Charlie Jamieson and Billy Trenwith accepted Eleanor’s pressing invitation to stay for the evening meal, but Trenwith seemed to feel that they were wasting time that might be better spent.
“Not wasting it exactly,” he said, however, when Eleanor laughingly accused him of feeling so. “But I do sort of think that Charlie and I ought to keep after this man Holmes. He seems to be a tough customer, and I’ll bet he’s busy, all right.”
“The only point, Billy,” said Charlie, “is that, no matter how busy we were, there’s mighty little we could do. We don’t know enough, you see. But maybe when I get up to the city, I’ll find out more. I’ll go over the facts with you in Bay City to-night, and then I’ll go up to town and see what I can do with Jake Hoover and Zara’s father.”
“Well, let’s do something, for Heaven’s sake!” said Trenwith. “I hate to think that all you girls out here are in danger as a result of this man’s villainy. If he does anything rotten, I can see that he’s punished but that might not do you much good.”
“I tell you what would do some good, and that’s to let Holmes know that you will punish him, if he exposes himself to punishment,” said Charlie Jamieson. “That’s the chief reason he’s so bold. He thinks he’s above the law–that he can do anything, and escape the consequences.”
“Well, of course,” said Trenwith, “it may enlighten him a bit when he finds that those rascals we caught to-day will have to stand trial, just as if they were friendless criminals. If what you say about him is so, he’ll be after me to-morrow, trying to call me off. And I guess he’ll find that he’s up against the law for once.”
“Did you get that telephone fixed up, Nell?” asked Charlie. “You’re a whole lot safer with a telephone right here on the beach. Being half a mile from the nearest place where you can ever call for help is bad business.”
Eleanor pointed to a row of poles, on which a wire was strung, leading into the main living tent.
“There it is,” she said, gaily. “I don’t see how you got them to do it so fast, though.”