“You’re right; he mustn’t. We’ll have to keep him on the move. Fortunately he’s so wrapped up in this lizard business he won’t think of anything else. Now we’ll stick by him until the train leaves. Once he’s up in the mountains, hunting for lizards that don’t exist, we’ll be safe. We’ll have the land in our possession in a few days.”
The two conspirators took the note the professor had written. Then, never leaving him for an instant, they got him ready for his trip to the mountains, where Fussel really did own a hunting cabin. It was unoccupied, and was to be placed at the disposal of the professor.
“There you are now!” exclaimed Fussel, as he and Professor Bailey went to the station with Dr. Snodgrass. “Just in time for the train.”
“And you won’t forget to send for my things at Mrs. Hopkins’s house?” asked the professor.
“We’ll attend to that,” promised Bailey.
“And you’ll tell her and the boys, why I had to leave so hurriedly—in order that I might not miss a chance to get those lizards; will you?”
“Oh, yes, we’ll tell them,” glibly promised Fussel.
The train pulled in. The professor was hurried aboard with some articles of wearing apparel hastily provided for him.
“Sorry to have to hustle you off in this way,” said Fussel, as the train pulled out, “but you really had no time to go to Cresville, you see.”
“No, indeed,” added his fellow conspirator. “Those lizards are scary things. They’re here to-day and gone to-morrow.”