THE STRANGERS AGAIN
"Was he listening?" asked Jack of the miner.
"It rather looks so," was the answer. "I thought I heard some one moving about there as I was talking to you, and I wanted to make sure."
"Well, you did all right," replied Jack, grimly. "Do you know who he is?"
"No, but—"
"Say! Wait a minute!" suddenly exclaimed Jack. He had but a glimpse of the man's back, but there seemed to be something familiar about the manner in which the man walked off. Like a flash it came to Jack.
"I think I know him—at least I've seen him before," he said hurriedly to
Mr. Argent. "I'm going to find out for sure."
In a flash Jack had sprung over the porch railing, and was rapidly running alongside the porch on the soft grass. He did this in order to get ahead of the retreating man. Had he remained on the porch Jack's footfalls on the boards would have given the alarm.
As it was, he was able to get ahead of the eavesdropper, and obtain a view of his face. And Jack was not mistaken in his surmise. It was one of the two men who had annoyed Jennie in the post office. The fellow seemed startled on confronting our hero.
"So you're here now, eh?" asked Jack.