In thoughtful mood the old hunter walked back to the lodge, and then toward where Fred was fishing. He found the youth safe, and surprised to learn that the real estate dealer had showed himself in that out-of-the-way place.
“He doesn’t like it that Joe and Harry are here,” said Fred. “I really think he’s afraid they’ll find that pocketbook he says he once lost.”
“I hope they do find it—if it’s got those missing papers in it,” was the answer.
Fred had already caught several fish, and said he intended to catch as many more before he quit, no matter how cold it grew.
“I’ll show them that I can catch fish even if I’m no good at deer hunting,” he explained.
“Have you seen anything in the shape of game since you came down?”
“I saw something that looked like a black bear. But he didn’t come near here.”
“A bear? Where?”
Fred pointed out the direction, and Joel Runnell started off to see if the report was true. But he could find nothing, and in half an hour he returned.
“You must have been mistaken, Fred. Perhaps it was nothing but a shadow.”