“Well, I am now.”
“Yes, might muss your collar if you got wet!” sneered a fellow in the crowd.
“All right,” said Tom, “when will you be back?”
“Can’t say,” declared Mart. “You see, I don’t know how long I may be.”
He started off, flushed and sheep-faced under the critical gaze of the crowd. As he did so Tom noticed that he had something in his hand.
“Here!” he cried, “where did you get that?”
Tom had discovered his missing coil of wire. His hand seized it. Mart’s did not let go. The latter gave a jerk, Tom a twist.
“That’s mine,” Tom said simply. “You took it from where I was stringing up my wireless.”
“I found it,” shouted Mart, thoroughly infuriated in being crossed in any of his plans. “It was kicking around loose. I’ll have it too—take that!”
He came at Tom so suddenly that the latter, unprepared for the attack, went swinging to the ground under a dizzying blow.