“I’m afraid there isn’t much chance of ever finding them,” the old man said. “But it wasn’t that I came to see you especially about this morning, Mr. Matson. I heard something last night that I think you ought to know.”
“Is that so?” asked Joe pleasantly. “What is it?”
“I was on the Common last night,” Anderson replied. “It was so close and hot that I couldn’t sleep, and I thought it might do me good to get the air. I sat down at the foot of a big tree and I guess I must have gone to sleep. I was waked up by hearing voices and found that two men were sitting on a bench the other side of the tree.
“I didn’t pay much attention till I heard one of them mention your name. Even then I thought they were talking about baseball. But then I heard one of them say mean things about you. I perked up then and I heard enough to know that they were planning to harm you in some way.”
Both ball players were listening now with the utmost attention.
“Did you hear them call each other by name?” asked Joe.
“One of them spoke to the other as Mr. Fleming——”
“Fleming!” interrupted Jim, as he shot a quick glance at Joe.