"Howdy, gents?" was Mr. Brogans' greeting as he dropped his club
and tried to grin.

"Take care of him, Hemingway," directed Thief Coy, briefly.

"Me?" demanded Brogans, in feigned astonishment. "What have _I_
done?"

The noise roused Bill, who sprang up. But Bill must have found
the police wonderfully soothing, for he quieted down at once.

Both rascals were taken care of. Then Theodore Dodge was found
lying bound and gagged on the floor. A ragged, foul-smelling
coat had been substituted for the one that had been left at the
river's bank. The banker looked up at the intruders with a stupefied
leer, betraying neither alarm or pleasure.

As soon as the two rough-looking fellows had been handcuffed Mr.
Dodge was freed, and his tongue also, but Chief Coy, after raising
the banker and questioning him, muttered:

"Clean out of his head. Daffy. Must have wandered away from
Gridley during a loony streak. He isn't over it yet."

The two rough-looking ones protested loudly against being deprived
of their liberty.

"I don't really know that you fellows have done anything," admitted
Chief Coy. "But I'm taking you along on suspicion that it was