"I wouldn't advise it--at least not yet," the Chief replied. "There'll be time enough this evening if you want to do it." Waiting was torture for Wayne, but he strove to control his nerves and to look at the situation from the detective's viewpoint. The story they had heard from their loquacious informant was corroborated by Richard Craddock when they reached his farm. The boy, he said, was very, very ill and might, or might not rally enough at their entrance to answer questions. His wife, a kind-hearted, motherly person, who went out nursing whenever her services were required, was caring for the child as well as the average rural practitioner could do, and she, too, thought it unlikely that the boy could be roused sufficiently to give them any intelligent information. But the slight stir of their entrance made him open his eyes and look at them at first with terror, then with something akin to pleasure. "I knowed--knew--hit was a mistake," he murmured, looking straight into the eyes of Wayne. "I thought--mebbe--she'd send--you." Then he sighed as if with satisfaction and closed his eyes, apparently to sleep. But after a moment it was noticed that two great tear-drops were slowly making their way from under the transparent lids and coursing down the sick boy's cheeks. Mrs. Craddock stepped forward and gently wiped them away. "Mollie--" murmured the boy. "Mollie and--the--children--the babies--." Mrs. Craddock laid her fingers upon his pulse. "Hit's a sin an' a shame ter bother him with questions," she said. "Cain't ye wait til termorrer? He'll be better then." "I'll tell you what," said the Chief, in a low tone to Mrs. Craddock. "I'll have someone from my office stay right here the rest of the day and through the night, and you must do your best to get him in condition to answer a few questions before daybreak. This gentleman, here, Mr. Wayne,----" "Oh, howdy, Mr. Wayne," interrupted the farmer's wife, in some confusion that so distinguished a person should be in her humble home, "I thought I'd seed yore face afore. Won't yo' set?" She pushed a chair forward but Wayne shook his head. The Chief continued. "Mr. Wayne's little girl has disappeared--been stolen. They have given him until noon to-morrow to decide whether or not he will pay them a large sum of money in exchange for the child. If he pays the money they may not keep their word. I am trying to find the child for him before their time limit expires. What I want to learn from this boy is whether or not there are children on the Grimes farm and how he came to be there. I know Grimes has one child of his own. I never heard of any other child being on the premises." Wayne and the detectives withdrew. As they passed through the kitchen door out onto the porch the farmer came forward with some papers. "These were tied onto him," he said, "but bein' es I don't read I cain't make nawthin' out o' them."