"Go and send a wire to Broadvale and tell 'em that you've got me," Thornton said with a kind of bitter resignation; "I heard that scouts are good at finding missing people--fugitives. You--you _have got_ me, Tommy, but in a different way than you think. You got me that first night. Go ahead. But--but listen here. I _can't_ let them take me to-day, my head is spinning like a buzz-saw, Tommy--I can't, I can't, I _can't_! It's the cut in my head. All this starts it aching again--it just----" He lowered his head until his wounded forehead rested on Tom's lap. "I'm--I'm just--beaten," he sobbed. "Let me stay here to-day, to-night--don't say anything yet--let me stay just this one day more with you and to-morrow I'll be better and you can go down and tell. I won't run away--don't you believe me? I'll take what's coming to me. Only wait--my head is all buzzing again now--just wait till to-morrow. Let me stay here to-day, old man ..." Tom Slade lifted the head from his lap and arose. "You can't stay here to-night," he said; "you can't stay even to-day. You can't stay an hour. Nobody can tell me what I ought to do. You can't stay here ten minutes. If you tried to get away I'd trail you, I'd catch you. You stay where you are till I get back." CHAPTER XXVIII RED THORNTON LEARNS SOMETHING ABOUT SCOUTS And strange to say Red Thornton did stay just where he was. Perhaps, seeing that Tom limped as he went down the hill, the fugitive entertained a momentary thought of flight. If so, he abandoned it, perhaps in fear, more likely in honor. Who shall say? His agitation had caused his head to begin aching furiously again, and he was a pitiful figure as he sat there upon the doorsill, in a kind of desperate resignation, resting his forehead in his two hands, and occasionally looking along the path down the hill at Tom as he limped in and out among the trees, following the beaten trail. It had never occurred to him before, how lame Tom was, as the result of his injuries and excessive labors. And he marvelled at the simple confidence which would leave him thus free to escape, if he cared to. Perhaps Tom could have tracked and caught him, perhaps not. But at all events Tom had beaten him with character and that was enough. He had him and Thornton knew and confessed it. It _was_ curious how it worked out, when you come to think of it. Anyway, Thornton had given up all his fine plans and was ready to be arrested. He would tell the authorities that it was not on account of them that he gave himself up, but on account of Tom. Tom should have all the credit, as he deserved. He could hardly realize now that he had deliberately confessed to Tom. And having done so, he realized that Tom, being a good citizen, believing in the law and all that sort of thing, could not do otherwise than hand him over. What in the world else could Tom Slade do? Say to him, "You stole money; go ahead and escape; I'm with you?" Hardly.