MR. MATSON IS ALARMED
Joe Matson did not know what to do. He wanted to rush away from where he was concealed, get home as quickly as possible, and tell his father what he had overheard. While Mr. Matson’s name had not been mentioned, knowing, as Joe did, that his parent was engaged on some patents, seeing Mr. Benjamin, manager of the Harvester works, and having heard the conversation between him and Mr. Holdney, the lad was almost certain that some danger threatened his father.
“And yet I can’t get away from here until they’re well out of sight,” reasoned Joe. “If I go now they’ll see or hear me, and they’ll be bound to suspect something. Yet I’d like to warn dad as soon as I can. There’s no telling when they may put up some job against him.”
But Joe could only crouch down there and wait.
At length he could stand it no longer. He reasoned that the men must be far enough away by this time to make it safe for him to emerge.
“They’re on the road to Riverside,” thought Joe, “and I may run into them, but if I see them I can slip into the fields and go around. Mr. Benjamin doesn’t know me, for he’s hardly ever noticed me when I’ve been to the Harvester works to see dad. But Mr. Holdney might remember me. I can’t take any chances.”
Cautiously he emerged from the bushes, and looked as far down the road as he could. There was no one in sight, and he started off. A little distance farther on, the road made a sharp turn and, just at the angle stood an old barn which hid the rest of the highway from sight until one was right at the turn. It was a dangerous place for vehicles, but the owner of the barn had refused to set it back.
No sooner had Joe turned this corner than he came full upon Mr. Benjamin and Mr. Holdney standing just around the barn, apparently in deep conversation. At the sight of Joe they looked up quickly, and Mr. Benjamin exclaimed:
“Ha! Perhaps this lad can tell us. We want to hire a carriage. Do you know any one around here who would let us take one for a short time?”