“Think likely you did,” retorted Grimes. “You reckoned I wouldn’t darst come back here. That’s why you broke your promise ter me. That’s why you didn’t send me the money you promised me when I reached Montreal. I waited fer it two days, and then I decided to come back here and git it myself.”
“You insane idiot!” snarled Hammerswell, in a low tone. “You’re right in thinking I didn’t fancy you would be crazy enough to return here. If you’re seen and recognized you will be arrested instantly.”
“I guess that’s straight,” confessed Grimes coolly. “But if you didn’t want that to happen it was up to you to keep your promise. Don’t be feeling in your pockets. I’ve got a gun myself.”
“Don’t worry,” said Hammerswell, pulling out his handkerchief and mopping his face. “I’ve no pistol. It was stolen from my room to-day.”
“Mebbe that’s so,” chuckled Grimes; “and then agin’ mebbe it ain’t. You’re such a liar no man can believe you. I’ll watch ye, and don’t yer forgit that. If you start any shooting I’ll join in. I’m pretty desperate, Hammerswell, and you can’t snuff me out without getting your dose in return.”
“Oh, dry up!” growled the manager of the Maplewood team. “I’m not a lunatic, if you are. I’m not anxious to face a murder charge.”
“Jest what I thought,” nodded Grimes, again chuckling villainously. “That’s why I came back here. You know that I know something about you that might put you where you’d have to face a murder charge.”
“’Sh! Stop that fool talk! There’s a rustic seat over yonder. Come over and sit down.”
Side by side they walked toward the rustic seat, which stood near another cluster of shrubbery.
Barely had they seated themselves there when forth from the same cedars near the spot where they had met crept a form resembling a huge dog, but which was in truth a human being on hands and knees. Slowly and silently this figure moved across the open space, once or twice stopping and lying flat on his stomach as he fancied one of the men had turned in his direction. At last he reached the shelter of the shrubbery not far from the bench. There he remained crouching and listening.