“We are going to try pretty hard,” said the Major, smiling. “Well, it is rather unusual, to be sure, but if you happen to be on the next porch working hard, the way you were this afternoon, we will see what we can do.”
“Aw!” said Bill again. “Aw, I did that for the Cause, Major!”
“Certainly, and I hope you will never have to do anything harder.” He clapped Bill on the back. “Just be there, and see what happens.”
At the L. & N. Station the Secret Service agent who had been the workman went in and presently came out saying that that was all right. And then Frank headed for home, and arriving there, took the three strangers to a room where they made certain additions to their attire in the shape of revolvers and handcuffs. The one-time workman strolled out into the alley a little later as a good-natured looking policeman, who squinted into the garbage pails on the block, to the distress of several well-meaning but forgetful maids who could not remember the hard and fast rule of the city about the division of garbage.
And soon after supper Bill, smooth of hair and rather pale of face, donned white flannel trousers and a clean white shirt, and in this gala attire went down to call on Elizabeth Crowley.
CHAPTER XII
Elizabeth looked rather surprised when Bill wandered up to her steps a second time in one day. But she was a wise little girl, oh, much, much wiser than her kind, and she said nothing; just greeted him in her pleasant low voice, and gave Bill the chair she had been sitting in. If Bill had not been a mere boy, this in itself would have made him wonder. Elizabeth’s chair faced the De Lorme house. It was Elizabeth’s silent little sarcasm to offer it to Bill when he was pretending that he had come to call on her.
And Bill, being a mere boy, did not even notice that Elizabeth had changed seats, but took her chair and felt lucky to think that he could have an unobstructed view of the house next door!
In three quarters of an hour, when two spruce looking officers came up the street, Bill had talked himself to a standstill. He only wished the man who had said slurring things about his work that afternoon was about ...