"No, no; don't touch him," Greening interposed hurriedly. "Leave him lay for the coroner; that's the law." "All right." "I'll have to tell Missis Chase before we go," said Sol. "Yes, you must tell her," Joe agreed. Sol rapped on the woodwork of the wall at the bottom of the stairs with his big knuckles. The sound rose sudden and echoing in the house. Ollie was heard opening her door. "Missis Chase--oh, Missis Chase!" called Greening. "Who's that, who's that?" came Ollie's voice, tremulous and frightened, little above a whisper, from above. "It's Sol Greening. Don't come down here, don't come down!" "What was that noise? It sounded like a gun," said Ollie, a bit nearer the head of the stairs, her words broken and disjointed. "Something's happened, something mighty bad," said Sol. "You stay right where you are till I send the old woman over to you--do you hear me?--stay right there!" "Oh, what is it, what is it?" moaned Ollie. "Joe--where's Joe? Call him, Mr. Greening, call Joe!" "He's here," Sol assured her, his voice full of portent "he's goin' away with me for a little while. I tell you it's terrible, you must stay right up there." "Oh, I'm so afraid--I'm so afraid!" said Ollie, coming nearer. "Go back! Go back!" commanded Greening. "If you'll only stick to it that way," thought Joe as Ollie's moans sounded in his ears. "Was it robbers--is somebody hurt?" she asked. "Yes, somebody's hurt, and hurt bad," said Greening, "but you can't do no good by comin' down here. You stay right there till the old woman comes over; it'll only be a minute." "Let me go with you. Oh, Mr. Greening, don't leave me here alone!" she implored. "There's nothing to hurt you, Ollie," said Joe. "You do as Sol tells you and stay here. Go to your room and shut the door, and wait till Mrs. Greening comes." Sol leaned into the staircase and listened until he heard her door close. Then he turned and shut the kitchen window and the door leading into the body of the house, leaving the burning lamp on the table to keep watch over Isom and his money. "We'll go out the front way," said Sol to Joe. "Nothing must be touched in that room till the coroner orders it. Now, don't you try to dodge me, Joe." "I've got no reason to want to dodge any man," said Joe. "Well, for your own sake, as well as your old mother's, I hope to God you ain't!" said Sol. "But this here thing looks mighty bad for somebody, Joe. I'm goin' to take you over to Bill Frost's and turn you over to the law." Joe made no comment, but led the way around the house. At the kitchen window Greening laid a restraining hand on Joe's shoulder and stopped him, while he looked in at the corpse of Isom Chase.