“Don’t be scared, boss,” (Duke’s face must have looked anxious in the yellow lantern light), “it was just a love tap; but young whippersnappers like him ain’t used to such.”
“Well, get the money and then bring it here,” ordered Duke.
As he spoke, Jack caught the sound of the rustle of bills. Evidently then the money had been transferred to Duke for division with his satellites later. The footsteps of Blinky and Duggan could be heard trampling off in the brush.
“What are they going to do with us?” Jack wondered. “Poor old Tom,” was his next thought, “knocked down—and—out by that rascal! I wish I was free, although,” he admitted with a sigh, “I couldn’t do much against this bunch.”
Suddenly the boy heard a slight spatter on the dusty ground in front of him.
“Confound it, rain coming up,” he heard Duke explain to himself.
Then the man who stood over Jack’s recumbent form must have looked up at the sky.
“We’re going to get a storm, too,” Jack heard him mutter.
The drops began to fall faster and faster. Out of the distance came a low growl of thunder.
“Hurry up!” Jack heard Duke urge. “Bring that other kid here and tie him. We’ll put ’em both in that old barn. They’re too young to get wet and it is going to be a sharp storm.”
“All right, boss,” came back Blinky’s voice, “we’ve got the money.”
“Well, you know what to do with it. Bring it here,” responded Duke peremptorily.
“You ain’t going to forget us, boss?” came in Duggan’s voice.
“Not likely; when I told you to follow me from the factory and help in this little job I knew I’d have to pay you to keep your mouths shut.”
“Oh, all right! All right!” hailed back Blinky. “We know you’re all right, boss.”
A few minutes later Jack heard Tom’s unconscious form being dragged up. Then he himself was laid hold of by Duggan, while Duke aided Blinky with Tom.
The lightning was now flashing incessantly and the angry growling of the thunder was getting momentarily closer.
“They ought to thank us for getting them out of the wet,” remarked Duke with grim humor as he aided Blinky to drag Tom across the road toward the barn. As for Duggan, he easily handled Jack, tied as the lad was.
As Duggan raised him to hurl him into the barn a bright flash showed Jack that the place was a gaunt, rat-haunted old structure, half filled with hay near the door.