“Leonard,” he asked one day, “who is the gentleman I see you so often walking with?”
“It’s a man that’s boarding at the hotel. I play billiards with him sometimes.”
“He seems to like Milford.”
“I don’t know. He’s over at our house every evening.”
“Is he?” asked Carl, surprised.
“Yes; he’s an old acquaintance of Uncle Julius. I don’t know where they met each other, for he won’t tell. He said he and uncle might go into business together some time. Between you and me, I think uncle would like to get rid of him. I know he doesn’t like him.”
This set Carl to thinking, but something occurred soon afterwards that impressed him still more.
Occasionally a customer of the house visited Milford, wishing to give a special order for some particular line of goods. About this time a Mr. Thorndike, from Chicago, came to Milford on this errand, and put up at the hotel. He had called at the factory during the day, and had some conversation with Mr. Jennings. After supper a doubt entered the mind of the manufacturer in regard to one point, and he said to Carl: “Carl, are you engaged this evening?”
“No, sir.”
“Will you carry a note for me to the hotel?”