"I won't say 'yes' or 'no' so easily," laughed Hiram. "When was it the man was supposed to come this way?"
The man on the rear seat of the carryall gave a date. It was well back in the spring.
"It was after that date—soon after, we believe. We know almost positively that he came through Pringleton and was heading this way."
"Heading for Sunnyside?" asked Hiram in surprise.
"Is that the name of this place? I don't mean to say that he was coming to this particular farm. Only that he was walking in this direction."
"Really," said Hiram, who had been trying to think of the incidents of the previous spring, "I don't know that there were many tramping people who asked me for work at that time."
"Do you run this farm—a kid like you?" demanded the bewhiskered one in surprise.
"Yes," Hiram said with his customary smile, "I try to. I would know if anybody came along asking for work. And at that time I was having ditching done and hired almost every man I could get."
"I don't know about Ted doing ditching," said the driver of the carryall. "He was a notch above that."
"At that season of the year I presume a farm worker is not likely to have his pick of jobs," the other man suggested shrewdly.