“We wanted to ask directions about the road,” said Fred, a little dismayed by the fellow’s surly manner.
The man looked them over for a moment, noticed that they were well dressed and hesitated no longer.
“Come in,” he said briefly, and stood aside for them to pass.
CHAPTER VI
HEAVY ODDS
Although feeling rather uneasy because of the man’s rough manner, the boys hardly saw what they could do but accept the invitation, and they went inside. The next moment they wished they had not.
There were two other men within the hut besides the one who had opened the door. They were seated at a bare pine table, and on the table there was a bottle of liquor. There seemed to be no other furniture in the miserable room, except a rusty wood stove, which was at white heat, two or three stools and a pile of hay in the corner, which evidently served as a bed.
The heat inside was stifling, and the room was rank with the fumes of liquor. The unshaven faces of the men were flushed, their eyes red and bleared, and a greasy pack of cards told of their occupation when they had been interrupted.
“Tramps,” whispered Bobby to Fred, who was nearest. “Let’s get out of this.”
“You bet,” returned Fred, as he made a motion toward the door.
But the man who had let them in now stood with his back against the closed door, looking at them with an ugly grin on his face, a face which was made still more repellant by a livid scar up near the temple.