my message I did not mention HER. If you want an adventure of your
own, you might help her to escape while I arrest her accomplices."

"I object," I cried, "to your applying the word 'accomplice' to
that young lady. And suppose they ARE criminals," I demanded, "how
will arresting them help you?"

Kinney's eyes flashed with excitement.

"Think of the newspapers," he cried; "they'll be full of it!"
Already in imagination he saw the headlines. "'A Clever Haul!'" he
quoted. "'Noted band of crooks elude New York police, but are
captured by Forbes Kinney.'" He sighed contentedly. "And they'll
probably print my picture, too," he added.

I knew I should be angry with him, but instead I could only feel
sorry. I have known Kinney for a year, and I have learned that his
"make-believe" is always innocent. I suppose that he is what is
called a snob, but with him snobbishness is not an unpleasant
weakness. In his case it takes the form of thinking that people
who have certain things he does not possess are better than
himself; and that, therefore, they must be worth knowing, and he
tries to make their acquaintance. But he does not think that he
himself is better than any one. His life is very bare and narrow.
In consequence, on many things he places false values. As, for
example, his desire to see his name in the newspapers even as an
amateur detective. So, while I was indignant I also was sorry.

"Joe," I said, "you're going to get yourself into an awful lot of
trouble, and though I am not in this adventure, you know if I can