The man hesitated and then came forward.
“Don’t care if I do,” he answered in a somewhat surly fashion, but Ralph observed that he ate hungrily, and they had to have the supplies renewed a second time.
When they had finished they both strolled out of the store together and, without any discussion of the matter, sat down beside each other on the railroad platform. Each man looked as if he had no other interest or occupation in life except just to wait until a train passed by.
“There isn’t much excitement in this neighborhood, is there?” Ralph finally said.
His companion stared straight ahead of him.
“Oh, you can’t sometimes always tell just by the outside looks of things.”
Ralph hesitated a moment.
“Been any fun lately?” he inquired.
The man shook his head.
“Not much; nothing except some fellows been trying to blow up the track out this way. I’m on the lookout for them for the railroad, as I’m one of the company’s men.”