"Yes," answered Clip. "We are glad you came. Now our meeting is complete. We want evidence. Tell us all you know about the strange men. You had a good chance to observe. You were not in the little quadrille on the road."
"Why," stammered Daisy, "I thought them very nice-looking men. They were well dressed, and—"
"That's it," interrupted Jack. "They were nice men, well dressed. What else do you expect young ladies to observe? Clip, your suspicions are not borne out by facts. Not a girl in the party but yourself saw—what was it? The corner of the missing blue envelope in the upper right-hand pocket—"
"Jack Kimball! You know perfectly well I never said such a thing. I did see something blue, but it might have been—"
"A captured shadow from Daisy's eyes," said Walter dryly.
"What happened?" breathed Maud. Then Walter realized what a girl's eyes may do in the matter of "imploring." He deliberately stepped over to Maud's side.
"Oh, some valuable papers were taken from the mailbag," volunteered
Clip. "And we thought the strange men might have found them."
"You cheerful fibber," whispered Jack. "Come on, if you expect to get to Cartown to-day."
"How can we, now?" asked Clip in an undertone.
"Just jump in and go," replied Jack. "Why should we explain?"