“Best sort of a place for a criminal hangout,” said Ted.

“You’re right, and now that you have discovered it, I’ll take pains to see that it’s never used for such again.  But, as I was going to say, Dude’s intention was to get out of town, return, go to the Pine Street room, divide the swag, and skip.  He probably left the train at Somerset, or some other little town down the line, hid in the cornfields until dusk, stole a horse and buggy, and drove across the country to the haunted house, and later was joined by Checkers, who had been trailing you, and later succeeded in getting you.  Had it not been for the quarrel between Dude and Checkers, it is more than likely that you would have been murdered by Checkers.  But one murder was enough for his nerve, and, forgetting you, he vamosed.”

The detective arose to take his departure, again congratulating Ted on the outcome of his adventure.

“Keep your eye peeled for Checkers, and if you do run across him, have your gun at half cock,” he said, and, bidding good night to all, went away.

“And now, good fellows, all to bed,” said Ted.  “To-morrow we start for the West, and the capture of the head men of the train-robber syndicate, and the extermination of the business.”

In the morning, before the others were up, Ted made Scrub take a bath, and then they sallied forth to a clothing store.  When they came out, instead of the ragged and dirty little boy, there walked proudly by Ted’s side a fine, clean, fresh-looking lad in a well-fitting serge suit, and other appointments that transformed him completely.

When they arrived at the hotel the boys professed not to know Scrub.

“Hello, picked up another kid?” asked Bud.  “I swow, yer allers goin’ round pickin’ up mavericks.  I reckon yer aim ter brand this one as well ez ther one yer brought in last night.”

“Why, here’s another kid,” said Ben, looking over Scrub’s new outfit with interest.  “He don’t look much like the one you brought in last night.  I reckon that one has run away, I don’t see him anywhere.”

Poor Scrub was standing first on one foot and then on the other, fairly squirming with embarrassment.

Ted gave the boys the nod to cease teasing the boy.

“Don’t mind those fellows, they’re only joshing,” said Ted.

“Oh, I don’t mind it if they can get any fun out of it,” said Scrub, with a smile.  “Maybe, some day I can get back at them, when I know them better.”

Stella came down in the elevator at that moment, and, catching sight of Scrub, gave a little scream of astonishment at his altered appearance.

“Goodness, what a fine-looking addition to the family!” she said, shaking hands with the boy, who blushed and looked pleased.  “I don’t like the name Scrub a bit.  I’m going to change his name.”

“This isn’t leap year, Stella,” said Ben.

“You hush!  What name would you rather have than Scrub?  That’s no name for a broncho boy,” she said to the boy.