Owen laughed. “All right; I’ll show you. Does this look like a pipe or a nail file, Jake?”
Hines’ small eyes blinked at sight of the revolver which came quickly from Owen’s coat pocket. “No, that’s the goods,” he said gloomily. “I guess I’m up against it. Was you sent to Chicago specially to get me, Sheridan?”
“Not exactly,” replied Owen, with a glance toward[Pg 53] Dallas; “I came here mainly to look into another case; but I guess that can wait until I’ve got you safely locked up.”
“Well, as long as you wasn’t sent to get me,” said Hines eagerly, “perhaps you’ll be interested in a little proposition I’m goin’ to make.”
He, too, glanced toward Dallas. “I’ve got five thousand dollars in bills in my pocket, Sheridan. That money’d come in mighty useful to Miss Worthington just now. It would save her brother from a long term in jail. I’ll hand it over to her if you’ll let me walk out of that door alone. Is it a bargain?”
“It is not,” said Dallas, before the post-office inspector could answer. “You’ve got to do your duty, Owen. Don’t listen to any proposal.”
Owen gave her a grateful and admiring glance. “That’s fine of you, Dallas. Of course, there’s no danger of my accepting this bribe. I scarcely think, though, that your brother will have to go to jail for the lack of that money. I don’t believe that he’s short five thousand dollars at the office at all. I’ve got a shrewd suspicion that these rascals invented that yarn, and have been trying to work a cunning game on you.”
It was only a guess, of course, but Owen could see from the discomfited and sheepish look that came to young Worthington’s face that he had guessed right.
TO BE CONTINUED.