“I suppose it is, sir. I didn’t stop to think much about it.”
“I wouldn’t make a practice of it. I take it that the other fellow got aboard all right.”
“The other fellow?” faltered Joe.
“Yes, the—ah—the gentleman who tried to put his fist in your face.”
“Oh! You saw——”
“I happened to be looking out the window. You side-stepped very neatly. Fellow a friend of yours?”
“Not exactly.” Joe smiled faintly. There was an answering twinkle in the light blue eyes.
“No? But you evidently couldn’t bear to part with him. It’s not my business, but I’m curious to know the story. Fact is, I make my living from stories. I get chaps like you to tell them to me and then I write them down and sell them. It’s a very simple way to make a fortune.”
Joe smiled uncertainly. It sounded as if the other was joking, but his expression was quite serious. He had a lean, clean-shaven face, with many deep wrinkles. His nose was long and straight and his mouth rather large. Somehow, though, it was a nice face and inspired confidence. “There isn’t much story,” said Joe hesitantly. “The—the other fellow has something that belongs to me and I want to get it.”
“Situation Number Three,” murmured the man. “Hackneyed, but capable of interesting and even novel variations.”