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!"