"I hear you have put officers out, after us, and I don't blame you,"
smiled Jack, rather grimly. "However, we didn't run away with your
money, and we would have been back last night had that been possible."

"I could hardly bring myself to believe that you had absconded," cried
Mr. Farnum, ruefully. "I sent officers out on the trail as much to
learn what had happened to you as for any other reason. The horse came
in with the buggy last night, and I knew something was wrong. But this
fellow, Jaggers--"

"He and Owen tricked us and got us last night," explained Benson. "I
don't, believe they knew anything about the money. They just wanted to
beat us to their heart's content. But they found the money, and--but
I'd better begin at the beginning."

This Jack did, soon putting Mr. Farnum in possession of the whole story.

"I'll send two men with Jaggers, to turn him over to the constable,"
remarked Mr. Farnum. "I'll also send the alarm out so that Josh Owen
may be caught. Both these fellows must have their full deserts."

"Perhaps, first of all, you'll take this money," urged Jack, producing
the roll of banknotes. "Count it over, will you please, sir?"

Mr. Farnum rapidly counted. "Just eight hundred," he nodded. "But,
according to your story, it ought to be five dollars short, on account
of what this rascal, Jaggers, took out to spend."

"We've made that good out of some of our own money that the pair took
away from us, and which we got back with yours."