"And I paid you to watch it!" said Tootsie, whose anger began to rise as her respiration returned. Skippy mournfully admitted to himself that this had been an unnecessary aggravation. "Shucks! You didn't think I was going to keep the money, did you?" he said, bringing out a dollar bill and tendering it humbly. Tootsie put the bill from her with the gesture of a tragedy queen, stood up, straightened her skirt and said: "Just you wait, thief!" "What are you going to do?" "My business." "You're not going to tell?" said Skippy, who had no doubt of her intention. "Oh dear no! Oh no indeed!" said Tootsie, moving to depart. Skippy sprang ahead, slammed the door, locked it and pocketed the key. "What good does that do?" said Tootsie disdainfully. "You'll not leave this room until you swear a solemn oath," said Skippy desperately. "All right, I guess I can wait if you can," said Tootsie, settling down. "But I pity you when Dad gets hold of you--thief!" Skippy deliberated, resolved on anything short of murder to stifle the threatening exposure. Sterner methods were necessary. All at once his eye spied a coil of rope in the corner and he sprang to it with a shout. "What are you going to do?" said Tootsie wrathfully. "I am going to tie and gag and leave you to starve," said Skippy, swinging a lasso. There was a short and painful tussle in which his necktie was torn to shreds and he surrendered a certain amount of hair, but at the end of which, Miss Tootsie, tied hand and foot to a chair, was propped up against a pillar, while her conqueror proceeded to roll up his handkerchief with the evident intention of applying a gag. "You'll like it when the rats come around," he said gloomily. "Fiddlesticks! You can't scare me," said Tootsie with alarming calm. "And there are bats too, don't forget the bats that get their claws in your hair," said Skippy, approaching with the gag, "and not a soul to hear your cries, you tattle-tale!" "You'll get the licking of your life," said Tootsie, looking at him steadily. "Thief!" "So you won't name your price!" said Skippy, passing behind her and holding the gag before her eyes. "Not if you murder me--you thief!" Skippy again considered. "She doesn't scare worth a darn," he acknowledged to himself. Instead of applying the gag he departed to the opposite side, sat down and began to think. At the end of a long moment he rose and approached her with a brisk set manner. "So you're going to tell, are you?" "You just bet I'm going to tell, you coward!" "All right, tell then!" He stooped, freed her legs and arms and rose. "Tell if you've made up your mind to--but God help you if you do. That's all I have to say." "You can't scare me," said Tootsie, but already intrigued by the new plan of action which she divined behind her brother's silence. "No, but there's some one I can scare!" said Skippy, unlocking the door. "All right! War to the knife, Miss Tootsie! Remember, though, I warned you!"