THE MAN IN GRAY
Naturally the boys were curious to know the meaning of the stranger's
conduct. They could not see why anyone travelling the same way with
themselves should wish to avoid observation. It would seem that he would
have hurried forward for the sake of company in this lonely region.
Could it be he was really trying to keep out of sight?
Chester's added explanation left no doubt on this point.
"It was accidental on my part. I happened to be looking at the very
point where the road makes a turn, when I caught a glimpse of something
moving on the edge of my field of vision as if coming this way. Before I
could do more than see it was a person, he slipped to the side among the
trees. That I think proves he does not wish to be seen by us."
"He must have known _you_ saw _him_."
"No; the chances were a hundred to one against either of us noticing
him, though we might have done so had he come two steps nearer. Not
doubting that he was secure, he whisked out of sight for the time."
"He might have done that by leaping backward instead of sideways."
"I don't see any choice between the two methods. I am beginning to
suspect that for some reason he is interested in us. How is it, Alvin,
that we never had a suspicion of anything of that kind?"
"Because we had no reason for it."
"Now it would be odd if that man is the one who rested at one end of the
first bridge while we were doing the same at the other."
"And has been dogging us ever since. It is easy enough to find out. Come
on!"
Avoiding the manner of those who had detected anything amiss, the youths
faced south once more, and, neither hastening nor retarding their pace,
walked along the middle of the highway until they had passed beyond the
bend which hid them from the sight of the individual whose actions were
anything but reassuring.
"Now!" whispered Alvin.
As he spoke, he stepped into the wood on their right, his companion
doing the same. There was no undergrowth and they threaded their way for
several rods and then were unable to find a tree with a trunk large
enough to hide their bodies. Doing the best they could, they fixed their
gaze upon the highway, along which they expected to see the man come
within the succeeding few minutes.
An impulse led Alvin to glance at his watch just at the moment he placed
himself behind the trunk of a pine not more than six inches in diameter.
After waiting seemingly longer than necessary, he examined his timepiece
again. The minutes pass slowly to those who are in suspense, but surely
the interval ought to have brought the stranger into view. But he was as
yet invisible. A quarter of an hour dragged by and still nothing was to
be seen of him. Alvin looked across at Chester, who was a few paces off,
also partially hidden from sight of anyone passing over the highway.
"What do you make of it?" asked the puzzled Captain of the _Deerfoot_.
"How long have we been waiting?"
"A half hour."
"Then he isn't coming," said Chester, stepping forth and walking toward
the road; "we are throwing away time and it is already growing dark."
On the edge of the highway the two halted and peered to the right and
left. Not a person was in sight.
"He has turned back," said Alvin.
"Why should he do that?"
"He must have known we saw him."
"More likely he dived into the wood and made a circle so as to come back
to the road between us and the inlet. He can't be far off."
"He has had plenty of time to get out of sight."
"Perhaps not."
Led by the hope, the boys hastened to the next turn, which gave them
sight of a hundred yards or more before it wound out of view again.
"There he is!" whispered Alvin excitedly.
"No; it is not he."
A large boy in a straw hat, with loose flapping linen duster and bare
feet was strolling toward them. He kept in the middle of the road, for
the walking was as good there as on either side. With his hands in his
trousers pockets and whistling softly to himself he lounged forward. He
started as the lads stepped out from among the trees.
"Gosh! you give me a scare!" he exclaimed with a grin. "Who be you?"
"Friends," Alvin took it upon himself to answer. "Who are you?"
"Henry Perkins," was the prompt response from the youth, whose manner
showed that he was not at ease.
"Where do you live?"
"Up the road, not fur, near this end of the bridge to Hodgdon Island."
"Where are you coming from now?"
The youth hesitated a moment and then with his unrelaxing grin answered:
"I spent the day with my cousin Burt Eggles over at Westport; he rowed
me across the Sheepscot, and as I told you I'm on my way hum; if I
don't arriv there purty blamed soon, the old man will give me an
all-fired licking."
"Did you meet anybody on the road?"
Henry Perkins shook his head several times.
"Didn't meet nobody; there ain't many folks in this part of the kentry."
"Well," said Alvin, "you may go on home now; if your 'old man' is cross
with you tell him you were stopped on the road."
"Haw! haw! he mought ask how long I was stopped. Wal, I'm off."
He strode forward with long steps, as if anxious to get away from the
couple who asked such personal questions. He had gone only a few paces
when he abruptly halted, looked around at the two, who were amusedly
watching him, and exclaimed:
"Gosh! I furgot something--I'm sorry," he added, using the catch phrase,
which was beginning to take the place of the conventional "excuse me,"
or "I beg pardon."
"What is that?"
"I _did_ meet a feller a little way down the road."
The youths were interested on the instant.
"Do you know who he was?" asked Alvin.
"Never seen him afore; didn't ask his name; don't spose he'd told me if
I had; I nodded and he nodded; neither of us didn't speak; that's all."
"How was he dressed?"
"Had on a soft, light hat, gray suit and carried a handbag."
"Thank you, Henry, good night."
"I 'spose I was so rattled at fust I didn't think of him when you asked
me if I'd met anybody. Wal, so 'long."
"What do you make of it now?" asked Alvin of his chum, as they resumed
their walk toward the inlet.
"That's the man we saw pretending to rest at the further end of the
first bridge; he's the one who sat near us on the steamer reading a
newspaper, and he left the boat when we did. That swinging of his hat
and yelling for the steamer to come back and pick him up was a bluff. He
got off because _we_ did and he has been following us ever since."
Neither could doubt this self-evident fact, which was enough to make
them graver than usual.
The man in gray must have known from the actions of the youths that one
if not both had discovered him while he was passing over the road behind
them. He had, as Chester suspected, turned in among the pines and made a
circuit by which he came out in advance of them. This might never have
become known but for the meeting between him and Henry Perkins.
But the disturbing question remained to be answered: who was he and what
did he mean by his actions?
"I believe he is one of the post office gang," said Alvin.
"So do I," assented his companion; "he knew from what we said on the
boat that we are hunting the stolen launch and he means to be on the
ground when we find it."
"What for?"
"Aye, there's the rub; whatever it may be it doesn't mean any good to
us. We have another criminal to buck against and one that's likely to
get the best of us. I wish now that I had two revolvers and you a
repeating rifle."
"Wishing can do no good. We'll win if we can."
It was characteristic of these two young Americans that to neither came
a thought of turning back. It was more than probable that they would run
into personal peril, but none the less they cheerfully took the risk.
When they reached the end of the highway which has its beginnings on the
southern point of Barter Island, it was fully dark. In the single small
house that stood there a light was burning, and a form flitted between
it and the curtain of the window.
"Alvin, I have just found out something," said his chum.
"What's that?"
"I was never hungrier in my life."
"The same here and have been for an hour or two."
"Let's go in and get something to eat."
No railings or fence showed in front of the little faded structure upon
whose door Chester gently knocked. It was opened by an elderly woman,
who was engaged in setting the table. In answer to her inquiring looks
Chester said:
"Good evening! Can we buy something to eat?"
"No, sir; we don't sell food; we give it to them as needs it!"