"Can't play this sick bus'ness much longer—must join the circus at Belgrade in a few days—must make a move pretty soon."
"Won't keep you waiting long—but the best jobs in—country—spoiled by haste. Take it easy till you can be sure how the land lies."
"That may all be—but——"
Just then Bud Heyland turned his head so that only the back portion was toward the listener, and his voice dropped so low that it was some time before another word could be distinguished.
Fred Sheldon was deeply interested, for a new and strong suspicion was beginning to take possession of him.
It seemed to him on the sudden that the two worthies were not discussing the past so much as they were the future.
That is, instead of talking about the despoiling of the Perkinpine mansion, a few nights before, they were laying plans for the commission of some new offense.
"That Sutton is a regular burglar," thought Fred, "and he has come down here to join Bud, and they're going to rob all the houses in the neighborhood. I wonder whom they're thinking about now."
The anxiety of the eavesdropper to hear more of what passed between the conspirators was so great that he grew less guarded in his movements than he should have been.