Dan Baxter and his companion moved in the direction of the lake shore, and Dick lost no time in following the pair.
The man with Baxter was a stranger to Dick, but he showed by his manner that he was a rough individual, and when he talked he did a great deal of swearing, which, however, will not appear in his conversation in these pages.
Having reached the road running along the lake front, Baxter and his companion, whose name was Lemuel Husty, passed northward past a straggling row of cottages and then on the road leading to the village of Neckport.
"I wish I had time—I'd follow them," said Dick to himself, and turned back, much disappointed over the fact that he had not had a chance to speak to Dan Baxter.
As Dick turned in the direction of the doctor's office once more he was hailed by a lad of the village, named Harry Sharp.
"Hullo, Dick Rover!"
"How are you Harry? How do you like the snow?"
"All right enough, only it will spoil some of the skating."
"So I've been thinking," answered Dick, as the two came closer.
"Say, Dick, who do you suppose I met a while ago," went on Harry Sharp.