“Run, Harry, run, or they’ll catch us sure!” cried Joe.
Harry needed no urging, and in a minute the two lads were on the roadway once again and running harder than they had ever done in any footrace. For the moment they forgot how tired they had been, and fear possibly gave them additional strength.
“Ar—are the—they coming?” panted Harry, after quarter of a mile had been covered.
“I don’t—don’t know!” puffed his brother. “Do—don’t se—see anything of ’em.”
“What mean rascals, Joe!”
“Yes, they ought to be in jail!”
The boys continued to run, but as nobody appeared to be following they gradually slackened their pace and at length came to a halt.
“Joe, I’m almost ready to drop.”
“So am I, but we had better not stop here. Let us keep on until we reach some farmhouse. I’m going to get back my watch and chain if I can.”
“And the nuts. Think of losing them after all the trouble we had in gathering them.”