“Meaning that same place you showed me, near where the road comes down close to the shore of the water?” suggested Toby, quickly.
“Right you are, son,” continued Steve, nodding his head as he spoke. “Well, I had pretty fair luck for a while, and then the perch quit taking hold, so I sat down to wait till they got hungry again. And while I squatted there on the log that runs out over the water at my favorite hole, I heard the mutter of voices as some people came slowly along the road.
“First I didn’t pay much attention to the sounds, believing that just as like as not it was a couple of town boys, and I didn’t like the idea of their finding out where I got such heavy strings of fish once in so often. And then as they passed closer to me something familiar in one of the voices made me twist my head around.
“Well, it was Fred Badger, all right, walking along with that same sporty-looking stranger. And say, he isn’t such a bad-looking customer after all, Jack, when you get a close look at him, being gray-bearded, and a bit halting in his walk like he might have been injured some time or other. It’s more the clothes he wears that give him the sporty appearance, though, if you say he’s one of that betting bunch up at Harmony, he must be a bad lot.
“They had their heads together, and seemed to be discussing something at a great rate. I couldn’t hear what they said, the more the pity, for it might have given us a line on the whole silly business; but the man seemed trying to convince Fred about something, and the boy was arguing kind of feebly as if ready to give in. Well, something tempted me to give a cough after I’d stood up on the log. Both of ’em looked that way in a hurry. I waved my hand at Fred, and he answered my signal, but while you might have expected that he’d come back to ask what luck I had, and mebbe introduce his friend, he didn’t do that same by a jugfull. Fact is he said something to the man, and the two of them hurried along the road.”
Jack felt his heart grow heavy again. He was taking a great interest in the affairs of Fred Badger, and would be very much shocked should the other fall headlong into the net that seemed to be spread for his young feet.
“I know for one thing,” he told the others, “I’ll be mighty glad when that tie game is played off with Harmony, no matter which side wins the verdict. And I hope Fred is given no such chance to choose between right and wrong as came his way last Saturday. If those men increase the bribe his scruples may give way. And if only Fred could understand that his mother would utterly refuse to profit by his dishonor, he might have his heart steeled to turn the tempters down.”
“Then, Jack, why don’t you try and figure out how you could put it up to Fred that way?” urged Toby, eagerly.
“I’ve tried to think how it could be done without offending him, or allowing him to suspect that I know what he’s going through,” mused Jack. “There might be a way to mention a hypothetical case, as though it were some other fellow I once knew who had the same kind of choice put up to him, and took the wrong end, only to have his father or sister, for whom he had sinned, reproach him bitterly, and refuse to accept tainted money.”
“Gee whiz! it does take you to hatch up ways and means, Jack!” exclaimed Toby, delightedly. “Now, I should say that might be a clever stunt. You can warn him without making him feel that you’re on to his game. Figure it out, Jack, and get busy before next Saturday comes, won’t you?”