"You mean Mrs. Craddock?" interrupted their Chief. "Shore," returned the farmer. "Melindy, she sets a heap on her nussin' an' she says th' boy's nigh crazed es 'tis, an' she won't 'low no one ter ax him much. Es soon es he gits ter talkin' he goes right off his haid an' inter fever ag'in. But he hed a leetle passel o' papers tied 'roun' his waist thet Craddock aimed ter fotch down ter yo' fellers but he hain't hed a minnit ter spare yit ter do nawthin'. He'll be right glad ter show 'em ter yo'-all ef yo' want ter drive out thet-a-way. Yo' know how ter git thar, don't yo'? Yo' go along this hyar road ter th' bend an' then cut through Miller's place an' that'll fotch yo 'out on th' old pike. Frum thar on hit's not mor'n a whoop an' a holler, an' all clar 'goin'." The Chief thanked his informant, sprang into the car and they started off according to the directions given. "Why not go right out to that hog farm, Chief, if you know where it is," suggested one of the detectives in the car. "Not yet," answered the Chief. "We haven't any evidence against the man. I know who he is. I've seen him around town for years. Devilish ugly looking type but I always understood he was harmless. This may all be the result of delirium--fever, you know. The boy may just be rambling, or he may be crazy, himself. We've got to see him before we can take any action. And then, if Mr. Wayne's little girl has been taken to any such place--which I doubt--we'll have to proceed with every caution or some harm will come to the child." Again Wayne groaned aloud. Every moment they delayed, riding about the country, seemed to increase Doris' danger. He urged the Chief to hurry. The Chief reached into his pocket and pulled out the letter demanding ransom which Wayne had received that morning. After studying it a minute he said: "This was written by a man of fair education, not by such a type as Grimes. The fact that he was stopping at the Mansion House, according to the handwriting we found on the register, seems to indicate that he is a stranger to these parts and would therefore not know anything about Grimes. I understand he is a pretty disagreeable person and shuns acquaintances. But we can't afford to overlook any chance, however remote. That's why I'm going up to the Craddock place. If what the boy says warrants it, we'll institute some inquiries around the hotel as to whether or not Grimes was seen about the place by anyone during the past week. If he was, and we can link him up with this man Bailey, as he calls himself, then we'll have something to work on. Meanwhile," he turned to Wayne, "you've got until to-morrow noon to meet the terms of the ransom." "Well don't you think, Chief," Wayne urged, "that it would be wise for me to get word to them that I am willing to meet their demands, so as to ensure the baby's safety?"