“Just like the morgue,” said Burd. But when Amy turned on him, he amended quickly: “Maybe it’s a laundry for folks about the lake.”
“Hey, what are you doing around here?” demanded a rough voice, and they turned, startled to see a man approaching them from the rear of the house. He was a surly-looking fellow with a week’s growth of beard on his face. “What are you doing here?” he demanded again. “Don’t you know this is private ground?”
“We confess to ignorance on that point, stranger,” said Darry, with a glint of amusement in his eyes. “We were not aware that we were trespassing.”
“Well, you are!” growled the man, and his manner became more threatening. “And what’s more, we don’t want no strangers round here. You get out and stay out. Understand?”
Darry’s hands were clenched in anger and the other two boys were beginning to show fight, but the girls urged them onward.
“We don’t want any trouble,” said Jessie, urgently, as Darry seemed inclined to linger and settle with the ruffian then and there. “We don’t know what kind of people they are.”
“I can guess pretty well what kind they are!”
“But it is getting so late, Darry. Please.”
Reluctantly Darry yielded to her, and they went on, leaving the man glowering after them unpleasantly.
“Surly ruffian. I would like to get my hands on him.”