“How did they know where you hid the money?”

“The dwarf saw us through the window, and Kit saw him, but I thought it was all imagination.  That was how they robbed the post office.  The dwarf was lowered down the chimney.  That is about the size of it.  Am I correct, Riley?”

“Correct enough, so far as I’m concerned.  I guess it’s back to ’the stir’ for me.  But this midget didn’t know what he was doing, and ought to be sent to an asylum instead of the prison,” said Riley.

At that moment there was a great commotion without, and a crowd of cowboys rode up.  In the center of the circle made by them was Wiley Creviss and several of his gang.  In all, with Riley and the dwarf, there were eight of them in custody, and without ado they were hurried to the Strongburg jail.

The United States marshal was in Strongburg when Ted came in with his prisoners.

“What is all this, Strong?” asked the marshal.

“That bank-robbing gang you ordered me to bring in,” answered Ted.

“You made quick work of it.  Get any of the money?”

“All of it.  It is in the Strongburg bank.  You see, they made the mistake of robbing us last night.  But for that they would have got away, and we would have had a hard time catching them.  As it was, they walked right in to us.”

Skip Riley went back to the penitentiary for a long term of years, and the midget was sent to an asylum for the feeble-minded.

Jack Farley turned State’s evidence, and Creviss and ten other young reprobates were sent to a reformatory.

As for Lucifer, he turned out, next to Sultan and Custer, the best horse on the ranch.

CHAPTER XIII.

The anonymous letter.

A very short time after the capture of Skip Riley, Ted Strong was standing in the waiting room of the Union Station at St. Louis, the metropolis of Missouri, whither he had been summoned by a letter from the chief of the United States secret service.

He was waiting for Bud Morgan, who had gone to the baggage room to inquire about a trunk which had become lost on the way from Moon Valley, and which contained a number of valuable papers, including both their commissions as deputy United States marshals.

The enormous waiting room was crowded with passengers from the incoming trains, with which the numerous tracks were full from end to end.

As Ted Strong leaned over the iron railing, looking down into the lower waiting room, he was conscious that a woman had stepped to his side.  Glancing up sideways, he saw that close to him was a very beautiful young girl, who wore a traveling cloak of pearl gray, and a long feather boa, which the draft had blown across his sleeve.

His glance intercepted one from her, and not wishing her to think that he was idly staring at her, he directed his gaze once more to the surging crowd below.  As his eyes wandered over the throng, he saw a man look up, and make the most imperceptible gesture with his head.