One of the twain ran at him and tripped him up. The other twined the loose line about Andy’s ankles.
“Got him!” sounded a triumphant voice.
“Good business,” chirped his companion, and then Andy thrilled in some dismay, as he recognized his captors as Gus Talbot and Dale Billings.
“Hello, Andy Nelson,” said Gus Talbot.
Gus’s voice was sneering and offensive as he hailed the captive. His companion looked satisfied and triumphant as he stood over Andy, as if he expected their victim to applaud him for doing something particularly smart.
“See here, Gus,” observed Dale, “I’d better get, hey?”
“Right off, too,” responded Gus. “If there’s the ready cash in it, all right. If there isn’t we’ll get him on the way to Princeville ourselves some way.”
“Can you manage him alone?”
“I’ll try to,” observed Gus vauntingly, “I’ll just have a pleasant little chat with him for the sake of old times, while I sample this ice cream of his—um-um—it ought to be prime.”
Dale sped away on some mysterious errand. Gus picked up the box of ice cream that Andy had dropped and opened it. He tore off one of its pasteboard flaps, fashioned it into an impromptu spoon, and proceeded to fill his mouth with the cream.