“There he is again!” exclaimed the boy. “I wonder what he can be doing around here.”
“That man,” and Dan pointed to him.
“What? Do you know him too?”
“Well, I don’t exactly know him, but I’ve talked with him,” and Dan related what had passed between himself and the man. “Do you know who he is, Mr. Harrison?”
“No, except he says he’s an inventor. He came into my place yesterday, and got me to fix some sort of a tool. I never saw one like it before. It was like a long chisel, or a big tack lifter. I thought it might be for taking up carpets, and I asked him, but he said it was a new tool he had invented, and that he wasn’t at liberty to tell me what it was for. It had broken in two, and I welded it together for him. When I saw he didn’t want to talk, I didn’t ask him any more questions. He’s a queer man, but he seems to have plenty of money. But, if you’re going to Mr. Lee’s store, you’d better get out here. Sorry I can’t give you a ride back.”
“You’ve given me a good lift as it was,” said Dan, as he alighted with the molasses jug. The blacksmith turned off into another street, and, as Dan started for the general store, he saw the stranger waving his hand to some one. Turning to see who it was, Dan beheld a rather poorly dressed individual join the man in front of the shoe store.
“Well, he evidently knows some one in the village,” thought Dan.
CHAPTER VI
SOME BAD MONEY
Feeling that he had no time to lose watching the movements of the stranger and the poorly dressed man, though he vaguely wondered what their objects might be. Dan hurried on to Hank Lee’s store. He saw the proprietor behind the counter.
“Oh, it’s you, is it?” exclaimed Mr. Lee, in rather a surly tone, as he saw Dan. “I hope you haven’t got any wild bulls outside.”