And thirty seconds later, from the Pleasantville court house tower, the town bell rang out twelve musical strokes.
CHAPTER XXIX
BROUGHT TO TIME
"I'll go!" said Colonel Jeptha Harrington, magnate of Pleasantville.
"All right," said Bart Stirling, express company agent.
It was three o'clock in the morning, and the scene was the little express office where so many unusual and exciting happenings had transpired within twenty-four hours.
The colonel's announcement was given in the tone of a man facing a hard proposition and forced to accept it—or something worse.
Bart's reply was calm and off-handed. During a two hours' siege with the military man he had never lost his temper or his wits, and had come off the victor.
When Bart had concluded his very creditable piece of business with Mr. Martin of the pickle factory, he had sent Darry and Bob Haven back to bed, and had forthwith returned to the express office.