The Camera Chap had heard enough to cause him to desire to learn more. The sentence which had been cut short so abruptly caused him to think of what Melba Gale had told him regarding her cousin’s proposal. He wondered if it was to her that the man with the flushed face had been about to refer when Gale checked his noisy speech. Determined to find this out, if possible, he decided to become acquainted with Gale’s friend.
The latter had taken a seat at the other end of the coach. Hawley waited until the train had been under way a short time, then changed his seat for one beside that of the man, taking care not to betray any special interest in his neighbor.
The latter stared at him for a while; then, being in a conversational mood, he began to talk.
“Hello!” he exclaimed. “Where’d you get on the train?”
Hawley answered that he had got on at Oldham.
“Oldham? Tha’s funny. Tha’s where I got on myself,” the man with the flushed face exclaimed, as excited as though this coincidence were the most amazing thing that[Pg 56] had ever happened. “Great little old town, isn’t it? Know anybody there?”
“A few people.”
“Happen to know my frien’ Gale?”
“Do I?” exclaimed Hawley in a tone which implied that he and Gale had shared the same feeding bottle as infants.
“Tha’s funny—tha’s awful funny. Gale’s great frien’ mine, too. Shake hands! Any frien’ of a frien’ of mine is a frien’ of mine, too. So you know good old Gale, eh?”