“Yes.”
The Barber boy let Tom go as if he were a hot coal.
“Say, excuse me, will you?” he stammered.
“That’s all right, Bill. What are you doing here in this storm?”
“Waiting. Can’t you guess—waiting to nail Bert Aldrich.”
“It isn’t likely he will show up such a night as this.”
“He’s a coward, but he’d risk a good deal to get away without meeting me. And what are you doing here, Tom Barnes?”
Instantly Tom was recalled to the urgency of the moment. The discovery of Bill Barber aboard the launch suggested a change in his plans.
“Bill,” he asked quickly, “do you understand running this craft?”
“Do I understand?” stormed Bill; “say, if anybody but you asked me that I’d knock him down.”