.

A MEETING AT NIGHT.
Dick heard above the thundering hoofbeats only a single shout, and then, as he glanced backward, the house was lost in the moonlight.

When he secured his own horse he had noticed that all the empty stalls were now filled, no doubt by the horses of the young Leffingwells and Kerins, but he was secure in his confidence that none could overtake the one he rode.
He felt of that inside pocket of his vest.

The precious dispatch was there, tightly pinned into its hidden refuge, and as for himself, refreshed, warm, and strong after food, rest, and sleep, he felt equal to any emergency.

He had everything with him.