"The girl who dropped the warning note into my pocket, and the young man with the pointed beard."
"Whew! again."
"Looks pretty complicated, doesn't it?"
"Worse than that. Ted, are you sure about this Colonel Billings?"
"One is sure of nothing in this world, but I have taken a fancy to Billings, and when I like a man he generally turns out all right, making allowances for minor faults and habits. Yes, I think I can trust Billings."
"But not his friends. Ted, do you want to know what I think?"
"Certainly."
"I feel that the invitation out there is a trap to catch you, and possibly keep you away from the town."
"Nonsense! Why should they want to keep me away from the town? There doesn't seem to be anything wrong in town that I could bother them in, except the Norcross incident, and if, as I suspect, he has duped his partners, he will say nothing to them about me."
"Suppose they want to get out there to do away with you."