the store, followed by sundry mysterious preparations in the stable at
the rear of the house.

Tad's early mornings were devoted to cleaning up the store, so that he
had no time then to give to his own affairs. Late one afternoon in the
middle of the following week, Tad Butler, driving Jinny and with a
parcel under his arm, moved down the street toward the woods.

Arriving at the woods he tied Jinny to a tree and walked on around a
bend in the highway, where he unrolled his parcel. A coil of clothes
line dropped from it.

The bundle, which proved to be a long strip of canvas, Tad stretched
out, tying an end of the clothes line on either side.

The boy's next move was to climb a tree at one side of the road, and
make fast one of the lines. Descending, he did the same on the
opposite side of the highway.

By this time, Tad's clothes were in a sad state of disorder. But to
this he gave no heed. He was bent on accomplishing a certain purpose,
and all else must give way before it.

Hauling down on the rope which he had made fast to the second tree, be
caused a banner to flutter to the breeze directly over the highway. On
it in big red letters had been painted:

AUTOS TOWED IN.
IF YOU DON'T SEE ANY ONE,
YELL FOR TAD OR CALL