armed, and in another half-hour still two more.

"Must be a wedding somewhere, or a Sunday--school picnic,"
said Jack.

"But why do they all have the guns?" asked Ollie, innocently.

"Oh, I don't know," answered Jack. "Varmints about, I
suppose."

In a few minutes we came to a man working beside the road,
and asked him what it all meant. He looked around in a very
mysterious manner, and then half whispered the one word
"Vigilantees!" with a strong accent on each syllable.

"Oh!" said Jack, "vigilance committee."

"Correct," returned the man.

"After horse-thieves, I suppose?" went on Jack.

"Exactly," replied the man. "Stole two horses at Black Bird
last night at ten o'clock. Holt County Anti-Horse-thief
Association after 'em this morning at four. That's the way we do
business in this country!"

We drove on, and Jack said:

"What the Association wants to do is to buy Old Blacky and
put him in a pasture for bait. In the morning the members can go