"Where was he going?" added Sam.
"Did he seem to have any money?" came from Dick.
All of the Rovers were intensely interested, and showed it plainly.
"Say, one question at a time, please!" cried Songbird, "You put me in mind of a song I once wrote about a little boy:
"'A little lad named Johnny Spark
Was nothing but a question mark.
He asked his questions night and day,
When he was resting or at play.
One minute he would tackle pa,
And then he'd turn and tackle ma;
And then his uncle he would quiz—"
"And let that line please end the biz,"
finished Tom. "Say, Songbird, please don't quote poetry when we are waiting to hear all about Tad Sobber. Have some pity on us."
"Yes, tell us of Sobber," added Sam and Dick.
"All right, if you don't appreciate my verses," returned the would-be poet with a sigh. "Well, to start with, Tad Sobber was well dressed, and looked as if he had all the money he needed. He wore a brown checkered suit, so evidently he hasn't gone into mourning for his uncle. He told me he had had a rough experience on the ocean during the hurricane, and he blames you Rovers for all his troubles."
"That's just like Sobber," was Dick's comment.