For a moment his auditors were too surprised to voice

a single emotion; but presently one murmured, soulfully:

"Pipe de swag!" He of the frock coat, golf cap, and

years waved a conciliatory hand. He tried to look at the

boy's face; but for the life of him he couldn't raise his

eyes above the dazzling wealth clutched in the fingers

of those two small, slim hands. From one dangled a

pearl necklace which alone might have ransomed, if

not a king, at least a lesser member of a royal family,

while diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds scintil-

lated in the flaring light of the fire. Nor was the fistful of

currency in the other hand to be sneezed at. There were

greenbacks, it is true; but there were also yellowbacks

with the reddish gold of large denominations. The Sky

Pilot sighed a sigh that was more than half gasp.

"Can't yuh take a kid?" he inquired. "I knew youse

all along. Yuh can't fool an old bird like The Sky Pilot

--eh, boys?" and he turned to his comrades for confirma-

tion.

"He's The Oskaloosa Kid," exclaimed one of the com-

pany. "I'd know 'im anywheres."

"Pull up and set down," invited another.

The boy stuffed his loot back into his pockets and

came closer to the fire. Its warmth felt most comfort-

able, for the Spring night was growing chill. He looked

about him at the motley company, some half-spruce in

clothing that suggested a Kuppenmarx label and a not

too far association with a tailor's goose, others in rags,

all but one unshaven and all more or less dirty--for

the open road is close to Nature, which is principally

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