Keeping the trunk of the tree between himself and the cabin he crept up until he crouched at its foot. There he paused and listened. He could hear Helen singing within the cabin, but of her parents there was no sound. After a minute had passed he leaped for the lowest branch and quickly swung himself up. Up he climbed until he was nearly two-thirds of the way to the top. Here the branches were especially thick and two, growing only a few inches apart, made a fairly comfortable seat. By pushing aside a side branch he found that he had a good view of the greater part of the camp and was sure that there was little danger of being discovered.
For an hour he watched before catching sight of a soul. Then he saw the breed come from the dining cabin and slowly approach the cabin occupied by the Sleepers. As he stepped onto the porch Mr. Sleeper came out from the living room and met him. The boy was undecided as to whether or not the meeting was by appointment but, as the man motioned Jacques to a seat he judged that he had been expecting him.
If only he could hear what they were talking about, he thought, and then as he realized that it would be eavesdropping, he knew that, even were it possible, he would shrink from doing it.
“But that’s practically what I’m doing now,” he thought as he slowly let the branch drop back into its proper place.
For a moment he seriously considered giving over the espionage to which he was subjecting the camp, but his better judgment prevailed and he decided to see it through.
“It can’t possibly harm any of them if they’re all right,” he muttered half aloud, as he again pushed aside the branch.
The two men remained in earnest conversation for the better part of an hour and, although he was, of course, unable to hear a word, he could tell that Mr. Sleeper was trying argument after argument to induce Jacques to consent to something and that the latter was steadily refusing. Whether or not he finally succeeded he was not sure, but they shook hands warmly when Jacques rose to go and, from the smile on Mr. Sleeper’s face he judged that his arguments had not been entirely in vain.
Just then he heard a slight buzzing sound and quickly taking a small case from his pocket, he unwound a short bit of cord and placed the telephone receiver to his ear. Then, placing his lips close to the mouth piece he spoke in a tone hardly above a whisper.
“All right, Jack?”
“Sure it’s all right.” The words came through the air as plainly as though the speaker were by his side. “How are things there?”