“When the little boy walked away, Old Jed stood and stared after him. Then I saw him shake his head and go back in the direction of the house. But three times he turned and looked after Billy until the kid was lost to sight.”
“And did you manage to find out what he said to the child, Dick?”
“Partly,” came the reply. “Billy told us the nice old gentleman had asked him who he was, and about his folks. Then as Billy was coming away Old Jed told him he must come again, and see him another day—tomorrow if it was pleasant.”
At that Leslie almost doubled up.
“The sly old fox has swallowed the bait, Dick!” he exclaimed, between laughs. “All you have to do now is to let him have rope enough, and he’ll be caught as neat as you please. When he’s got to just yearn for little Billy, it’ll be time to pull the string, and tell him he can only have the child’s company on condition that the mother is equally welcome in his home.”
“I think myself that things begin to look kind of promising,” admitted Dick. “You must be sure to tell Uncle Henry all about it.”
“I certainly will,” continued Leslie, “and my mother as well, because she’s in the secret too. But about that meeting called for tomorrow night—have you heard that Nat and several of his cronies mean to attend?”
“If they do, it’ll be to make trouble for the rest of us, for they’ll try to break the meeting up,” said Dick, vehemently. “It would be only right if Mr. Holwell had the police chief present to keep things serene; but I suppose that wouldn’t look nice, seeing we would be in the Y. M. C. A. rooms.”
CHAPTER VII
ORGANIZING THE BOYS’ DEPARTMENT
Along about a quarter to eight on the evening of the following day a number of eager lads might have been seen making their way in the direction of the central part of town.