"Sam's keepin' mighty close about it, an' I wouldn't wonder if he found the whole business out before long. He comes near to bein' a reg'lar detective, you know."
"Who? Sam?"
"Sure."
"But what does he know about the detective business?"
"Perhaps he's learnin' it same's you are the fireman's racket."
This reduced Seth to silence, and Dan, fearing that he might have given offence, hastened to say in a most friendly tone:
"Of course if a feller studies over anything of that kind he'll soon come somewhere near knowin' a little about it, an' Sam is posted in more ways than one."
"Then how does it happen he let anybody go through him?"
"That's the funny part of it, an' the folks what did it must have been mighty slick, 'cause, you see——"
Dan was interrupted by the sound of footsteps near at hand, and ever on the alert against possible danger, Seth made his way to the door of the shed as he asked sharply: