the main room, and while Peter prepared to go to bed in the same apartment where Jimmy was, all of the men sat about the table. “Well, what’s the news?” asked one of the newcomers. “Getting the stains off, Noddy?” “I wish you’d keep quiet about those stains,” said the blue-handed man, rather angrily. “I’m having trouble enough over them. But, for all that, I’ve done more than you have, Sam Perkins.” “What have you done?” “I’ve got the kid.” “Which one, Larry or his brother?” “His brother. Peter copped him to-night at the circus. He’s here now.” “Good for you!” exclaimed Perkins. “That’s something like. Now we can go ahead with that land business. Alderman Beacham was saying the other day, if we didn’t pull the thing off pretty soon the committee would have to make a report. Once the thing becomes public our chance of making a fortune is gone.”