"We have got to square ourselves," said Tom. "How are you going to do it?" "Oh, we'll do it somehow." They took the short cut, but so did Aleck, and consequently all three soon met. "Yo' played dat joke yo' can't go fo' to deny it!" cried the colored man. "We are not going to deny it, Aleck," said Tom. "But it was no joke. We did it for your good." "Huh!" "We certainly did," put in Sam. "Why, Aleck, we can't bear to think of your getting married and leaving us." "Huh!" "We want you to stay with us," said Tom. "Besides, that widow has a lot of children and is after your money." "She ain't got but two chillen. She had moah, but she dun told me all but two was in de seminary." "The seminary?" queried Tom. Then a light broke in on him. "You mean the cemetery." "Persackly--de place da puts de dead folks." "Well, they are in the cemetery right enough--but they are a long way from being dead." "Wot yo' mean, Tom?" "We saw her send five of them away this evening--she told 'em to go to the cemetery and stay there awhile." "Wot! Yo' is fooling dis chile!" "It is absolutely true," said Sam. "I am quite sure she has seven children." "Huh! If dat's de case dat Thomas nigger can hab her," grumbled Aleck, and walked on. "But I ain't takin' yo' word fo' dis," he added cautiously. "I'se gwine to make a few investigations to morrow." "Do so--and you'll thank us from the bottom of your heart," answered Tom; and there the subject was dropped. It may be added here that later on Aleck discovered that the widow had ten children and was head over heels in debt, and he was more than glad that the boys had played the trick on him, and that the other colored man had gained Mrs. Taylor's hand. CHAPTER IV A MIDNIGHT SEARCH That night was destined to be an eventful one on the Rover farm. Arriving home, Sam and Tom told of the fun they had had and Dick laughed heartily. Then all three of the boys went to bed. About midnight came a loud shouting from the barn, followed by the report of a shotgun. This was followed by a shriek from Sarah, the cook, who was afraid that burglars had come to murder her. "What's that?" questioned Dick, as he hopped out of bed. "That's Jack Ness' gun," answered Tom. "Something must be wrong at the barn." "Chicken thieves again--I'll bet a new hat," said Sam. By this time Randolph Rover and his wife were up and were lighting a lamp. Without waiting for them, the boys slipped on some clothing and their shoes and ran downstairs. Dick took with him a pistol and each of the others a baseball bat. "Boys! boys! be careful!" shouted their uncle after them. "All right," returned Dick, readily. He was the first outside, but Sam and Tom were close upon his heels. He heard Jack Ness running to the edge of a cornfield, shouting lustily. Then came another report of the shotgun. "What is it, Jack?" shouted Dick. "Who are you shooting at?" "I'm after two men," was the hired man's reply. "They jest run into the cornfield."