“Why, Hugh, I think we ought to shake hands, with ourselves over getting up such a smart little scheme as that,” he broke out with, as they walked along the main street of Scranton, meeting many persons whom they knew, and most of them ready with a cheery nod or a word of recognition, for both lads were well liked by the best people of the community, and particularly those who knew boy nature best, so that they could appreciate what manly fellows the chums were.

“You’re a sanguine sort of chap, Thad,” laughed Hugh.  “Right now you believe we’ve as good as got Brother Lu on the run for the tall timber.  Don’t be too sure, or you may be disappointed.  There’s many a slip, remember, between cup and lip.  But Jim took to the game like a terrier does to a rat, didn’t he?”

“It was right in Jim’s favorite line of business,” explained the other.  “He fairly dotes on writing up imaginary things, and making them seem real.  He says it’s his long suit, whatever he means by that.  I only hope he doesn’t make it seem too ridiculous, and so overdo the matter.”

Hugh seemed to have pretty fair confidence in Jim’s judgment.

“He’s a clever chap,” he remarked, “and will know just where to draw the line.  I could that already he had drawn upon his imagination to supply him with something in place of facts.  It’ll be a thrilling bit of reading, and ought to give our pet aversion a cold shiver when he gets its import.  Having Marshal Hastings come away up here after him will upset all Brother Lu’s plans for a soft berth during the remainder of his fast-ebbing life; and he may suddenly determine that it’s better to run away and live to eat another day, than to try and stick it out here, and be landed in a Texas jail.”

“It’ll seem an awful long time till tomorrow comes,” sighed the impatient Thad.  “We told him we’d be around by nine in the morning, didn’t we?  Well, let’s call it eight-and-a-half, then.  He may be able to get off earlier than he expects, and that would cut Brother Lu out of another meal at the expense of Matilda, whose supplies must be running low by now, I should judge, and her money ditto in the bargain.”

“Have it your own way, Thad, and drop in for me,” said Hugh.  “In the midst of all this fuss and feathers over that miserable hobo, we mustn’t forget we promised to be on hand in the afternoon to play on the team against Mechanicsville; for you know there has been a switch, and the programme changed.  That team is considered a strong aggregation from the mills over there, and, we may get our fingers burned unless we are careful.  After knocking Belleville down last Saturday, it would look bad for Scranton to be snowed under by an outside nine without any reputation, as they have hardly played together this season so far.”

“Oh!  I haven’t forgotten my promise to Mr. Saunders and you, Hugh,” protested the reliable backstop of the high-school team “I’m too fond of baseball to neglect any chance for playing.  But we’ll try and put this other affair over in the A.M., and that’ll leave us free to play ball after lunch.  I wonder how far away our friend, Brother Lu, will be this time tomorrow?”