Almost simultaneously a car sped around a
curve from the north and stopped suddenly in rear of
the mob. Two men leaped out and shouldered their
way through. One was the detective, Burton; the other
was Jonas Prim.
"Where are they?" cried the latter. "God help you if
you've killed either of them, for one of them must know
what became of Abigail."
He pushed his way up until he faced the prisoners.
The Oskaloosa Kid gave him a single look of surprise and
then sprang toward him with outstretched arms.
"Oh, daddy, daddy!" she cried, "don't let them kill
him."
The crowd melted away from the immediate vicinity
of the prisoners. None seemed anxious to appear in the
forefront as a possible leader of a mob that had so
nearly lynched the only daughter of Jonas Prim. Bur-
ton slipped the noose from about the girl's neck and
then turned toward her companion. In the light from
the automobile lamps the man's face was distinctly visi-
ble to the detective for the first time that night, and as
Burton looked upon it he stepped back with an ex-
clamation of surprise.
"You?" he almost shouted. "Gad, man! where have
you been? Your father's spent twenty thousand dollars
trying to find you.
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