“If we ever catch up to them waddies, they’ll wish they’d never seen that tin mule!� Bug Eye vowed. “Makin’ me walk all them miles! What’d they want with a Lizzie, anyhow? Did they think I was carryin’ dust or somethin’? By golly, I bet they took the car out of plain cussedness! They don’t want that flivver any more than the man in the moon!�
“Seems like you’re right, there,� Roy agreed. “But you never can tell. We’ve got a little account to settle with scar-face, and the sooner we square it the better.�
“Say, Bug Eye, you didn’t happen to notice whether one of those men who robbed you had on a checkered shirt, did you?� Teddy called out as he rode along.
“Checkered shirt? Well, now that you mention it, I do remember just that! Long, stringy sort of ranger, with a peaked hat? Yep! Why did you ask that, Teddy?�
“Tell you later, Bug Eye,� the boy answered. He felt that this was no time for explanations, when they were riding hard to catch the man who had taken Flash. Teddy was sorry the flivver had been stolen. “But,� he said to himself, “what’s a flivver compared to Flash?�
Jim Casey, who was riding slightly in the rear, suddenly gave a yell.
“Here’s somethin’ like a box at the side of the road!� he called. Bug Eye looked to where Jim was pointing, and then jumped off his pony. He ran toward the object, and, bending over, he examined it carefully.
“We’re on the right trail, boys!� he exclaimed. “This here is the box Mrs. Ball gave me fer yore sister, Teddy. But it’s empty, now. Whatever was in it, the thieves took. Well, that’s some help! Roy, we ought to meet up with yore dad soon, unless he made a powerful wide circle.�
Remounting again, Bug Eye and the rest resumed their chase. Ahead of them they spied three horsemen.
“There’s dad now!� Roy cried, forcing his mount onward. “Yay, Dad! Find anything?�